The Ag Science Student Competition is organised by the Irish Aberdeen Angus Producers Ltd in co-operation with ABP Ireland, the Kepak Group and Bord Bia, and was designed to raise awareness of the Certified Irish Angus Beef Scheme (CIAB). The winning students are rearing the calves they won until they are ready for slaughter. Any profit they make is theirs.

Thurles

Enda, Joan, Michael, Jerry and MaryLou are grazing the lush pastures of north Tipperary. Not the politicians mind, but five beautiful Buxom-certified Irish Angus calves. These were won by Laura Quigley, Caroline Fogarty, Niamh Houlihan and Aoife Bergin from Presentation Secondary School, Thurles, and have taken up residence on Laura’s family farm in Nenagh. The team has set about researching the production, processing and marketing of certified Irish Angus beef, and in particular the factors that affect meat quality.

The girls say the calves will be wintered out on grass because Irish Angus are extremely hardy and are superb forage converters. The girls also contend that certified Irish Angus can thrive better on grass than their Continental-sired counterparts. As Irish Angus cattle are early maturing, the calves will be slaughtered when they are between 18-24 months, so less feed is required than with other breeds.

“The greatest benefit from participating in this project has been that we have been able to apply what we learn in agricultural science class to our own calves, from producing quality grass and silage, to control disease and animal welfare. It has greatly enhanced our interest in the subject and progressed our small group from just farmer’s daughters to fully-fledged farming daughters.”

Coláiste Bhríde

Marks for the most creative project have to go to students from Coláiste Bhríde in Carnew, Co Wicklow.

Their theme for the competition is “Carbon Footprint”, which they like to refer to as “carbon hoofprint”. They focused their project on factors that can lower calves’ carbon emissions, such as extending the grazing season, reducing meal consumption, reducing the need to store manure and planting hedgerows. Padraig Doyle, Tommy McGing and Una Sinnott say they have worked to their strengths, using their IT, communication and humour skills to develop video broadcasts of their progress. The first video they launched was called “ The 6.01 Irish Angus Bulletin”, in which they imitated news reporters. Guests who featured in their videos included Colm Cooper, Dr Pat Murphy and Charles Smith. The students have also produced a video called “Media Monday”, where they give a running commentary on stories of note in that week’s edition of the Irish Farmers Journal.

The team has qualified for the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition 2015, with a project entitled “Which cattle breed has the lowest carbon HOOFPRINT”. The students describe their experience so far as “outstanding”, with Kepak, ABP and the Irish Aberdeen Angus Producer group inviting “[them] into their worlds and showing [them] what a challenging, dynamic and exciting industry they are involved in”.

Next year, they plan to continue using social media for raising awareness.

Heywood

The calves won by Heywood Community School students are currently being wintered on a 2.5-acre site on the school grounds in Co Laois. The aim of this project, which is being run by fifth-year students Christopher Goode, Edmund Walton, Adrian Prior and Keane Gunner, is to produce these Angus cross steers from calf to beef, in accordance with the Animal Welfare guidelines for beef cattle issued by Teagasc in 2008.

The idea for the project was sparked after the students came across research findings from the Teagasc National Food Centre, which indicates that consumers are becoming more conscious of animal welfare issues and the perception of animal welfare standards affect their image of beef.

These guidelines highlighted the areas of winter housing, castration, dehorning, transport, handling and slaughter as having the potential to cause stress pain and injury if not managed correctly. The team aims to focus on those areas in the rearing of their own cattle and to research and implement best practices at all times. They aim to produce a DVD and a booklet outlining this rearing process.

The students are feeding their cattle 1kg of concentrates a day with ad-lib hay and a mineral supplement. The calves currently weigh between 300kg and 340kg.

Sacred Heart

The theme of the project being managed by fifth-year students in Sacred Heart Secondary School, Clonakilty, is “Sustainability”.

Through the rearing of their Irish Angus calves, Clionadh Condon, Aoife Dullea, Laura Clancy and Meadbh Sexton are going to show how Irish Angus are both sustainable and efficient, while still making a profit. The girls have carried out both field and desk research since they received their calves. They are examining Bord Bia’s Origin Green programme and are trying to adapt this information into their theme of sustainability. They recently visited a local beef farmer – Tommy Moyles – as part of their field research. He showed them how he incorporates sustainability in his farming methods, such as grass rotation and time management. The girls also organised a trip to Darrara Agricultural College, Clonakilty, to learn more about beef production.