By Rob Evans

During a visit to Canada Western Agribition in 2004 Roger Birch and I were asked if we could source a team of juniors to participate in the International 4H judging competition they host each year at the show.  Cautiously we accepted their invitation and agreed to source a team to represent Great Britain in the 2005 competition. 

Left to right: Rob Evans, Ron Loftus, Rob Heaps, Boomer Birch, Melissa and Elaine Timmis, Rhys Grenham, Rob Fitton and Roger Birch.

In early 2005 we decided to hold a competition open to all youngsters, this competition ran all through the summer show season allowing as much publicity at the shows as possible, covering as large an area as possible geographically, and ending at the Royal Welsh Show.  While the entries poured in we started the arduous task of raising funds, writing to the banks and agricultural institutes.  The results were disheartening and so a different approach was needed and so cap in hand at the Royal Show and the Dairy Event the fundraising wheels started to gather momentum.  The Perth Bull Sales was also an excellent focus point for fundraising with over £3000 coming in from auctions and numerous donations. We interviewed the prospective team and the following were selected: Rob Fitton (captain), Robert Heaps, Rhys Grenham, Boomer Birch, Melissa and Elaine Timmis.

On Friday 18th November the team departed British shores, destination Calgary, Canada.  Day two started at 3 a.m. with Major Birch rallying up the troops and off up to see the Rockies Mountains….. in the dark!  We arrived at Lake Louise for breakfast, light just breaking through and after breakfast we walked up to the lake to see the sunrise, thoroughly awe inspiring.  The lake was completely frozen over, well nearly as Boomer found out!  Then off to Banff Springs and Banff taking in the awesome Kananaskas National Park.  The team seemed somewhat tired by the time we arrived back to the hotel and an early night was had by all.

Day three started with the short educational film on Canadian culture, customs and its wildlife.  Then off to the airport and a flight to Regina Saskatchewan, arriving at the hotel in time to register the team and sort out the paperwork.  The evening saw a reception dinner where each team member had to go up on stage and introduce themselves and state where they had come from and the most exciting thing they had done this year.  They also had to place three bowls of sweets in order and give reasons for doing so …. a very good ice breaker!

Day four was the main judging day, up to the showground by 7.30a.m. The first class was Bison and after a short lesson on judging Bison they were given twenty minutes to judge the class of four and to write reasons.  After the twenty minutes the competitors retuned to the grandstand seating and fifteen were chosen to walk into the ring and present their oral reasons over a microphone to the rest of the competitors, a truly daunting task for anyone young or old.  The Brits did very well here with Rhys Grenham and Rob Fitton coming in the top ten.  The second class was grain, judging four samples of oats, again with twenty minutes to judge and write reasons.  Rob Fitton again did very well coming second overall and Elaine Timmis coming inside the top ten.  Class three and four were two dairy classes which seemed to suit our members with four of them inside the top ten, Elaine Timmis, Rob Fitton, Melissa Timmis and Robert Heaps.  Class five and six were the beef classes which appeared not to be our strongest subject, with only two coming inside the top twenty!  Elaine Timmis and Rob Fitton.  The day ended with everyone involved going to laser quest where the team’s form did shine through, possibly due to misspent youths, with Boomer Birch winning the overall and the British team winning by some clear 2000 plus points… very impressive.

Day five was again an early start and after a group photo Class seven was the forage; four bales of hay were presented to the competitors and this class proved to be more favourable than the beef with Robert Heaps and Rhys Grenham being placed inside the top ten.  Next came the final two classes where classes of Heavy Belgian horses were paraded.  Two brits shone in this class with Robert Heaps and Boomer Birch being inside the top ten.  In the overall reasons competition the two Timmis sisters shone through coming in the top ten.  The team as a whole finished 7th which I personally feel was a fantastic achievement considering all of the various differences in stock and the way the UK judge stock compared to North Americans. 

Day six was Simmental show day and in the evening was the International reception.

Day seven was the Simmental sale and finally a chance to look around the rest of the show.  That evening was taken up with a trip to the rodeo, another first for many of the team and a real eye opener. 

Day eight was a tour around three ranches, the first a Simmental ranch c/o Alfred and Isabelle Fishley and their sons John and Mark at Gormleigh Farms, North East of Regina, the second to Pheasant Dale Simmentals c/o Lionel and Pat Stilborn again east of Regina.  The third and final ranch tour of the day was around a Bison and Elk Farm.  This was a very informative day but it was also the coldest we had experienced at minus 20. 

Day nine back up to the showground where we each led a breed into the Grand ring for the final competition – the Beef Supreme.  All the champions from all the shows in North America compete for the Grand Champion Male and Grand Champion Female title.  This competition was won this year by an Angus female and a Hereford bull.

Day ten we departed Regina in the first snow we had seen all trip, back to Calgary where we drove out to see the Jones’ Hereford ranch, one of Canada’s oldest Hereford herds.  After this we went on to Alta Genetics for a tour of their AI centre which interestingly has more Simmental Bulls than any other breed.

Back to Calgary International for the short flight home! and where we found five inches of snow!

I would like to thank all the team members for the way they conducted themselves; they truly were fantastic ambassadors for the breed and country.  I am sure they have forged life long contacts and friendships and had a chance in a lifetime experience which was only made possible by the generosity of the following sponsors:

Merial – Allflex – British Livestock Genetics – British Simmental Cattle Society – Rural Youth Trust – David Donnelly – The Hereford Cattle Society – Lynda Burditt – Geoff Horn – Miller L’Ansons – John Key– Huddlesfield Holsteins – Andy Ryder – Alta Genetics – Shearing Plough – Countrywide Farmers – Charolais Cattle Society – R.M. Birch Haulage – Show Time – B D Supplies – Jim Barber – MVT – Tony Jones – Davidsons – R & L Fitton – Robert MacGregor – Ron Hodgkinson – James Arnold – Chrisites – Wroxall Simmentals – Malcom Peasonall Farm Tours – Mr Everall–  J Young -  P & J Borlase – Midlands Simmental Club – North West Simmental Club – South West Simmental Club – Henry Widdicombe along with the numerous purchases of various goods at the Perth and Chelford Bull Sales  

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