The Mudgee Youth in Agriculture (MY AG) team showcased their talents at the Upper Hunter Beef Bonanza to great effect.
The MY AG members prepared four steers which entered in competition at the Bonanza, gaining a lot of experience from the event.
Students also participated in parading and Junior Judging competitions with three members successfully ribboning in the latter.
The MY AG team were also responsible for organising and leading a rain dance at the Bonanza.
This was a great success, with approximately 800 students involved in the dance to The Git Up song.
The rain dance challenge aims to raise awareness and funds for farmers affected by the current drought conditions.
Created by the Australian Rural Education Centre (AREC), best known for organising the Mudgee Small Farm Field Days, MY AG aims to promote agriculture to young people and encourage them to remain in the industry.
It began in 2017 with MY AG having organised an interactive exhibit at the field days for the past three years.
Currently there are about 15 youths involved in the MY AG program, ranging from 15-20 years old.
Members are predominantly in their final years of school, with new members coming through as others move away to further their education or join the workforce.
Cassandra Stanford, general manager of AREC and trained Agriculture teacher, is the primary organiser of the group.
She is responsible for teaching the youth how to handle, train and feed the cattle.
"Our aim is for the youth involved in the group to develop their communication, organisational and leadership skills by conducting activities and interacting with the public," she said.
"The cattle showing initiative also helps develop their animal handling, teamwork, presentation and public speaking skills.
"We hope that by interacting with like-minded youth and industry professionals, the youth will also increase their self-confidence and gain valuable contacts for their future.
"We trained at least three times a week in the months leading up to the Bonanza. It depends what we have on as to how often we meet.
"The youth are involved in training the animals to lead, which is a slow and gradual process.
"They also need to wash, groom and feed the animals to ensure they are in optimum condition, as presentation is assessed when the animals are paraded in the show ring."
Bianca Williams, also a trained teacher, assisted with Junior Judging training in preparation for the event.
Both Cassandra and her sister Bianca are passionate about agricultural education and believe it is important to promote it.