Recently in English Winter Fair Category

The domination of Phil and Sharon Sellers in this season's primestock show cattle championships and Andrew and Becky Bishop in the sheep championships has got me thinking about whether such exceptional runs of form are a good or bad thing.

Does the continual winning by one exhibitor serve to encourage others to try and beat them or turn potential exhibitors away from events because they don't beleive they have a chance of winning?

I sit fairly firmly in the first camp and strongly beleive that anyone, no matter what they're showing is always able to be beaten provided you put the effort in. Now, obviously in the commercial cattle scene there is the small matter of money too, with many of the top animals often costing a pretty penny (I think my thoughts on this are well enough known).

But overall while the big spenders may have the upper hand when it comes to buying, they still have to feed the cattle right and bring them out in top condition on the day. After all there have been plenty of big money cattle which have never grown into their potential or been overdone - and that's true of the pedigree world too!

When it comes to the sheep lines, there is first and foremost, a darn sight less money floating about, with most of the lambs being homebred, or bought at reasonable store lamb prices. But once again the same skill in feeding is needed to get the lambs to be spot on - particularly in making them handle as pairs.

I sincerely hope the great success enjoyed by both the Sellers and Bishops doesn't deter others from having a go, after all it may just be that next year is your year, or maybe even next week at AgriLIVE Smithfield!

Andrew and Becky Bishop have continued their remarkable run of form at the primestock shows collecting the championship here at the English Winter Fair with a pair of Beltex crosses. These are by a homebred sire and out of purebred ewes.

Standing reserve was Robin Slade with a pair of purebred Dutch Texels. Judge Stuart Clatworthy said there was little to split the two pairs bar the Beltex being a better matched pair in the backend.

Michael and Melanie Alford, Devon, took the Baby Beef championshipe here at the English Winter Fair this morning with their Limousin cross heifer Poker Face. This one was bred by Christopher Dick and was bought from Caledonian Mart in September.

Reserve here was Keith Harryman with his homebred Limousin cross Ronaldo. This one was champion at last week's East of England Winter Stock Festival.

Phil and Sharon Sellers, Derbyshire, have just taken the overall beef championship here at the English Winter Fair with their Charolais cross heifer Fantasia. This one, which was overall champion at last week's East of England Winter Stock Festival, was bought privately from Jim Mills, Builth Wells, last year.

Standing reserve overall was Berwyn Hughes with his British Blue cross steer, Mr X Factor. This one is by an unregistered British Blue bull and out of a Limousin cross cow.

Taking the pedigree championship were Christine Williams and Paul Tippets with their pure Limousin steer Wilodge Destroyer. Reserve here was Michael Kirby with his Aberdeen Angus heifer Lockerly Black Butterfly.

Reserve in the crossbred heifers were Michael and Melanie Alford with their Blue cross Lady Gaga, while reserve steer went to the Williams and Tippets team again, this time with Limousin cross Buck Off.

As the winter show season gets into top gear, following yesterday's AgriScot and with the major primestock shows all falling in the next three weeks, I reflected last night on the trip home from Edinburgh on the relative success of AgriScot and the Royal Highland Winter Fair.

Held just a week apart in the same venue the fortunes of the two couldn't, from an outsiders viewpoint, be more contrasting.

Yesterday's event, aimed squarely at large scale, professional producers drew a massive crowd to the equally massive turnout of tradestands. And from what I heard and saw both visitors and standholders alike were there to do business.

All the main suppliers were there and the crowd coming through the door was impressive to say the least.

Looking ahead to next week's Royal Highland Winter Fair is, sadly a less exciting prospect. While I have no doubt there will be a first class show of stock in the rings at Ingliston, I don't expect there to be much a showing of trade stands and the crowd, if experience can be relied on, is bound to be smaller.

So, despite all the historic reasons against it, there can for the future success of at least one of these events only be one answer, combine the two into one great show. Some other commentators have suggested the fact that the two exist is testament to the strength of Scottish farming. I disagree, it is in fact testament to the inability of some parties to  bury historic prejudices. Come guys get round the table again and set the wheels in motion for one big show worthy of the industries you're serving.

In a bid to avoid the disruption being caused by the current postal strikes, exhbitors for this month's English Winter Fair are being asked to collect their entry details, when they arrive at the show, rather than receiving them in the post.

Kate Tomlinson, EWF show secretary, says the post is just too unpredictable currently to guarantee exhibitors get the correct documentation for cattle, sheep and pigs entered for this year's event at Stafford Showground on the weekend of 21-22 November. "We have had to take matters into our own hands to protect producers.

