Staffordshire YFC will not be slowing down this weekend! On Saturday 4th May, it is the Federations Annual Rally at Blore Farm, Hales by kind permission of the Lea and Baines Family. A day packed with 38 competitions ranging from Floral Art to Pasta Pictures and Tug of War to Egg Catching! Members from across Staffordshire YFC will be competing for their club to take home the silverware for the various competitions including the Junior, Intermediate and Senior Cups as well as the Overall Rally Cup. The day commences at 10am with a Total Wipeout, including the infamous “Greasy Pole Challenge” taking place in the Main Ring from 11.30am. Rounding off the day will be the hard fought Mixed and Junior Tug of War Competitions which commence at 3pm. The day is supported by over 50 individual company sponsors with Johnsons of Cheadle and South Staffordshire College as the Main Sponsors.
The Staffordshire YFC members will be celebrating the Annual Rally at the Dance held at the farm in the evening which is for members aged 16+ of Staffordshire YFC to attend.
Spectators and guests are welcome to join Staffordshire YFC at the Rally Day, with a great display of YFC members showcasing skills, teamwork and their great sense of fun. Hot food and refreshments will also be served all day by the federations very own Catering Committee.
For full details about the Staffordshire YFC Rally and Dance, click here.
Not content with a super busy Saturday Day and Night, the host family, with Polly Baines, current Staffordshire YFC County Chairman at the helm, have organised a Charity Lunch entitled “Give Cancer the Boot” which will be attended by over 200 guests on the Sunday 5th May from midday. Polly Baines, County Chairman said “Canapes will be served on arrival followed by a two course lunch. The afternoon entertainment will involve YFC members and supporters taking part in a number of “races” which guests will be betting on, including a “Wild Waiters and Waitresses” race! A raffle will be held during the afternoon and all the money raised will be split equally between Cancer Research and Staffordshire YFC.”
For full details of Give Cancer the Boot, click here.
To get involved in Staffordshire YFC, as a supporter or member, telephone 01785 248645 or email countyoffice@staffsyoungfarmers.org.uk
On Sunday 28th April The Staffordshire YFC Young Stockjudge and Stockman of the Year Competition took place by kind permission of the Abbotsholme School Farm in Rocester with the dairy cows being judged nearby by kind permission of John and Tracey Chamberlain of Holly Hurst Farm, Marston Montgomery. Competitors were required to judge 4 rings of animals, Dairy cows, Breeding Ewes, Pigs and Beef Cattle, place them and give positive comparative reasons to the master judges. The overall winners on the day were as follows:
Overall Senior Member – 1st Harriet Wilson, Eccleshall YFC; 2nd Jake Manning, Lichfield YFC; 3rd Johnny Wilson, Uttoxeter JNFU.
Overall Intermediate Member – 1st Paul Brown, Eccleshall YFC; 2nd Sally Leese, Eccleshall YFC; 3rd Rob Mollatt, Uttoxeter JNFU.
Overall Junior Member – 1st Alicia Smith, Chase YFC; Joint 2nd Sarah Beswick, Leek YFC and Daniel Weaver, Stone YFC.
Once the team points had been combined, the clubs were positioned as follows:
Junior Overall Young Stockjudge Team of the Year – 1st Chase YFC, 2nd Uttoxeter JNFU, 3rd Leek YFC
Overall Stockman of the Year Team (Intermediates and Seniors combined and the Overall Team with all points combined) – 1st Uttoxeter JNFU, 2nd Eccleshall YFC, 3rd Chase YFC
Stockjudging is one of the many competitions organised by Staffordshire YFC and gives members the opportunity to utilise their skills with regards to judging and understanding of the make-up of an animal, market demands, and communication, observation and presentation skills which are transferrable in their future career or education path.
County Chairman, Polly Baines said “This year were really pleased to have our Stockjudging Competitions Day supported by Shires Vets, who came along and gave competitors an array of free gifts and encouraged the members who were taking part. The top three Overall Winners in each age category also received prize money which is kindly sponsored by The Staffordshire and Birmingham Agricultural Society. This has helped to make the day a great success for everyone who has taken part.”
A composite team made up of the highest placed competitors in each again category will go forward and represent Staffordshire YFC at the West Midland Area eliminator on Sunday 30th June, hosted by Herefordshire YFC.
To view a full set of photos from the day, please click here
This years competition was held by kind permission of Phil & Sarah Heath of Foker Farm, Leek. 10 teams took part which involved judging, placing and giving reason on a ring of 4 dairy cows, the results on the night were:
=1st – Lichfield YFC & Uttoxeter A JNFU, 3rd – Waterhouses YFC
For photos from the evening please click HERE
The first three months of 2019 have not stopped for the busy members of Staffordshire County Federation of Young Farmers Clubs (SCFYFC), who have already held nine of their County Competitions, hosted a day of Public Speaking Competitions for the West Midlands Area as well as organising a successful Turnout Ball in February and rounding off the social events with the County Dinner Dance in March.
Back in January the New Year started with 13 team’s competition at Stafford Ten Pin for the Annual Ten Pin Bowling Competition. It was straight into the County Quiz as the second competition of January, and this time 20 teams from across the County were challenged to quiz rounds on general knowledge, travel, famous faces and music. Later that same week Eccleshall and Uttoxeter met to take part in the County Debating Competition, with Eccleshall taking first place and heading to the West Midlands Area round of the competition which Staffordshire YFC were hosting in February.
