The Irish Texel Sheep Society, in association with the Irish Farmers Journal, is delighted to renew its annual editorial competition aimed at young sheep farmers.

The competition will be broken up into four age categories – those who are 11 years and under, 12-14 years, 15-17 years and 18-21 years on 1 April 2020.

The prizes for each group are vouchers to spend at the Irish Texel premier sale (vouchers are non-transferable and have to be redeemed in person).

The sale takes place on 13 and 14 August in Blessington, Co Wicklow, where there will be more than 300 sheep to choose from. The winner of each section will get a €250 voucher to spend on a sheep of their choice.

Following this, the four section winners will be invited to a short interview on the Friday evening. Here, three industry representatives will ask a number of questions to get a better idea of the finalists’ understanding of the sheep sector. An overall winner will then be chosen, with an extra €250 awarded. This means one lucky young breeder will be in with a chance of receiving a €500 voucher to spend on a ewe or ram of their choice. An added €150 will also be awarded to the reserve overall winner.

You don’t even have to be a Texel breeder to enter, as the competition is open to all sheep enthusiasts aged 21 and under.

To enter, simply write an article titled: “Why I'm glad I had sheep the past year”. Articles are limited to 600 words and should touch on why you would like to invest in the Texel breed and how the breed can be used in different farming setups.

Each of the four categories has a different closing date, which are as follows:

  • 11 years and under – 16 July.
  • 12-14 years – 23 July.
  • 15-17 years – 30 July.
  • 18-21 years – 6 August

    • Entrants are asked to send their finished articles to smurphy@farmersjournal.ie and info@irishtexel.com. Please include your name, address, date of birth and contact number with your entries. The winners of each section will be announced in the paper following each closing date, with each section winner having their article published in the Irish Farmers Journal.

    Winners in each category will have their article published on the Texel society website and Facebook page, as well as online at www.farmersjournal.ie. Winners should make themselves known to organisers at the premier sale on Friday 13 August.