Trangie Junior Judging Day attracts nearly 100 participants

Competitors travelled from Baradine, Condobolin, Bathurst, Gilgandra and Dubbo, as well as locals from Trangie, Warren, Narromine and Tottenham.

Young people aged between five and 18 years judged Merino sheep, meat sheep and beef cattle as well as a variety of agricultural products including grain, cotton and wool fleeces.

DPI research scientist and event organiser Kath Donoghue said it was a fantastic educational day for the kids.

"There is a lot of livestock junior judging opportunities at shows but there are very few events that include ag products," she said.

"The event is amazing because participants learn a little bit about how the products grow, what is needed for a successful product and how to assess quality."

"We were lucky enough to have DPI schools project officer Meg Dunford teach each age group how to judge stock and products as well as structure the public speaking component."

GrainCrop Narromine site manager and grain overhead judge Stacey Irvine said the standard of judging was strong across each section.

"It is good to see another generation coming through who are eager to learn more," he said.

"Judging grain only on visuals is hard let alone getting up to speak about it.

"Majority of the kids were from a livestock background, so to expose them to the importance of grain quality and its impact on stock from a young age is key."

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The inaugural Trangie Junior Judging Day was held in 1940 with Jack Quigley, Trangie, taking out the Merino sheep section.

While the event has evolved over the years to include beef cattle and ag products, Ms Donoghue said the committee were open to new ideas to make the day more enjoyable.

"The event is special to the Trangie community so we want to keep it going," she said.

"Fruits and veggies are a section that has been suggested so there might be some exciting additions in the future."

RESULTS:

Overall and senior grand champion: Sam Chad, Dubbo

Reserve senior champion: Mary Westwood, Gilgandra.

Junior champion: Jade Thompson, Coonamble.

Junior reserve champion: Layla Pearce, Dubbo.

Austin Steer Memorial Award: Amelia Mitchell, Bathurst.

Most Enthusiastic Sub Junior Award: Jonathan Fisher, Gulargambone.