Entries open for cattle competitions at NBA Beef Expo 2019
6th March 2019
Entries for major competitions during the National Beef Association (NBA) Beef Expo 2019 are being actively encouraged, as we gear up towards the highlight of the beef industry calendar. This year taking place at North West Auctions’ J36 Rural Auction Centre in Crooklands, Cumbria, on Thursday 23rd May, NBA Beef Expo 2019 is promising to once again showcase the very best of British breeding.
Entry forms and schedules for the NBA Commercial Cattle Show have already gone out, and are also available from the website www.nationalbeefassociation.com/beef-expo/, with more than £6000 of prize money up for grabs. But be quick, entries close by the middle of April, so don’t miss out.
Experienced judge at many national shows, and award-winner himself, Gavin Scott of Gateside Farm, Linlithgow, will be judging the Native and Continental classes, as well as the Supreme Championships. Another well-known name and face, Tudur Edwards of Corwen will be judging the Baby Beef classes, Baby Championship and Young Handlers competition. Mr Edwards brings a wealth of experience, and was also the 2015 winner of the Agri-Expo Supreme Beef Championships.
The awards are judged over 10 classes, and schedules, entry forms and sponsorship applications are available for download from the NBA Beef Expo website. In 2018 some 120 head of cattle were entered into the awards, and competition is expected to be just as spirited in 2019.
For the fourth year, the South Devon Herd Book Society is holding its Performance Championships, in which performance breeders from across the country are invited to compete. This technical event is a showcase for Breedplan performance-recording South Devon herds, to highlight the importance of Estimated Breeding Values as a tool for breeding selection.
This year’s Championships is being held for the third year within the NBA Beef Expo, and will be judged by Mervin Rowe, who runs the Tregondale Herd of prize winning South Devons from the family run farm in South East Devon. Mr Rowe sits on the South Devon Herd Book Society judging panel.
Each class will be judged on inspection of the animals, and on their performance (Quality Beef Index for each bull and Suckler Replacement Index for each female) and will be placed accordingly. From these winners the Male, Female and Breed Champions will be selected.
The Society is anticipating around 25 entrants across the classes, with entries open to animals between 1 and 2.5-years of age. Entry forms are again available from the NBA Beef Expo website, and entries close at the beginning of May.
The 2019 NBA Beef Expo will be held at North West Auctions, J36 Rural Auction Centre, Milnthorpe, Cumbria. Bringing together the very best in British commercial and pedigree cattle, equipment, ground-breaking developments, and show classes for everyone involved in the industry, NBA Beef Expo is a celebration and exploration of everything British Beef has to offer.
The NBA Beef Expo is considered a major showcase for pedigree and commercial breed societies who want to promote the quality of their cattle. Thanks to this, the NBA Beef Expo displays some of the finest examples of British breeding anywhere in the UK. Farmers, exhibitors, agricultural companies and interested members of the public also use the annual event to network, do business and share knowledge, as well as seeing the crème de la crème of British beef cattle.
A full seminar programme and working machinery demonstrations will be announced shortly, as well as farm tours and the Beef Industry Dinner, this year being held at the Castle Green Hotel, Kendal. Visitor tickets are available online, and are free to NBA members.
Exhibitor trade stands and Breed Society bookings are still being taken, again full details available by visiting www.nationalbeefassociation/beef-expo/ or by calling Katie Pearson on 07393 452 544
