The winner of the prestigious 2018 President’s Medal Award was announced this week by Holstein UK.
Jess Mills from Derbyshire Holstein Young Breeders’ Club claimed the title. As part of the prize, Ms. Mills won an engraved medal and a trip to the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto.
Holstein UK also congratulated the two runners up James Doherty from the Shropshire Club and Jess Hurren from the North East Club.
Sponsored by Semex, the Holstein UK President’s Medal recognises and rewards young talent and highlights individuals who are the dairy farmers of the future.
The award was presented at the Semex Conference in Glasgow and recognises an HYB member who has made an outstanding contribution to the breed, Holstein Young Breeders, and, in particular, their own club.
The entry process started by asking each club to nominate one young breeder aged between 23 and 26 years of age.
Six young breeders were shortlisted for interview with the panel of judges, which included:
- Peter Waring, Holstein UK president;
- Darren Todd, Holstein UK geneticist; and
- Rodger Mather from Semex.
The following submission of an essay titled: “Nine years after the first genomic bulls were used female genomic testing is on the rise. Discuss the role of this technology within modern dairy farming and how you could use this data within your own herd management”.
Following the interviews, the final three were selected and, last night, the winner was officially announced.
Holstein UK president, Peter Waring, was one of the judges and commented on the winner, “All three candidates were very impressive and came across as particularly hard-working, dedicated young people.
“We were very impressed by their passion and enthusiasm for the industry as a whole, but in particular pedigree breeding.
They displayed some very innovative thinking in their quest to improve their herds. HYB has obviously been a great experience for them, both socially and in terms of developing their knowledge of dairying.
“With the future of our industry in the hands of such capable young people, we should be confident that British dairying will progress and thrive in the years to come.”
Hannah Williams, head of events and marketing for Holstein UK, added: “It is wonderful to see such inspirational young people coming through Holstein Young Breeders and we would like to congratulate them all.
“On behalf of Holstein UK and HYB, I would also like to thank our principal sponsor Semex UK who continue to make a significant financial contribution to the advancement and success of Holstein Young Breeders.”
