Young livestock enthusiasts shine at National Young Stars
The third National Young Stars event took place at the Three Counties Showground in Malvern, Worcestershire, on Tuesday and Wednesday last week (22nd and 23rd August) with young livestock and butchery enthusiasts travelling from all corners of the UK, as well as an international exchange team from Canada, competing on this fast growing national platform.
Some 100 youngsters ranging from 8 years old up to 24 competed in team sections for pigs, sheep, beef and dairy, as well as individual competitions for butchery. Headline event sponsors Allfex also hosted a shearing demonstration from world record holding shearer Matt Smith.
Some 11 beef teams were put through their paces in front of a team of judges that consisted of Richard Bartle, Herefordshire; Cameron Jackson, Lanark and Alistair Smith, Nottinghamshire, were a team of brothers from Hampshire; Angus, Charlie and Donald McLean, entered under the team name of Brothers in Farms. Sponsored by the British Charolais Cattle Society, they impressed the judges with their professionalism from the minute they arrived at the event.
They also impressed the team of marketing and presentation judges, Rachel Gilder and Hannah Wood from event sponsors Dunbia and NSA ambassador and sponsor representative Rory Gregor who awarded the Charolais team with the highest points across all four livestock entries. The winning team will now look forward to a trip to Canada next spring as part of the international exchange element of the event.
Coming in second in the beef area were the Canadian team consisting of Kade Earley, Katelynne Thomson and Jared Ball. Having come through their own qualification process in Canada, this team excelled in all areas of the competition, particularly impressing in stockjudging and ring craft judge Richard Bartle who felt they grasped the different styles of judging and showing with ease.
Meanwhile, the third place beef team consisted of Emma McAlister, Isle of Bute; Louise Allan, Ayrshire; and James Wightman, Stirlingshire, representing the Super Simmies and sponsored by the British Simmental Cattle Society, while in fourth place were the Limousin Leaders, a team sponsored by the British Limousin Cattle Society and represented by Amy and Alan Lindsay, West Lothian and Iona Smith, Ayrshire.
The dairy team section of the competition saw judges Iwan Thomas, Swansea; Tom Lomas, Derbyshire and Mark Knutsford, Cheshire, critique six dairy teams with the ultimate top spot going to The Jersey Girls, represented by Devon-based Rosie Lea Bennett, Jess Ravenhill and coming back to regain last year’s title Emily Davis, all three of which were sponsored by The Jersey Cattle Society.
Coming in second were the Red Rockets, a team sponsored by Shorthorn Sires and represented by Fiona Birtles and Robert Crank from Cheshire and Lucy Morgan from Shropshire.
Competition was yet again strong in the pig lines with some 12 teams battling it out for their prize of three pig arks provided by Con-tented Products, as well as various product prizes. Standing top here and impressing judges Nick Kiddy, Bedfordshire; James Sage, Somerset and Denis Elliot, South Yorkshire, on all areas of the competition were The Massey Divas, representing sponsors Massey Feeds and consisting of Grace Bretherton, and sisters Eve and Charlotte Ashcroft from Lincolnshire.
Coming in second in the pig section were the Spotty Trotters, a team sponsored by the Gloucestershire Old Spots Breeders Club and represented by Sarah Whitley and Ella Kirtley, Yorkshire and Oliver Lightfoot from Gloucestershire.
While numbers were back in the sheep teams with only four teams competing, quality for such a young age was strong in all the teams and catching the eye of the judges Matthew Gray, Herefordshire and Gethin Havard, Powys, were the Hampshire Down Young Breeders team, consisting of Louie Van Geffen, North Yorkshire; Stephen Short, West Yorkshire and Allie Alvis, Somerset, representing the Hampshire Down Sheep Breeders Association. These youngsters shone in the trimming and presentation side of the competition, as well as their ring craft skills and won a set of Heineger Clippers each.
Second place in the sheep teams went to the C R Trimmers; Cosmo and Brodie Summerfield, Shropshire and Nicholas Webb, Worcestershirerepresenting sponsors McConnels and the Coloured Ryeland Society, while in third were the True Blues team from the Blue Texel Sheep Society in the form of Harvey Heath, Derbyshire; Ted Lloyd, Herefordshire and Jack Bodily, Monmouthshire.
Coming through top in the butchery section under judge John Holden and receiving a trophy kindly donated by the Royal Smithfield Club was Jess Pugh from the Shropshire-based Ludlow Food Centre.
New to the event this year was an individual under 16 award for a competitor in each of the team competitions who impressed the judges and section stewards throughout the course of the two days. In the beef category this was awarded to Wigtownshire-based Frank Gwynne from Team Simmies, while the dairy winner was Devon-based Emily Davis from the Jersey Girls. Young sheep winner was Derbyshire-based Harvey Heath from the True Blues team, while in the pig section William Oliver, Cheshire, took top place.
