The Irish Angus Exhibition Centre
This year’s National Ploughing Championships will see Irish Angus Producer Group, along with its partners, Irish Angus Cattle Society, ABP Food Group, Kepak Group and Tesco Ireland, offer unique opportunities for young and old. Farmers and non-farmers alike can benefit from a visit to the Irish Angus Exhibition Centre where a number of exciting initiatives are on offer.
Prize Valued at €3,000
To celebrate the 19-year relationship between the Irish Angus Producer Group and Tesco Ireland, farmers and farmers of the future have a unique opportunity to avail of a €3,000 voucher towards the purchase of an Irish Angus animal at the Irish Angus Cattle Society’s Elite Sale in Carrick-on-Shannon on 10 December 2016.
This allows the winner to establish his/herself at the very top end of the Irish Angus breed and to choose to start with an animal of their choice: a breeding bull, a breeding female or an in-calf female. The Irish Angus Cattle Society’s Elite Sale attracts the very best pedigree Irish Angus cattle in the country to one event. Combining this with the success of the Irish Angus breed over the past three years makes entry in this competition a not-to-be-missed opportunity for anyone seriously interested in beef production.
To Enter:
Simply visit the Irish Angus Exhibition Centre (Block 1, Row 16, Stand 355), pick up an application form, answer a simple question and enter the draw. Competition only open to individuals with a valid herd number. Other terms and conditions also apply. The lucky winner will be selected on the last day of the show.
Calves in the Classroom
Once again, the hugely popular Certified Irish Angus Beef School Competition returns with applications open for entry to the 2017 competition and the finalists announced for 2016.
The Irish Angus Producer Group and its processor partners, ABP Ireland and Kepak Group, are delighted to announce the five finalist schools of the 2016 Certified Irish Angus Beef School Competition.
The competition is designed to encourage young people to study Agricultural Science for their Leaving Cert and give a strong basic understanding of farming for future life. It also offers a unique opportunity to students from outside the normal agricultural environment to gain an understanding and insight into what is involved in the production of their food.
Each finalist school will be presented with 5 Irish Angus Cross calves by RTÉ’s Miriam O’Callaghan at a presentation held in the Irish Angus Exhibition Centre at the National Ploughing Championships at 5.00pm on Wednesday 21 September joined by their school principal, teacher, their parents and families.
The calves will be taken home to the students’ family farms or to prearranged farms where they will be reared by the students for the next 18 months up to slaughter. Students will look after the animals and use the experience they gain in doing so to help in the completion of their Ag Science project for Leaving Cert and assist them in putting into practice the theory they will learn in the classroom.
In total, there are 17 students involved from the following schools:
- 5 boys from CBS The Green, Tralee, Co. Kerry
- 2 boys from St. Brogan’s College, Bandon, Co. Cork
- 4 girls from Coláiste Treasa, Kanturk, Co. Cork
- 2 girls, 1 boy from Athlone Community College, Co. Westmeath
- 3 boys from Rice College, Westport, Co. Mayo
- The students will make reports at set milestones through the lifetime of the animals and will visit farms, processing and retail facilities to gain an understanding of how each relies on the other. When the calves have been reared, a final presentation of the students’ projects will be made to a panel of Agricultural, Beef and Food Industry experts where an overall winner will be selected and will receive an additional €2,000 payment towards their further education.
- Students will benefit fully from the financial gain derived from the production of the cattle. The competition has a total prize fund of €15,000.