Vach'Expo : we bring our cows to the agricultural show in Paris

Hello everyone,

At last an article in english for all our english speaking visitors !

So what is Vach'Expo exactly ?
Well it is a student association, which is part of a french school named Institut Polytechnique LaSalle Beauvais. There are about 50 members in this association, they are all studying to become engeneers in agriculture.

The elected team at the head of the Association

What do we do ?
Every year, we bring two cows to the agricultural show in Paris, at the end of february. This show called the Salon International de l'Agriculture, is very famous in France, it is the biggest and most exciting event for farmers, in the country...
We take part in a competition with many other farming schools from the whole of France. Each group of students is graded on many different tasks that they must do fr the show : we are to create this blog, to make a poster, the present our cows on the stage and make speaches in french and a foreign language...

Where do our cows come from ?
There are two farms on the school : a dairy farm and a meat farm.
We choose one of the nicest Frisian dairy cows from the first farm that is right next to school. We get the cow out every week and train it to be led around with a bridle. Before the show, we must brush it and wash it, to make it one of the most beautiful cows in the show !

Frimouce : the Frisian cow we chose this year

Another team of students chooses a Charolais cow and her calf from the meat farm. This cow weighs nearly a ton, so it isn't an easy job to get her used to walk along on the end of a rope !!

Filante : the Charolais cow we are training this year

It's great fun going to the farms every week to train the cows !

There are only two short months left until the show, so we are really busy at the moment !
We must find more sponsors who will help us pay for the care and transport of our cows to the show.
We have to make decorations for our stand at the show and get our speaches ready....

Our team at the Agricultural Show in 2012, with Boral and her twin calves

I hope you enjoyed finding out about the Vach'Expo Association. You can follow our activities on this blog and maybe we will met you at the Agricultural Show in Paris !

Alice Salomon