The 156th edition of the Balmoral show started on May 14th with glorious weather and a keen sense of anticipation.
People trek from all over to go to Northern Ireland’s pre-eminent agricultural event and this year’s event attracted record number. More than 3,500 animals were on display over the course of four days.
Although there were no poultry competitions this year because of bird flu restrictions, there were countless cattle, sheep, pig and horse competitions, not to mention the guinea pigs, rabbits and a small display of birds from a single flock.
The show has evolved over the years to reflect the changing face of agriculture. A sustainability village showcased the green innovations being introduced in farming to help reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. And the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) demonstrated a model farm of the future. Prof Elizabeth Magowan from AFBI said Balmoral was the "perfect platform" to share the scientific work they do to develop farming systems that are both environmentally and economically responsible.
"The AFBI team get a lot of value from the many discussions that take place with our farming community and the wider community who attend the show. "We often learn as much from the folk that visit the stand as they learn from us."
A great day out for all, to be sure! And the glorious weather held up for the whole event. One west coast farmer Stalker spoke to remarked that the highlight of the show for her was the dancing JCBs.
