AGAIN this year the Hamilton Beef Expo will be running the junior judging and handlers competition as well as a beef industry day.
Hamilton Beef Expo president Peter Guthrie said whilst they are very proud of the success of the junior judging and handlers competition, the committee feels that they perhaps limits participation to those young people who have a particular interest in judging beef cattle and does not encourage the wider participation in the beef industry in particular and agriculture in general.
"The Beef Expo also offers a wide range of resources which promote the beef industry, and which the Beef Expo committee feel could be utilised to promote the beef industry and agriculture as a career option for a wider range of young people," Mr Guthrie said.
Meat and Livestock Australia will be sponsoring the beef industry day and will be providing a presenter for the seminars.
The beef industry day will be run on February 10 at 10am.
They program will be aimed at secondary students at about year 10 or 11, with two main aims.
The first is to enable secondary students to become more familiar with the Australian beef industry and the second aim is to present to students a range of career options associated with the beef industry in particular and more generally in agriculture.
"It is proposed that during the day a range of young people involved in the industry will briefly explain their job, what they do, and what they had to do to get that particular job," Mr Guthrie said.
"Emphasis will be on getting younger people to speak in this regard, who hopefully will have a greater empathy with secondary students.
"With all the present discussions on the lack of people moving into the agricultural workforce, we feel that it is important that as an industry we should promote ourselves as a viable and dynamic
industry to be involved in," he said.
The proposed program of events will include seminars on, the beef industry, markets and marketing by MLA, language and description of the industry by Maria Crawford, DPI, breeds of beef cattle by Angela Lyons, Wilkah Hereford/Poll Hereford Cattle and handling and NLIS equipment by Joe Vowles, KattleGear and artificial breeding and reproductive technology by Brad Pickford, Nationwide Artificial Breeding.
Following the seminars a beef lunch will be held for students.
A chef will cook beef in the style of a specific country such as Indonesia, where beef is exported.
For further information contact the Hamilton P & A Society: 03 5572 2563, www.hamiltonshowgrounds.com.au, info@hamiltonshowgrounds.com.au.