Members celebrate success at the YFCU AGM’

The Young Farmers’ Clubs of Ulster (YFCU) held their Annual General Meeting on Saturday 12th April 2025 in the Armagh City Hotel. This event, in association with Hyperfast NI, recognised the success and outstanding achievements of members across the province.

It was Lisnamurrican YFC from County Antrim that picked up the prestigious ‘Ann Cameron’ cup for the ‘Club of the Year’ award, which is proudly sponsored by Power NI. This award is granted to the club that expertly maintain their club accounts, are passionate about recruiting members and the retention of members, their participation at events, diversity of their programmes, involvement in the community, sustainability and promotional efforts for the club.

The ‘YFCU Top Officials’ and ‘Member of the Year’ awards were kindly sponsored by United Feeds. This group of awards recognises and celebrates the outstanding achievements of individual members across Northern Ireland who significantly contributed to the growth and success of YFCU in the past year.

Top Official Awards
Prize	Name	Club
Top Leader	Rachel McCracken	Ballywalter YFC
Top Treasurer	Ruth Morrow	Lisnamurrican YFC
Top Secretary	Courtney McMullan	Moycraig YFC
Top P.R.O	Sarah Ross	Collone YFC
Member of the Year Awards
Junior Member of the Year	Joanna Caughey	Donaghadee YFC
Senior Member of the Year	Helen Laird	Bleary YFC

One of the most significant competitions in the YFCU calendar is “Ulster Young Farmer of the Year” which is proudly sponsored by Danske Bank. Rodney Brown (Head of Agribusiness at Danske Bank) was present at the AGM to present these awards. This award gives young people the opportunity to demonstrate their professionalism in the agricultural sector.

Ulster Young Farmer
Prize	Name	Club
Ulster Young Farmer Overall Winner	Jack Stewart	Holestone YFC
Ulster Young Farmer U21 Winner	Ryan Rodgers	Annaclone & Magherally YFC
Ulster Young Farmer Junior Winner	Taylor Ann Ferguson	Straid YFC
Ulster Young Farmer 25 – 30 Winner	Helen Laird	Bleary YFC
Ulster Young Farmer Section Winners
Countryside Management	Sarah Ruddell	Bleary YFC
Sheep Section	Jack Stewart	Holestone YFC
Beef Section	Samara Radcliffe	Annaclone & Magherally YFC
Pigs & Poultry Section	Jack Stewart	Holestone YFC
Grass Section	Jack Stewart	Holestone YFC
Arable Section	Ryan Rodgers	Annaclone & Magherally YFC
Dairy Section	Jack Stewart	Holestone YFC
Farm Safety Section	Ryan Rodgers	Annaclone & Magherally YFC
Innovation Section	Jack Stewart	Holestone YFC
Finance Section	Jack Stewart	Holestone YFC

The top achievers for this year’s ‘President’s Award Scheme’ were presented with plaques by President, Richard Beattie (Finvoy YFC). This is a scheme that recognises members for participating in and contributing to competitions, events and activities that are hosted by YFCU.

President’s Award Scheme
Prize	Name	Club
Junior 1st	Kym Moore	Moneymore YFC
Junior 2nd	Katie Rose Wallace	Crumlin YFC
Junior 3rd	Katie Mawhinney	Crumlin YFC
Senior 1st	Laura Patterson	Holestone YFC
Senior 2nd	Emma Knox	Crumlin YFC
Senior 3rd	Jack Hunter	Moneymore YFC

There were also several special cups awarded to clubs for their achievements throughout the year.

Special Cup Winners
Cup Name	Club
Ballyvester Cup (18-30 years)	Lisnamurrican YFC
J.K Dobbs Cup (12-18 years)	Collone YFC
Allen Cup (12-14 years)	Moycraig YFC
Limavady Cup (12-14 years)	Ballywalter YFC
E.T Green Cup (14-18 years)	Garvagh YFC
Mulholland Cup (18-30 years)	Collone YFC
Alfa Laval Trophy (awarded for recruitment)	Kilrea YFC
The Pam Robinson Cup (awarded to a club for their member retention)	The Glens YFC
Linda Steele Trophy (awarded to a club for their work with the environment)	Collone YFC

Deputy President Kristina Fleming congratulated all of the prize winners on their achievements throughout the year, commenting on their incredible contributions to their clubs and communities.

Chief Executive Officer of the organisation, Derek Lough, took the time to thank Hyperfast NI and all competition sponsors for their continued support shown to the organisation. He proceeded to thank the judges for their time and expertise given to make these competitions successful and for encouraging the continued development of their members.