Farming Eye

The pedigree sheep lines saw a roaring trade with prices reaching a Thainstone centre record of 3500gns for a Texel gimmer from James Innes of J C Innes and Sons, Dunscroft.

Strathbogie's 3500gns gimmer

His gimmer was by the 29,000gn Millar’s Outstanding and in-lamb to the £40,000 Scholars Twenty Twelve. She was bought by Robbie Wilson, North Dorlaithers, Turriff.

The Texel champion came from Robbie Wilson with a gimmer by the 40,000gn Glenside Razzle Dazzle and in lamb to the 60,000gn Teiglum Tornado. It sold for 3000gns to S Michie, Artlaw Crescent, Mintlaw.

Top price in the pedigree Suffolk females was 3000gns for a ewe lamb from Robbie Scott, Ashvale Cottage, Drums of Park, Cornhill, which was sold to Jimmy Douglas, Woodhead of Cairness, Fraserburgh.

Drumpark's 3000gns ewe lamb

The Suffolk champion was a gimmer from Robbie Wilson, which made 1200gns to A J and A Benzie, Meikle Whiterashes, Turriff.

The Charollais champion was a ewe from W and C Ingram, Logie Durno Farm, Pitcaple, Inverurie, which sold for 380gns to A Johnstone and Son, Tannachie, Stonehaven.

Overall pedigree bull champion was an 18-month-old Limousin Anside Goliah from Mr and Mrs Stephen Irvine, Braehead Farm, Drummuir, Keith, which sold for 4800gns to P A and P Duncan, Northfield, Gamrie, Banff.

Anside Goliah

Another 4800gns bid secured the 21-month-old Charolais entry, Elgin Gerald, from R.A. Milne, Kennieshillock, Llanbryde, Elgin, for G W Arnott and Sons, Bridgend, Tyrie, Fraserburgh.

Charolais champion was the 22-month-old Harestone Gemeau from Neil Barclay, Harestone, Crathes, Banchory, which sold for 4800gns to J Boyne, Whinnyhaugh, Garmouth,Moray.

Harestone Gameau

The Simmental champion was the 22-month-old Drumsleed Cougar from Gerald and Morag Smith, Drumsleed, Fordoun, Laurencekirk, which sold for 4000gns to W Laing, Lyne of Linton, Sauchen, Inverurie.

Drumsleed Cougar

Champion any other breeds went to the British Blue bull Woodview Franklin from the Barclays, Harestone.  He is by Black n Blue Diesel and out of Woodview Cari.  He was sold for 3400gns to Messrs McLaren, Muirhouses, Kirriemuir.

Woodview Franklin

by Jonathan Long

The championship in the prime sheep category at the Christmas Classic went to Rory Gregor, Oakfield, Thainstone, Inverurie, with a pair of Charollais cross lambs weighing 44kg each and selling for £250 each to the judge Haig Murray, Dunbia.

Sheep Champions

Reserve champion was D and J Thomson, Pitnacree, Strathtay, Pitlochry, with a pair of Beltex cross lambs weighing 44kg each and selling for £220 each to the same buyer.

Reserve Sheep

The best butchers’ lambs title went to Helen Smith, Scobshaugh, Cortachy, Kirriemuir, with a pair of Beltex cross lambs weighing 49kgs each and selling for £200 each to A P Jess, Paisley.

Butchers Champion Lambs

Reserve butchers’ lambs went to Rory Gregor with a pair of Texel cross lambs weighing 43kg each and selling for £180 each to Hugh Gordon, Clochnahill, Stonehaven.

The Young Farmers’ sheep champion was S Chapman, Rowanbrae, Forglen, Turriff, with a pair of Beltex cross lambs weighing 43kg each and selling for £150 each to John Scott Meats, Paisley.

by Jonathan Long

Father and son James and Mark Munro took the supreme championship at this year’s Aberdeen Christmas Classic at the Thainstone Centre, Inverurie today.

The pair, of Invercharron Farm, Ardgay, Sutherland, won the title and the best heifer championship with the 19-month-old Limousin cross heifer Thunder Thighs to cap a highly successful day for them.

Thunder Thighs

They also took the best steer title with the 18-month-old Limousin cross Bo Selecta, although it then narrowly lost out to the overall supreme reserve championship to the reserve best heifer, a 15-month-old Limousin cross, S Factor, from Blair Duffton, Bogie Street, Huntly.

