- Pedigree Limousin Heifer secures Supreme Cattle Championship
- Champion Sells for £6,650
- Heifer Champion
- Steer Champion & Reserve
- Reserve Overall Champion
- Baby Beef Champion
- Baby Steer Champion & Reserve
- Baby Heifer Reserve Champion makes £7,100
Held Monday 2nd to Tuesday 3rd December 2013, the Royal Welsh Winter Fair at Builth Wells presented the Limousin breed with a “full house” of titles, including the show’s Supreme Cattle Championship, the Heifer Championship, Steer Championship and Baby Beef Championship One-Two.
Taking the Overall Championship was the pedigree Limousin heifer, Powerhouse Hella, exhibited by Mr RJ Wright, Bedlands Gate Farm, Bowers Hill, Somerton, Somerset which was brought out by stockman Paul Walker. The Champion then sold in the post-show auction conducted by McCartneys for £6,650 to Dunbia.
For the first time there were two championship judges: Mr Jason Wareham, Little Tottingworth Farm, Broadoak, Heathfield, E Sussex who the previous day had judged the heifers; and Mr Gavin Scott, Gateside Farm, Linlithgow, West Lothian who had taken charge of the steers. With “a super combination of length, shape, top and tremendous sweetness,” the judges selected the March 2012-born Powerhouse Hella bred by Mr & Mrs C Phillips, Weobley, Hereford and purchased by Dickie Wright at the April store sale in Brecon for £2,250 when scaling 360kg at the time. Weighing 566kg here, Hella is sired by the Objat son, Powerhouse Elite, and is out of the dam Powerhouse Ella (by Soleil). She had previously stood second at the Borderway Agri-Expo, first and Champion at Beef South West and third to the Overall Champion at the Scottish Winter Fair. Despite being chased hard by Judge Mr Wareham in the post-show sale, she was eventually knocked down for £6,650 to Dunbia.
A fifth Welsh Winter Fair Reserve Overall title was picked up by Mr BE Williams, Station Court, Sennybridge, Powys with his Steer Champion, Dynamite Dougie, who had been sold for £4,500 by Monzie Farms, Gilmerton, Crieff at Caledonian Marts’ Premier Calf Sale in September where he had stood Supreme Champion. With Neil Lloyd at the halter, this Normande Adventurer son is out of a Limousin-cross female and weighed in at 578kg.
The Reserve Steer Championship went to M & G Sivill, Glanrafon Farm, Waen, St Asaph, Denbighshire with their Limousin-sired bullock, Merlin, who followed Dynamite Dougie right through the classes. Weighing in at 566kg, he is a March 2012-born son of Chytodden Conan and is out of a Limousin dam. He had stood second at the Borderway Agri-Expo. Here, he also took home the Perpetual Trophy as the RWAS Winter Fair Exhibitor Bred Champion.
The Limousin crossbred heifer section was hotly contested as ever with three classes in total. The March 2012-born Sexy N I Know It from P&S Sellers, Thorpe Tilney, Lincs came through first. Baby Beef Champion at the 2012 English Winter Fair, this pure but unregistered Limousin is sired by Rossignol and is out of a Liscon cow and scaled 650kg. Following her through the class to take the Reserve Limousin Crossbred Heifer award was Cwtch from A & B Hughes, Ystrad Fawr, Llangwn, Corwen. At this year’s English Winter Fair, the homebred Cwtch (by Cwmlimo Eubank) had stood Reserve Overall Champion.
In the Baby Beef section under Judge Mr Andrew Davies, Pantmaenog, Llanddeusant, Carms, the Limousin-sired steer, Hoover, from Messrs Bowen & Bowen, took the Supreme Champion award. Sired by the stock bull Liscon Bigshow, a Cloughhead Titanic son, the homebred January 2013-born Hoover is a real family affair for Philip, Luke and Paran who run 160 commercial cows and 120 ewes at Penthryn, Brooks, Welshpool. With 14-year-old Paran at the halter, the Champion was described as “an exceptionally good bullock, very correct and very mobile” and weighed in at 424kg. Having come through the senior continental baby steer class, this was his first time shown.
Reserve Baby Beef Champion was the Reserve Baby Steer, Cookie Crumble, from local farmers PJ & TA Jones, Ty Isaf Farm, Erwood. This 330kg bullock is sired by Brutus Cracker, who Philip & Tracey Jones own a half-share in with Dai Brute, Brecon. Again, this was his first show outing.
The day’s top price of £7,100 was, however, reserved for the Reserve Baby Heifer Champion, Bryan & Fiona Jones’ Blackberry, a 327kg exhibitor-bred AI daughter of Glangwden Arnie. New owners are Mr & Mrs MJ Alford, Foxhill Farm, Blackborough, Cullompton, Devon.
