John, Noreen and Patricia Moore of Buckfield Limousins along with John’s mother Shelia Moore – based in Kilmeena on the outskirts of the picturesque town of Westport, Co. Mayo hosted a terrific YMA workshop and Barn Dance on Saturday the 22nd June 2019. A fantastic day out was had by all that attended.

Proceedings for the day began with a very informative talk on Farm Safety – which was delivered by Miles O’Reilly from AXA. Miles spoke on the importance of  to being vigilant at all times on the Farm – around livestock and machinery. Then on to a very educational talk on animal nutrition which was given by Maeve Regan from Gain. This talk outlined best practice in feeding cattle from the first feed of colostrum to preparing a beast for the factory.

North West club Chairman Martin Regan than called upon Michael Oliver and Donie McKeon to demonstrate how an animal is scored. Michael and Donie expertly pointed out the most important points of an animal and shared his views on what to look out for in terms of both the good and not so good points in cattle.

 

Chris Meehan then clipped and groomed a young bull – Chris is very well known and highly regarded on the show scene. The transformation in the young bull was evident for all to see.

Throughout all aspects the audience were encouraged to ask questions and they didn’t disappoint with very valid queries from both young and old alike.

Anne-Marie Gunn then outlined the format of the YMA competition and gave the group an insight into the does and don’ts while competing – this was very informative. Some of the competitors had never taken part in a YMA competition before and Anne Marie was the ideal person to help calm nerves and offer some words of encouragement.

The YMA workshop incorporated the North West team selection for the forthcoming National YMA competition. The judges were Master judge Marie-Louise Ryan and Paul Sykes. The competitors were tasked with judging four young bulls and heifers – later giving their reasons on the heifers. Once the task of judging was completed each young member went before the judges to give their placement reasons – this is an audacious task but even the very youngest of the competitors completed with great aplomb. Following this each competitor took part in the showing aspect – at random they were given a calf to show, just as at any Limousin show – with the judges watching their showing style, their decorum and their overall handling ability. Once these aspects were completed it was time for the tally officers to tot up the results.

The four members picked for the North West Club YMA team were: Michelle Tarpey, Jack Cronin, Linda O’Hara and Brian Phillips.

Master judge Marie Louise was extremely complementary in her summation of the competitors’ performances. She was very impressed with their judging and showing ability – it was the first day showing for many of the calves being used for the showing aspects and the handlers were well up to the task.

The YMA competitions is a great learning opportunity with the younger members learning from the older competitors and developing friendships. Many of the skills will benefit them in years to come whether cattle related to building confidence to doing interviews.

Each competitor received a voucher and a spot prize for taking part.

Throughout the day there was a marvellous array of food on offer – huge thanks must go to Noreen and her team – they pulled out all the stops with a lavish barbeque and scrumptious deserts – master chef should look no further than Westport for its next competitors.

A raffle took place with magnificent prizes on offer – the proceeds of the raffle went to the North West club to help fund the many events undertaken by the club. A fundraising Barn Dance was held – which ran well into the small hours….

Buckfield Limousins

The Buckfield herd was established 22 years ago and has grown from strength to strength in the intervening years. The family enjoy showing at the shows in the North West region and have also shown at the National Show in Tullamore. Patricia takes part in YMA competitions and was delighted to win the red rosette at the National show in 2017 showing her own home-bred calf.

Proving her keen eye Patricia picked out the most recent purchase by the family at the dispersal sale of the Ballinclare herd. Patricia’s choice was Ballinclare Grace a powerful daughter of Vison and was purchased with her very promising April 2019 born daughter Patrice at foot.

The Moore’s’ are focusing their breeding program within the herd on maternal qualities and as such the current crop of calves are by Grahams Apache, Wilodge Tonka, Indus and Ronick Hawk. The cows have immense style and are a credit to the Moore’s and the Limousin breed.

We would like to thank John, Noreen and Patricia for hosting such a thoroughly enjoyable day. Many thanks to the North West club – Martin Regan, Michael Oliver, Chris Meehan, Donie and Maura McKeon, Michael and Anne Marie Gunn, Maria Hester.

Thanks also to the members that supplied cattle for the YMA event: Sean Vahey, Joe Moran, Michael Oliver, Tom Feehan, Donie McKeon and Ciaran Golden.

We would also like to thank the generous sponsors of both the YMA and the Barn Dance

Below is a list of items which were auctioned on Saturday night during the Barn dance:

  • 1 straw for Derrygullinane Kingbull.
  • 1 Straw for Gerrygullinane Glen.
  • 1 Sympa Straw.
  • 3 Vagabond straws.
  • Embryo Attirant x Ovaun Barbara.
  • TVR embyro out of a commercial show heifer, plus free implantation by Daire Markham.
  • 20 tonne of Harringtons Gro Lime delivered in Connaught region.
  • Voucher for Sean Mcgreal AI/scanning services.
  • Voucher for Castle vets.
  • Agro Pro clipper for cattle or sheep (mains)
  • Midweek break for 2 in the Diamond Coast Hotel
  • Trip for 2 on the Lakes of Kilarney followed by a meal for 2 in Brandons cottage.
  • Voucher for Jams Restaurant, Kenmare, Killarney or Cork.
  • Family pass for 2 adults and 2 children in the Pirate Adventure Park, Westport House.
  • Bed & Breakfast for 2 in Hotel Newport.
  • Dinner for 4 in the Castlecourt Hotel, Westport.
  • Voucher for Tile Warehouse, Castlebar or Westport.
  • €100 off a fill of meal sponsored by Cogan Feeds, Kilmovee.
  • 3 €100 vouchers for Elite Pedigree Genetics

All support was greatly appreciated.

Thanks from the Irish Limousin Cattle Society

The Irish Limousin Cattle Society would like to thank the North West club for this marvelous event – many thanks and best wishes to John, Noreen, Patricia & Shelia. With families like the Moore’s supporting and encouraging the YMA – the Limousin breed is in very secure hands.

Every best wish for the future and continued success with the Buckfield Limousin herd.

 

Best wishes to the North West YMA team at the National final.

 

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