Cade Snethen, a native of Otterbein, Indiana, was named the new coach of the Purdue Meat Judging Team and will join in January.
“Coming back home and getting to judge a program that has so much potential is amazing,” Snethen said. “I’m excited to get to work with these students.”
Snethen brings extensive expertise to the field of meat judging. His background in meat judging began in high school where he took part in the meat judging team for his FFA chapter. He placed 36th at his first state contest and placed 6th at the next state contest.
According to Snethen, the support of his coaches, family and other people who were close to him pushed him to be a strong competitor.
He continued his meat judging experience as an undergraduate student at Texas Tech University, which is where he was a part of the 2021 national championship team coached by Markus Miller, Ph.D. In 2021, the team won five of seven contests: National Western, Southwestern, Houston, Eastern and International.
“In the meat judging sphere, Dr. Miller was referred to as the Nick Saban of meat judging in terms of winning percentage,” Snethen said. “Getting to learn under him was awesome. I got to learn how to judge and how to be a competitor, and I think the one thing I am going to take is that the decisions we make as a team are going to answer the question of ‘How good do we want to be?’”
Snethen expressed his excitement about transitioning from a member of the meat judging team to a coaching role.
“It is a tremendous honor to switch sides to see what it takes to win,” Snethen said. “Being able to inspire and coach these students to learn what it takes to be great, whether that’s in meat judging, in the classroom or in life, is an honor.”
Snethen’s goal in his coaching position is to create a team that can succeed outside of the judging realm.
“One thing I am hoping to bring as a coach and as a leader is how to be a champion, and that doesn’t mean winning every contest,” Snethen said. “It just means doing our best to put our best foot forward, making us not only strong in judging but also strong academically and in life.”
In a meat judging contest, participants evaluate beef, pork and lamb carcasses based on quality and characteristics. They also write explanations for their placements in five classes. Additionally, evaluators check specific meat cuts against set standards.
According to Snethen, a meat judging team evaluates animals in a manner similar to a livestock judging team.
“Our focus is on the postmortem evaluation of meat products instead of live animals,” Snethen said. “To form a competitive team, we need at least four students, but a larger team is always beneficial. At Texas Tech, our team had 21 members, which allowed us to cultivate depth and expertise. There is no prior meat judging experience needed, just a drive to want to be great.”
In addition to being able to evaluate carcasses, students will gain many more skills and experience from being on the team. Students will learn how to compete and work, which will be beneficial once they leave Purdue and enter the workforce, Snethen said.
Students who are interested in joining the Purdue Meat Judging Team can email Cade Snethen or Hattie McGrady.
Snethen graduated as an outstanding undergraduate student in animal sciences from Texas Tech. After receiving his bachelor’s degree, he began his master’s degree under Bradley Johnson, Ph.D. His research at the university includes anabolic agent residue in the meat supply as an importance for anti-doping, and he was awarded the Outstanding Master’s student in animal and food science.
While coaching the team, Snethen will also be pursuing a doctoral degree in animal sciences, and his advisor will be Jon Schoonmaker, Ph.D. His research will include looking at liver abscess formation in finishing cattle.
