E.Y.B.S. 2013: New stars in the European sky!
The European Young Breeders School organised by AWE asbl and in partnership with the Fair of Battice confirms its international reputation and establishes itself as the largest platform to reach the top of the European breeding. This unique event in the world has trained 136 young people this year coming from 14 countries. The major European shows now host many young people who have excelled at the EYBS. Beyond the competition, this event is also a school of life through support between the students and many contacts developed between the host families, the breeders and the young people.
Remember the 2013 Edition :
We could read in 2010 “A breath of fresh air on the EYBS” and in 2011 “The EYBS is feminized”. Both adages are confirmed in 2013. More than the half of the young people are younger than 20 and the parity between girls and boys is almost perfect.
The recognized leadership of English, Irish and Italian people was upset by the Belgian, German and French performances.
The Belgian succession looks bright. After the great performances of Antoine Godfriaux on the European stage (Best European Young Breeder in Fribourg and Best Young Breeder in Ettelbruck), Belgium signs a comeback and goes back to the podium.
· Florie Poirrier – 16 years old (# 3)
· Géraldine Gilliquet – 18 years old (# 12)
· Antoine Godfriaux – 17 years old (# 19)
Well represented, Gemany tells no less than 5 young people ranked in the top 20 and wins:
· The title of the Best team with Masterrind
· The prize of the Best Young Breeder under 16 years for Felix Ziem (R.B.B.)
· The prize of the Best Judge for Lennert Landwehr (RUW)
With five teams each, these two countries globalize 40% of the young breeders.
France meanwhile was a hit with the team of JLD Genetics. Prize winners:
· Big Winner of the EYBS and best speaker : Guillaume Benaiteau
· Best clipper : Julien Dano
· Third best team
· 3 young people in the top 20
· Clipping of the Champion Heifer « Colombine de Roncheury » owned by Lambot Martine and Sébastien Thiry.
Recognized for its quality and professionalism, the EYBS is now victim of its success. Unique case since its creation, the registration had to be closed mid-April. Several teams, failing to register, have taken an option for 2014.
An increasingly strong team spirit and competition
From the first day of training we can feel the team spirit and the competition. Just arrived, the young people take place and differentiate from the other ones by the decoration of their stand, the identification of their team with a t-shirt, a jacket, a sweat… Today they offer us a real show, worthy of greater competitions.
Walloon breeders : the soil of our school
If the EYBS knows a real success today, it’s undoubtedly due to the support of our Walloon breeders. Without them, no heifer, no accommodation, no scale test in farm to assess the knowledge.
The EYBS 2013 is:
· 160 high quality heifers coming from 37 Walloon farms. A great opportunity for those breeders to establish contacts abroad and promote their breeding.
· 44 host families whose hospitality is charming the young breeders year in year out
· A home farm: imagine 160 people arriving in a farm. Thirty animals to select, to wash, to clip and to arrange in groups. It has not dampened the enthusiasm of Mr and Mrs Bonaventure of Baelen that who took up the challenge with panache.
Thierry Jaton, Canadian judge (Qc) and the EYBS : a family history
The partnership between Holstein Quebec and the EYBS goes back to the origin of the School. Since 1999 Holstein Quebec supports the school and delegate a renowned judge to officiate during those 2 days of competition. It was a pleasure this year for Thierry Jaton, owner of the famous breeding ‘Provetaz’ to discover this school. His daughter Cindy, winner of the European Young Breeders School, often spoke of this school.
His valuable advices complete the training provided by the team of well-known leaders as Erica Rijneveld (Netherlands), Bruno Toussaint (Belgium), Adrian Steinmann (Swiss), Sauro Ghini (Italy), Quim and Jaume Serrebassa (Spain) and Michael Halliwell (Great-Britain) with this year also Albertine Racer Palthe (Netherlands), Daniel Küng (Swiss) and Marie-Philip Brisson (Canada, Qc).
New : The E.Y.B.S. on line on Facebook, media impact !
A picture, a video shared and more than 19000 visitors discover the Young Breeders School on line. The encouragement and congratulations to salute the performance of the candidates are coming from Europe and abroad.
While the world of agriculture has changed, the passion of farming, of the art of clipping and of showmanship still remains.
15 years of experience on the biggest international shows (Canada, France, Swiss, Belgium, Spain, Peru,…) did not prevent the judge to be amazed by the motivation of the young breeders and the professionalism of the organisation.