Bo Selecta

The supreme champion was bred by Dunmaglass Estate and bought by the Munros at Dingwall for £550. It won the supreme title at this year’s Sutherland show.  It weighed in at 722kgs and sold for £2000 to champion butcher John Davidson, Inverurie.

The Munro’s steer champion weighed in at 766kgs and sold for £1874.25 (£2.45 p kg) to D & V Buchan, Savoch, Longside, Peterhead.

Some Prize Winners

The supreme reserve champion from Blair Duffton had been bred by Andrew Anderson of Smallburn Farms, Duffus, Elgin. It weighed in at 580kgs and sold for £2000 to John Scott Meats, Sandyford Road, Paisley.

S Factor

Blair Duffton also won the butchers’ champion with a 20-month-old Limousin cross heifer Louby Lou, which had been bred by George and David MacArthur, Mid Fleenas, Nairn. It weighed 580kgs and sold for £2000 to Aberdeen butcher Andrew Gordon via the i-bidder.com on-line auction system.

Louby Lou

The reserve butchers’ champion was a 19-month-old 632kgs home bred Limousin cross steer from Harry Brown junior, Auchmaliddie Mains, Maud, Peterhead, which sold for £1700 to John Scott Meats.

The Young Farmers’ champion went to 25-year-old Murray Rainnie, Loanhead, Logie Coldstone, Aboyne, with the homebred 21-month-old 606kgs Limousin cross heifer Va Va Voom, which sold for £2000 to Bruce of the Broch Butchers, Broad Street, Fraserburgh.

Va Va Voom

Young Farmers’ reserve went to Reece and Lucy Simmers, Backmuir, Keith, with Fancy That, a 21-month-old 668kgs Limousin cross heifer which was unsold.

Fancy That

The overall champion in the open unhaltered beef cattle was another success for Blair Duffton with Marma Duke, a 19-month-old 584kgs Limousin cross heifer which sold for £1700 to Aileen Ingram, East Comalegy, Drumblade, Huntly, who was earlier one of the judges of haltered beef classes.

Nine-year-old Craig Buchan, Nether Savoch, Longside, Peterhead, caused a stir by taking the reserve open unhaltered title with Jody, an 18-month-old Limousin cross heifer that sold for £1700 to butcher John Davidson.

The Young Farmers’ unhaltered champion was won for the second year in a row by Catherine Beaton, South Auchmaliddie, Maud, Peterhead, with Tommy, a 23-month-old Limousin cross steer, which sold for £1450 to Angus Cumming of A & E Cumming, Tillydesk, Ellon.

by Jonathan Long

Leading the way in the sheep carcasses were Denny, Stirlingshire-based Andrew and Hilary Morton taking the carcass lamb championship.

The Morton’s winner a homebred Beltex cross lamb out of a Beltex cross dam weighed 46kg alive and killed out as a 26kg E3L carcass. The win continued a rich run of form for the Mortons after their reserve supreme live lamb championship at the Royal Highland Winter Fair earlier in the week.

Standing reserve were Andrew and Becky Bishop with their purebred Beltex carcass which graded E3H. This one weighed 34kg alive and 22kg dead.

In the beef ribs competition the winner was a Limousin cross heifer from S J Hodges, Aylesbury. This one came from a June 2011-born heifer which weighed 416.1kg dead.

Reserve here was Ian Wildgoose, Derbyshire, with another Limousin cross heifer. This came from an April 2011-born heifer.

by Jonathan Long

David and Linda Wadland made it a repeat of last year’s Smithfield win when they took this morning’s overall sheep championship with a pair of 95kg Blue Texel cross lambs from their Daventry-based flock.

Sheep Champions

This pair, which came through from the untrimmed AOB Continental championship, are by a tup bought from Rugby market and the same sire as the Wadlands’ winners last year.

Following this pair through from the Continental championship to reserve overall in the show were Steve and Sara Gibbons’ pair of Beltex lambs by Llwynbrain Napoleon. This trimmed pair of ewe lambs weighed in at 85kg.

Reserve Sheep Champions

The Gibbons’ lambs also took the purebred Continental championship.

Meanwhile lifting top honours in the native lambs was Malcolm Stewart with his pair of Suffolk cross lambs by Sandyknowe Whiteford and out of Beltex cross ewes. These weighed 87kg and stood above a pair of Southdown cross Texels from Messrs Wakeham-Dawson and Harmer. Purebred native champions were a pair of Southdowns from the same home.

Native Sheep Champions

by Jonathan Long

It was doubles all round in the pig lines here at Builth, with the same exhibitors taking championship and reserve honours in the singles and pair competitions.

