Members showcase excellence in agricultural competitions, sponsored by Fane Valley

The Young Farmers’ Clubs of Ulster (YFCU) celebrated the best of local agricultural talent on Thursday 2nd July 2026, when they hosted the finals of their Stock Judging, Silage Assessment and Soil Assessment competitions, held in association with long-time sponsors, Fane Valley. The event was held at CAFRE Greenmount Campus and brought together over 300 of the organisation’s young competitors for an evening of fun and friendly competition.

YFCU provides these competitions as a vital platform for members to develop and showcase the skills essential to the future of the agricultural industry, while encouraging best practices in livestock selection, forage quality assessment, and soil management. Heats for the stock judging and silage competitions were held across all counties, with the top four members in each age category earning a spot in the final. Soil assessment finalists secured their place following a competitive heat online.

The Stock Judging and Silage Assessment competitions were split into six age categories: 12-14, 14-16, 16-18, 18-21, 21-25 and 25-30, and the Soil Assessment competition was split into Juniors and Seniors.

The first-place winners of our Stock Judging competition in the Sheep section were: Nathan Dunne (Spa YFC) in the 12-14 category, William McCaughey (Lisnamurrican YFC) in the 14-16 category, Oliver Patton (Ballywalter YFC) in the 16-18 category, Lucy Rodgers (Spa YFC) in the 18-21 category, Anna Clements (Spa YFC) in the 21-25 category and Claire Adams (Lisnamurrican YFC) in the 25-30 category. The first-place winners of our Stock Judging competition in the Beef section were: Bethany Woods (Lisbellaw YFC) in the 12-14 category, William McCaughey (Lisnamurrican YFC) in the 14-16 category, Erin Nelson (Lisbellaw YFC) in the 16-18 category, Harry Givan (Bleary YFC) in the 18-21 category, Anna Clements (Spa YFC) in the 21-25 category and Martin Rodgers (Spa YFC) in the 25-30 category. The first-place winners of our Stock Judging competition in the Dairy section were: Zak Watson (Coleraine YFC) in the 12-14 category, Isla Watson (Coleraine YFC) in the 14-16 category, Rachel McCullough (Ballymiscaw YFC) in the 16-18 category, James Patton (Ballywalter YFC) in the 18-21 category, Karen Walker (Collone YFC) in the 21-25 category and Lynsay Beattie (Seskinore YFC) and Philip Beattie (Finvoy YFC) were joint in the 25-30 category.

The first-place winners of our Silage Assessment competition were: Ruby Aiken (Spa YFC) in the 12-14 category, Bobby Henderson (Trillick & District YFC) in the 14-16 category, Ruby Doherty (Garvagh YFC) in the 16-18 category, Sophie McCreath (Randalstown YFC) in the 18-21 category, Peter Cunningham (Garvagh YFC) in the 21-25 category and Lynsay Beattie (Seskinore YFC) in the 25-30 category. The winners of our Soil Assessment competition were Lucy Stevenson (Moycraig YFC) and Fergus McIlwaine (Straid YFC), who came joint first in the junior category and James McConnell (Straid YFC) who was awarded first in the senior category.

YFCU President, Kristina Fleming praised the finalists saying, “These agricultural competitions allow members to put their practical knowledge into action while learning from experienced judges and industry professionals. The standard of competition continues to improve each year, demonstrating the enthusiasm and professionalism of our members. Congratulations to everyone who took part and to our winners for their outstanding performances.” YFCU were delighted to be joined by Gary Spence and Robbie Foster from Fane Valley, longstanding champions of local agriculture and proud sponsors of the event. The event highlighted the high standard of knowledge and commitment demonstrated by YFCU members, reflecting the organisation's dedication to developing confident, capable and progressive young farmers.