Art4Agriculture “Archies” were the star attraction at the Orange Field Days recently proudly lining up to partake in the RAS of NSW Youth Group Young Farmer Challenge Event
Okay so how exactly did they they get hands on ?
Well to start with a bit of background on the Young Farmer Challenge which is an engaging, entertaining and fast paced event that showcases the breadth of skills required in farming today as well as youth involvement in agriculture.
The Young Farmer Challenge consists of a series of skills-based challenges modelled on day to day farming activities. Challenges may involve one or all team members working together or in relay. Each challenge is to be completed correctly before moving on to the next.
At the Regional YFC in Borenore, competitors were required to carry out a number of challenges such as; using a chainsaw, splitting wood, starting a fire, cooking, changing a tyre on a ute, drenching sheep and carrying out safe practices with respect to overhead power lines.
The “Archies” were centre stage as part of the ‘Morning Chores Challenge where competitors were required to carry out the following tasks:
1. Collect the egg from the chook hutch
2. Collect milk from the Archie’s. As you can see in the photos udders were made out of gloves and bailing twine was used to fix them in place. It was widely reported the “Archies” were very well behaved whilst being milked.
In order to complete this challenge, competitors had to collect at least one egg and 50mL of milk from their Archie.
Once the Morning Chores Challenge was complete, the milk and the eggs collected by the young farmers were used in the next challenge – the Master Farmer Challenge – where our farmers were required to exhibit their culinary skills by whipping up an omelette using the egg plus the milk they collected from the “Archies”.
But this was just the beginning!!!!!!
After breakfast came
Fencing Challenges.
Sheep Drenching Challenges.
Essential Energy Safety Challenges.
Planting Trees (Shelterbelt and Shade) Challenges.
Polypipe Challenges.
OMG I am exhausted writing the story
and believe it or not the Young Farmers did survive all this and the winners were ?????
The ‘Trangie Tritons’
aka super farmers Lachlan Samuels and Rodney McInnerney both from Trangie (believe it or not)
Well done guys you deserve the ribbons (hope there was a pot of gold as well and maybe even a few cold ones?? ).