ABP Angus Youth Challenge winners reflect on competition success

Emma and Samantha with the calves at the Wallace High Sports Day

The Wallace High students say the win has also boosted our future career prospects in agriculture.

The girls explained: “The theme for our project was Women in Agriculture. We looked into how women’s maternal attributes improve animal welfare, the opportunities for women in agribusiness as well as showcasing women that are involved in a wide range of careers in the agri-food sector.

“Some of the highlights of our 18 month journey through the competition included the trip to Birmingham. This was very insightful into the whole farm to fork journey and was a fantastic experience for us both which we really enjoyed

“We also enjoyed meeting the various well-respected figures throughout the industry, as well as the many friends we made with the other teams and ABP colleagues involved in the competition.

“Initially our school were surprised that two girls from urban Lisburn were rearing five calves, but we have really enjoyed seeing them all get behind us over the past two years.

“We have worked hard to raise awareness throughout the school and get as many people involved as possible.”

They continued: “Through taking part in the competition, we have both gained a wealth of knowledge of not just our theme but the whole agri-food industry itself.

“Rearing our calves through to beef has allowed us to expand our knowledge even further into the process of rearing cattle and the various tasks that have to be carried out to ensure the best end product.

“We were so proud of the high quality beef we produced and enjoyed sharing this by carrying out a ‘taste test’ in school to educate people on the superior quality of grass fed Angus beef reared to the highest welfare standards.

“Winning the competition is a huge reward for all our hard work over the past two years as well as boosting our future career prospects in agriculture.

“Winning has also helped raise the profile of the agri-food industry in school and make pupils more aware of where their food comes from.”