The youth competition at the recent World Angus Forum was a brilliantly competitive event, with stellar participation from all teams who entered, showcasing their skills in a number of areas and letting us see that our breed looks to be in the safest of hands for many years to come. On this particular occasion, the winning team came from New Zealand in the shape of New Zealand Toa. Marie Timperley was one of the winning members of team Toa, and we’ve recently caught up with Marie to get more insight into the members of the team, their reaction to winning, and what life has been like since the Forum:
Meet the team:
‘’I’ll start with myself! My name is Marie Timperley, and I am a 25-year-old cattle breeder from Canterbury, Oxford. My involvement with the breed is through Generation Angus and goes back a long way, but was mostly fostered by my parents, who purchased my first three heifers from a dispersal sale when I was just 10 years old. Since this time, I’ve helped grow our families Timperley Angus stud to just over 100 cows. I currently run the stud, as well as operating daily support on one of our family’s properties just outside Christchurch. I owe a great deal to my family for teaching me most of what I know today and installing me with a strong work ethic.’’
‘’The other Toa team members included:
Emma Politt: Emma is a 24 year old Gisborne on the East Coast of New Zealand who currently works as a Technical Field Representatitve for PGG Wrightson in Grisborne, and has aspirations of owning her own Angus stud on the East Coast.
Amy Hoogenboom: Our second Amy comes from Waipukurau in Hawke’s Bay and doesn’t have a farming background as such, with the 22 year old first getting involved in Generation Angus through Future Beef NZ where she has competed for eight years, winning the title of Allflex Senior Beef Ambassador in 2015.
Patrick Crawshaw: Patrick is a 23 year old from Nuhaka on the East Coast of New Zealand who grew up on his parents’ Angus stud, Kenhardt Angus and has been involved since he was a toddler! Patrick is now the stock manager on a 420ha property near Dannevirke, which is part of the ADB Williams Trust.’’
Thoughts on the World Angus Forum:
‘’The World Angus Forum was a spectacular show of Angus cattle across the full length and breadth of the country, with historical ties that, as a reasonably new breeder from New Zealand, I could only dream about. It was very interesting seeing the direction the Angus cattle have taken to suit the markets in the UK. We received a very warm welcome from the Angus breeders and the hospitality was fabulous. The delegates that attended the forum were the top minds of Angus from all around the world and the opportunity we had to network with these people was great and educational for all youth members, who greatly appreciated their expertise. What we learned in the competition was amazing, but what we learnt through the connections we made over the two weeks was and will continue to be invaluable.’’
The Youth Competition:
‘’The youth competition was filled with a great bunch of young individuals and it was truly an honour to get know them. I am sure there are some future agricultural leaders amongst the 37 young competitors. We started the competition with a team bonding exercise, where we were put through our paces at the Royal Marine base and everyone got on very well which was a great way to kick things off. We were all likeminded people, with the same common interest of Angus cattle. I’m sure I can speak for everybody when I say that we all really enjoyed learning the differences between the different countries’ markets, breeding objectives and climates.’’
What was your favourite things about the competition?
‘’One of the best aspects of the competition was the contacts and friends that we made, without a doubt. On top of that, a personal favourite for myself was going to Scotbeef and learning the markets and grading systems that drive the UK Angus Farmers, this gave us some really invaluable insight and learnings to take.’’
What was the reaction when your team won?
‘’We were super stoked!! We put a lot of hard work and energy into getting to know each other and working as a team leading up to the competition, so when we were announced as the winners it was very satisfying. We are so thankful to the organisers that put so much time into running the WAF youth competition. I would like to thank the New Zealand breeders who have helped and supported all of us to come over to Scotland, as well as the Generation Angus programme which has helped us improve our skills and knowledge. Also, none of this would’ve been possible without our sponsors Allflex, FMG and Merial Ancare, so a massive thank you to them. ‘’
What have you been getting up to since the Forum finished at the start of July?
‘’Well I was actually lucky enough to tour around Scotland some more and spend time with my friends, taking part in some other farming operations. At the end of July, I packed my bags and headed back home for the beginning of calving. I’m excited for another great season producing high quality Angus beef, which has been made a little tricky by the snow we’re receiving at the moment, but that won’t phase us too much!’’
A big thank you is extended to Marie for taking the time to speak to us to find out a bit more about the team’s thoughts on what was a great Forum. A big well done to the New Zealand Toa team, as well as all others from New Zealand, Australia, Canada and here in the UK and Ireland – we already can’t wait for the next youth competition.