Five birds of a feather flock together for national young judges final
Announcement posted by Writers Who 15 Jul 2021
Australia's five best poultry judges have been announced today by Agricultural Shows of Australia (ASA) as eligible to compete in the national finalists of the prestigious annual competition to be judged next month.
- 19 year old Thomas Spencer of Bullsbrook will represent Western Australia.
- 16 year old Michael English of Nanango will represent Queensland.
- 19 year old Olivia Broughton of Camden will represent New South Wales.
- 23 year old Emmeline Vivian of Cowirra will represent South Australia.
- 26 year old Georgia Weavell of Campania will represent Tasmania.
Dr Rob Wilson is the chairman of ASA, the peak body overseeing 572 agricultural shows in Australia which attract six million visitors annually and contribute nearly $1billion to the national economy, and says the competition is designed to recognise the best new talent in livestock judging and presenting nationwide.
“It’s an extremely prestigious event and positions at the nationals are keenly contested,” Dr. Wilson explains.
“These young people are the future of agricultural show competitions which are crucial to the continual improvement of Australia’s food and fibre. The national competition is a coveted opportunity to grow personally and professionally by practising skills against the cream of the crop.”
The national competition is held in a different location each year to promote livestock judging, parading and the industry as widely as possible throughout Australia. This year it will be hosted by Queensland Ag Shows at the 143rd Royal Queensland Show (the “Ekka”), Brisbane from 7-9 August 2021.
Queensland Ag Shows president Kerri Robertson explained that in a poultry judging competition entrants use their skills to adjudicate the placings of the birds and then must articulate their approach.
“All competitors placing results are compared to experienced judges, and after careful inspection and consideration the over-judges assess the competitors oral presentation in combination with the competitor judging results to determine a winner.”
Overall there are nine categories for judging and parading each year under the ASA national competition program: beef cattle, dairy cattle, alpaca, poultry, Merino sheep, meat sheep breed and Merino fleece judging, as well as parading competitions in beef and dairy cattle.
Previous winners of the relatively new national young poultry judges competition are Harrison Taylor who won in 2019 and Aron Quinton who won in 2018, both representing South Australia.
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For more information about the competition head to agshowsaustralia.org.au/youth-in-agriculture/national-young-judges
ASA will issue a press release to announce the results as soon as they are announced. Media are welcome to attend the national finals.