Success for Agriculture

Brackenhurst's college-level Agriculture students take home array of awards at recent events

Winter Festival Stock Judging Team

In November 2019, Brackenhurst's Agriculture students (studying for their Level 3 Extended Diploma) entered the Intercollege Challenge at the Winter Stock Festival, held at the East of England Showground.

Seventeen teams entered from all over the UK, with each team comprising of four members. The teams had to compete in a stock judging competition followed by a mystery team event. The stock judging element required each team to judge cattle, pigs, lambs and fleece. The whole team then worked together in the mystery competition which asked them to estimate the weight of a bull, a lamb and a pig.

The stock judging competition was in two parts. Initially, each team member judged four animals within their specific category, placing the animals in order of merit according to their suitability for the meat trade (for which 50 points could be attained). The second part of the judging competition (for which another 50 points were available) required the team member to verbally convey the reasons behind their placings to the master judge.

Fleece judging was a new category at the event in November. Our Brackenhurst students were taken on a visit to Central Wool Growers in Stamford (who grade most of the wool from the Midlands and East Anglia) during a practical lesson to learn what makes a quality fleece and to prepare for the competition.

Both of the Brackenhurst teams did really well, coming 7th and 8th overall, and Brackenhurst student Megan Haywood did exceptionally well scoring 98 points out of 100, winning her class with ease.

Our Agriculture students also entered three Ploughing matches during the Autumn. The first was Flintham where Emily Hinchley and Sarah Bingham ploughed in the Novice Reversible Class, with Emily winning and Sarah following closely in second place. Southwell Ploughing Match was next, with Harry Troop and Oscar Owen ploughing to a high standard in the Open Reversible Class. Amelia Lee and Liam Astles then competed in the Open Reversible Class at the Sherwood Forest Ploughing Match and also ploughed to a high standard.