UK Dairy Day show 2017: Holstein takes interbreed champion

With a great atmosphere around the show ring at UK Dairy Day (Wednesday 13 September), the Holstein Illens Atwood Australia scooped the interbreed senior champion title.

The show at Telford International Centre was the National Shows for Holstein UK and Ayrshires Cattle Society and concluded with the titles for breed champions and interbreed winner being announced.

Interbreed Senior Championship

Champion

“What a cow,” said judge Edmund Els about the interbreed champion, the Holstein red ticket winner, Illens Atwood Australia.

The 2011-born cow is from Blythbridge Holsteins of Peeblesshire and was shown by Colin Laird.

The Laird family imported the winning cow from Switzerland two years ago. She had her fourth calf at the end of April and is giving 60 litres/day at 3.2% protein and 4.1% butterfat.

Sired by Maple-Downs-I G W Atwood and out of Illens Lheros Nancy, she is one of 500 cows that the Laird family are milking.

“It’s dairy throughout,” said Mr Els, who hails from South Africa. “She’s got a tremendous mammary system underneath her.”

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Reserve champion

And the reserve champion title went to the Ayrshire breed champion, Swaites Bright Spark 5.

“For a young cow, I think she’s got great potential,” said judge Mr Els. He praised her for her “cleanness”, “dairyness” and “height of udder”.

Bred and owned by J Adamson and Son, Lanark, the second calver is sired by Brieryside Red Centurian and out of Swaites Bright Spark 4.

Shown by James Lawrie, on behalf of the Adamsons, she gave 7,544kg in her first lactation at 4.24% butterfat and 3.30% protein.

Interbreed heifer championship

Champion

A Holstein came to the fore in the interbreed heifer championship with Littlebridge Goldchip Honey taking the winning title. Mr Els praised her for her “tremendous frame”.

The Mr Chassity Gold Chip daughter from JL Miles and Sons, Northallerton, is out of Littlebridge Shottle Honey 2.

The December 2014 born heifer, currently in calf, took the interbreed heifer title at the Great Yorkshire Show earlier this year.

Reserve champion

Standing reserve was the red and white Eastford Atomium Kiwi Red from Brian Yates and Son, Kirkcudbrightshire.

The reserve champion was sired by Gen-I-Beq Atomium Red and out of Coton-End Secure Kiwi Red.

Dairy Shorthorn Senior Championship

Champion

Taking the red ticket from the Dairy Shorthorn ring was the 2014-born Shaunlea Geri 6th ET VG 88 from Shaun Dixon and Grace Holiday.

The homebred junior cow, by Hylite Barbwire-Red and out of Shaunlea Geri who gave 11,000 litres in her fifth lactation, won heifer champion at Dairy Expo in March this year and was unbeaten as a calf at all the calf shows.

She has been calved three weeks and is currently giving 58 litres/day.

Judge Ian Collins from Huddersfield praised her “capacity and strength throughout”, deciding she just had the advantage in the class, not least because she was “full in that udder”.

Reserve champion

Mr Collins said the reserve breed champion is “a tremendous young dairy cow, very feminine” and awarded that title to Cotonhall Pingerley Clarissa from Rob Kite, Staffordshire.

The home-bred freshly calved cow is giving 44 litres at 3.95% butterfat and 3.59% protein in her second lactation and is not three years old until the end of October.

Sired by Treeton Pingerley, she previously won the All Britain Calf Show in 2015 and her dam, Cotonhall Clarissa, was part of the Kite family’s elite show team.

Jersey Senior Championship

Champion

Breed champion in the Jersey ring was awarded to Bluegrass Vindications Harp, owned by the Fleming family, CJ Henning and K Agnew and shown by Lindsay Fleming from County Down, Northern Ireland.

She was bought as a heifer at the UK Dairy Day sale three years ago for 11,000gns, a breed record. She had her third calf in February and is currently giving 40 litres a day at Brian and Michael Yates’s farm.

She is sired by Vindication CJCC, through AI, and her dam is Bluegrass Barbers Harpist ET, who won breed champion at Dairy Expo and the Royal Highland Show this year and last.

Reserve champion

Tregibby Tequila Panama EX 93 was tapped as the reserve champion, exhibited by the Wilson family from Cardigan, West Wales.

