Students from two schools in Tyrone and Down are today (Friday, October, 28) celebrating winning the 2022 ABP Angus Youth Challenge.
Cookstown High School in Tyrone and Newtownhamilton High School in County Down beat six other finalist teams to lift the winning trophies in the Logan Hall Balmoral Park in Northern Ireland.
They also received a £1,000 cheque for their schools from George Mullan, managing director of ABP in Northern Ireland and the general manager of the Certified Irish Angus Producer Group, Charles Smith.
Mr Mullan said:
“This competition challenges young minds to uncover the facts about beef production for themselves. It gives them the chance to actively experience and benefit from Angus beef farming and to develop the skills needed to work in our sector.
“I am delighted to see recognition continue to grow within the our schools community for the beneficial influence and impact the challenge is having on a diverse range of young people and for the positive profile it is providing for agriculture as a subject or a career choice.”
This year’s runners-up were Dalriada School, Ballymoney and St Catherine’s College Armagh.
Judges said they were impressed with Cookstown High School’s winning team’s passion for agriculture.
The Cookstown team who included John-Mark McCrea, William Hamilton and Ben Smyton , from Year 12, focused on ‘Sustainable Agriculture Delivering for the Community.’
The team said they wanted to “bridge the knowledge-gap between farmers who rear high-quality, grass-fed cattle and the consumer’s understanding of beef production”.
Their project projected a positive manifesto for agriculture and promoted the importance of farming and food production in the U.K.
It also examined the beneficial role that agriculture plays in the community and looked at how to integrate concern for the environment into food production.
Judges also praised the winning team from Newtownhamilton High School who included Aimee McCombe, Ellen Bailie and Sophie McKnight chose to base their project around ‘Sustainable Beef Consumption and the Young Consumer.’
The Year 11 students, with the support of their home economics teacher, examined the nutritional value of beef in particular its vitamin content.
They also looked at young people’s understanding of the vitamins gained by earing beef and launched an awareness-raising campaign which included producing a book of beef recipes.
The County Down students also organised a Farm to Fork Festival and Tractor Run in their local community, which together with in-school fund-raising and support from local businesses raised £7,000 for ABP’s charity partner Air Ambulance NI.
Separately judges also awarded outstanding individual achievement awards to Lois McCurdy from Dalriada School and Jonathan Burrows from Cookstown High School for the 2021
More than 80 students also took part in the 2022-2023 ABP Angus Youth Challenge exhibition today at the Logan Hall Balmoral Park with parents, teachers and industry stakeholders.
All eight finalist teams in the latest youth challenge and the 2022-2023 students who participated in the exhibition at the Logan Hall Balmoral Park heard a video message of congratulations from the former Northern Ireland Agriculture Minister, Edwin Poots.
An independent panel will judge the work of the 2022-2023 student teams who took part in the exhibition and will decide who goes through to the next stage of the challenge.
A mini-herd of Angus cross calves to rear worth in the region of £3,500 is part of the package of prizes for those that reach the final stage of the 2022-2023 ABP Angus Youth Challenge.