News : Merchant and Martin tie for Grand Champion in 2019 Cookout Contest

By Carol Kerner, Farm Bureau Federation

The 12th Annual Benton County Farm Bureau Cookout Contest sure brought some heat to the Benton County Fair. The Contest was held on Saturday, June 29 at the fairgrounds in Vinton. Ten individuals competed for Grand Champion of the event, and two groups competed in the Team category. Jared Merchant and David Martin ended up sharing the title of Grand Champion for the event with a tie for the top score from the three judges.

Bill Newton, the contest coordinator, was on hand to run the event, along with Teddi Newton, Al Schafbuch, Robert Ritscher, and Brett and Dawn Richards assisting with the Farm Bureau sponsored Cookout. The twelve grillers competed with creative meat recipes and preparation while enjoying the county fair activities.

The purpose of the Cookout Contest is to promote quality Iowa meat, says coordinator Bill Newton. The meat entries were judged on the basis of taste, appearance and originality. Three judges - Cal Rickels, Matt Boggess and Jake Bauer, came together to taste each entry and fill out a scorecard. 1st Place winners in each category won cash prizes and have the opportunity to compete again at the Iowa Farm Bureau Cookout Contest at the Iowa State Fair.

Congratulations to the 1st Place category winners Jared Merchant (beef and pork); David Martin (poultry); Lee Hardersen (turkey); Josh Detling (lamb); Marshall Whitaker (combo/specialty); and Gene and Renee Petersen (team). Also competing in the contest were Mark Bickal, Justin Meredith, Ryan Justice, Will Ketchen, Jeff Whitson, Scott Bahmann, Chad Meyer and Rick Haefner.

Benton County will be well represented at the Iowa State Fair on Tuesday, August 13 for the Iowa Farm Bureau Cookout Contest in Des Moines. The Benton County Farm Bureau thanks everyone for participating and wishes the winners the best of luck at the state fair.