Shows & Sales

THE Collins family from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, made history this week when they became the first in the world to breed a dam and daughter which both achieved maximum points in their Type evaluation.

A new record of 1,700 for a Dalesbred female was set at the Dalesbred Sheep Breeders’ Association show and sale held at Bentham for a two-shear ewe, shown by Colin and Alan Price, Longlands.

Heifers led the way at Leyburn’s spring spectacular with Garrowby Farms, Bugthorpe, taking home the championship, under judge Elizabeth Vance, Newton Stewart, with a Limousin heifer.

Blackface females were in demand at the breed’s Farmers Guardian-supported show and sale of in-lamb ewes and gimmers at Lanark.

There has been a recent shift in silage making practice as more dairy farmers put greater reliance on home-grown forage. Farmers Guardian takes a look at how best to make sure a multi-cut approach stacks up.

It was a day of double celebrations for Richard and Sammy Lloyd, who trade as David John Lloyd and Co, at Ruthin’s sale of show potential calves.

Good ventilation is vital for the health and well-being of housed livestock and one inexpensive way of measuring air quality and movement in buildings is by using smoke. Hannah Noble reports.

The world record price for a working sheep dog at an official sale was smashed today at Skipton when Emma Gray, hit 18,000gns with her black and white bitch, Megan.

Grazing autumn-calved cows comes with a host of different challenges to those associated with spring-calving herds and demands a different approach. Hannah Noble reports.

Irthingelt Dairy Shorthorns added the breed championship at last year’s Dairy Expo to a respectable line-up of showring titles to date, but they make up only one arm of the farming business.