18 December 2009

In November, first year agriculture students at CAFRE’s Greenmount Campus get involved in training livestock in preparation for the College’s Young Handlers Competition. The event is eagerly anticipated by the students. It allows them the opportunity to develop skills in the preparation and showing of farm animals, skills that might be useful when they return to their own farms.

Each student in the competition had to prepare and show a dairy heifer. During the weeks of preparation the students developed a great team spirit. The culmination of this effort is the showing of the livestock in front of an audience of fellow students, staff, parents and friends. Competition is intense with each student using all the tricks of livestock showing and handling to outdo their rivals.

Training the animal requires skill and a lot of patience. It was very satisfying to watch students who at the start were nervous and apprehensive develop the confidence and maturity to catch the judge’s attention on the day of the competition.

The Young Handlers Competition is only one of a number of practical activities students get involved in over the year. Others include stock judging and workshop projects during which they make farm equipment such as creep feeders and land levellers.

The Young Handlers Competition was judged by Paul Dunn, past Greenmount student from Bangor and Northern Ireland manager of Worldwide Sires. Congratulations go to Aaron Haffey from Portadown who won the competition and Stephen Gordon from Kilkeel who was runner up.

For more information on Agriculture courses at Greenmount Campus contact Kenneth Johnston on 02894 426769 or visit the Agriculture Courses section.

Winner of the Greenmount Young handler of the Year competition Aaron Haffey from Portatown  . Also included is judge Paul Dunn from Bangor

Runner-up in the Greenmount Young handler of the Year competition Stephen Gordon from Kilkeel. Also included is judge Paul Dunn from Bangor

Some of the students taking part in the Greenmount Young Handler of the Year Competition