Teenagers in Northern Ireland aged between 14 and 15-years-old are being urged to enter the new intake for the ABP Angus Youth Challenge.
The prize package on offer includes a mini herd of five Angus cross calves worth around £3,500, which will be given to the four teams that reach the final stage of the competition.
Entries for the competition will close on September 25, 2023, and a selection of teams will be shortlisted and invited to take part in an exhibition event at the Eikon Centre on October 27.
The competition is delivered in partnership with Certified Irish Angus Producer Group and teams that reach the final stage are assigned a mentor from the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) to support their work on year-long research assignments whilst rearing their calves.
They are also given professional training in communication, presentation, and interview skills to help prepare them for the world of work and will participate in a complimentary international study tour.
Competition
Teams select a topical area of the agri-food industry they are passionate about and then record a short application video to enter.
In the video, the group must explain why they would like to win the calves and what changes they would make to improve farming while using their mini herd of calves to do so.
After teams are shortlisted and invited to take part at the exhibition event on October 27, an independent panel will judge the teams’ performance to determine who goes through to the year-long finalist programme and wins the prizes.
At the end of the final stage, one overall winning team will be presented with a cheque for £1,000 for their club or school.
Managing director of ABP in Northern Ireland, George Mullan, said: “As a leading employer in the sector we are committed to supporting the next generation of our industry.”
“ABP Angus Youth is complimented by our enhanced support of students in third level education which now also includes an international scholarship opportunity with ABP for students of CAFRE Greenmount’s sustainable agriculture degree.”
