It has been a little while between posts!

With the spring show season well underway, I have been covering a lot miles around the NSW countryside attending various different country show events. I’m always excited to attend another show as they are all so unique.

Fields of green & gold! Taken along the road on the way home from the annual Canowindra Show.

It is also very hard to beat the absolutely picturesque countryside this time of year. With the crops and pastures all growing and green, and the canola all bright and golden, the miles between each show have been a pleasure to travel with such a great view out the window!

I have several exciting posts coming your way on the some of the shows I have been to so – watch this space!!!

In between the country shows I have also been busy helping out on the organizing committee of the 2013 National Angus Youth Roundup.

Angus Youth is the junior activities division of Angus Australia (which is the organisation responsible for the registrations, recording and marketing of purebred Angus cattle). It aims to help develop beef industry leaders for the future and runs a program of various events and scholarships aimed at getting more young people into agriculture and the beef industry.

The National Angus Youth Roundup is one of these events. It is run annually by a group of volunteers and provides young people aged 8-25 the opportunity to have a go at showing cattle as well as learning all about the beef industry. Over the 4 day program, kids get to participate in different educational sessions, team games, junior judging, handling competitions and showing their animal. The event moves to a different location each year and the great part is that you don’t have to have your own animal to attend. The Roundup is strongly supported by Angus seedstock breeders who bring along extra cattle, -“ballot animals” – for those kids that don’t have their own to borrow for the weekend. I was one of these kids that borrowed a ballot animal at my first Roundup in 2003 and next year I am hoping to repay the favour and take along some of my own animals for another kid to get that opportunity.

Making friends with the Red Angus heifer at my first Angus Youth Roundup - thank you Moorefields Red Angus (photo from www.moorefields.com.au ) 

As part of the organizing committee we work on organizing the grounds, catering, educational program, judges, games and sponsorship – you never quite appreciate all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes organizing these junior events until you get on board!

The next National Angus Youth Roundup is being planned for Dubbo NSW on 17^th-20^th January 2013.

Entries are now open so jump on the Angus Youth website and download an entry form! (Just a tip: To be able to get a ballot animal you MUST get your entry in on time!)

If you have any questions about the Roundup, just drop me a line or contact Angus Youth (youth@angusaustralia.com.au)

Stay tuned - more posts about my latest show adventures on the way!