Day two sees Biggings heifer and Overhouse gimmer catch judge’s eye

August 2, 2020 at 5:30 pm

The 2012 County Cattle champion, Ballieston Eugenie, moves on to the next round of our competition. (Tom O’Brien / The Orcadian)

Day two’s results – in our online livestock competition Ready, Set, Show! – have seen the 2012 cattle champion and the 2016 sheep champion progress to the next round.

Our cattle judge, William Gill, from Rosskeen Farm, Invergordon chose Biggings’ 2012 County Show winner – a Charolais heifer-in-calf as his winner. Mr Gill selected the heifer over a Charolais bull, also shown by Biggings which won at the County Show in 2015.

The heifer, exhibited by W. R. Baillie & Co, Biggings, Toab, is named Baillieston Eugenie. Eugenie’s sire was the AI Bull Burradon Talisman and she was out of Baillieston Venus. She was in-calf to the 15,000gns Maerdy Deiniol. Her dam, Baillieston Venus, was sired by Mowbray Park Umpire, a stock bull which the Baillies had bought at Perth.

Our Ready, Set, Show! cattle judge Mr Gill said of the heifer: “she is a lovely, clean feminine animal and appears to be well brought-out.”

SHEEP

In our sheep section, the judge went for the 2016 County Show winner, a Charollais gimmer, over the 2012 County Show champion, a Charollais ewe. The winning gimmer was shown by Alton & Vera Copland, Overhouse, Harray.

The gimmer, “did the double” for its owners that year, being named champion at the Dounby Show a couple of days before the 2016 County Show.

Bought in Wales in October 2015 as a ewe lamb, the sheep was sired by Aberkinsey Officer and was out of the dam Aberkinsey 464 by Glyn Coch Mr T.

Our sheep judge, Kenneth Sutherland, from Sibmister farm, Thurso: “A great example of the breed. She has outstanding length and width throughout her carcass. She shows well with a nice sweet head and plenty of size.”

This week should have been Orkney’s agricultural shows week, kicking off with the Sanday Show on Friday, July 31. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic the six shows had to be and other associated events had to be cancelled. To mark the week, we are pitting past sheep and cattle champions of The County Show against each other, under the eyes of judges, in a knock out competition. All the animals are judged based on pictures and information from the day they won. Next week we’ll be doing the same with the horse champions. Those who owned and exhibited them on the day are treated as the owners now for the purposes of the competition, although many of the animals went on to be sold following their win. For more information on the competition and animals click here.