The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
To continue dad’s legacy
However, when a really good heifer comes along, they both get all the more excited.
As a result, it was the family’s most recent Highland win, with Panmure 1 Blessing G6, in 2014, that carries the most significance and meaning.
“That was the first occasion that we lifted the breed title with one of our home-bred Panmure females,” said Audrey.
“It was an incredibly nostalgic feeling.”
The four-and-a-half-year-old cow, sired by Romany 1 Distiller, which was shown with her twin November-born calves at foot, also progressed to stand champion at the Hereford breed’s Scottish National Show, staged at Kelso, later that same year.
“We always have a lot of fun at the show and we’ve met a lot of friends there over the years.
“Winning is the icing on the cake, but we’d never miss showing at Ingliston even if we don’t feel we have the strongest of teams,” said Audrey.
At last year’s Royal Highland, Audrey and Abbie achieved an impressive haul of tickets across both the Hereford and Charolais show rings.
Panmure 1 Plum L7 stood reserve breed champion, best female and, when joined by Panmure 1 Plum L8, lifted the best pair trophy, while Panmure 1 Mumford won rosettes as the reserve bull champion, best junior bull and best overall junior.
Meanwhile, in the Charolais section, Abbie topped the two-year-old class and went on to win reserve junior female with her own heifer Edenhurst Joujou.
Although JM Cant and Partners have had Charolais under the Panmure prefix since the 1990s and have shown them at the Highland since 2011, it is only Audrey and Abbie’s Hereford show team that will make the trip to Ingliston this year.
They have a six-strong squad entered to contest the event, adjudicated by Alistair Smith, from Nottinghamshire, who is the stockman for the Livesey Brothers’ Normanton herd.
Their 2017 hopes will rest upon offspring from the Panmure Plum and Blessing bloodlines.
“We can’t pretend we aren’t competitive when it comes to showing,” said Audrey.
“Everyone likes to win, but the Highland is just as much a holiday and special social occasion with friends and we look forward to it every year.”