Photos: October’s top-performing cattle and sheep

Farmers Weekly’s Livestock Legends series gives farmers a chance to showcase the star-performing animals on their farms – whatever the species or key performance indicator (KPI) used.

Over the past month the livestock desk has been inundated with pictures of long-lived, top-performing stock. Here’s a round-up of some of our favourite Livestock Legends.

This Ayrshire cow was snapped by public relations officer Jonathan Wheeler during a recent visit to a dairy farm.
Dudley Wood Sukie was born in 2002 and is due on 21 October with her 11th calf. She peaked at 8,018kg in her seventh lactation and just dipped below 7,000 litres at her last lactation.

See also: Check out the livestock legends gallery

Beef Shorthorn female Llanarth Christine, pictured with her eighth heifer calf, was purchased by Tim Evans, Staffordshire, two-and-a-half years ago to start up his Rough Close herd.

Christine has already produced two sets of twin heifers in succession and another heifer in August, totalling five offspring in the time she has been on the farm.

In her lifetime she has produced two bull calves, followed by eight heifers in succession from six calvings.

Dairy farmer Angela Rhodes, south Warwickshire, has sent in a picture of her 16-year-old dairy cow, Martha, who was bought from a local dairy sale eight years ago.

Although her owner admits she won’t win any beauty contests, she certainly would be a good contender in any production competition.

To date she has produced just short of 150t of milk and is pregnant with her 12th calf. She is in a herd of 300-plus cows and is in the first row of the parlour every milking, says Ms Rhodes.

“We milk-recorded recently and she was still giving 35 litres at 230 days in milk. Martha has never had a day sick in all the time we have had her, she has never seen the foot trimmer and she has a cell count under 50 cells/ml.”

Emma Dods, 15, Cleasby Hall Farm, County Durham, believes her cow, 1,200, who turns 22 in December, is a livestock legend.

She has produced calves every year, including twins on three occasions. She has been surrogate mum on numerous occasions and recently even took on the rearing of her half-sister’s calf.

Miss Dods says 1,200 is a gentle, trustworthy cow who would stand all day to be itched.

Helen Cole has submitted her prolific pedigree Poll Dorset ewe, 1652, as a livestock legend. Born as a single in November 1988, she has since given birth to five sets of triplets. Ms Cole says:

“She does not look like a show sheep, but she has had 15 lambs to affect her waistline. The picture was taken with two of her lambs born this spring.”

Jacob ewe Knowlton Ngaio has an incredible lambing history, producing 23 lambs from eight crops with three sets of twins, three triplets and two quads.

Nearly all these lambs have been sold for breeding and have gone on to produce many prizes in the show ring, including eight breed championships. Owner Anna Milner, Matterley Drove Farm, Wimborne, Dorset sent in the picture.

Send in your Livestock Legend pictures

At the end of the year, Farmers Weekly’s livestock desk will asking readers to vote for their favourite livestock legend.

So, if you have an animal in your herd or flock that is outstanding in terms of its performance, then get your entry in now. All you have to do is send us a picture of your star-performing animal and a short description to fwlivestock@rbi.co.uk. You can also upload your picture to the Livestock Legend gallery