Having had her fourth calf five weeks ago, she is currently producing 38 litres/day at 5.5% butterfat and 3.8% protein.

The senior cow, by Tower Vue Prime Tequila ET, and out of the homebred Tregibby Comerica Panama, won breed champion at last year’s Welsh Dairy Show and will go on to the 2017 South West Dairy show and Welsh Dairy shows.

Her full sister won breed champion and this year’s Royal Welsh Show and reserve interbreed champion.

Brown Swiss Senior Championship

Champion

Old Mill Wonderment Sunset ET won prize position in the Brown Swiss breed championship, praised by judge Glyn Lucas for the quality of her udder and beautiful extense in her neck.

The 2011-born cow was bought from the Swiss National Sale as a calf by owner Jonny Lochhead, who has 150 milkers, all Brown Swiss, apart from one Holstein.

Out of Old Mill Snickerdoodle and sired by Top Acres C Wonderment ET, she had her third calf in February and is giving 35 litres/day at 4.0% butterfat and 3.8% protein.

It’s the last milking show of the year for Mr Lochhead, but Sunset will be off to Dairy Expo in the spring.

Reserve champion

In reserve place was Elite Blooming Mair, by Scherma Glenn Blooming ET and out of Quarry Broker Mair, exhibited by Mark and Sian Williams, Carmarthenshire.

The home-bred second calver last calved in June and is giving 65 litres a day of 5.04% butterfat and 3.28% protein.

Her dam was bought privately from A&C Davies, Carmarthenshire.

Guernsey Senior Championship

Champion

The leading lady in the Guernsey senior championship was Blacknor Cracker Iceberg Diana, shown by Emma Greenslade of M and C Greenslade, Cullompton, Devon.

The 2011-born cow was given to Miss Greenslade as a thank-you present for working for him, by Ian Crouch of Chettle, Dorset. She is sired by Greensfield Stinky Iceberg and out of Blacknor Cracker Aaron Diana.

After giving birth to twins five weeks ago, she is currently yielding 40 litres/day for the Greenslade family, who milk 100 cows.

She has taken the title of breed champion before, winning at Honiton Show, and last year she was reserve breed champion at the livestock event.

Her next stops will be the South West and Welsh Dairy shows.

Reserve champion

In reserve place was Blacknor Cracker Weston Duchess, owned by 15-year-old exhibitor Abi Marshall.

One of six Guernseys owned by Miss Marshall, Weston Duchess was bought by private sale from Ian Crouch, and is kept at the Marshall’s farm where they are milking 70 Ayrshire, Holstein and British Friesian cows.

She had her third calf on 23 July and is yielding 35.5kg/day.

It was Miss Marshall’s first time showing at UK Dairy Day, having won breed champion at Okehampton earlier this year, and she plans to show at the South West Dairy Show and All Breed All Britain Calf Show later this year.

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Ayrshire Senior Championship

Champion

This year’s UK Dairy Day was the National Show for the Ayrshire breed, judged by Edmund Els.

Top prize went to Swaites Bright Spark 5, bred and owned by J Adamson and Son, Lanark, who was also named interbreed reserve champion (see above).

Reserve champion

Reserve champion went to a cow from the same breeder, Swaites Dainty 11.

Out of Swaites Dainty 6, by Nexus Dreamer, the cow has had three calves and in her second lactation produced 8,702kg at 4.54% butterfat and 3.16% protein.

Holstein Senior Championship

Champion

Again, it was the National Show for the Holstein breed this year and the breed champion rosette went to Illens Atwood Australia from Blythbridge Holsteins of Peeblesshire and shown by Colin Laird.

The Holstein champion went on to win interbreed champion of the show (see above).

Judge Brian Miller praised the champion for her fabulous udder “absolutely stitched on” and being “so well balanced and dairy”.

Reserve champion

The reserve champion title went to Icow Huddlesford Rosann 899, owned by Andrew Cope from Lichfield and Isaac Lancaster from Skipton who co-own eight cows.

Bought from Germany by private sale, the third calver is by Regancrest-GV S Bradnick and out of Romy. She is giving 55kg/day at the moment, since last calving at the beginning of May. In her last lactation, she gave 11,000 litres at 3.27% protein and 3.9% butterfat.

She has lived at both owners’ farms and this is her first show since taking the supreme champion title at the Staffordshire County Show earlier this year.