School & college trips

From seeing the animals in their pens, students will be able to take in the vast number of different breeds – whether it’s the cattle, sheep or pigs, there will be hundreds of different breeds on display. Chat to the farmers and exhibitors to find out what is involved with rearing the livestock.

Next, watch as the animals are prepared to be showed. See them in the rings and witness the judging process – what makes the perfect animal and who will take home the coveted rosette?

Then there is the livestock auctions on the Tuesday afternoon where hundreds of buyers vie to purchase the top exhibits.

A visit to the carcass hall will show the inquisitive students what the animals look like when they come out of the slaughter house. Hundreds of examples of carcasses will be on display with the opportunity to speak with professionals about what’s on show and where our popular joints of meat come from.

Next there are the butchery competitions and demonstrations where you will see examples of dressed poultry, sausages, bacon, burgers and other meat products on the two days of the fair.

Cookery demonstrations then show how the meat can be used in all sorts of dishes, from burgers, to stir-fries, from curries to bacon sandwiches… the possibilities are endless!

Then there is the finished product. In the Food Hall, students will see the end product for sale and on display – the perfect example of hours, days, weeks, sometimes years’ worth of effort from breeders, farmers, butchers and producers to bring us the food we all know and love.

This year, the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society is launching an exciting new educational programme in the Members Centre. The educational offering will be for learners of all ages, including primary and secondary school children and higher education students. The programme will focus on understanding important facts that support farming principles, such as the basics of growing in healthy soil.

Speakers include Michael Kennard from the Compost Club, gardener, educationalist, and S4C presenter Adam Jones (Adam yn yr ardd), Montgomeryshire Farmer and NFU member, Jonathan Wilkinson and David Elias, a conservationist of Snowdonia National Trust and author of ‘Shaping the Wild’.