Friday 23rd August saw the USA applicants complete their next phase in the competition. Organised by Matthew Rollason, agricultural account manager at Dunbia and UKHY member, they were treated to a tour of the Dunbia plant based at Sawley. Spoiled from the beginning, everyone gratefully received bacon rolls and endless cups of coffee and tea. This was a great chance for members to reconnect and meet the team.
Following a business overview and safety talk, meat inspector expert Steve Powdrill from Marketing Best Practice addressed the room and gave a comprehensive briefing on meat quality, the EUROP scale and the importance of understanding their roles within the industry, describing them as food producers. This generated a good discussion around the table which then led to an inspection of three pre-selected cattle in the lairage.
Assessing cattle visually was one of the first challenges of the day and the team were asked to attempt weights and potential meat scoring of the cattle. A good mixture of cattle was presented with a Hereford X, Angus X and a Simmental X further debating prospective grading. After a quick change of clothes, the members were separated into manageable groups, and we entered the factory floor. Matthew aimed to cover a lot of ground in a short space of time, demonstrating how life transitions to death, with every aspect utilised.
Visits to the slaughter hall, boning hall, maturation room, and chillers proved to be highly educational, providing everyone with a deeper understanding of the entire process. This would bode them well for the afternoon task. A quick lunch break, and a short drive back to their hotel saw them waiting in anticipation for what may lie ahead.
A visit from Alan Sugar*, Baroness Brady*, Tim Campbell* and Claude Littner* made the applicants nervous as their brief was delivered in the board room.
‘How do we attract Gen Zs into the beef category and how do we advertise to them?’
To fulfil the brief, they separated into two teams and created a questionnaire which was then used on the public in the town of Clitheroe. Pushing most of them out of their comfort zone off they went, chaperoned by the judges, and started to talk to people, visiting shops and butchers. On their return to base, they had roughly 45 minutes to design a logo for a steak and pitch to the judges. They were judged on teamwork, creativity, communication, presentation skills and resourcefulness. After a long day, all applicants finished off by reviewing their findings and critiquing their opponents.
A kind invitation from Richard Jackson farm manager at Bradley Hall Farm, and wife Emma took them on a second day of cattle assessments and business understanding. Richard manages 350 acres across two farms, with 340 animals in total. 250 of the animals were run commercially with Lincoln Reds as the prominent breed. The remaining animals were Water Buffalo. Although not officially having organic status, the farm is managed with minimum inputs, resulting in native cattle utilising the ground and turning grass into meat. Richard has a target of putting 120 animals per year on average through the onsite butchery to supply the on-farm shop, this also includes the water buffalo, which prove to be a very popular product.
The carcases are hung for at least 21 days and allow a good time for maturing. Having the opportunity to visit their chiller room further enhanced their knowledge and sparked great discussions on comparison from the previous day. Topped off by an enjoyable tractor ride to look at cattle, grass quality and talk about the beef industry in general. To finish the day off, everyone enjoyed a buffalo burger and goodies, kindly provided by Emma Jackson.
UK Hereford Youth would like to thank everyone who had an input in allowing us to achieve a challenge like this. A special mention must go to all the team at Dunbia and for their sponsorship, Ellie Layton from Farmers Guardian for coming along as a guest judge and Richard and Emma for providing an enjoyable visit and treats.
Judges – *Alan Sugar – Allen Massey, *Baroness Brady – Ellie Layton, * Tim Campbell – Matthew Rollason and *Claude Littner – Paul Westaway