February saw SCFYFC hold a Clay Pigeon Shooting Competition over at Doveridge Clay Sports and then later that month the Darts Competition was held in Leek. The County Ball was held at The Ingestre Suite, County Showground with just over 300 members and guests enjoying DJ Tom Bowers, ex Harper Student and member of Eccleshall YFC keeping the dancefloor filled. Rounding off a very busy February, Staffordshire YFC hosted their fellow West Midlands Area counties with seven competitions including Junior Speaking, Senior Debating and a Show Choir Competition. Eccleshall YFC kept up their winning streak on this day and will be taking part in the NFYFC Finals of the Show Choir Competition which is also held on the County Showground on 6th July.
The County round of the Cookery Competition was held in March which this year was kindly supported by Like Nanna Made. From baking to sport, there is nothing that Staffordshire YFC members won’t have a go at. Later in March, clubs took part in the County Volleyball Competition over at Madeley High School, Newcastle. Then rounding off the month, they held a Pool Competition, Silage Judging Competition and in the mix there was an Irish Night held over at Checkley Village Hall where members let their hair down in true YFC style!
April has already started with the sound of the hammer and gavel being knocked down, as 11 members had a go at a brand new competition, Auctioneering, held by kind permission of Johnsons of Cheadle, with expert judges, Mark and Meg Elliott of Bagshaws Llp giving some excellent advice and encouragement on the night. Waterhouses member, George Goodwin will go forward to represent Staffordshire in the West Midlands Area round which is held at the Three Counties Show in June. Members also “flinged themselves into spring” with their traditional event, a Spring Fling Disco, held for members across the county over a Lower Loxley by kind permission of the Phillips Family. A great night was had by all those who came.
Staffordshire YFC is looking to recruit more members for all of its ten clubs in the coming months, and is holding a One Big Social Night on Thursday 18th April where members “past, present and potential” are invited to come and meet with Club Officers from each of the ten clubs – Abbotsholme, Ashley, Chase, Cheadle, Eccleshall, Leek, Lichfield, Stone, Uttoxeter and Waterhouses. The federation had 561 members currently aged 10 years – 26 years of age. In order to continue with double representation on an area and national level at competitions and meetings, they need to have 601 members by the end of August.
County Chairlady Polly Baines said, “With a fully packed calendar of events and opportunities left in the year, it is the ideal time for a new member to try out Staffordshire YFC to open their social life. There is the Annual Rally on 4th May with 38 competitions and fun activities being held and then the County Show week from Wednesday 29th May to Thursday 30th May is always a great way to get involved in YFC. The Show Floats Competition is the highlight of the Staffordshire YFC Competitions Calendar, and with the theme of Disney, the main ring is going to be a spectacular sight of classic films and characters. Any member who joins on the night of 18th April will receive either a Free Show Dance Ticket (16 years and over) or a Joules Sale Ticket (10 – 15 years.) We can’t wait to welcome lots of new members along.”
To get involved in Staffordshire YFC, contact the County Organiser, Julia Taylor on 01785 248645 or email organiser@staffyoungfarmers.org.uk.
The first time Staffordshire YFC have held a Auctioneering Competition and it was a huge success with 11 members from across the County taking part. Each competitor had to describe and value 6 lots, varying from a pressure washer to a T707 New Holland Tractor! They then had to choose 3 items to auction off in a mock auction.
The winners on the night were: 1st – George Goodwin (Waterhouses YFC), 2nd – Peter Cotton (Waterhouses YFC) & 3rd – Alicia Smith (Chase YFC). George & Peter now qualify to represent Staffordshire YFC at the West Midlands Area round in June at the Three Counties Show.
Please click HERE for photos from the evening.
Thank you also goes to Johnson’s of Cheadle for hosting the event and Bagshaws for their support.
Saturday 23rd March saw 12 teams from the County travel to the Ridware area for the silage competition. Each team had to judge and score three clamps of silage on three different farms along with giving reasons back to the master judge. The results on the day were:
1st – Stone YFC (Dan Weaver, Ed Johnson & Luke Gallimore)
2nd – Leek YFC (Lizzy James, Isobel Proctor & Meg Barnes)
3rd – Eccleshall YFC (Dan Bowers, Paul Brown & Harry Bowers)
After the competition, competitors enjoyed a well deserved carvery at The Bull & Spectacles, a big thank you goes to ACT Wessex Animal Health who kindly sponsored the Competition.
9 Clubs took part in this years Indoor Cricket League, starting in January over nine weeks, this years results are:
1st – Eccleshall YFC
2nd – Uttoxeter JNFU
3rd – Waterhouses YFC
Eight teams from around the County took part in the County Cookery Competition, the results were:
1st – Eccleshall YFC, 2nd – Chase B YFC & 3rd- Leek YFC.
Thank you also goes to:
Like Nanna Made for sponsoring the competition and providing aprons for the top 2 teams
Barbers Rural for providing shopping bags and lists for the competitors.
The top two teams will now represent Staffordshire YFC at the NFYFC Cookery finals
Click HERE for full photos from the evening
A full house of 21 teams took part in the Pool Competition at Tenpin Stafford, the results were:
Team – 1st – Eccleshall C YFC, Joint 2nd – Uttoxeter A JNFU & Waterhouses A YFC
Individual – 1st – Phil Wilson (Uttoxeter JNFU), 2nd – Harry Bowers (Eccleshall YFC) & 3rd – George Goodwin (Waterhouses YFC)
Madeley High School was the venue for this years Volleyball Competition, 11 teams took part with the results being:
1st – Eccleshall A YFC, 2nd – Waterhouses A YFC & 3rd – Lichfield YFC.
