Inaugural Herd Competition

It's already time to send entries in; just take your phone or camera into the fields and get snapping! Letters were sent out to members but here they are again for easy reference...

Albion Cattle Society Herd Competition:  September, 2024.

Judge: Ms Ruth Dalton       email: ruthcdalton@gmail.com    

Text or WhatsApp  07880 584551

Ruth is a native livestock specialist who is passionate about native breeds & their place in sustainable farming systems and she advises farmers, land managers & breed societies throughout the UK. She used to work for RBST & gave valued advice when the Albions were trying to gain official breed recognition.

The 2024 herd competition is a very low-key affair designed as a bit of fun, hopefully creating some publicity to promote the breed. The results will be announced at the Henmore herd visit on Saturday 5th October at Rockhurst Farm, Aldwark, Matlock. The overall winner will receive the Royal Agricultural Society of England cup, originally awarded for the best female Albion at the Royal Show. This cup was originally presented by the Blue Albion Cattle Society in the 1920s & was won by staunch member Mr C H Goodwin in 1936, 37 & 39. For understandable reasons, the shows ended there & now this cup is being very kindly re-presented by the family of the late Messrs C A & C H Goodwin.

Rules & Guidance:

-   Entries are free as this is the inaugural competition.

-   The competition is open to any fully paid-up member who owns at least one pedigree Albion.

-   Your entry can include a video up to a maximum of 3 minutes and /or photos of your stock. This should be accompanied by a written (text, WhatsApp or email) or spoken (video recorded i.e. WhatsApp) account of your breeding policy and where you see the breed going in the future.

-     It is vital that every photo, video or text is titled with your herd prefix. For example, a photo maybe labelled ‘Prefix senior cow’, or ‘Prefix bulling heifer’. There is no need to name the animals, but the prefix is imperative. Photos can be taken of both sides, front & rear of certain Albions to show conformation.

- If you are photographing a bought-in animal, please still label with ‘prefix herd’ but then add, in brackets, the prefix where the animal was bred.

-    No doctoring of photos allowed.

-   GDPR: If any person is recognisable in your photos or videos, please gain their permission to be in the latter, as ACS may show the top entries or use photos on ACS media

  -   Ruth Dalton will delete all contact numbers once the competition has been won and awarded. 

NB  Please say if you do not wish for your entry to be used by ACS in anyway. (ACS is not intending to show your entries publicly but there may be the exceptional photo ACS would like to use & it might be interesting to show the winning entries at the open weekend.)

Your entry: a short account/ video/photographs of your herd should be sent to judge, Ruth Dalton between 1st -10th September, 2024. (Details above)