Christmas calf show provides routes 2 success

South Staffordshire College’s Rodbaston campus played host to the Countrystart Christmas Calf Show for the fifteenth year running.

Fourteen Countrystart course students from all over Staffordshire and West Midlands presented their calves at Rodbaston’s Animal Management Centre in front of judges, staff and families.
The eight calves were bought in from local farms at about 4 weeks of age and the students have been caring for their “charges” for several weeks, measuring and weighing them, monitoring and recording their growth and learning how to handle them.

All the students were involved in the training and preparation of their calves before the show and paraded them in halters, demonstrating their handling skills in front of Rodbaston’s Farm Manager Jon Giles. Jon had a very difficult job on his hands in judging the overall winner. However he declared Stockings, an 8 week old Hereford/ Friesian cross , Supreme Champion. Stockings handlers Jacob Pitt, aged 17 from Walsall, and Scott Kington, aged 16 from Stafford were absolutely delighted to receive their winning rosettes.
Reserve Champion title went to Tinsel, an 8-week old Angus/Friesian cross and Sarah Bartlam, aged 18 from Rugeley proudly received her rosette from Jon.

Other winners were:-

Best Turned Out

1st Jacob Pitt and Scott Kington with Stockings
2nd Marisha Stevens and Gemma Davies with Snowflake
3rd Gary Webster and Emma Owen with Bows

Best Calf Handler

1st Jenny Unwin and Katie Rudland with Mary
2nd Kieran Daw with Dasher
3rd Joseph Barker and Paul Blakemore with Holly

Most improved Calf Handler

1st Scott Morgan with Mistletoe
2nd Joseph Barker and Paul Blakemore with Holly
3rd Sarah Bartlam with Tinsel

Most hard working student on farm practicals

1st Sarah Bartlam and Marisha Stevens
2nd Emma Owen, Kieran Daw and Gary Webster
3rd Jacob Pitt, Scott Kington and Scott Morgan

During the show an unexpected visitor popped in and tried to nudge her way into the competitors arena. 2-year old Bluebell, a Belgian Blue, made her entrance accompanied by Herdsman Neil Johnson and joined the line up as Jon Giles made his inspection. A previous contender in the calf show, Bluebell received rapturous applause from the audience but was not allowed to officially take part and left the arena with a flee in her ear from Judge Jon.

The Calf Show is an opportunity for the students to celebrate their achievements and share their success with their parents and families and the audience was very appreciative of the hard work that had gone into preparing the calves. Routes 2 Countrystart is a supported learning course that assists young people with moderate learning difficulties. It’s a mixed subject vocational course that includes agriculture, horticulture, horse care and animal care, along with life skills, Literacy and Numeracy, and IT.

Progression Coach Diane Hodson-Walker, who has organised the last seven calf shows, was delighted with the success of the event. “They were all very nervous before the show started but soon settled down into true competitors, showing off their handing skills and exceptionally clean calves”.

“All the students started the course with no livestock handing experience so to parade their calves, which at times can be unpredictable, in front of an audience was a big achievement and I am very proud of them all”.

The Calf Show is an opportunity for the students to celebrate their achievements and share their success with their parents and families and the audience was very appreciative of the hard work that had gone into preparing the calves. Routes 2 Countrystart is a supported learning course that assists young people with moderate learning difficulties. It’s a mixed subject vocational course that includes agriculture, horticulture, horse care and animal care, along with life skills, Literacy and Numeracy, and IT.

Progression Coach Diane Hodson-Walker, who has organised the last seven calf shows, was delighted with the success of the event. “They were all very nervous before the show started but soon settled down into true competitors, showing off their handing skills and exceptionally clean calves”.

“All the students started the course with no livestock handing experience so to parade their calves, which at times can be unpredictable, in front of an audience was a big achievement and I am very proud of them all”.