Archive Article: 1997/08/15
Touring the summer shows is hard work and can mean days on the road in the wagon. But for many farmers its an annual ritual. Why? Because its a lot of fun, and provides a chance to catch up with old friends and the latest farming gossip. Not forgetting, of course, that a string of wins at the most prestigious events can add thousands of pounds to an animals value. With this years show season drawing to a close, FW remembers a cross-section…
Breeders and enthusiasts descended in force on Stoneleigh, Warks, for the four-day Royal Show from June 30. With heavy rain falling in the run-up to the event, umbrellas were an essential accessory. But fears of a washout proved unfounded and the Royal again was the place to be. Those wanting a glimpse of the future called in to the FW stand, where Farmers Weeklys Internet service was launched.
Flat out in the cattle lines at the Royal… Sometimes its a case of grabbing some shut-eye when you can. The animals, it seems, sometimes take a lead from the stockmen. Still, straws comfy enough.
Left: All that walking builds up an appetite – and beefburgers are a popular choice. These youngsters check out one of the catering facilities at the bi-centennial Three Counties Show, staged at Malvern from June 10 to 12.
Its all in the presentation… getting a fleece to look as good as this takes a lot of effort. And theres never any shortage of brushes, buckets or hair-driers in the stock lines. This Scottish Blackface yearling ewe belonging to John Jordan won the interbreed class at The Royal Cornwall in early June. It was a also good day for Peter Old, whose Charolais cow Moynton Fresia took the beef interbreed title for the third year running. Will it be four in a row next year?
One little piggy went to market. These, however, went to the Lincolnshire Show in June. More than 78,000 people went, too.
Above: The end of May – and if you thought a Suffolk sheep might take the supreme title in Suffolk, youd have been wrong…it went to this Charollais shearling ewe from Mary Tulloch.
The sun was shining on Welsh Black cattle at the Royal Welsh last month. The national breed scooped top honours in the beef interbreed pairs class – the first time for 15 years. Smiles on the roads around Builth Wells, too, with no repeat of last years traffic chaos. British Whites made their debut at the event.