Mighty Mouse ends reign supreme at th
ADREAM came true for two generations of a Breconshire farming family when their Limousin-sired heifer lifted the supreme beef trophy at the Royal Welsh Winter Fair at Llanelwedd.
The sash went to March 2016-born Mouse from Phil Price, who runs a 60-cow suckler herd on a Powys County Council smallholding at Glasbury-on-Wye.
Reserve overall was a choice between two from Somerset thatcher Richard Wright, with his heifer Ice Babe getting the nod over his champion steer Wee Jimmy.
Flying the flag for the host country was the ever-reliable Tecwyn Jones, Llanrwst, who took the Baby Beef championship.
For Phil Price and partner Julie Rogers, the result was the culmination of almost three decades of showing in Builth Wells. Poignantly, his father Bernard, who farms in Hay-onWye, was suffering from flu and was not at the showground to savour the family’s win.
“I can’t believe it, to be honest,” said Phil. “We’ve only ever twice missed the Welsh Winter Fair and have come close before, winning reserve supreme with the champion steer. Now we’ve finally done it.”
Phil raised his arm in salute as the beef ring crowd cheered the verdict for Mouse, named after youngest daughter Maisie.
Out of a Ruthin Show Potentials Limousin X heifer, she is by Limousin stock bull Bringewood Glen, bought in Brecon.
As she had been bred by Bernard, Mouse lost out on the Exhibitor-bred title, which passed instead to Richard Wright’s 18-month-old Ice Babe, reserve heifer overall.
She was AI bred from Limousin bull Bailea Spunky owned by Brecon’s Brian Jones, who also bred the dam, a British Blue X Limousin.
Richard, whose family have thatched Somerset’s roofs since 1781, runs a “hobby” 10-cow herd at Bowers Hill. He had high hopes for his Welsh-bred bullock Wee Jimmy, a 16-month-old British Blue X Limousin, who duly secured the leading steer sash before losing out to Ice Babe in the supreme.
The 628kg champion later fetched £5,100 when bought by North Yorkshire butcher Anthony Kitson. The reserve was knocked down for £3,900 to Websters of Rhyl.
Tecwyn Jones, of Ty Newydd, Nebo, watched the showdown from ringside, having already secured the Baby Beef title with a homebred heifer. Already a baby beef winner at Agri Expo, Carlisle, Little Mix had also triumphed at Anglesey Show in August. By Limousin sire Powerhouse Elite – who has previously sired three Welsh Winter Fair supreme champions – she was out of Limousin heifer Black Beauty, Tecwyn’s own Royal Welsh winner from 2011.
Reserve Baby Beef heifer was Twinkle Toes, an April 2017-born Limousin-sired entry bred and shown by Owen Wyn Williams, Llanfwrog, Holyhead.
Winning the pedigree Welsh Black title was a steer shown by Emyr Owen from Owen Brothers, Bronferiaeth, Glan Conwy. The 24-month-old steer, bred by MP & M Williams, was later selected for the Butcher’s Choice championships, eventually won by Hubbabuba, a 13-month-old Limousin x heifer from Deniol Hughes, of Plas Newydd, Llanbabo.
Hubbabuba, YFC champion at