Now in its twelfth year, the Emerald Expo event returns to the Virginia Show Centre in Co. Cavan on Saturday, April 27.
The official launch of the popular event took place at the Virginia Show Centre yesterday morning (Thursday, March 28), which saw sponsors, exhibitors and personnel involved in the event in attendance.
According to the organisers, this all-dairy breeds cattle show “is the very first show of the year in Ireland with a substantial prize fund on offer”.
The Emerald Expo main sponsor is FBD Insurance with supporting sponsorship from the Irish Holstein Friesian Association (IHFA) and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).
The prize schedule includes seven championships and a new introduction to the show this year, is an individual Championship for Red and White Holstein Friesian animals.
The Emerald Expo youngstock confined class is a dedicated class open to breeders from the surrounding IHFA club areas, Breffni Oriel, north-eastern, west-Midlands and Donegal.
Once again, all eyes will be on the top-calibre stock in contention for the Emerald Expo Senior Champion and the prize of taking home the Seamus Kelly memorial perpetual trophy.
According to the organisers, the location is “very convenient and is also amenable to exhibitors and visitors from Northern Ireland”.
Young Members (YMA) handling classes will kick-start the show proceedings on the day. The three handling classes kick-start the annual YMA Showmanship League competition with qualifying points on offer towards the final.
Emerald Expo judge
Renowned UK-based judge David Booth of Feizor Holsteins will judge the twelfth Emerald Expo.
David is a fourth-generation farmer and the family farm, Old Hall Farm, is located in the Yorkshire Dales National Park in northern England.
The Feizor Pedigree Registered herd consists of a 120 cow milking herd with 170 youngstock and followers. The milking herd has an annual average production of 12,300L, twice-a-day milking with the herd housed all year round.
The milking cow diet is predominantly an all forage-based TMR with attention to detail on producing top-quality home-grown multi-cut crops of grass silage and maize silage.
The Feizor herd has won many showing successes including Senior Champion of the Royal Show in 2005, and also exhibited the Agri Scot Super Heifer in recent years.
The herd was judged the winner of the prestigious Holstein UK Premier herd competition in 2012.
A member of the Holstein UK National Judges panel for a number of years, David is a renowned judge. He states that he is “very fortunate” to have judged numerous National shows including:
- The Holstein UK Dairy Day;
- Royal Welsh Show;
- All Britain All Breeds Calf Show;
- Balmoral Show;
- The Diageo Baileys Champion Cow in 2022.
David said: “I look for a balanced cow with a really good udder who moves freely on a quality set of feet and legs.
“I also like to see a cow having that breed character of dairy-ness, in addition to her overall quality and balance. It is an honour to have been asked to judge the Emerald Expo and I am very much looking forward to it.”
Richard Whelan, Emerald Expo Show director said that the continued success of the Emerald Expo, now in its 12th year, is “a reflection of the commitment from all stakeholders involved including sponsors and cattle exhibitors”.
Richard said: “On behalf of the organising committee, I especially thank FBD as title sponsor and also thank the IHFA, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and all class sponsors.
“Without this sponsorship support the show could not take place. In seeking to continue the popularity of what was the RDS Spring show, a number of like-minded breeders from the border, midlands and north eastern region formed an organising committee and successfully held an annual Spring Fair show, with the first show taking place in 2004.”
“Emerald Expo continues to build upon this Spring Show foundation. It fills the calendar void and as it is the first show of the year it is a unique platform for breeders to turn out their stock and put their herds in the shop window.
“It is an opportunity to meet up with fellow breeders and to enjoy a social and educational day out. It is also a commercial opportunity for the agri-industry to showcase new products and services.”
Admission is free on show day, Saturday April 27, and all are welcome to attend the event.
In conjunction with Denis Barrett Auctions, the first Emerald Expo Sale will take place via an online timed auction over the Emerald Expo weekend.
The organisers say they hope “to encourage consignors to enter their animals into the show as a preview for the sale”.
More sale information and lot previews will be available on the Emerald Expo social media channels.