Rank outsider takes top honours in Welsh Dairy Show interbreed honours

Poor farmgate milk prices, rising production costs and bovine TB were forgotten for a few hours of keen competition for Welsh Dairy Show interbreed honours.

As torrential rain hammered down, five breed champions vied to succeed the Wilson family’s outstanding Dalesend Storm Maud as the Carmarthen event’s top cow.

Many ringsiders tipped the outstanding Jersey champion Osberton Genevive 21 to win, while Holstein supporters fancied the chances of Mike Owen’s breed champion Radley Green Jed Reward, which was prepared for the show ring by the previous champion’s owners.

But when the panel points were totalled Haresfood Betty, Geraint Thomas’s Ayrshire second calver scored 39 out of 40 points. Bought 18 months ago for the 17 head Gwynnog herd at Llanelli. Betty produced 7500 litres as a heifer. This year she stood interbreed champion at Pembroke Show and is on target to yield 9000 litres at 4.5% fat and 3.4% protein.

Blaise Tomlinson from Rochdale, who judged special classes, had to be called in when the Jersey and Holstein champions scored identical marks. He decided to make the Morgan family’s four-year-old Jersey the event’s reserve interbreed champion.

Mike Owens had to be content that Jed Reward had given him his first Holstein championship. She was bought for £1900 less than two years ago and, because he was busy running 50 pedigree cattle single handed on his own farm at Tregaron, handed her over to Hefin Wilson to run with the Tregibby herd at Cardigan.