Garrowby Farms, Bugthorpe, York, stood supreme champions for the second year running at the show-only Northern Limousin Extravaganza (NLE) for 2023-born youngsters making their debut in the exhibition arena on the opening day of CCM Skipton Auction Mart’s annual two-day breed showcase. (Tues, May 7)
They clinched back-to-back titles with a first prize bull and male champion, Garrowby Umbongo, an April-born son of Grahams Rooney, bred in Stirling by Robert Graham and a 28,000gns acquisition in 2021. He also bred the 22,000gns ‘Red Ladies’ top price last December, with his first two sons averaging 11,000gns.
Garrowby Farms also took the reserve female championship with a May-born heifer, Garrowby Ubeauty, again by Grahams Rooney, also the sire of their NLE 2023 victor. The dams of both hail from North Craven breeder Ian Handley’s Gunnerfleet herd, Chapel-le-Dale.
Welsh show judge Llyr Hughes, Pabo herd, Anglesey – he also officiated at the following day’s main Limousin show and sale – awarded the female championship, then overall reserve to James and Sarah Cooper, Tomschoice herd, Dacre, with Tomschoice Ultraviolet, who is among the first crop of calves to Fieldson Ramos, acquired at 5,000gns in 2022 from Lincolnshire breeder Michael Fieldson. The female victor is due to return to the exhibition arena at Otley Show this month, followed potentially by a tilt at the Great Yorkshire in Harrogate.
The Coopers also stood reserve male champion with a February-born bull, Tomschoice Undercover, again by Fieldson Ramos. The two Tomschoice frontrunners are three quarters-related, both being out of dams by the prolific Mereside Leo.
The commercial show classes were again dominated by Settle mother and daughter, June Dowie and Jennifer Hyslop, who, like the previous year, took both the section championship and overall reserve.
Their 2024 victor was an all-black Limousin-sired bullock called Rock On Tommy, a son of the renowned Hunters Hall Nutcracker, bred in Cumbria by Stephen Nixon and also responsible for the family’s commercial heifer champion last year, as well as siring another that went on to stand fed and beef champion at the English Winter Fair.
The commercial champion is also destined for the Great Yorkshire Show, before likely returning to Skipton for the annual Christmas primestock highlight at the beginning of December. Reserve commercial champion for the Dowie-Hyslop partnership was a heifer, Rock on Ruby, by the same sire.
The pairs show class was won for the first time by a brace of February, 2023, heifers from Willie Barron, Barrons herd, Burnhope, Northern Limousin Extravaganza supreme champion in both 2019 and 2022. They were Barrons Uno, by Barrons Major, who had a successful show career, and the Kinniside Novel daughter, Barrons Ultraqueen.
This year’s NLE, like the main breed show and sale again supported by the North East Limousin Breeders Club, was sponsored by Skipton NFU Mutual, WBW Chartered Surveyors, Yorkshire Agricultural Society, PV Dobson, I’Anson and Thornton 4×4 Breakers.
Photos by Adrian Legge Photography
