It won’t be long now until Spring rolls around and we’re entering the season of Game Fairs, County Shows and of course, YFC Competitions. In preparation for the looming rally season, which is just around the corner (literally – I’m in the Stockman of the Year Competition next weekend!), I thought I would reflect on my top 5 competition experiences with YFC to encourage you all to try something new this year!
1. Junior Member of the Year (Public Speaking)
I was sort of unwillingly signed up for the Junior Member of the Year competition last year (as is usually the case with young farmers) and I wasn’t very confident about public speaking. Nevertheless, I put together my CV and presentation and went to compete on the day. It was a new experience for me but I really enjoyed it (and won!) and I would recommend anyone to give it a go. I did a blog post about it here which you can go and read if you want to find out more about it.
2. Cookery
This was the first competition I ever did with YFC and it’s now one of my staples (I get signed up for it every year)… It’s great fun to come up with a dish and prepare it on the day, and it is especially satisfying if the judges like it! You also have to put together a menu, nutrition guide and cost guide which I think are good skills to have and make you think more about what you are making (and serving!).
3. Stock Judging
I truly believe this is one for everyone to try! With dairy cows, beef cows, breeding ewes, horses, pigs and fat lambs (plus carcas judging) to choose from there ought to be at least one animal you’re interested in. There’s always someone willing to lend a hand (and a white coat!) to help you prepare and it’s usually a really good day. I have also written a post about my stock judging experience last year which you can find here.
4. Metalwork
Before rally last year, the extent of my metalwork experience had been soldering in DT at school… But with the help of my Dad, I managed to produce a weather vane to the theme ‚tomorrows world‘ out of an old kids bike and it now lives in our garden. Even though I didn’t win, it was a really good challenge and I feel like I produced a really good product.
5. The Exhibits
Last year I put together the Junior Exhibit on my own and helped with the big club exhibit too. It is really great to see how, one paint stroke at a time, you can turn a big wooden box into a giant piece of art! It’s great fun to work on as a whole club and it’s good for team building as well as showcasing your artistic abilities (some that you didn’t know you had!).
I hope that this has inspired you to try something new this year in or out of YFC! If you are aged 10-26 and want to join the Young Farmers, you can find information on their website here.