Sustainable Farming Award at BTYSTE 2024 won by Ballymahon Vocational School

At the 2024 BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition (BTYSTE), the team from Ballymahon Vocational School in Longford emerged as the champions of the ABP Sustainable Farming Practices Award. Their project, titled "Are cow collars worth the hype?", garnered the attention and admiration of the judges. Team members Grace Cassells, Keira Hopkins, and Lara Flood embarked on a quest to determine the practicality and benefits of cow collars in modern farming, particularly focusing on labor reduction and enhancing the health and welfare of cows. Their investigation delved into the perceptions of farmers regarding these devices and assessed the current labor demands and demographic trends among Irish farmers. For a decade, ABP has been a proud sponsor of a category at the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition, demonstrating its commitment to fostering innovation and sustainability in agriculture. Stephen Connolly, who oversees Agriculture Sustainability for ABP in Ireland and Poland, extended his congratulations to the students for their pioneering work, which rightfully earned them this year's Sustainable Farming Practices award. He emphasized ABP's goal of nurturing the next wave of innovators poised to tackle the pressing issues in agriculture with sustainable solutions. ABP has been at the forefront of sustainable agricultural practices in Ireland, collaborating with Teagasc and the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) at its Carlow demonstration farm. The focus has been on strategies to lower beef production emissions, including optimizing the age at slaughter, genetic improvements, and feed efficiency. These efforts, supported by trials involving over 6,000 animals, have yielded significant insights, which are now being applied in initiatives like the ABP Advantage Programme to benefit farmers. Previously, ABP had also supported the Farm Safety Award, consistently highlighting innovative student projects aimed at enhancing safety in agriculture. The BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition stands as a premier global STEM event, with its 60th edition in 2024 continuing to showcase the brightest young minds and their contributions to science and technology.