Building on the success of last year’s bursary competition that ran in partnership with Slaney Foods International and Lidl Ireland, the Irish Hereford Breed Society (stand 512) is delighted to announce that the competition is taking place again this year.

Ten successful applicants are to be selected and interviewed by Matt Dempsey, former editor of the Irish Farmers Journal, on the Wednesday of this year’s National Ploughing Championships. The five winners of the competition will be awarded a €1,000 bursary each for use towards any agricultural college. Below is an outline of the day’s schedule:

  • 10am: announcement of the 10 finalists competing for the five €1,000 agricultural bursaries.
  • 11am: 10 finalists interviewed in the agricultural bursary competition by Matt Dempsey (each interview will take a maximum of five minutes).
  • 3pm: announcement of the five winners in the agricultural bursary competition by Minister of State for Food, Forestry and Horticulture Andrew Doyle.
  • The Irish Hereford Breed Society will also launch its 2017 National Calf Show on the Wednesday of the Ploughing. The event is one of the highlights of the Hereford calendar, attracting visitors from Northern Ireland, the UK and further afield. Minister for Arts and Culture Heather Humphreys will be on the stand at 1pm to officially launch the event, which takes place on 12 November.

    The society stand will also play host to a number of pedigree and commercial cattle at this year’s Ploughing. On the pedigree side, a couple of stock bulls, a number of 18- to 20-month-old young Hereford sires and some in-calf heifers are all due be in attendance.

    Commercial

    On the commercial front, the stand will exhibit a number of Hereford cross steers and heifers suitable for the current expanding and very successful Hereford-branded beef markets, which have been built up over the past 20 years.

    Information on the various Hereford-branded beef schemes will be available together with representatives of the breed’s partners in schemes including Slaney Foods International and ABP.

    Details will also be available for those wishing to join the society and on its innovative approach to DNA and genomic testing, which is said to be one of the most advanced in the world.

    The Hereford breed continues to flourish, with many successful sales taking place over the spring.

    The number and quality of Herefords exhibited at this year’s summer shows was remarkably high.

    The demand for the breed continues to grow with a number of bulls sold within a few days after the Tullamore National Livestock Show.

    Autumn sale: The society will be holding the first of its autumn sales on Saturday 21 October in Tullamore, followed by the Kilmallock sale on Friday 27 October