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Goats, sheep take centrestage at Denbigh

Published:Saturday | July 23, 2022 | 12:06 AMChristopher Serju/Senior Gleaner Reporter
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Members of the Denbigh planning committee of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries were on the grounds of the showground on Thursday, finetuning plans for this year’s 68th staging of the annual show from July 30-August 1.
Christopher Serju
Members of the Denbigh planning committee of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries were on the grounds of the showground on Thursday, finetuning plans for this year’s 68th staging of the annual show from July 30-August 1.
Workmen in the employ of the Jamaica Broilers Group are caught in action as they rebuild the Tech Talk booth at the Hi-Pro on the grounds of the Denbigh show grounds in May Pen, Clarendon. Hi-Pro which is the main sponsor for show has promised to ramp up i
Christopher Serju
Workmen in the employ of the Jamaica Broilers Group are caught in action as they rebuild the Tech Talk booth at the Hi-Pro on the grounds of the Denbigh show grounds in May Pen, Clarendon. Hi-Pro which is the main sponsor for show has promised to ramp up its offering this year with a virtual reality experience for visitors to its booth.
The welcome mascot at the Denbigh Show Ground gets a fresh coat of paint, as the preparations continue for this year’s 68th staging of the Denbihg Agricultural, Industrial and Food at the Denbigh show goround in May Pen, Clarendon.
Christopher Serju
The welcome mascot at the Denbigh Show Ground gets a fresh coat of paint, as the preparations continue for this year’s 68th staging of the Denbihg Agricultural, Industrial and Food at the Denbigh show goround in May Pen, Clarendon.
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There will be no judging of cattle at this year’s Denbigh Agricultural, Industrial and Food Show from July 30-August 1, but some of the large ruminants will still be on display, according to chairman of the Livestock Exhibits Committee, Jasmine Holness.

There will be two days of sheep and goats exhibitions and competitions followed by the awards ceremony. Sheep will be judged in the various categories on Saturday and the goats on Sunday, with the cattle, sheep and goat involved in a parade at the end of the competition. Cattle from different farms will also be available for viewing by patrons. From time to time, they will be walked out to the showroom in order to exercise them as well. However, most of the viewing will be confined to the barns.

Holness explained that the cattle owners/breeders should come prepared to field questions from patrons about different aspects of cattle breeding and rearing.

Meanwhile, president of the Small Ruminants Association of Jamaica, Trevor Bernard has promised that the goats and sheep will come into their own this year, as they will, for the first time at Denbigh, be allowed to parade in the big ring, usually reserved for the judging and showing of cattle.

“Goats and sheep are going to steal the show because we will be going all out this year. Our farmers have been sitting down for two years and so they are really hyped and looking forward to this year’s competition. Already people are claiming bragging rights about who has the best ram and that sort of thing. So the competition is on and lots of arguments will be settled on the weekend,” Bernard told The Gleaner.

An added component this year will be the emphasis on technical training with quite a number of presentations, including on value-add and vermin-composting, areas that can help the goat and sheep farmers to understand how much more than meat can be derived from their animals, in terms of income generation.

“There will be presentations on how to use the skin to make drum, leather craft in general, as another side of the business to make footwear, belts, handbags, purses, just so much more. We are going to be bringing a lot of education in terms of training and in respect of sheep-rearing. Veteran sheep farmer, Donne Bunting. will be sharing his experience about different aspects of the industry. We will be bringing different people with different skill sets to do a wide range of presentations and really open your eyes to opportunities for earning, beyond what you already know,” Bernard said.