The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Well-known sheep breeding family celebrate big success
A well-known family of sheep breeders from the north-east were celebrating after winning the prestigious sheep interbreed championship title at the Royal Highland Show in Edinburgh.
The Ingram family – Willie and Carole and children Gregor, Bruce and Amy – run 2,200 ewes of different breeds at Logie Durno Farm, near Pitcaple, Inverurie.
The family are no strangers to success, having won several top industry awards in the past. They are also famed for holding an on-farm tup sale every year.
Their Highland success came with a home-bred two-crop Charollais ewe – the family enjoyed huge success in the Charollais section winning the majority of the classes at the show.
The champion ewe is by Riverdale Noble and out of a Southam ewe bought for 1,800gn. The family has lifted the top title once before with a Charollais in 2009.
Bruce, who was showing the ewe in the interbreed section, said: “I’m really pleased – it was a really strong show of sheep.”
Judge Willie Sanderson, of Blackshiels, Pathhead, Midlothian, said of his champion: “She was the most correct sheep in the whole yard. There was a great show of sheep, as you would expect at the Royal Highland Show.”
He awarded the reserve overall sheep interbreed title to the Bluefaced Leicester Traditional champion from the McClymont family at Kirkstead, Yarrow.
The two-shear ram, which is jointly owned by Philiphaugh Estates, was bought at Kelso last year from John Dykes for £3,200. He is by a Red Cottage tup and was on his first show outing.
The judge described him as a “massive big sheep with tremendous character about him”.
Meanwhile, two crossing-type Bluefaced Leicesters took the top award in the show’s tightly-fought sheep pairs competition.
The judge, John Dykes from South Slipperfield, West Linton chose the breed’s reserve male champion – £15,000 Midlock Nightrider – which is shared by Jamie Pirie and Andrew Campbell, Blarnavaid Farm, Drymen and the breed champion, a twocrop ewe from Gary Thornborrow and Sons, Easter Dawyck, Stobo.
Hard on their heels was the South Country Cheviot pair.
These were both from Billy Common and his sons Murray and Innes from Crossdykes Farm, Lockerbie and comprised the breed champion, Maneside Viscount, a four-shear ram, and the breed reserve, a home-bred gimmer by Crossdykes Major.
Mr Dykes said the two breeds had presented the best-matched pairs and the final result was extremely close run.
“The Bluefaced Leicester tup was a powerful animal and the female matched up well,” he said.
“The Cheviots were also well matched and a tremendous pair of sheep.”
Mr Dykes also said he was impressed that the sheep were still looking so alert on the fourth day of the show.
“The Cheviots were also well matched and a tremendous pair of sheep”