St Louis pupils showcase at ABP Angus Youth Challege Semi-Finals

A team from St Louis Grammar are in with a chance of winning Aberdeen Angus calves to rear as one of the 11 semi-finalist teams in the recent ABP Angus Youth Challenge.
ABP Angus Youth Challenge semi finalist Thomas OKane from St Louis Grammar School in Ballymena, gets interviewed for social media during the semi final event held at CAFRE Loughry Campus.ABP Angus Youth Challenge semi finalist Thomas OKane from St Louis Grammar School in Ballymena, gets interviewed for social media during the semi final event held at CAFRE Loughry Campus.
ABP Angus Youth Challenge semi finalist Thomas OKane from St Louis Grammar School in Ballymena, gets interviewed for social media during the semi final event held at CAFRE Loughry Campus.

Pupils Conall McCafferty, Peter Graham and Thomas O’Kane travelled to the semi final at CAFRE Loughry to present their ideas for a place in the final and the chance to win Aberdeen Angus calves to rear through to finishing.

Nutritional selling points of beef, the importance of grass-based beef production and the promotion of a Northern Irish Angus beef brand were just some of the ways the competitors set about impressing the independent panel of judges at the event in Cookstown.

The St Louis pupils’ project included a clever re-enactment of the famous American Superbowl advert ‘God made a farmer’ using pictures that their fellow pupils had of their family farms, matching them up with the words of the poem, involving the whole school in the ABP initiative.

Pictured at the semi-final of the ABP Angus Youth Challenge held at CAFRE Loughry are George McWhirter, Northern Irish Angus Producers Group and Arthur Callaghan, ABP NI with St Louis Grammar students Conall McCafferty, Peter Graham and Thomas OKane.Pictured at the semi-final of the ABP Angus Youth Challenge held at CAFRE Loughry are George McWhirter, Northern Irish Angus Producers Group and Arthur Callaghan, ABP NI with St Louis Grammar students Conall McCafferty, Peter Graham and Thomas OKane.
Pictured at the semi-final of the ABP Angus Youth Challenge held at CAFRE Loughry are George McWhirter, Northern Irish Angus Producers Group and Arthur Callaghan, ABP NI with St Louis Grammar students Conall McCafferty, Peter Graham and Thomas OKane.

Congratulating the teams on their hard work to date, Managing Director of ABP in Northern Ireland, George Mullan said: “The ABP Angus Youth Challenge is about investing for the future of farming and food production in Northern Ireland through skills development of our young people.

“If the talent on display in this room today is any indicator of future success, then we have a lot to be positive about.”

Three finalist teams will be announced after Easter and presented with five Aberdeen Angus cross calves at a high-profile public event during the 150th Balmoral Show in May.

They will go on to rear their calves through to sale to ABP over an 18-month skills development programme covering insights into beef production from farm to fork.

In addition, they will benefit financially from the profit at sale of the calves to ABP.

One overall winning team will also win £1,000 cash prize for their school or club.