County Antrim farmer wins UFU winter barley competition

​Second please this year was awarded to Raymond Wilson and Sons from the UFU Ards Group, and scooping up a respectable third place was Beattie and Reggie Lilburn from UFU Lagan Group.

The county winners were:

- Antrim: W&D Boyes, South Antrim Group.

- Armagh: Simon Best, Armagh Down Group.

- Down: Raymond, David and William Wilson, Ards Group.

- Derry/Londonderry: Jonny Hessin – Hessin Bros, South Londonderry Group.

- Tyrone: Don and Trevor Black, North Tyrone Group.

The Northern Ireland judge, Leigh McClean, CAFRE, said: “All the entrants to this year’s final from across the country were of a superb standard, with good disease control, weed control and high plant density common across all fields. Unfortunately for a couple of entries recent wind and rain had caused some heavier crops to lodge in places. The top three fields were excellent thick stands with high shoot numbers which put them ahead on yield potential, with the winning field edging it on uniformity in a very close contest. Well done to all those reaching the final and a well-earned congratulations to the winners.”

UFU deputy president Glenn Cuddy said: “Congratulations to all our finalists, and sincere thanks to everyone who took part in this year’s competition. It is the commitment, expertise and passion of our growers that continue to make the UFU cereals competition a highlight in the farming calendar.

“We take great pride in this competition and in its role in celebrating the exceptional quality of cereal crops produced across Northern Ireland. Each year brings its own set of challenges, yet our growers consistently showcase resilience and an impressive depth of knowledge in crop production.

“I would like to remind all cereal growers that there’s still time to enter the oats, winter wheat and spring barley categories. If you’re interested in taking part, please contact your group manager for details on your local competition deadline.”

The awards for the winter barley, oats, winter wheat and spring barley cereal competition categories will be officially presented at the 2025 UFU and sponsors cereals competition awards and lunch planned for later this year.