Fun and education were the order of the day at the Canberra Showgrounds from January 15 to 18, 2009. Over 140 young people aged from 8 to 25 and 151 Angus cattle, plus assorted parents and other volunteers descended on the Showgrounds for the Landfall Angus Youth Roundup for 2009.

The juniors (aged up to 14) were paired up with more experienced participants to be taught the finer points of washing and showing cattle. Workshops on proper tagging techniques with Allflex, nutrition, genetics, diseases, DNA technologies and cattle marketing and halter making were provided. In addition there was a taste panel with Certified Australian Angus Beef and Meat and Livestock Australia where they demonstrated how to cook various cuts of beef.

However it was not all serious. Each person was assigned a team, and after dinner on Thursday, they had the difficult task of dressing up an animal. Each team had an animal, along with various clothing items including t-shirts and jumpers, however one poor heifer was also put into stockings. Friday night saw the Barnyard Olympics. Some people had difficulty remembering where their ankles were. Baked beans, lollies, soapy water and assorted hay bales created an interesting obstacle course.

Saturday saw the junior judging of selected cattle in classes of bulls, junior and senior heifers. In this juniors, seniors and intermediates after some instruction on what they were looking for, had to place four animals in 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th along with the answers to a series of questions. They also had to explain their reasons for their choices. The future of the beef industry is in good hands with the insight and confidence shown by some of these young people.

Saturday afternoon was a sea of hot pink t-shirts, and an opportunity for everyone to put their new found skills into practice with the cattle judging. For some it was their very first venture into the show ring, for others their experience showed through. However it was not the handlers that were on show. Some animals decided that they did not want to participate but they were quickly subdued.

Saturday night was the CAAB dinner dance, at which recently retired Angus Australia Youth and Extension Manager Bob Dent was presented with the Stewart Award for services to Angus Youth. An auction was also held to raise money for Angus Youth, and one young lady was delighted with the painting of a horse that her father purchased for her.

Sunday was the judging of the paraders, and provided its own set of headaches with bulls and heifers in the ring together. The experience of the senior paraders was evident as they handled their animals with flair and efficiency. There was very little difference between first and other competitors. It may have been their awareness of where the judge was, or their efficiency in setting up their animal that put them into first place. It was in the lower age levels where experience won out. Those youngsters that had participated in previous shows, or had grown up around the show circuit just outclassed those who had never done it before. The aplomb that was shown by some in controlling animals that outweighed them by 10 to 1 was amazing. Education was still an important part of this day as the judge explained why he placed competitors where he did, and what they did that put them at the top of the list. These comments gave all some ideas to put towards their own performances.

An emotional presentation was made to Bob Dent from Angus Youth of a belt buckle from the USA. This was in recognition of the years and effort that he had put into Angus Youth.

Mid afternoon saw the cattle loaded into trucks for their journeys home, and tired participants bundled into cars, trucks and planes leaving Canberra for different parts of Australia and New Zealand. The Landfall Angus Youth Roundup was over for another year.

The 2009 Landfall Angus Youth Roundup would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors. A huge thank you to all of our sposnors for 2009, we couldn't have put on the Roundup without your support.

See a full list of our Sponsors here...

See all the Roundup Results here...

Roundup on Behind The News
The ABC's Behind The News featured the 2009 Landfall Angus Youth National Roundup on it's program today. Check out the full report here....

Visit 2009 Roundup Photo Gallery