RNAS gears up for all-ladies spring special

thainstone: All judges will be women to honour first lady president

It will be ladies day at this year’s Royal Northern Spring Show at Thainstone on Wednesday with an all-female line-up of judges in honour of the show’s first lady president.

And it will be crowned by the presence of the Princess Royal ,who will be making her fifth visit to the show since being appointed patron of Royal Northern Agricultural Society, organisers of the show, in 1995.

Janelle Anderson was elected the society’s first lady president last year. Her full-time job is with the grain marketing and storage co-op Aberdeen Grain at Newmachar, and she also finds time to help on the family farm of Easterton, Old Rayne.

Although honoured to be elected president, it wasn’t her idea to have only lady judges at this year’s show, although she is delighted with the board’s decision.

“It was proposed at a board meeting and everyone thought it would be a good idea,” said Ms Anderson. “It’s a novel approach and we have a terrific line-up of competent ladies to judge the various classes.”

Entries for the livestock classes include 60 exhibition cattle, 55 carcase cattle, 31 pairs of hoggs and 20 groups of three for the breeding sheep class.

Aberdeen and Northern Marts has 100 entries for its spring bull sale, which is held as part of the show.

The society’s secretary and show organiser, Alison Argo, also reports that trade stand space is sold out with 126 stands, including 17 new exhibitors, coming to the show for the first time.

Mrs Argo said: “Our trade stand exhibitors always say the spring show is an event where they do business and they can be assured of a large attendance of farmers keen to see what’s on offer.”

It is expected the show of exhibition cattle, to be judged by Lin Pidsley, who is travelling from Devon to officiate, will see around 70 cattle paraded, while the show and sale of bulls, to be judged by Caithness-born Tracey Gunn, who with husband Dave manages the well-known Balthayock Charolais herd, near Perth, has attracted more than 100 entries.

Judging will start with the bulls at 8am, followed by the sale at noon, while the exhibition cattle will start judging at 11am, followed by the sale at 2.30pm.

Judges: Cattle and Sheep

Exhibition cattle – Lin Pidsley, Upton Ley, Payhembury, Devon.

Carcase cattle – Aileen Ingram, East Comalegy, Drumblade, Huntly.

Pedigree cattle – Tracey Nicol, Balthayock Home Farm, Perth.

Prime hoggs – Susan Dykes, South Slipperfield, West Linton, Peebles.

Breeding sheep – Joanna Gall, Newton Cottage, Kininmonth, Mintlaw.

Beef and lamb carcases – Katrina Farquhar, Kirkstile, Logie Coldstone. Horses and Ponies

Clydesdale – Charlotte Young, Hall Farm, Ayr.

Shetland and Miniature Shetland – Sue Pye, Tillychetly Cottage, Alford.

Highland and Mountain and Moorland – Audrey Barron, West Newton, Arbroath. Stockjudging – Wendy Hunter, West Cairnhill, Culsalmond. Carcase – Katrina Farquhar. Decorative box of produce – Mhairi Dawson. Industrial display – Gillian Robertson, Dunbyan, Berefold, Ellon.

Picture: Ron Stephen. John Anderson, of Drummygar Mains, Carmyllie, near Arbroath, was a winner at last year’s Royal Northern Spring Show at Thainstone with his champion Clydesdale Hercules’ First Lady.