A new competition has launched which seeks to test the skills, knowledge and capabilities of young livestock farmers aged between 12 to 26 years old.
The David Allen Stockperson of the Year competition will commence at Harrison & Hetherington's (H&H) Borderway Agri Expo showcase, on 29 October.
The competition will see the next generation put through their paces across a spectrum of stockmanship fields throughout four competitive classes.
Entries are invited in pairs from anyone aged between 12 and 26 years old, but must be an active member of a Young Farmers' Club (YFC).
Competitors will be required to demonstrate the insight and attributes required to manage livestock and an understanding of managing carbon outputs.
With attractive cash prizes up for grabs for first, second and third places, the overall winners will also be presented with a special trophy.
Laura Millar, livestock scheme manager at H&H, said: “As a young person myself working within the livestock industry, I was really keen to add something to Agri Expo that emphasised the next generation.
"The industry is evolving at such a pace, and it is more important than ever for farmers to be forward-thinking and proactive.
"The aim of the competition is to get people thinking and challenging themselves, as well as to showcase the strength of our young farmers as the future of our industry."
With the competition taking place throughout the day, Class 1 will be a test of stock judging and will require competitors to place animals in the correct order as determined by the judge.
Class 2 will challenge their knowledge of Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) with competitors being asked to select a breeding bull for a given scenario based on four sets of EBVs.
Class 3 will be a Carbon Challenge, and will be a question and answer session on how a farming business can become carbon neutral.
Finally, Class 4 will see each pair value four different grades of stock - i.e., Store Animals, Calves, Prime Lambs and Breeding Sheep.
Entries for the The David Allen Stockperson of the Year competition will be taken on the day.
The competition is being run in conjunction with David Allen Accountants, the British Charolais Cattle Society (BCCS), Carbon Metric, the North of England Mule Sheep Association (NEMSA) and Cumbrian Young Farmers.
