We are the champions

DAIRY

DESCRIBED AS possibly the best dairy cow in the world, Dalesend Storm Maude set the dairy show rings alight again this year for the Wilson family of Treggiby Farm, Cardigan, south Wales.

With Holstein championships leading to interbreed titles at the Royal Show, Royal Welsh and United Counties, she also won the Welsh Dairy Show, topping all other exhibitors by picking up a maximum 40 points in the interbreed ring.

Now in her fifth lactation, she has given 16,288kg with average butterfat and protein percentages of 5.3% and 3.35%, respectively, for owner Hefin Wilson who runs 70 Holsteins and 15 Jerseys.

Maude was bought for 3000gns as a 14-month-old heifer from the first Holstein Genetics sale in Carlisle. With a predicted yield of 18,000kg, she has already given 65t in her lifetime.

SHEEP

The father and daughter team of Derek Daffurn and Jennifer Curtis definitely gave the sheep judges something to look at this year with their Charollais shearling ewe, Diana.

Sired by Bondon Mac MacCurdie and out of a homebred ewe, Diana picked up the three breed and interbreed titles early in the season before taking the breed championship and reserve interbreed at the Royal Show.

PIGS

With just four sows to breed from, Peter and Monica Reader of Limetree Farm, Diss, Norfolk, had yet another successful year in the show ring. Their first outing at Newark and Notts saw them take the Welsh championship and reserve interbreed title with homebred Lopham Dainty Girl 55. Going one better at the Suffolk was Lopham Dainty Girl 53, which went on to take the interbreed title.

And it’s not just the females bringing home the trophies – Lopham Victor 18 took the supreme title at the East of England, with their gilt Lopham Lucky Girl 71 standing a close reserve. Victor went on to take male champion at the Royal Welsh.

BEEF

The Suffolk-based Clements family of Darshams Farms are known for picking up trophies in the Simmental, Charolais and even Aberdeen Angus rings. But this year they will be remembered for one particular member of the show team.

Their four-year-old Simmental cow Darshams Kit Kat, sired by Sterling Flint and out of Revelex Desire 5, was described by the Simmental judge at the Great Yorkshire Show as sheer perfection. She later picked up the interbreed title.

She also took the breed championship at the Royal and breed and reserve interbreed at the Royal Welsh. Paul Clements and his stockman Jimmy McMillen also made a trip north for the Royal Highland, where she stood reserve champion in the Simmental line-up.

COMMERCIAL BEEF

Topping the scales with silverware this year has been Paul Barwood and Anita Padfield’s Limousin cross heifer Posh Pants. The Norfolk pair have had their best show season ever with Posh, who has brought home champion tickets at 10 of the 11 shows where she was exhibited.

Bred by Messrs Scott of Thirwell Castle, Carlisle, she is by a familiar Limousin sire to the commercial show ring, Carnkirk Hilton, and was bought out of Carlisle market as a suckled calf. On her last outing at Edenbridge and Oxted, she weighed a massive 650kg.

Now in calf to Limousin favourite Shatten Pedro, Posh is due to calve in March.