Members from England and Wales won the top two Stockman of the Year trophies at the national final in September, which was hosted at Harper Adams University and sponsored by Kerbl/Rutland Electric Fencing.
Richard Jeyes from Warwickshire won the Senior Stockman of the Year and Lewis Beavan from Radnor won the Young Stockman of the Year, with both taking home trophies and Rutland Electric Fencing Energisers.
Richard, who has been competing at stockjudging for more than five years, was pleased to get his county’s name on the trophy.
“It’s such a great competition to win, and seeing my name on the trophy as the only person from Warwickshire to have won is quite an achievement,” he said.
Richard’s family farm primarily focuses on dairy, but they also raise Aberdeen Angus beef cattle, have a flock of breeding ewes and run a small-scale pig operation.
“I’ve been doing this for many years, so it’s become second nature. It’s about going through the steps of evaluating an animal, but also really knowing your stock.”
Three years ago, Richard placed third in the Young Stockman of the Year competition but came back stronger with an overall win this year in the senior competition.
“It can be difficult to get your point across, especially when comparing animals. If you don’t communicate your comparisons well, you lose marks,” said Richard who is a member of Brandon and Wolston YFC. “I had the same points as the judge, but we placed our cows in different positions. It’s about arguing your corner.”
Richard credits his success to mentorship, particularly from Helen Mann, who has supported Warwickshire members with stockjudging.
“Helen has been a huge help. During practices, she would make note of how many comparative words I used and encourage me to use more. She’s hosted county events and helped develop the speaking side of things.”
One of the most valuable parts of the competition for Richard was the interview process, where competitors were tasked with creating and explaining health plans.
“I made a dairy health plan, which required thinking about biosecurity and disease prevention. The interview was challenging, but that's what you need to learn.
“It really makes you sit down and think about your health plans. Sometimes we overlook these things, but when you focus on it, you realise what more can be done.”
Richard was also required to spend 15 minutes with Glenthorne Vets (Uttoxeter) with vet Emma Crust who asked competitors various animal husbandry questions.
Reflecting on the competition, Richard felt it went well overall.
“I don’t think I said anything too wrong,” he joked. Now, with one trophy under his belt, Richard is already setting his sights on next year, hoping to bring the title back to Warwickshire once again.
For Lewis, from Knighton YFC, it was the first time he had competed at the national final. He’s currently studying Agriculture at Aberystwyth University and grew up on the family’s beef and sheep farm, alongside a free-range egg enterprise.
“It was all a new experience, and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect,” said Lewis who took part in an online meeting before the finals to complete questionnaires on Animal Health and Husbandry and Meat Cut Identification.
“It was good to get that section out of the way because it meant that on the day we could focus entirely on the stock judging part of the competition.”
Lewis had to judge a ring of four dairy cows, four beef animals, four butcher's pigs and four breeding ewes.
“It was a similar format to competitions at county level, but with only 10 minutes to see the animals and five minutes to write reasons, we couldn’t afford to waste time,” said Lewis. “Harper Adams University hosted the finals, and they provided really high quality stock which made our job even more difficult.”
Overall Lewis said he enjoyed the experience and advised others to give it a go.
“The main thing is to have a go and just see what happens on the day,” said Lewis. A sentiment that fellow winner Richard agrees with.
“Just give it a go. The experience is worth it, not only for the skills gained but also for the connections made with other farmers,” added Richard.
