School holidays might be about seeing the latest movie or heading to the beach, but for 66 aspiring agricultural handlers it is about the Tasmanian Junior Beef Expo at Deloraine.
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The three-day camp, which started on Friday, has been designed around livestock handling and grooming as well as general information on the beef industry.
More than 60 participants aged between 8 and 25 years from around Tasmania and interstate attended the expo, president Lachlan Woodcock, from Lachanora stud, said.
“We’ve found these events help kids with their self esteem. [The committee has] been talking about doing it for years because we didn’t have these experiences ourselves coming up through the show circuit,” Mr Woodcock said.
“We’re catering for those kids with a system of novice, intermediate and advanced and our workshops are grouped around those kids’ experience.”
Workshops cover livestock safety within pens and while leading cattle and fitting cattle with halters and nose clips, through to washing, grooming, clipping and handling, cattle nutrition and management, with participants camping on site at the Deloraine Showgrounds.
“The kids quite enjoy it,” Mr Woodcock said.
“Some of these kids get to see some things I never got to see when I was their age. Hopefully we’re giving them some guidance on getting ahead earlier in life,” he said.
Participants may compete in mainland shows or work at interstate studs in the future.
“We’re keeping up with the mainland shows, which is pretty good considering we’re a new organisation. We’ve got some good support here in Tassie and people with lots of experience, being a farming state,” he said.
One of the expo tutors was national beef judging champion Damon Englund, from Wynyard.
“Damon has come through the same ranks starting out as just a kid with his calf and going on to be able to [win the championship],” Mr Woodcock said.
“It’s pretty good for the older ones to be able to share their knowledge with the younger ones.”
The expo culminates with a heifer show on Saturday and cattle handling and junior judging competitions on Sunday.
“The kids are judged on the presentation of the animal and themselves and the skills they’ve learned over the last two days,” Mr Woodcock said.