"Exhibitor packs containing livestock numbers, passes, hospitality tickets and catalogue vouchers will be retained at the showground. Instead, we are arranging for producers to collect packs when arriving with livestock at the event on Friday 20 November."

"Despite the disruption being felt by all winter shows we are very pleased to report entries for all but one livestock section are up significantly on last year's inaugural event which, in itself, was well attended," adds Mrs Tomlinson.

Following on swiftly from news about the new Smithfield event for this year is news of an extra bonus for last year's champions, Alistair and Liz Vance.

Having bought their Royal Smithfield Christmas Fair champion, Divine Diva, from Harrison and Hetherington's Borderway Mart, Carlisle, in September last year for £3000, the Vances were awarded a £1000 cash prize by Brian Richardson (left) and David Pritchard of H and H last week.

Well I've managed to get round to uploading all the pictures from yesterday's English Winter Fair to a gallery, so take a look.

I've not had the chance to caption them yet, but most of them are self explanatory, so you should be able to work out for yourself what's what.

In the sheep carcass championship it was a win for Paul Tippets and Christine Williams with a 23.4kg E2 grade Beltex lamb from their 50-ewe flock at Shifnal, Shropshire. The carcass laster sold for 430p/lb to live sheep judge David Prince.

Second spot here was taken by Owen and Anne Beresford's 21.3kg E2 graded Dutch Texel entry from their 35-ewe flock at Ashbourne, Derbyshire. This one was sold for 320p/lb.

The champion beef carcass from John and Denise Davies netted the pair a whopping £3000 in prize money having been bred in the herd at Clifton, Rugby.

The beast, a Limousin cross Bazadaise steer had originally been entered for the baby beef section at last year's cancelled event and this was the first time the couple had entered the show's carcass competition. Adding to the couple's spoils was a sale price of 162p/lb for the champion. 

Reserve spot went to Frank Page's British Blue cross South Devon heifer from his Elkington, Northants-based herd. Trade for this body exceeded the champion, with it selling at 164p/lb.

British Blue cross Charisma from Colin and Wendy Philips has just taken the overall championship title in the cattle section of the English Winter Fair.

Tipping the scales at 535kg, October 2007 born Charisma was bred by Wendy Morgan and Trevor Price and was bought from the Brecon show potential sale in February for £950.

Joint overall judge Jonathan Maycock described the champion as being the perfect beast on the day. "She's the ideal weight for a high class butcher, she's sweet, full of meat and caught my eye the minute she entered the ring." Later in the day the champion sold for £4000 to Messrs S W Wilcox of Preston, Lancashire.

Gloucestershire-based Andrew Bishop has taken both the championship and the reserve championship titles in the sheep section at today's English Winter Fair.

Leading the way was his pair of Texel crosses from his 1500-ewe flock led out by Andrew and son Charlie. This pair, by a homebred tup and out of homebred ewes weighed in at 94kgs the pair and were described by judge David Prince as exactly the type of lamb he requires for his farmshop. "They had the depth of loin and gigot the modern butcher needs and were the best matching pair." Mr Prince then backed his judgement further buying the champions at £200 each.

Standing reserve was Mr Bishop's Beltex duo, a 92kg pair by a tup bred in Mr Bishop's father David's flock which has bred many primestock sires over the years. Mr Prince was the buyer of this pair too, taking them for his farm shop at £150/head.

The first of the day's championships has been decided at the English Winter Fair with the Baby Beef title going to Diane Whiteley and Jim Courts' Limousin cross British Blue steer Freddy Macs. This one was born in January and is homebred.

Reserve spot in the baby's went to Brian Wilson's heifer Black Betty. This one is a British Blue cross and is also January born.

Judging is continuing in the main beef section and sheep judging is just underway too, so check back later for more results and pictures......

Well, with just a day to go before the English Winter Fair kicks off at Stafford, the main winter fair season is on the verge of kicking off, with the big four of the English, Royal Highland and Royal Welsh Winter Fairs followed by the holy grail of Smithfield all taking place in the next three weeks.

The Taking Stock team will of course be offering live reporting from all of the main events, starting with reporting from Sunday's championship judging at Stafford (tomorrow will be spent dressing lambs for a local show on Tuesday!). 

It's going to be a busy few weeks for myself and the Taking Stock photographer and a fair few miles will be covered and possibly a few pints sunk along the way, so be sure to say hello when you see us out and about and if you can't make to any of the major shows check here for the latest results....