- Pedigree Limousin Heifer secures Supreme Cattle Championship
- Champion Sells for £5,100
- Heifer Champion & Reserve
- Baby Beef Champion & Reserve
- Baby Beef Champion sells for £6,000
For the second year running a pedigree Limousin heifer took the Supreme Championship title at the Royal Welsh Winter Fair held Monday 1st to Tuesday 2nd December 2014 at Builth Wells. Coming through from the pedigree Limousin classes to win the heifer section then overall award was Sarkley Ilomena bred and exhibited by EH Pennie & Sons, Gwern-Yr-Ychain, Montgomery, Powys. Brought out by Chris & Nigel Pennie, she went on to sell in the post-show auction for £5,100 to Judge and butcher Jimmy Mulholland, Midtown Farm, Great Orton, Carlisle of the Liscon Limousin herd who described her as ‘full of meat, thick right through with tremendous hindquarters.’
Born in May 2013, the 622kg Sarkley Ilomena was got by AI and is sired by the Wilodge Vantastic son, Plumtree Fantastic, and is out of Sarkley Vilomena who is by Gunnerfleet Supremisy, a son of Goldies Oswald. On the dam side, she carries Heros bloodlines and also goes back to the 1985-born cow Uplands Arriane who was purchased by the Pennies for 2,700gns at the Haak Dispersal Sale also held at Builth Wells.
Reserve Heifer Champion was the Limousin-cross Annie Power from Bob Kingston, Crown Inn, Nydon Lane, Catcott, Bridgwater, Somerset. Brought out by son Mike, this 558kg female was bred by John Richardson of Ghyll House and was purchased at Penrith in the spring for £3,800. Sired by the Limousin bull Volcano, she is out of the Limousin-cross dam Wishful Thinking who had bred the Welsh Winter Fair Supreme Champion for Phil Sellers in 2009. Previous outings had included a second prize ticket at the Royal Welsh in July and she later went on to sell to Mr Roberts, Anglesey at 365ppkg or £2,037.
Earlier the Limousin breed had secured a Baby Beef Championship One-Two. Champion was Sky Walker from Father-and-son Philip & Luke Bowen, Penthryn, Brooks, Welshpool making it their second consecutive title here. Exhibitor-bred, this 386kg baby steer is once again sired by their stock bull Liscon Bigshow, a Cloughhead Titanic son and later sold for £6,000. The Bowens run a 170-cow suckler herd and this steer had won a second prize at Agri Expo in October. Reserve Overall and Baby Heifer Champion was the Limousin-sired She’s A Peach from local breeders PJ & TA Jones, Tyisaf Farm, Erwood, Builth Wells. Reserve Baby Heifer was Candy Lady from Emily Jones, Coedmore Hall, Cellan, Lampeter with Reserve Steer coming in the form of Pabo Jacob from Llyr Hughes, Fferam Uchaf, Llanddeusant, Caergybi, Anglesey. Only halter-broken on Friday according to Mr Hughes, this bullock is by Hafodlas Dicko, a Bailea Spunkie son.
Back to the ‘main’ sections, Lin Pidsley, Upton Ley Farm, Upton Payhembury, Honiton, Devon emerged as winner from the three hotly-contested Limousin crossbred steer classes. This was the 580kg Willnant Frecracker named in tribute to its breeders TM & EE Williams. Purchased at the Ruthin Show Potentials Sale for £3,350, he is by a French-bred Limousin sire and had stood second at both the English Winter Fair and Beef South West respectively. Reserve Lim steer was Gwylliad Coch from Mr Gwanwyn Rowlands, Tyn Y Fedw, Bethel, Llandderfel, Bala – another bred by Bowen & Bowen. Reserve Limousin heifer, standing behind the aforementioned Annie Power, was Andrew Bishop’s Honeyuckle another who was Limousin sired and out of a Lim x Blue cow being exhibitor-bred at home in Pitfield Farm, Eldersfield, Glocs.
Other class winners were TC Edwards & Son with the crossbred heifer Miss Halfpenny and BE Williams with the pure Limousin steer Gelliwion Ivor. The Best Breed Society Stand award was won by the British Limousin Cattle Society so grateful thanks go to all regional Members and staff who helped make the two-day event run so successfully, especially Dai Brute, Gareth Lee and Catrin Lloyd for putting forward bulls. Winning the Guess The Weight Competition was Lloyd Thomas (1,499kg) with joint second Dyfan James (1,505kg) and Tony McGowen ((1495kg). The correct answer was 1500kg comprising 705kg and 795kg respectively.
