Herd Competition Results
Congratulations to John Ball and Lynn Parks who won our inaugural herd competition with their Betchton Herd.
RESULTS: Comments by our judge, Ms Ruth Dalton.
It was a great pleasure to judge the Albion herd competition, and I very much appreciated the invitation. There were some excellent cattle of all ages, and I found the standard of animals to be very high – which did not make my job an easy one. I was looking for animals with good conformation and dual-purpose qualities, good legs and feet and that showed Albion breed type and characteristics. In females, I was looking for the classic feminine “wedge-shape” from front to back, both from the side and above. In bulls, I was looking for a balanced animal, with good structure, depth, length and musculature but not over- muscled.
1st place – Betchton herd
A larger herd with sound conformation and excellent udder quality across a wide age range - as shown by the numerous herd and individual photos. I particularly liked the dual-purpose characteristics on display and the consistency of conformation and udder quality shown here. The legs and feet in this herd were also excellent and I was impressed with the depth and length shown in the females.
2nd place – Speckles herd
A very close second for another larger herd with a long history with the breed. A range of photos and videos showed a herd with excellent Albion characteristics which were thriving in both dairyand conservation grazing/ beef settings, showing the true versatility of the breed. My eye was particularly drawn to an in-calf 2022 heifer which had good conformation and a sweet Albion head.
3rd place – Hollystone herd
Lovely presentation of this herd by their young owner, with females of all ages in good condition and showing the docile temperament that the breed is renowned for. I particularly liked heifer Hollystone Tia, and I am looking forward to seeing this herd expand in the future.
Special mention – Far Laithe herd
I particularly liked the deep bodied older cow.
Special mention - Henstone herd
A nice selection of photos from this relatively newly established herd. All animals are in excellent condition and I particularly liked the blue Henmore heifer (Speckles) which showed good breed character.
Special mention – Bemborough herd
An Albion herd showing good breed character, in excellent condition.
NB For more a more detailed report, please click on the link on the home page
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