TWO Year 12 students from Aughnacloy College have taken the top prize in the 2024 ABP Angus Youth Challenge, impressing judges with their innovative project on sustainable farming.

Jack Steenson and Alexander Smith, both from local farming families, triumphed over competing teams with their project, ‘Creating a Vibrant Farming Culture for Future Generations’.

Their work focused on practical steps to ensure the long-term sustainability of agriculture - a crucial topic for Northern Ireland’s farming and food community.

Dromore High School secured the runners-up spot with their project, ‘Promoting Diversity within the Beef Supply Chain’, while teams from St. Colmcille’s High School and the Royal School Armagh were also in the final.

Sarah Gilchrist, from St. Colmcille’s High School, won the award for Outstanding Contribution by An Individual.

The awards ceremony, held at Logan Hall in recent days, was attended by 200 people including 28 new school teams contending for a place on the next finalist programme.

The winning team was presented with the ABP Angus Youth Challenge Cup and a cheque for £1,000 by ABP and Certified Irish Angus.

Martin McKendry, Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), Acting Head of Food & Farming Group, was special guest at the ceremony.

Throughout the past year, all finalists had been tasked with rearing Angus beef cattle, five per team, with the support of a College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) mentor simultaneously working on projects to tackle sustainability in Northern Ireland’s beef supply chain.

The teams have successfully finished their animals early in line with DAERA’s Beef Carbon Reduction Scheme aimed at reducing the environmental impact of beef farming.

Jack and Alexander’s winning project combined research on how farmers were enhancing their farms through sustainable enterprises with extensive community outreach to pass the information to future generations.