Excellent Livestock Expected at Top Farming Event
Photo: shows the Cattle Supreme Champion – Nifty Jake an 18 month old Limousin cross steer owned by Derek Winney of Hereford.
Entries for the cattle and sheep sections at the 2004 Countryside Live Food and Farming Fair are gathering pace as preparations for the Yorkshire Agricultural Society's autumn event step up a gear. The Fair takes place on Saturday 30 and Sunday 31 October at the Great Yorkshire Showground, Harrogate and is the sister event to the well known annual farming showcase, the Great Yorkshire Show.
Honorary Show Director Christopher Hall said: "The livestock classes are a key element of Countryside Live and with the enthusiastic response following last year's inaugural event, we are expecting a superb array of quality stock to come before the judges."
Classes will be judged on Saturday with the Baby Beef section and the Championships taking place the following day. Competitors will have their eye on the Northern Livestock Society's Trophy for the Supreme Champion Beast, which also brings a cheque for £500 whilst in the sheep, there are trophies for the Supreme Champion Pen of Butchers Lambs, Native Lambs and the Best Single Butchers' Lamb. A total of £6,735 in prize money is available across the livestock section.
John Laking of Louth, Lincolnshire will judge both the live beef and baby beef sections, Brian MacTaggart who farms at Castle Douglas has charge of the live sheep classes and Richard Machin of Brandsby, North Yorkshire judges the live/dead sheep section.
Standards are expected to be high - Ian Anderson, the renowned Ayr cattle breeder who judged at the 2003 event said afterwards "The cattle in front of me were the best animals I have ever judged." Entries close on Friday 5 October.
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Also on the timetable is The Royal Smithfield Club's Regional Beef Ribs Competition with the producers of the 1st and 2nd prize winners in the heifer and steer classes qualifying for the national final at Smithfield in December. The competition was a huge success last year, prompting enthusiastic support from the organisers.
Geoff Burgess, Chief Executive and Secretary of The Royal Smithfield Club said: "It was the success of the 2003 Countryside Live event that led to this year's competitions being staged at five regional centres. We are very pleased to be working with the Yorkshire Agricultural Society again for the event."
He added: "It is a great opportunity for top producers to show the real quality of British meat in a national competition."
In addition Young Farmers Club members from around the region will hold judging competitions for beef cattle, commercial lamb, pig and lamb carcases and for the first time there will be a championship poultry show held on the Sunday run in conjunction with The Yorkshire Poultry Club. There has already been strong interest from poultry owners.
Adding to the interest will be country skills such as cheese making, dry stone walling and barrel making whilst the importance of regional produce will be highlighted through cookery demonstrations when top chefs will be hard at work as well as the winners of The Great Yorkshire Cookery Competition who will create their prize winning dishes. Around the show will be dozens of stands selling regional fare, gifts and equipment, vintage and modern farm machinery and a Children's Activity Zone.
Gates open at 9.30am each day and tickets cost £7 on the gate (£6 concessions) and £5 for children aged 5 – 18 years. A family ticket for two adults and three children costs £18. There are savings by booking in advance – call 01423 541000 or check out the web site www.countrysidelive.co.uk for further details.
