OUTJO’S Moria Private School pupils Chané Janse van Vuuren, Sienta-Mari van Rooyen and Benjamin Mostert were the top three performers at the Bank Windhoek Feedmaster National Cattle Judging Competition held in Windhoek last week. 

Van Vuuren who took third spot in 2022 is this year’s winner. Van Rooyen retained her second spot, while Mostert who came in third, was participating for the first time. 

The trio said they were delighted to have participated in the competition, which they described as hard work but also fun. 

Hosted at the Windhoek Agricultural and Industrial Show, the Bank Windhoek Feedmaster National Cattle Judging Competition is a collaboration between Bank Windhoek and Feedmaster.

In its fifth year, the initiative provides pupils between grades nine and 11 with the necessary skills and knowledge to feed and judge stud animals on the farm and in show rings, focusing on the Simbrah and Simmentaler cattle breeds. This year, the competition also included the Braunvieh cattle breeds. The programme’s leader, Christo van Zyl said 80 pupils from different schools across the country registered to participate in this year’s competition. Eventually, 12 learners, six boys, and six girls made it to the final of the national youth judging competition. All candidates attended a prejudging course before the judging competition. 

The judging course focused mainly on the cattle’s basic anatomy and composition. It also includes the 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. Van Zyl said he was impressed with how the pupils keep up with the trade and as a result, the standard of the competition increases every year. 

“The passion and commitment from the learners make us want to do this repeatedly. We are proud of this competition and thank Bank Windhoek for their unwavering support in this worthy investment,” said Van Zyl. Van Vuuren, who spoke on behalf of all the participants, said she was overwhelmed by the win and glad the hard work and effort had paid off. 

She thanked Bank Windhoek for the opportunity and urged the institution to continue supporting the agricultural youth competition.