Having waited months, years even, for the World Angus Forum to come to our shores, we’re delighted for it to finally be upon us.
The events kicked off yesterday evening when our friends and delegates from all over the world arrived on our doorstep for the first leg of the World Angus Forum, the tour of England. We had a magnificent evening at the McClemens Herd, where the host and hostess Denis and Simone served up an incredible Argentinian barbeque in their garden. There was a great atmosphere with everyone excited and eager for the Forum to get underway. A huge thank you is extended to Denis and Simone for hosting a great night!
This morning, we all made our way to our buses packed with people and 17 nights worth of suitcases to head for the Rosemead Herd at Lydling Farm, where the Stovold Family put on a terrific show of cattle for the attendees, followed by a wonderful heritage display of their breeding operation through several generations. With the prospect of a lovely, locally sourced gin and tonic at the top, everyone made their way up the hill at Rosemead to take in the views over and beyond the farm. The drinks were certainly enjoyed by all once we reached the summit! After the Rosemead visit, we made our way to Lockerley Hall Farms to the Lockerley Aberdeen-Angus herd owned by the Van Geest family, where everyone was treated to another brilliant show of cattle and some great insight into the operation at Lockerley. We’d like to thank the Stovolds and Van Geests for getting the Forum off to a start that was even better than we could’ve expected.
The Three Counties Show got off the mark today too with the class results for the Aberdeen-Angus Summer National 2017, where William McLaren Junior of Netherton Farm judged a strong show of cattle. You can view the full class results at: http://www.aberdeen-angus.co.uk/news/class-results-for-the-aberdeen-angus-summer-national-2017/. Tomorrow, the World Angus Forum delegates will be attending the Three Counties Show where they’ll get a taste of some of the very best the UK agricultural industry has to offer. This will be followed by dinner at the very impressive Exeter College, so it is sure to be another brilliant day.
We’d like to give a special mention to our two drivers George and Kevin who’ve helped make the first day run very smoothly, we’re sure the spirits of those on our buses will remain as high as they were today throughout the full 17 days! We look forward to bringing you some more in the way of photography and updates throughout the duration of this magnificent homecoming of the Aberdeen-Angus breed.
Other news from this week in the Society:
– We heard from John McCulloch of Castle Douglas in Dumfries and Galloway who is set to play a key part in the UK and Ireland youth teams over the coming few weeks at the World Angus Forum. You can learn more about John at: http://www.aberdeen-angus.co.uk/news/world-angus-forum-2017-youth-competition-team-member-profile-john-mcculloch/.
– Society Vice President Angela McGregor hosted a brilliantly-attended Youth Development Programme workshop at Newcairnie. Amber Roy was one of our enthusiastic young participants on the day and she was kind enough to provide her account of the workshop: http://www.aberdeen-angus.co.uk/news/ydp-workshop-at-newcairnie-aberdeen-angus-and-the-east-of-scotland-young-farmers-stock-judging-competition/.
– The Aberdeen-Angus Breed Champion from the Royal Bath & West Show was awarded to Angus Neish’s heifer Rodmead Bonnie Lass S774 (born 25.01.16). In addition, the Aberdeen-Angus Breed Champion from the Royal Cornwall Show was given to Mr C J & Mrs J L M Hutchings & Sons’ bull Balgay Elfhelm (born 10.03.15).
Next week:
We look forward to bringing you an update from a very busy weekend on Monday! You should also keep a lookout for the daily videos which we’ll be posting from the full World Angus Forum tour, which will give you a great insight into what’s going on as we travel up and down the country then across the Irish Sea to our friends in Ireland.
We’ll also be brining you a couple of herd profiles prior to their visit during the World Angus Forum, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for some great insight into some of our most notable herds. We hope everyone has a great weekend, and look forward to bringing you more updates next week!