Taking top spot in the singles competition was a Pietrain gilt from Tomos Wyn Howatson. This one is a homebred entry and tipped the scales at 61.5kg on show day.

Pig Single Champion

Following her in reserve spot was a Welsh gilt from Huw and Ela Roberts, with this one weighing 79kg.

It was the same order in the pairs championship too, with Tomos completing a double with his Pietrain duo, which included the singles champion and the Roberts’ following up with their pair to take reserve overall here too.

by Jonathan Long

The heifer champion and reserve have taken the overall championship and reserve spots here at the Welsh Winter Fair, with the top spot taken by a Limousin sired heifer from Colin Harris and shown by Ann Lewis. This one, Black Mist, was bought out of Brecon in the spring for £3200 and was bred by Dafydd Lewis, the breeder of the supreme lambs from earlier in the day, making it a double celebration for Dafydd.

Black Mist

Black Mist is by Penygelly Bart and had stood reserve overall champion at Brecon when she was bought. She tipped the scales today at 536kg.

Following her along in reserve overal spot was the reserve heifer champion, Elfed Williams’ heifer Blackberry. She was bred by Rob Jones and was purchased at the Winter Fair last year for £4700. She’s by the 16,000gns British Blue sire Gass Cheggers, sale topper in May 2010 and weighed 598kg.

Blackberry

Blackberry

Taking the steer championship was Lewis Cook with another Brecon purchase and another by a Limousin, this time Bordeaux, a 568kg bullock by Rhewllech Eclipse and purchased for £1800 when he stood third in his class at Brecon.

Bordeaux

Reserve steer honours went to Aeron and Berwyn Hughes with their Blonde sired steer Basil Brush. This Ffronedw Brenin Y Ser son was bought by the Hughes family at Llandovery in the spring for £780 and  is out of a Lim x British Blue dam and weighed 592kg. He has previously been reserve crossbred steer champion at the English Winter Fair.

Basil Brush

by Jonathan Long

The Baby Beef championship here at the Royal Welsh Winter Fair has gone to the heifer champion, Phil and Sharon Sellers’ heifer Miss Dior at 413kg. This one was bred by the Morgan family and bought privately in the summer. She is by British Blue bull Bluestone Cracker and is the fourth championship winning calf the Sellers have bought from the Morgan family.

Miss Dior

Following through in reserve was the reserve heifer champion Colin and Wendy Phillips’ Limousin cross Flashey Lassey at 415kg. She is by Soleil and out of a Limousin cross cow which Elfed Williams bought from Ireland two years ago and was a multiple championship winner for him.

Flashey Lassey

Taking the steer championship was Tecwyn Jones with Rambo, a Blue cross calf by Valdes Van de Sluizenwegi which weighed in at 398kg, while reserve was David Brute with Brutus Jackpot, a 320kg entry.

by Jonathan Long

Making it a double celebration for the Beltex breed in Wales just now are Dafydd Lewis and Steve and Sara Gibbons who have dominated the supreme championships in the lamb judging rings.

Making it a first supreme win for Dafydd – having been reserve two years ago – his top spot lambs came through as winners of the butchers’ lamb section and are a pair of Beltex cross lambs weighing 83.5kg by Glantre Nimrod. The champions sold for £1200/head to Farmers Fresh.

Sheep Champs

In reserve supreme spot having won the Continental section were Steve and Sara Gibbons’ Beltex pair weighing 88.5kg. These ones are by Llwynbrain Napoleon. This pair were knocked down at £1220/head to Vion Meats.

Reserve Sheep

by Chrissie Long

The first of the section championships in the sheep section, the hill section, has been awarded to the  Tregaron Welsh Mountain winners from Irwel Jones which weighed in at 81.5kg.

Reserve here was taken by the top placed pair of Welsh Mountain Pedigree lambs from T E and M I Price at 69.5kg.

And in the Continental section the winners were Steve and Sara Gibbons with their Beltex pair weighing 88.5kg, reserve here were John Hall and family with the second prize Beltex pair weighing 94kg.

Then in the crossbred lambs the championship was won by R A George with a pair of Welsh Halfbred lambs weighing 94kg, while reserve went to a pair of suffolk crosses from Messrs Price and Parry tipping the scales at 93kg.

Butchers’ lamb champions were Dafydd Lewis’ Beltex cross lambs weighing 83.5kg, with the Hall family reserve with a 74.3kg brace.

by Jonathan Long