Ballymena Academy girls take beef genetics project to the airwaves in national youth challenge

Ballymena Academy Year 11 pupils Samantha Dunlop and Katie McNeilly

Two Ballymena Academy pupils have stepped into the fast-paced world of professional media and digital storytelling as they continue their journey as finalists in the 2026 ABP Angus Youth Challenge, combining science, agriculture and communications in a project with real-world relevance for Northern Ireland’s farming sector.

Year 11 pupils Samantha Dunlop and Katie McNeilly are among the finalists in the prestigious initiative, which is funded by ABP in partnership with Certified Irish Angus.

The programme encourages young people to become ambassadors for farming while developing projects focused on sustainable food production and the future of the agri-food industry.

For the Ballymena pair, that work is centred on a timely and increasingly important issue: genetic literacy in beef production and how breeding information can be made more accessible and practical for farmers.

As genomics and data-led breeding decisions continue to play a growing role in herd performance, the pupils are exploring ways to help beef producers better understand and use breeding data to improve efficiency, productivity and long-term sustainability.

Their latest step in the challenge saw them take part in a dedicated media training day in Belfast, giving them hands-on experience in professional broadcasting, digital content creation and audience engagement.

Inside the studio: professional media training in Belfast

The pupils and teachers competing in the 2026 ABP Angus Youth Challenge final from Blessed Trinity College Belfast; St. Patrick's High School Dungannon; St. Patrick's High School Keady and Ballymena Academy at a media training day held in Cool FM's new studios in City Quays Belfast. With them are Cool FM radio presenters Melissa Riddell and Paolo Ross.

The specialist training session was hosted at Cool FM and Downtown Radio’s new studios at City Quays, Belfast, where finalists from across Northern Ireland were given expert guidance on how to communicate their projects to wider audiences.

Samantha and Katie took part alongside fellow finalists from St Patrick’s College, Dungannon, St Patrick’s High School, Keady, and Blessed Trinity College, Belfast.

The day was designed to strengthen the finalists’ communication and presentation skills, helping them translate often complex agricultural and scientific topics into clear, engaging content for social media and public platforms.

Cool FM presenters Paulo Ross and Melissa Riddell shared practical advice on building strong and effective social media content, while Keith Law, Head of Creative at Bauer Media NI, worked with the students on message development, scripting and confident on-camera presentation.

The experience gave the pupils a taste of professional media production, while reinforcing how essential communication has become in modern agriculture and education.

Turning science into digital storytelling

As part of the training, the students created 30-second adverts showcasing their projects — a key exercise in condensing detailed research into sharp, audience-friendly messaging.

For Samantha and Katie, whose project focuses on the science behind beef breeding and herd improvement, the exercise was particularly significant.

The ability to explain concepts such as genomics, breeding information and data-driven herd selection in a way that farmers and the wider public can easily understand is central to the success of their challenge entry.

The pupils also received guidance on how to engage audiences safely and professionally online, an increasingly important skill as educational and industry projects rely more heavily on digital communication and social platforms.

Developing skills beyond the classroom

The ABP Angus Youth Challenge is designed to build practical, transferable skills that extend well beyond school life.

Alongside hands-on experience in rearing Angus cattle and exploring sustainable food production, finalists are encouraged to develop confidence in communication, teamwork, research and public engagement.

For students such as Samantha and Katie, the programme offers an early insight into careers linked to agriculture, science, communications and food sustainability — all sectors of major significance across Northern Ireland.

With agriculture continuing to play a central role in the local economy, projects focused on herd efficiency and long-term sustainability carry particular relevance for farming communities across County Antrim and beyond.

Focus now turns to October final

The finalists now have until October to complete their projects, when the overall winners of the 2026 ABP Angus Youth Challenge will be announced.

Until then, Samantha and Katie will continue developing their work on genetic literacy in beef production, with a focus on making breeding information more accessible and useful for farmers navigating an increasingly data-driven industry.

Their progress places Ballymena Academy firmly in the spotlight as the competition moves towards its final stages.

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At a glance

• Two Ballymena Academy Year 11 pupils are finalists in the 2026 ABP Angus Youth Challenge

• Samantha Dunlop and Katie McNeilly are representing the school

• Their project focuses on genetic literacy in beef production

• The work explores how breeding data can be made more accessible for farmers

• They attended a professional media training day at City Quays, Belfast

• Training took place at Cool FM/Downtown Radio’s new studios

• Students created 30-second adverts about their projects

• Finalists received advice from Paulo Ross, Melissa Riddell and Keith Law

• The overall winners will be announced in October