Sun Shines at Annual HYB Weekend Rally

Hosted by the North Eastern HYB Club, this year’s annual Holstein Young Breeders (HYB) Weekend Rally was a major success with young members engaging in learning, development, competitions and of course, lots of fun throughout!

More than 200 members from 16 HYB Clubs attended the weekend and over 80 young breeders competed in fierce competition as part of the National Stock Judging and Linear Assessment competitions, hosted by the Bellerby family at Belaw Holsteins, Picton, North Yorkshire on the Saturday. The Scotland Club came away as overall stock judging team winners, followed by Northern Ireland and South Wales in third place. In the National Linear Assessment Competition, Lancashire were the winning Junior Team, with South Wales as the winning intermediate team and North East as the winning senior team.

The Field-2-Foto competition, which took place at Darlington Farmers Auction Mart, attracted 23 teams of five. The clipper has an hour to clip the calf before it is washed by two other team members. When the washing is complete, it is back to the clipping shed where the clipper is given half an hour to top line, blend belly hair and ensure the calf is ring ready. The showmanship then takes place by a dedicated team handler. The final stage of the competition is to produce a photo. This competition is based around team coordination and it is the responsibility of each team member to contribute to the success of the team performance. At all times every team is under the scrutiny of the judges who are eagerly watching and critiquing the team’s level of communication, team work and skill,  with the most effective team claiming ultimate success! The Northern Ireland Club triumphed this year, with consistently high placings in all elements of the competition, resulting in them winning with both their A and B teams.

The young breeders were based at Hatfield College in Durham where they enjoyed a racing themed fancy dress party which saw a great range of outfits from all clubs. Members were also able to visit Metcalfe Farms for a herd visit on the Friday afternoon where they had the opportunity to view the extensive operation at Washfold Farm in Leyburn, North Yorkshire.

Naomi Lewis, National HYB Coordinator, said; “The HYB Weekend Rally is always a highlight in the dairy calendar for our young breeders and this year was no exception! From the National Competitions Day, Field-2-Foto competition and the various social activities on offer, the weekend is an exciting mix of fun and learning! Many young breeders work extremely hard to prepare and perfect skills for the competitions during the weekend, with a placing being the ultimate victory. I would like to thank everyone who came together to make the event possible with a special mention to the North Eastern Club, host farms, judges and sponsors.”

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View the results: www.holstein-uk.org/showresults

View the photo galleries: www.holstein-uk.org/hyb/gallery