Well, as we suggested earlier the Galloway bull has just taken the Great Yorkshire beef interbreed award to add to the Royal Highland interbreed title he took last month. Blackcraig Zodiac from William MacLean, Oban, is by Glenkiln Dynamite and was a pretty much unanimous choice for the panel of judges in this afternoon's interbreed competition.
Standing reserve was the Limousin champion, Greenhill Viper, from David Cormack and Gaina MacDowell. This one is by Nenuphar and is herd sire to the couple's six cow Dynamite herd based in Lincolnshire.
Taking the second reserve spot was the British Blue champion, Ballygrange Alex from Danny and Jane Wyllie.
Pictures to follow....
well done - could not have gone to better beast or nicer chap.
Defo agree on that - to be fair three great champs in the overall line up, really pleased for David and Gaina in the Lims and for the Wyllie team on the Blue bull - all 3 looked the part out there today! Reckon he minute the Galloway bull got off the wagon it was a sure thing, you can't help but love it - it's as long as a rainy week!!
no Chrissie, you mean as long as a rainy week, in the office, constantly looking for updates from you guys!!!
Just saw the commercial results too. no comment required. (but how did Mamma Mia do?)
That he his, you can't keep a good bull down! Mama Mia won her class, although she was stood fourth for a long time?!
Thanks - I can see you guys are in overdrive right now so won't keep you but I presume it was a good show of commercials?
Yeah a strong show of cattle and pretty easy to follow the judging too. Still look's an expensive heifer though at that money!
Yeh very good show of commercials - have to say bottom line up (from 5th down) doesn't leave me feeling very excited, same as last year - a poor bottom end if you know what I mean, but top 3 or 4 always strong! Heavyweight Lim heifer class very tough - some good beasts! Never followed it all completely, but then you never do!! I cn't wait for back end judging, reckon there will be some real battles on the go!!
Sounds as if it was on a par with the highland then. No tail end to the classes up here but less cattle forward.
I have to say i'm looking forward to the winter shows already and our locals haven't even kicked off yet!
Sounds like you've been more than bitten by the show bug BGC - have to say it's beginning to get the better of us now! I'll change my mind once fatstock season gets here though!
Chrissie, being an commercial exhibitor at this weeks GYS, I would like to reply to your comment that from 5th down the commercial cattle were "poor a bottom end", and that the top 3 to 4 were strong, I would just like to state that the class of "heavyweight" Limousin x heifers that you refer to had an weight range of 508 kilos to 650 kilos, with 12 in the class. There were a total of 23 lim x heifers and it was split two ways! I dont think it is fair to call the bottom 6 in that class "a poor bottom end" its very difficuilt to compete against heavy heifers in that sort of situation and weight range.It is also very unfair on the judge. The commercial exhibitos asked for a three way split of 8 in each class, this was flatly refused by the Society. There were several new, young exhibitors at the show, and most went home without a prize card, its not the prize money YAS, just a cardboard prize card helps to encourage the next generation. If the GYS wants to take over from the Royal Show as the "best three day in England" I suggest they start to appreciate the stock exhibitors who attend this show at great expense. I am able to sit at my computer and make this comment as I am awaiting a vet to attend to a heifer that was stuck in a cattle trailer in traffic trying to get out of the showfield for 2 hours, due to the total incompetence of traffice management who prefered to let out members cars and caravans instead of giving livestock preference. Yorkshire Agricultural society, take this as a warning that without the support of your stock exhibitors you will also end up with a glorified car boot fair as the RASE have. I have exhibited sheep and cattle at the Great Yorkshire since 1976 and have never been as upset at the end of a show as I have this year.
I agree totally with jules, and had also put my point across to the stewards at the show about the sizes of the classes. The commercial cattle section had the most cattle entries in and yet the most exhibitors going home without any prize money at all. One of the stewards even said that if we didn't like the size of the classes we didn't have to exhibit next near, as they had plenty of people on the waiting list who would come. I have always loved the Great Yorkshire show, and thought all the people involved has always been very helpful in the past but i am now left very disappointed. And will give careful consideration as to if i will go again next year.
