It was a memorable opening to the winter primestock show season for Limousin exhibitors at this weekend’s Countryside Live held 19th-20th October in Harrogate, with a well-travelled Limousin-cross heifer from Gloucestershire-based Andrew & Becky Bishop taking the Supreme Championship.
The Bishops’ show leader was Queen Bee, a November 2011-born heifer by Raffertys Buster which tipped the scales at 594kg. Bred by noted show calf producer Wendy Morgan, Llangadog, Carmarthenshire, this heifer had originally been bought privately by Phil & Sharon Sellers, Lincs but was acquired by the Bishop Family earlier this year.
Since being in the Bishops’ possession, she has picked up championships at Newbury and Moreton-in-Marsh and now heads for Agri Expo, the Royal Welsh Winter Fair and the South West Winter Fair.
Led by Sally Lloyd, Queen Bee was described by judge David Wright, Boston as being an outstanding butchers’ animal. “She carries meat in all the right places and is very evenly fleshed across her body. She also has an excellent cover on her which will lead to superb flavour and succulence. She stood out today as the ultimate beast.”
Queen Bee had earlier picked up the Overall Heifer Championship and Overall Limousin breed championship at the event.
And not to be outdone, Jim & Heather Marks’ Limousin-cross steer walked away with the Countryside Live Bullock Championship under Mr Wright. This steer, Django, is a son of the leading AI sire Fieldson Alfy, is out of a Limousin-cross dam and weighed 588kg on show day. He had previously been second in his class at the Great Yorkshire as well as being Champion at Stanhope.
Taking the Reserve Limousin Heifer Championship was a heifer from Phil & Sharon Sellers, Lincolnshire. This one, Sexy N I Know It, is a March 2012-born heifer sired by the French sire and noted show calf producer Rossignol and was bred by the Richardson Family, Ghyll House. Weighing 644kg, this one had stood second in her class to the Overall Champion and was Baby Beef Champion at last year’s English Winter Fair.
Reserve honours in the Limousin steer section went to Philip & Beverley Robson, Consett, Co Durham with their bullock Will I Am. This October 2012-born steer is by Glangwden Downtown and is out of a Galloway-cross dam. Bred by the Waugh Family at Kilnstown, Castle Douglas, he weighed 460kg and had been bought privately.
Jonathan Timm also kept the flag flying for the breed when he picked up the reserve award for the best beast bred and fed in Yorkshire. Mr Timms’ winner was the Limousin-cross Black Knight, a 694kg bullock.
In the Baby Beef classes it was the turn of Julie Sedgewick & Neil Slack to represent the Limousin breed, collecting the Reserve Baby Beef Championship with their February-born steer calf Twentypound Luck.
Also bred by the Richardson Family at Ghyll House, this bullock was bought privately at the end of the summer and is again sired by Rossignol. He was on his first outing and is out of a Limousin-cross heifer which was formerly a show heifer for the Sedgewick & Slack Team. Weighing 380kg, he now heads for Agri Expo, the English Winter Fair, Scottish Winter Fair and East of England Smithfield Festival.
