Next Gen Herefords held a very successful workshop for young handlers last Sunday May 1st on the farm of Tullaha Herefords, Limerick.

Tommy & Maura Cregan hosted the group on the farm and welcomed everyone into their yard and home for the day.

There were 21 young persons attended on the day which was a great turn out. The group were split in two in order of age and there were two sessions running simultaneously.

The first session involved a demonstration of grooming and preparing cattle for the show ring. Garrett Behan of Clonagh Pedigree herd gave an excellent demonstration and shared his knowledge and experience on clipping, grooming, tips for removing dirt and and general trips for making a show animal look their best on the day. Garrett also shared some safety tips including tying knots and how to quickly release knots. Garrett rounded off the day with a hands on workshop on how to make halters and everyone tried their hand at the skill. Alongside Garrett, Noel Walsh from Animal Pharmacy joined the group and shared information about top products that are great for using on cattle and the benefits of such products.

The second session of the day involved two parts. Eoin Lynch gave a safety demo in the farm yard and pointed out some of the every day hazards that farmers need to be conscious of. After that, Pat Rohan of Listrolin Herefords, Kilkenny have an excellent demonstration of stock judging of some of the cows and calves at Tullaha Herefords. Pat talked through what are the key points when choosing what females to breed from and how to improve breeding female lines. Pat advised the group against the sale of their good Pedigree breeding females as they are vital to the foundation of the herd.

The day was capped off with a cuppa and a light lunch. Each participant received a slicker comb and a bar of soap to set them up for the upcoming show season!

Many thanks and appreciation are extended to Tommy & Maura Cregan for making everyone so welcome and putting in alot of time and effort in preparing for the group and having several cattle ready for grooming and stock judging.

Many thanks are extended to Garrett Behan of Clonagh Pedigrees, Noel Walsh from Animal Pharmacy, Pat Rohan of Listrolin Herefords, Eoin Lynch and Michael Barrett who were instrumental in the organising and running of the day and to all who attended and participated on the day.

We look forward to many more events this Summer!