Ten exhibitors to take part in Quoybrae overwintering competition
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The annual Young Farmers' overwintering competition hosted by Aberdeen and Northern Marts will be held at Caithness Livestock Centre at the start of next month alongside the sale of 900 store cattle.
Ten exhibitors are set to take part in this year’s competition on Monday, April 1, supported by local agricultural contractor A H Mackay, West Greenland.
A total entry of 16 calves will be featured at the Quoybrae event, including 10 heifers and six bullocks.
The show and sale will take place from 9am with Angus Greenlaw, of Sheep Park Farm, Bridge of Marnoch, Huntly, judging the entries.
Young farmers from Caithness clubs will be competing in categories such as best-quality animal, best-presented and paraded animal, highest average daily liveweight gain, highest feeders’ margin and best overwintered animal, with three awards on offer.
The objective of the competition is to encourage young farmers to take part in the buying and selling of cattle through the live auction system and, in particular, to practise the art of stockmanship in the tasks of selection, feeding, presenting and parading animals for show and sale.
Young farmers are offered the opportunity to purchase cattle at the autumn sales and feed them through the winter, with a key part of the competition covering the commercial aspects of production in the feeders’ margin and daily weight gain categories.
Scott Chapman, auctioneer at Aberdeen and Northern Marts, said: “We are pleased to have the Young Farmers' overwintering competition return to Quoybrae. The farmers have worked hard over the winter months to get stock prepared for selling and the competition provides a great platform to encourage the next generation to get involved in the art of stockmanship and build on business skills.
"We would like to thank A H Mackay, West Greenland, for their continued sponsorship of the event.”
Last year the champion was a 506kg Limousin bullock from Lyndsey Dunnet, Linkmoor, from Halkirk Young Farmers, which sold for £1800 to W & J Cameron, Burnside of Edingight, Grange.
