New record set as show returns
Event shows off area’s prowess in agriculture
FARMING: Ryedale Show followed up its bumper 150th instalment with another successful showcase of the area’s proud agricultural prowess as a new record was set in its thriving livestock section.
The annual countryside celebration returned to Kirkbymoorside yesterday.
RYEDALE SHOW followed up its bumper 150th instalment with another successful showcase of the area’s proud agricultural prowess as a new record was set in its thriving livestock section.
The annual countryside celebration returned to Welburn Park in Kirkbymoorside yesterday and followed up last year’s record attendance with a further satisfying feat, attracting an alltime high of 1,154 sheep entries across 27 classes.
Show organisers even had to limit each sheep exhibitor to two entries per class to cope with demand, while cattle numbers also came close to recording new heights, with a healthy 228 entries.
Christine Thompson, the show’s secretary, said: “It’s got to the point with livestock entries that we have got as many as we can take.
“We are happy being at full capacity and we are very fortunate to be with cattle, trade stands and sheep – to make the show any bigger would dilute it.
“Taking any further steps would be a big job. All the volunteers – we have about 100 of them – give as much as they can out of the goodness of their hearts and we can’t ask any more of them, and the show all relies on the generosity of the Shaw family who lend us the land.”
Taking the show’s overall champion sheep title was a pedigree Suffolk gimmer shearling presented by Mark Bulmer from just three miles away at Salton.
“My family has shown here for 70 years and we had never won the interbreed before,” he said.
“There’s some very good sheep been shown so to win is unbelievable.”
The dairy champion was a red Holstein, Manor Haven Barbed Wire Ashlyn, which was being shown for the very first time by Stuart and Sandra Wood and family, who farm 700 acres at Leppington near Malton.
The cow’s mother was imported from the US as an embryo from one of the most famous cows in the world, Tri-Day Ashlyn, which was once known as the global Holstein champion.
Mr Wood said: “We haven’t shown at Ryedale for four or five years and this is the first time she has been anywhere, so we’re delighted.”
Reserve dairy champion was Mermaid 335, an Ayrshire shown by James Waterhouse from York.
Dylan Townend, of Broughton, took the interbreed beef championship with Clifftown Ladyluck, a British Blue heifer that had already recorded overall wins at Malton and Lincolnshire shows.
In reserve was County Durham’s Lucy Corner, 22, with her homebred British Blonde heifer, Lucyland Jellybean, another successful animal on this year’s show circuit having been declared the interbreed champion at Otley, North Yorkshire County, Aldborough and Boroughbridge and Cleveland shows.
Ryedale also sees one champion animal from across the horse, cattle and sheep sections named its Champion of Champions.
It fell to this year’s joint show presidents, Doreen and William Curtis who farm 250 acres at Keldholme, to judge the Coronation Cup, which was first reintroduced to the show after a long absence to mark last year’s 150th event, and they chose Harryman and Warriner’s Limousin, Jimmy – the champion commercial beef beast – as their winner.
Mr and Mrs Curtis, who have long served show organiser the Ryedale and Pickering Lyth Agricultural Society as council member and produce section steward respectively, said the day had been “such fun”.
Mr Curtis’ parents, William and Marjorie, served as joint show presidents in the late 1980s.
Mr Curtis said: “It’s a special occasion to carry on that tradition – we are very proud. We’ve been involved when our children were involved in showing and now our grandchildren show here.”