A Macomb High School 2023 graduate and current Western Illinois University student is among numerous WIU students from the School of Agriculture who earned multiple team and individual honors at the 2026 North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA) Judging Conference in late spring.
Carter Hoge of Good Hope earned first place in Livestock Judging Overall and Cattle; second place in Reasons; and third place in Sheep and Goats. The School of Agriculture earned first-place team finishes in Portfolio, Livestock Judging Overall, Cattle, Sheep and Goats, Swine Judging and Livestock Judging Reasons.
'I'm extremely proud of our students for the effort they put into preparing for this competition. As a first-year coach for the Agricultural Education and Portfolio teams, it was a huge success to see these wins. Dr. Mark Hoge, assisted by Coby Frey, continues to coach championship livestock judging teams. Leatherneck Livestock showed up for this contest ready to end an extraordinary season with excellence,' said Dusti Ingles, WIU assistant professor of agriculture. 'I was also excited to see students stretch themselves and compete in new areas like Knowledge Bowl, Crops and Dairy Judging.'
