A sunny summer Saturday turned out to be a mixed blessing for Doune and Dunblane Show.
The weather tempted the public to attend in larger than usual numbers, but the downside was that many local farmers were lured to haymaking rather than showing livestock, so entries were down – particularly in the cattle classes.
However, show chairman Neil McAllister, from Kippen, said he was happy with the “buzz” of the event, and while stock were thinner on the ground than in previous years, he praised the quality of the cattle, sheep and horses that were on display.
Interbreed judge, retired farmer Jim Mitchell from Doune, admitted he had a difficult job choosing a show champion of champions from the Limousin, Suffolk, goat, Clydesdale, dairy and Shetland pony champions paraded round the main ring.
Originally a dairy farmer, he was also a breeder of Limousins and Blue Faced Leicesters, and chose as his supreme champion the already heavily crowned beef interbreed winner from Stephanie Dick, Westerton Farm, Stirling.
Her three-year-old heifer, Stephick Mistique, shown with her four-month-old bull calf, Princeton, has been interbreed champion at Stirling, Gargunnock and Drymen this summer.
A close second was the sheep interbreed winner, the Suffolk from Robert Bryce, Chalmerston, Stirling.
His champion was a home-bred one-crop ewe by a Sitlaw tup and out of a Slackadale ewe.
The reserve interbreed beef champion was Queen Bee, another regular champion on this summer’s commercial cattle show circuit, with wins chalked up at Ayr, Drymen, Gargunnock and Stirling.
This 13-month-old Limousin cross British Blue heifer was shown by Stuart and Lynsey Bett from Stirling.
Reserve interbreed sheep was the Beltex gimmer, Morton’s Donna from Andrew Morton, Lochend Farm, Denny who has 60 pedigree Beltex in his flock of 1,400 sheep.
He also won the reserve Beltex championship with Morton’s Diva, by the same sire.
A strong show of Clydesdales was led by the champion, Roughlands Alana, a four-year-old mare from Alana Johnston, Kirkton Farm, Falkirk, fresh from the mare’s first prize at the Royal Highland Show last month.
The Shetland champion, five-year-old mare Cathkin of Transy from the Transy Stud at Dollar, was another Highland winner.
Over in the goat lines, some of the show circuit’s most enthusiastic exhibitors, the Campbell family from Bathgate, had 14 animals entered, along with a huge cast of family members to lead them round the ring.
They won the championship with a three-year-old British milker, Capitol Artemis and the reserve award with West Fife’s 2019 champion, Lovelsglen Donner.
nnicolson@thecourier.co.uk
