Page 60 - Demo

After a lovely lunch and
refreshments provided the Royle’s I
then headed off back down the M6 in
search of Julia French’s Greatwood
herd, well I thought I had been on
some of the narrowest country roads
on my first day but boy was I wrong,
on the approach to Julia’s the road
had been carved through the rock
and I found myself breathing in as
I navigated through these country
roads! Julia’s cows are very high
purity and are kept as dual purpose,
just a small herd but she still brought
out the goods, a very smart correct
Rantonall Joy 156 maiden heifer and
a white cow Rantonall Strawberry
with power and depth you had to
admire. That was the end of what
turned out to be a very busy day for
me, I was off again heading East to
Leicestershire for my overnight stay.
My last day started with a trip to the
Brookside herd of the Kirk family.
Well, I wasn’t disappointed as I
was presented with a herd of large
powerful deep bodied cows, they
had a run of very nice heifers by
Bushmills Jazz and I’m very sure
the classifier would have a very
good day with the quality there
was in that field. Their youngstock
mostly bred by SSUK bulls were very
uniformed and in fine condition,
this is certainly a herd to look out
for in the future and I wish Edward
and Matthew the best of luck in their
pursuit of a permanent home for the
Brookside herd.
As the temperature rose once again
I journeyed up country through
thousands of acres of lovely golden
straw that made me green with envy,
making my way into the Derbyshire
dales to my final port of call for
the week. The very impressive
Eddlestowe farm is home of the
Amber herd. Arriving around lunch
time Julie had made us a very
enjoyable lunch that we ate sitting in
garden.
James was very busy that day
bringing in the last of the harvest,
so cowman Mick Taylor showed me
around the cows. Mick’s knowledge
of the cows was brilliant as he
rhymed off all their names and sires
and dams and grand dams, I have to
confess I struggled to keep up with
Heifers cooling off at Dunham
him! Lady Annetta 88th caught my
eye as a very impressive modern
blended cow. Amber Granite had
left some very good heifers in the
herd as they were easily picked out
as we walked through. Again, the
cows were feeling the heat of the
day which made it difficult for an
amateur photographer like me to
get pictures that really did them
justice but Amber Favourite Clare
85th stood proud and an absolute
powerhouse as she kept catching
my eye. The young stock bull Amber
Diamond by Churchroyd Pure Class
looked promising in the bull pen.
The in calf heifers some by Pure
Class and some by home bred bulls
were well grown and springing nicely
looking very correct underneath.
I have thoroughly enjoyed judging
this competition, the range and
variation of the herds that I saw
through the week made for a very
challenging task, as I went from
very traditional to very modern,
but the standard of stock was
second to none. My travels have let
me see that the Dairy Shorthorn
has a very promising future as
there is something for everyone
and every system. Great thanks
to the members of the North
Midlands for asking me to take on
this monumental task, a big thank
you to everyone who provided
excellent hospitality and all being
so welcoming and friendly. I have
certainly learned plenty from what I
saw, as we would say back up here in
Cumbria, “it was reet good craic” so
thank you for the privilege.
Thomas Moscrop Thomas Moscrop
Shorthorn
60
In calf heifers at Amber