Ballindalloch farmers John and Raymond Irvine took home the Charolais champion title at the Royal Highland Show with their bull Kilbline 1 Instigator.
The father and son duo of Inverlochy took the top title with the same bull which landed them the male champion rosettes in 2016. Bought in Southern Ireland for 7,000 euros, this son of Oscar is the junior stock bull for their 50-cow herd.
Delighted with their overall reserve in the Charolais section were father and daughter, Jim Muirhead and Alison Gray from Firhills, Arbroath. Jim said: “We have been showing at the Highland since 2001 but this is the best we have done.”
Their home-bred in-calf heifer Firhills Lady is by the 30,000gn Maerdy Grenadier, shared with Major Walter’s Balthayock herd at Perth, and she took the reserve interbreed award at Angus show.
Meanwhile, freelance stocksman Graeme Easton and his partner, Rebecca Greenhorn, only have eight Highland cows as a hobby at their Letham home, so to win the breed champion at Highland Show after 10 years of trying was a dream come true.
Their three-year-old heifer Eleanor of Ubhaidh, bred by Roy Tylden Wright, was fresh from her reserve champion win at Alyth show last weekend.
In the Simmental section, a two-year-old home-bred bull bred from old genetics to be the main stock bull at Billy MacPherson, Anne and Raymond Baynes’, Blackford Simmental herd at Croy, Inverness, took the reserve ticket yesterday. Blackford Galaxy is by Curlieu Knight, a bull which was on the go 18 years ago.
Audrey Anderson and daughter Abie from Easter Knox, Arbirlot, exhibited the male and junior champion Hereford. The home-bred Panmure 1 Noah by Hawkesbury 1 Volcano is a former Stars of the Future winner.
The Alford family from Devon, are not only some of the farthest travelled exhibitors at the show, but also the busiest.
Mike was judging Aberdeen-Angus bulls, of which there was a huge show for the Angus World Forum, while Melanie was left to show the Limousin cattle.
She did this with aplomb, taking both champion and reserve tickets with two home-bred heifers from their herd of just 12 females at Foxhill Farm. They run an embryo transplant programme with their pedigree stock there and both Foxhillfarm Mamamia and Looksthepart were from this programme. Daughter, Charlotte Alford, is currently sitting her Alevels and was not at the show but her British Blue heifer, Rhymill Kylie which was bought as an eighteenth birthday present took reserve in the section.