NI Farming Awards 2024: Northern Ireland Holstein Young Breeders named 'Farming Society of the Year'

Highly commended was awarded to Craigs Tractor Enthusiasts from Cullybackey.

Northern Ireland Holstein Young Breeders is a standalone organisation that is solely ran by the members, for the members.

Holstein Young Breeders is open to members between the ages of four and 26.

Today’s youth is the future of the NI agricultural industry so it is, therefore, vital societies such as this one provide an environment/experience where members can thrive in themselves, gain confidence, increase skills and meet like-minded individuals to ensure that the right foot goes forward as they embark on their future careers in the NI dairy industry.

Northern Ireland Holstein Young Breeders encourages members from a young age to get involved in judging, showmanship, clipping, show preparation and breeding decisions, all with the end goal of nurturing well rounded, well equipped, skilful young Holstein breeders.

The society provides a packed calendar of events, organised and planned by a committee of volunteers. The committee is made up of young people, the majority of which are still within the competing age of the organisation. It is important to have a range of ages on the committee to ensure the voices of all age groups are listened to in order to provide the most effective/appealing programme for the year.

The events kick off early in the year with three stock judging events. The top two members in each age group (Junior 14 and under, Intermediate 15-20, Senior 21-26) from each of the three judging events go forward to represent the club at the National Competitions Day held in August each year at the nationally ran, Weekend Rally.

At the National Competitions Day in August, members of the Northern Ireland HYB won the Top Team award. This was a highly coveted achievement and one which they are very proud of. NI HYB hold training days for members and also workshops. These events are held in the Spring to provide members with some new expertise before many of them take part in the local summer shows.

The biggest event of the year, without a doubt, is the AHV Multibreed Calf Show.

This takes a colossal amount of preparation by the committee and sees the NI HYB provide a platform for Ayrshire and Jersey breeders to come together and show off the best dairy calves that the country has to offer.

This year saw over 200 calves and young handlers take to the ring. This year also saw the introduction of a ‘fancy dress’ class for the under eights.

Moving into the Autumn months, members take part in the All Breeds All Britain Calf Show, and also hear talks from industry experts and other farmers – an important way for members to learn the dos and don’ts of the industry.

The All Breeds All Britain Calf Show is a qualifying event, in which calves qualify from their regional calf shows by winning their respective classes and then go head-to-head to claim the top spot. Members of NI HYB unfortunately are unable to take calves across the water due to bluetongue restrictions, however, they borrow calves from clubs on the mainland to ensure not to miss out on the experience.

This year they are also in the process of organising a study tour to Scotland, alongside the stockjudging events sponsors Electromech Agri, and feel this will provide members with a lot of learning on a different topic – milking parlours and effective milking techniques.

They are fortunate enough to have a very successful club and, thanks to Farming Life and a big social media following, they always have companies’ forthcoming to sponsor events, which is a very welcome incentive that the organising committee is doing something right.

NI HYB already provides many travel opportunities to members, such as that of the Australian Exchange programme and trips to the European Young Breeders School. Both trips are applied for by members with the lucky selected winners reaping many benefits of such trips and gaining many life skills and international contacts.

NI HYB is a unique society that aims to nurture members, to provide them with lifelong skills, provide experiences that will boost their personal development, a platform for competitiveness to shine through (encourage resilience), opportunities for friendships to be made not only in the UK but across the globe – all to benefit and safeguard their future in the industry.

Highly commended in the Farming Society of the Year category, ‘Craigs Tractor Enthusiasts’ are a rural community group based in Cullybackey, Co. Antrim, made up of local individuals with a shared passion for farming, tractors and rural life.

Together, they collaborate with other groups, clubs, businesses and individuals to host annual events that bring the local community together and raise vital funds for local charities.

The club began as a group of friends, inspired by local events to raise awareness and vital funds for a local charity with a tractor run, and have since taken on the structure of a formal club.

Over the past three years, the group has organised several events including their now annual tractor run, ‘Craig’s Tractor Run’, which saw over 132 tractors register and take part in 2023 (despite the weather!) and attracted attendees from across the wider community in their hundreds.

The group also organises a classic silage day event, which included for the first time this year a trade show element welcoming over 30 trade stalls to the event.

‘Craig’s Tractor Enthusiasts’ are committed to creating events that bring everyone together, inviting other local groups such as the NI Land Rover Club and the popular ‘Farmer Phil’ who has over 25,000 online followers, to get involved.

As well as working with other local groups, they work hard to make each event as family friendly and inclusive as possible, with children’s entertainment and activities available for attendees.

Craigs Tractor Enthusiasts work widely across the local area to make these events happen, collaborating with the wider farming community, local businesses and media. To date, the group has raised almost £20,000 for a charity close to their hearts – Air Ambulance Northern Ireland.

Starting off as a humble small group of friends keen to make a difference and support a cause important to them and their rural communities, ‘Craig’s Tractor Enthusiasts’ decided upon Air Ambulance Northern Ireland, having directly witnessed the impact of the charity’s service across the local area.

The group has continuously grown and went from strength to strength, increasing their funds raised in their second year by almost 100 per cent.

Most recently, in August 2024, the group broke their own record with a staggering £10,000 raised at their annual silage day – highlighting the effort and commitment they put into their calendar of events.

The group don’t stop at organising these fantastic local events, but also take on other fundraising projects such as their upcoming 2025 calendar – bringing local businesses together to sponsor a month each and raise vital awareness and funds for their chosen charity.

They also have planned a DVD showcasing the year’s events and achievements which will be available for the local communities to purchase and raise even further funds for their chosen charity.