Bodles Research Station is Dairy Cattle Champion

Deputy Director of Research at Bodles Research Station, and Chief Judge of the Livestock Competition at the Denbigh Agricultural and Industrial Show, Jasmine Holness has described the quality of the livestock in this year’s competition as “excellent”. “The 15 farms and entities that entered maintained the high standard demanded,” she said in a JIS News interview yesterday (August 6) at the Denbigh showground in May Pen, Clarendon.
The classes of beef cattle, dairy cattle, sheep and goats were structurally divided into eight groups and judged. These included: Group ‘B1’- Jamaica Hope Purebred and Grade; Group ‘B3’ -Other Dairy Breeds; Group ‘B5’- Jamaica Black; Group ‘B6’-Jamaica Red Poll; Group ‘B7’-Jamaica Brahman; Group ‘B8’-Other Beef Breed Purebred and Grade; Group ‘C’-Sheep; and Group ‘C2’-Goats.
Mrs. Holness explained that “The animal is judged on how well it displays the characteristics of its breed, along with how healthy it is and how pleasing it is to the eye.” Gender and age are also judged. For example she noted, the Jamaica Hope is judged as Bull, three years and under five years; Bull two years and under three years; and Bull one year and two years, she noted.
The five major cups are the Alcan Jamaica Cup, the Ivomec Cup, the T.P. Lecky Cup, the Alpart Cup for Champion Sheep and the Alpart Cup for Exhibition Goat. These were won by the Agricultural Development Corporation; the Y.S. Falls owned by Karl Wellington; the Agricultural Development Corporation; the Ministry of Agriculture’s Bodles Research Station; and Oral Robinson of Clarendon, respectively.
The overall Dairy Cattle Champion was Bodles Research Station. Research Officer for Bodles, Byron Lawrence said that, “Even though all the animals are of good quality, the win was not unexpected because we worked hard, we entered all the classes and we received eight first prize, blue ribbons, out of twelve. Plus we won the Supreme Champion category.”
The Cups, along with several other trophies and cash prizes will be presented to the winners today (August 7), which is the final day of the three-day event, being held under the theme ‘Advancing Rural Development Through Agriculture’.