The Irish Farmers Journal is hosting one of its largest giveaways at the National Ploughing Championships, with visitors to our stand in with a chance of winning a super-quality show heifer.

The Limousin-cross-Belgian Blue heifer is bred by the renowned sire Elderberry Galahad (EBY) and bred from a Belgian Blue dam sired by Blak Baty Eprave (BYU).

The four-star heifer, named Jasmine, which was born on 3 January 2025 and weighing 635kg, will be present on the Irish Farmers Journal stand over the three days – you can find us in Block 3, Row 9 and Stand 166.

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Visitors to the stand will get a chance to see Jasmine in the flesh and enter our giveaway for free.

How to enter?

The competition is easy to enter – for those attending the National Ploughing Championships, visit our stand to enter and for those not attending the Ploughing, don’t worry you can enter at ifj.ie/heifer.

Entry is completely free and, as part of entry, you'll be prompted to download the IFJ app - winners must have the app downloaded to claim their prize.

Just to note those aged under 18 will require parental permission. The competition is already open and will run until Tuesday 30 September. Entry is open to Republic of Ireland residents only.

If the winner has no herd number and cannot take Jasmine home, she can be sold as part of the Tullamore Mart sale of high genetic merit in-calf and maiden heifers on 28 October in Roscrea Mart, Co Tipperary, and the winner will receive whatever price Jasmine makes on the day.

Full terms and conditions are available at ifj.ie/heifer and at this form.

Backbone of rural Ireland

Irish Farmers Journal editor Adam Woods said: “Suckler farming is the backbone of rural Ireland. Every euro in output generated from suckler farming has a multiplier effect in supporting spending in the wider economy.

"It has been a challenging decade for Ireland’s national suckler herd, with suckler cow numbers falling by almost 300,000 head.

"Thankfully, this sharp decline has halted, with the number of suckler cows on farms on 1 July 2026 standing 33,000 head higher.

"Stemming the decline in cow numbers is critical for the future viability of rural areas. The Irish Farmers Journal wants to mark this positive news and I am encouraging all our readers to enter to be in with a chance of winning this fantastic prize.”