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Young farmers compete for best straw sculpture

Katy Prickett
News imageHuntingdon YFC A block of straw bales, with painted lines to look like bricks and perched on top a black and white round plastic coloured bale, with eyes and a nose with its legs made from stuffed blue jeans dangling below. To the side of the straw bale is a sign saying Cambridgeshire County Show 30/05/26 and beyond it green fields under grey skies.Huntingdon YFC
The young farmers appear to have been inspired by the nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty

Straw bale sculptures of a church, Humpty Dumpty and a combine harvester have been created as part of an annual competition.

This year's theme was about promoting the Cambridgeshire County Show, to be held at the Abbots Ripton Estate near Huntingdon on Saturday.

Sam Forsyth, chairman of the county's young farmers' group, who organised the models, praised the creativity on display.

He said entertainment at the show would include "more than 150 trade stands, the National Lamb Race, dog show, vintage vehicle displays, livestock competitions, and crowd favourites such as the live farming demonstrations".

News imageNewborough YFC A man leaning against a model bull made of round straw bales covered in black plastic painted with white markings. It has a pink painted nose with a ring in it and pink ears. The man has a pickaxe over his shoulder, is smiling and has his left thumb up. Behind him are flat arable fields and a sunset. Newborough YFC
The Newborough branch created a model of a bull

The Cambridgeshire County Show has existed for more than 20 years and is the federation's biggest fundraiser.

News imageMarch YFC Straw bales shaped into a combine harvester, with rectangular bales making up the driver's cab and the grain tank, while the conveyor and cutter bar in front of it is made from round straw bales March YFC
In March, the group was inspired by a combine harvester

The young farmers will also compete against each other in a variety of competitions, from flower arranging and cookery, to on-the-day activities like rugby, wheelbarrow relay and a tug of war.

Cambridgeshire Young Farmers has five branches and all have taken part in the straw bale sculpture competition.

The rural youth charity is aimed at anyone who enjoys the countryside, regardless of their farming background and currently has about 170 members.

News imageSoham YFC A tractor pulling a trailer, both made out of straw bales and painted red sitting in a grassy field. Behind it are two animal sculptures, one bright pink and the other blue and yellow. In front of that are two pig-shaped boards, one saying Cambridgeshire County Show and the other saying Soham Young Farmers. Soham YFC
The Soham young farmers' group designed a tractor, trailer and livestock for their display
News imageComberton YFC A church made out of straw bales sitting in a grassy field against a sky as the sun sets off camera. There are round bales topped with a cone to form the church tower and rectangular bales form the body of the building. There is a blue sign on the sculpture saying The Cambridgeshire County Show Sat 30 May Abbots Ripton. Comberton YFC
Comberton's group chose to make a church out of the straw bales

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