Poultry team earns No. 6 spot in nationals

The University of North Georgia (UNG) poultry team placed sixth in the 58th National Collegiate Poultry Judging contest at the University of Arkansas in November. Team members included Alyssa Foster, Grant Justus, Devin Self, and Conner Watson.

"This year's team was very competitive, and our results reflect their hard work in preparation. I am very proud of these students and look forward to seeing how they do in future contests," Dr. Linda Purvis, associate professor of biology and poultry science, said.

Self, a freshman, earned two individual awards: second place in Division I and ninth place overall. He is from Hull, Georgia, and is pursuing an associate degree in agriculture-poultry science.

"When I heard my name called, all I could do was smile knowing that my hard work at practice had paid off and I was only going to get better from here," Self said. "My success is all thanks to the amazing coaches Dr. Purvis, and Jaque Conner, both have helped me excel in what I do and allowed me to be able to receive awards as I did."

This was the second and final time in the competition for Foster of Talmo, Georgia, which she described as "bittersweet."

"It has been one of the best experiences throughout my time in college. I am pursuing a degree in middle grades education for agriculture, so being able to have hands-on experience with one of the very things I will go onto teach my future students is important," Foster said. "Not only is the hands-on experience great, the connections and friendships I have been able to make are sure to last a lifetime. If I could give any student any advice, it would be to just try it; you never know how much you might like something until you just do it." 

The group will compete again in the spring at Mississippi State University in April 2025.