How can a class of 12 be too big? Try going to the sheep lines where classes of 18-20 are common and in some sections entries top 50 a class. Agreed the weight range may be excessive, but with the GYS judge obviously favouring lighter weight animals those at the lower end of the weights should have been able to compete fairly and squarely?
Please dont insult me by trying to compare sheep class sizes to cattle class sizes. Judging of commercial cattle and pedigree sheep are too totally different activities. I dont see an aged Tup shown in the same class as Tup lambs do you? i agree that in Texel classes there are usually very large entries, but I expect you reslise that all are within the same age range and size, not entered by weight. In the prime lamb classes all are split by a weight stated in the schedule, if the cattle commercial classes were stated as lightweight, mediumweight and heavyweight with a max and min weight there would have been very few complaints, as we would all have know what to expect before we got there.
Agreed in principle Jules, but the comment was more aimed at Mr Disappointed complaining that the classes were too big as some people went home without any prize money. There were far more folk in the sheep lines without prize money than in the cattle classes.
Also, there are plenty of sheep classes for shearling or older tups which pit sheep of, potentially, massively different ages and size against each other - you know as well as I do how much size a tup can put on from a shearling to a two or three shear. Anyway back to the point - when you entered the show was the class simply as in the catalogue- Limousin cross heifer any weight? If that is the case surely you have no complaint as the split was an improvement on the original 29 entries catalogued. Surely you all know the reputation GYS has for big commercial cattle classes and accept you may not earn any prize money when you enter?
I think you have missed the point, I am not talking about winning prize money, I mentioned prize cards. And as for commercial classes we all know, those that show in them, that they are split into different classes, by weight,after weighing,at the show, and mostly 10 is the maximum, which no one is upset about, this is why we all expected the split to be 8 each - lightweight, mediumweight and heavyweight,but for some reason the society decided to put mediumweight and heavyweight together, which has never happened at any other show I ahve been to in about the last four years. I dont go to the show to come home with prize money, nobody can make a profit showing animals!
Replying to comment from Chrissie
yup C, but feel like I've come down with showcattle flu tonight, it's too wet to venture out tomorrow, ground is soaking and 1" of water fallen with 0.5" due again tomorrow - I do feel for the organisers in this situation but I'm staying home this weekend!
Emslie Lims have the right idea, go to Welsh instead!!!!
OK, we seem to have a fair comparison Jules, as I was an C-Cattle exhibitor at the Highland and incidentally I feel for you regards your journey home - hope everything is OK now.
By comparison there were 6 (3+3) classes of roughly 8-10 beasts, when in the past there would have been only 2+2.
I feel this worked well for everyone involved - exhibitors, stewards and the judge. I went home with 2 fourth prize cards - and enough of a cheque to cover my entry fees - I suspect!
Any cattle exhibitor would understand why I have not checked this - it will be a pleasant surprise in the mail next week.
It sounds like you guys (as a section and as individuals) are a victim of the type arrogance we had endure up until very recently from the show directors and it's difficult to change or even ignore but change it must.
We have a fantastic shop window to promote our produce to the public but our efforts are being jeopardised by some very naive operators, in this case ill-informed show directors / stewards [at the GYS as reported by Jules above]
There are still many things to address at the Highland, however I feel they are moving in the right direction and can guarantee you will be welcome with open arms there next year.
Hi BGC, thanks for the support. I was at the Royal Highland this year as I have been for every year since 1986, usually promoting sheep, and have to say that the show looks after all of its stock exhibitors in the best possible way, might be something to do with most of the show directors being practical, farming people! I have written to the GYS and hope that all other exhibitors in the commercial classes, or any other, write to give their experience of this years show - good or bad. They want us all to come to Countryside Live, so they will have to start and give as well as take.
just been reading the comments now - sorry if I upset anyone - Jules sounds like you had a nightmare coming home and not the most pleasant of shows. I only mentioned that watching all the classes I didn't really like much (and only my opinion) past 4th or 5th - if those lighter or even heavier ones had been in a class of 6 or 8 and were higher up a line I still wouldn't have liked them - simply not my cup of tea! Having said that there were one of two that would certainly come home to make cracking suckler cows - I just didn't like them as show beasts! But then one or two red tickets came out that I couldn't quite follow - that's showing as we have pointed out many many times!! Sounds like though GYS had a dose of the Royals about them with that attitude - big shame!