News

The Wales YFC Field Day was held at Trawsgoed Farm, Ceredigion on the 15^th of April, hosted by the Ceredigion Federation.

Throughout the day, members from all corners of Wales competed in various competitions with close links to the agricultural industry, and to showcase their skills in competitions such as fencing, stock judging and sheepdog trial competitions.

Stockman of the Year Competitions

Each year, at the Field Day, Wales YFC hold Junior and Senior Stockman of the Year competitions. During these competitions, teams of four members from each county complete an animal health questionnaire and are required to judge and give reasons on four rings of stock: four dairy cows, four Butchers cattle, four commercial breeding ewes and four butchers’ pigs. The competition saw teams from all twelve counties represented in the senior section and eleven counties in the Junior Section.

For the Senior Stockman of the year competition, in third place was Radnor YFC, in second place was Carmarthenshire YFC and in first place, earning the Elwyn Griffiths Statuette Trophy was the Ceredigion Federation.

In the Junior Stockman of the year competition, Pembrokeshire YFC were awarded third position and second place went to Ynys Môn YFC. But it was the Carmarthenshire Federation who took home the Tom Evans Memorial Cup and won the title of best junior stock judging team.

Fencing Competitions

Similarly, to the Stockman of the year competition, we held fencing competitions in both Senior and Junior sections. In this competition teams of three members from each county were given the task of erecting stock-proof fences of detailed specifications. After a morning of fierce competition, it was the Radnor Federation that come out on top in both sections, with their senior team being awarded the Brian Llewellyn Trophy.

Farm Machinery Skills

Another competition held at this event was the Farm Machinery Skills competition. The aim of which is to highlight the importance of farm safety across different aspects of a farm. The competition consisted of teams of four members who complete tasks such as manoeuvring a tractor and trailer, tractor fault finding, ATV handling and First Aid. During the awards ceremony, the Sir Lynn Thomas Memorial Shield and Crystal Bowl was awarded to Caryl Bevan, Pembrokeshire, for her success in the First Aid section of the competition. The Col. J J Davies Challenge Trophy was awarded to the Pembrokeshire federation also, as the overall winners of the Farm Machinery Skills competition.

Sheepdog Trials

That afternoon, the annual Wales YFC Sheepdog trials were held, whereby a member and their dog must guide a small group of sheep around a course. The course is intended to test the dog’s ability to perform certain tasks which the dog may be required to carry out in everyday work on a farm. During the Awards ceremony, Arran, Brecknock, came in third place, Llion from Pembrokeshire came in second and Elin Hope, Ceredigion, received first place for the second year in a row.

Fashion: Make and Model

In this year’s Fashion competition, members were required to create an outfit relating to the theme “Day out at the Races”. On the day of the competition the competitor was also asked to show costings by producing receipts.

After a brilliant Fashion show, that showcased the tailoring talents of the members. It was Elinor from the Clwyd Federation that received the first-place certificate. Naomi from Gwent came in a very close second and Megan from Pembrokeshire was awarded third place.

Fferm Ffactor

The ‘Fferm Factor’ competition consists of teams of two junior members. The pairs are then given two agricultural related tasks to complete as a team. However, the members only find out what the tasks entail on the day of competition! The First task was to complete an agriculture themed quiz and the second task was to erect a section of non-live electric fence.

During the results ceremony, it was the duo from Ceredigion that took the top spot with teams from Glamorgan and Pembrokeshire coming in joint second.

Re-cycled Metalwork Sculpture

During the Wales YFC metalwork sculpture competition, members were required to create an item of ‘Metalwork’ made from predominately metal and recycled items. The members then also needed to produce a story board containing pictures to accompany the exhibit.

Earning full marks in this competition was Lowri from the Carmarthenshire Federation. In second place was Rhydian from Ceredigion YFC and in third was Jacob from Ynys Mon.

Auctioneering

The auctioneering competition at the Field Day saw a large crowd gather to watch members auction off three lots each. Prior to the auction commencing, the competitors viewed a total of six items. The lots included both agricultural and non-agricultural items. The members then provided descriptions and valuations to the judge prior to the auction. Members began each auction with an introduction to open the auction sale, outlining the procedure and relevant conditions of the sale. Finally, once all lots had been ‘sold’ the auctioneer closed the auction in a suitable way and the judge calculated their scores.

After some exciting competition, it was Thomas from Brecknock who came in first place. With Isabelle from Pembrokeshire coming in a close third. And Grace from Montgomery that was awarded third place.

Following a competition filled day, it was time for the awards ceremony. The final results are as follows;

12^th – Eryri

11^th – Meirionnydd

10^th – Glamorgan

9^th – Ynys Mon

8^th – Gwent

7^th Montgomery

6^th – Clwyd

Joint 4^th – Brecknock & Radnor

3^rd – Carmarthenshire

2^nd – Pembrokeshire

But it was Host County Ceredigion who came out on top and received the Brecon and Radnor Suckled Calf Rearing Association Shield.

Wales YFC would like to extend their sincere congratulations and thanks to everyone involved, especially to all the Judges, Stewards, members, and coaches for the giving of their time and to everyone at Trawsgoed Farm for the use of their fantastic venue. Finally, Wales YFC would like to thank Crystalyx for sponsoring the event.