Jazz claims another inter-breed win

The winner of the Brown Swiss national show, Kedar Rhapsody stood honourable mention after making the journey from Dumfries where it resides in the Lochhead family’s herd of 140 Brown Swiss cows.

Backed by six generations of home-bred cows, Rhapsody calved in January with its fourth calf and is currently giving 45kg a day. The EX93-classified cow by Vetsch’s Nesta Calvin is out of Kedar TD Reia which also won the national breed show and was breed champion at Dairy Expo twice.

The inter-breed heifer title went to the Holstein heifer champion, Riverdane Absolute Springsteen from Riverdane Holsteins, Middlewich. By Absolute Apples Red, the heifer calved in April and is giving 45kg a day. It was also Holstein champion at the Royal Cheshire show which was its first time gracing the show ring.

The reserve Holstein champion was Evening Stanleycup Jennifer, one of four cows exhibited by Evening Farms, Carlisle which made it into the judge’s choice of five cows in the final Holstein line up.

The home-bred fourth-calved cow by Gilette Stanleycup calved in November 2018 and is giving 55kg a day. Classified EX95 she had previously taken the reserve Holstein title at Dairy Expo in Carlisle back in March and represented the UK in the European championships in Colmar, France in 2016.

Taking the reserve title for the Ayrshire breed was another from the Tomlinson family, this time Sandyford Provider Fragrance, a second-calved cow by Richaven Provider. Having calved in February, the home-bred cow out of Hunnington Fragrance 56 achieved a yield of 9,997kg in its first lactation at 3.83 per cent fat and 3.81 per cent protein.

The reserve title in the Brown Swiss ring was taken by Kedar Rosa, the daughter of the breed champion, Kedar Rhapsody.

Classified VG89 as a heifer, it calved with its second calf in June and its production peaked at 38kg at 4.2 per cent fat and 3.2 per cent protein. It was heifer champion and reserve inter-bred heifer at Dairy Day last year and will head to Dairy Expo next year.

Heading up the Jersey breed was Bluegrass Sams Dreaming from A.H. Wilson and Son, Cardigan. The fifth-calved cow was bought privately from Barry and Jenny Daw’s Hertfordshire-based Bluegrass herd as a calf and is one of 12 Jerseys to join the Tregibby herd of 80 Holstein cows.

By Bluegrass Lord Swinging Sam and out of Bluegrass Bobs Dream, it calved in July and was shown giving 36kg a day. It was second in its class at this year’s Royal Welsh Show and will go on to compete at the Dairy Show.

The Wilson family also took reserve with another from Bluegrass, this time a third calver by Tower Vue Prime Tequila and out of the renowned Blondette family, Bluegrass Tequilas Blondette. Having calved in January it is giving 32kg a day and was breed champion at the Royal Welsh Show this year.

The champion in the Guernsey section was Latifa Princess Leia from C. and M. Moody, Hampshire. The EX94 classified cow calved in May with its fourth and is giving 46kg a day. The cow by Tredinney Yogis Andante is one of 12 cows in the current herd which was reformed in 2000 after being sold off in the 1990s. It was breed champion at Bath and West Show and inter-breed champion at Kent Show this year.

Lower Keigwin Crunch Starsky a heifer from A.D. and R.M. Thomas, Lutterworth, took the reserve Guernsey honours. The heifer by Jens Gold Aaron Crunch was bought from the Lower Keigwin dispersal sale at Exeter in the spring as an in-calf heifer. It is currently giving 30kg a day at 5.0 per cent fat and 3.21 per cent protein. The Thomas family also scooped honourable mention with Kimcote Legend Angel 3.