As well as showcasing prime cattle and sheep together with baby beef and Mule gimmer lamb classes, the Agri Expo will now play host to seven national calf shows, a brand-new auctioneering competition and a programme of competitions, seminars, debates and a large range of trade stands.
At the heart of the event will once again be the livestock rings, where cattle and sheep will compete for the sought after tri-colour championship tickets.
In the judge's spotlight in the commercial cattle ring will be Boomer Birch, Staffordshire, judging the main commercial cattle classes, with Orcadian Balfour Baillie placing the baby beef section.
Over in the sheep ring, County Tyrone's Jack Smyth will judge the prime lambs while Martyn Archer, Northumberland, will judge the Mule gimmer lambs.
Joining the Aberdeen-Angus, Beef Shorthorn, British Blue, Hereford and Simmental breeds in hosting their national calf shows at the Agri Expo will be the Limousin and Charolais breeds, from which the winner of the seven sections will go forward to the inter-breed championship.
Laura Millar, Director and Head of Operations at Harrison and Hetherington and Borderway Agri Expo Event Organiser, said, "Agri Expo has always been first and foremost about livestock, and we are incredibly proud of the quality of cattle and sheep that exhibitors bring to Carlisle each year.
"This year we have an outstanding line-up of judges and, with seven National Calf Shows alongside our commercial cattle and sheep classes, there will be an enormous amount for livestock enthusiasts to see throughout the day.
"But Agri Expo is also about bringing the agricultural community together. It gives us an opportunity to discuss the issues affecting farming businesses, share ideas and look at where our industry is heading, and I think this year's programme reflects that particularly strongly."
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Away from the judging rings, the seminar programme will put some of the most significant issues facing farming and rural communities firmly under the spotlight. Later in the day, attention will turn to the future of British beef and sheep farming, with a seminar examining whether the greatest pressures facing livestock producers come from imports or closer to home.
There will also be a new challenge waiting in the rostrum this year, with Harrison and Hetherington launching a brand-new auctioneering competition in association with the Livestock Auctioneers Association. The aim of the competition is to encourage visitors to step into the rostrum and discover whether they have what it takes to be an auctioneer.
Recognising and encouraging people within the industry remains an important part of Agri Expo, and the event will once again see the presentation of the David Thomlinson Lifetime Achievement Award.
Alongside the livestock and programme of events, the trade exhibition will bring together businesses from across the agricultural sector, giving farmers and industry professionals the opportunity to discover the latest developments in breeding, genetics, machinery, technology, equipment and services, as well as providing an important opportunity to meet, network and do business.
The Borderway Agri Expo will take place at Carlisle on Friday, 30 October.
