Virginia students among finalists

The five finalists of the Certified Irish Angus Schools’ Competition were presented with their calves at the National Ploughing Championships. Among them, a group from Virginia College, who had impressed the judges with their TY-project ‘Improving Water Quality Through Sustainable Practice’.

Fionn Brady, Casey Johnston, Katie Fitzsimons and Louis Faulkner will now rear the Angus calves over an 18-month period, while completing their research project throughout the competition duration.

The Certified Irish Angus Schools Competition, supported by processors ABP and Kepak was first introduced to secondary school students in Ireland in 2014. The unique initiative is designed to teach students about the care and attention required to produce top quality beef, and it has engaged with more than 4,000 students in the last 12 years. New for this year, student finalists will receive 1:1 mentorship from a senior professional working in a related area within the Irish Agri-food sector.

Virginia College, Cavan, one of five schools announced to take part in the next instalment of the Certified Irish Angus Schools’ Competition, is paired with Fiona Doolan, who works on Teagasc’s Farming For Water initiative.

Students Fionn, Casey, Katie and Louis will investigate how different farm, nutrient and land management practices can improve nutrient efficiency while protecting water quality. Using their findings, they will develop a simple traffic light model to support decision-making and promote best practice, while raising awareness through farmer engagement, farm visits and a social media campaign highlighting positive actions to protect water quality.

Each finalist will receive the financial benefit of selling the animals to the processors upon the project’s completion. The winning students also receive an additional grant of €2,000 for their further education.