Youth triumph in cattle-judging competition
Chané Janse van Vuuren, Sienta-Mari van Rooyen and Benjamin Mostert, learners at Outjo's Moria Private School, placed first, second and third at the Bank Windhoek Feedmaster National Cattle-Judging Competition, hosted in Windhoek.The contest is a partnership between Bank Windhoek and Feedmaster and was held at the Windhoek Agricultural and Industrial Show.
The initiative, now in its fifth year, focuses on the Simbrah, Simmentaler and Braunvieh cattle breeds and gives learners in grades nine through 11 the knowledge and skills they need to feed and judge stud animals on the farm and in show rings.
Christo van Zyl, the programme's director, reported that 80 learners from various schools nationwide registered to compete in this year's event. In the end, 12 learners — six boys and six girls — made it to the national youth judging competition final. Before the judging competition, all candidates went on a pre-judging course.
Basic anatomy and composition of the cattle were the key topics of the course. The guidelines of show associations, the function of the show stewards, the management of the feed for show animals and the preparation and taming of animals for shows were covered.
Van Zyl expressed his admiration for the learners' ability to stay current with the industry, which has led to an annual rise in competition standards.
“The passion and commitment from the learners make us want to do this repeatedly. We are proud of this competition and thank Bank Windhoek for their unwavering support in this worthy investment,” he sad.
Janse Van Vuuren, who finished third in 2022, is this year's champion. Van Rooyen retained second place, while Mostert finished third for the first time.
The three expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to compete in the tournament, which they described as difficult and enjoyable.
Speaking on behalf of everyone who took part, Janse Van Vuuren said she was overwhelmed by the win and glad the hard work and effort paid off.