Kruger wins youth cattle judging contest

STAFF REPORTERWINDHOEKElandri Kruger won the Bank Windhoek Feedmaster National Cattle Judging Competition that was hosted at the Windhoek Agricultural and Industrial Show last Monday.Karlien van der Merwe and Utja Kaapuma scooped the second and third prizes.Representing Windhoek Gymnasium Private School, Gobabis Gymnasium Private School and Karstveld Academy Grootfontein High School, the three teenagers were awarded N$30 000, N$20 000 and N$10 000 in prize money.The prize money will go towards their school fees and other educational expenses.In its third year, the nationwide youth cattle judging course and competition is a collaboration between Bank Windhoek and Feedmaster.The initiative aims to provide school learners between grades 9 and 11 with the skills and knowledge on how to feed and judge stud animals on the farm and in show rings, specifically focusing on the Simbra and Simmentaler cattle breeds.The selection process involves introducing the course to participating schools in their respective regions. With Covid-19 regulations in place, all candidates attended a prejudging course before competing in the judging competition. Learning curveThe judging course mainly comprises the cattle’s basic anatomy and composition, rules of show associations, the role of the show stewards, feed management of show animals, and the preparation and taming of animals for show purposes.However, training was impacted by the Covid-19 lockdowns, and was cancelled before completing its second training phase.“We had to draw our final 22 learners based on the first training results,” said the programme leader, Christo van Zyl.The Bank Windhoek Youth Cattle Judging Course and Competition attracted 18 schools countrywide, with 82 participants.Van Zyl said he was impressed by the level of the learners’ knowledge."The standard was high, and we were surprised by how the participants handled it; they did a tremendous job,” said Van Zyl.Bank Windhoek's head of corporate social investment, sponsorship and events, Bronwyn Moody, said the bank understands that livestock production plays a vital economic role for any country. She stressed that the competition is a step in the right direction since it teaches learners techniques, processes, and general knowledge about cattle farming."Congratulations to the winners and the participants. With Bank Windhoek on board, we are sure that it will be an exciting competition once more come next year and beyond; this is a worthy investment,” said Van Zyl. The Bank Windhoek Feedmaster National Cattle Judging Competition was this year hosted in honour of its founder Dawid Krause, who passed away this year.

Kruger wins youth cattle judging contest

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-21

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Kruger wins youth cattle judging contest

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-21

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