Winter Fair To Bring Country To Town

The farming community is preparing for the biggest event in the local agricultural winter calendar, the Royal Ulster Winter Fair at Balmoral.

The 'younger brother' of the annual springtime Royal Ulster Agricultural Show, this one-day fair - on 13 Dec - attracts visitors from all over the world who come to see the many trade stands and prize-winning cattle.

Primarily a dairy event that attracts many people from the industry, the main event of the day is the judging of Dairy Shorthorn, Jersey, Ayrshire and Holstein Breeds of cattle, with the winners announced in the afternoon.

There are also many 'sideshows' with, for example, farmers who visit the Volac International stand able to enter a competition to win £5,000 worth of computerised calf feeding equipment.

“An increasing number of dairy farmers and calf-rearers are aware that computerised feeding systems offer significant labour saving combined with a precisely controlled feeding regime, which enables them to exploit calf growth potential,” said Alistair Sampson, Volac NI.

“We look forward to meeting visitors on the stand and explaining how a computerised feeder operates and fits into their unit’s management system to improve overall efficiency."

(BMcC)