Dawn Meats were delighted to sponsor the “Beefing Up YDP” senior conference for the second consecutive year. The two day event which was organised by the Aberdeen-Angus Cattle Society’s Youth Development Programme took place at Nether Pitlochie Farm, Gateside, Perthshire on 20th-21st of February.

The event covered a range of speakers including; George Brown of Dawn Meats who discussed cattle grading and market specifications; Alistair Morton of Galloway McLeod, who spoke about a range of dietary requirements for suckler cow, store, finishing and show cattle diets; vet Andy Crozier who provided a practical guide to animal health across various stages of the production cycle and Barbara Webster of Breedplan who gave a seminar on understanding EBV’s. The Sunday morning activities included a public speaking workshop and a ring craft and judging etiquette discussion group from freelance stockman Andrew Hughes.

George Brown of Dawn Meats told YDP participants “Over the last four years Scottish carcass weights have increased by 8% (28kgs). Trends indicate the trade requires slightly lighter primal cuts to meet consumer requirements. Cattle breeders need to use easier fleshing bulls to reduce finishing time, producing lighter weights of carcasses to align with evolving consumer preferences.”

Commenting on the weekend’s conference, YDP co-ordinator Gayle Bersey said: “This is a small conference for young, beef cattle enthusiasts and acts as an additional educational arm to the ever growing programme the YDP puts on throughout the year. All of the youngsters engaged with the speakers and it was fantastic to witness healthy debates from all viewpoints of the sector. These delegates are a credit to the breed and the industry and will no doubt have great careers ahead of them.”