New stud breeder Cooper Rafton from Mount Marshall has been named the 2017 Queensland Limousin Youth Ambassador.

The announcement was made at the annual Limousin Youth Camp, which was held in Pittsworth on September 23-25.

Cooper started showing cattle four years ago with the Scott’s College in Warwick. He regularly participated in the junior judges and paraders competitions around the show circuit, and his passion for the stud sector continued to grow from there.

After helping his neighbour show some of their Limousin cattle, Cooper decided to get more involved with the breed by registering his own stud, Calinda Cattle Co.

He has participated at the Limousin Youth Camp for the past three years, and he said he didn’t expect to be named the new youth ambassador for the breed.

“It was definitely a shock, but I’m looking forward to getting out and about and meeting new people and learning new things,” Cooper said.

“The society will help us get to the national Limousin show and other various events. It will be a good opportunity for me to get more involved with the breed.”

To be eligible for the youth ambassador title, participants had to compete in the junior judges, junior paraders, and young auctioneer’s competition at the three day camp. They were also judged on their presentation, enthusiasm and sportsmanship over the weekend.

Next year the Limousin Youth Camp will move to the South Burnett district. A final location is yet to be decided, but it’s likely to be held at either Kingaroy or Nanango. The Limousin Youth Camp has been running for ten years now, and has been held previously at Wondai in the South Burnett region. – COULTON’S COUNTRY.