Qualifiers at Lurgan and Ballymoney

The difficult job of selecting the Ballymoney qualifiers for the 2016 McLarnon Feeds/NISA Dairy Cow Championship was undertaken by Mr Lindsay Fleming from the famous Potterswalls Jersey Herd in Seaforde, Co. Down.

The first qualifier at Ballymoney was the second calver Glamour Iota Ambrosia VG87, from the Mostragee Holstein Herd of Tommy Henry & Family, Stranocum.

Just five weeks into lactation, she is currently yielding 58.2 litres/day at 4.04% Butterfat and 3.03% Protein. As a heifer, Ambrosia was awarded Reserve Holstein Champion and Reserve Interbreed Heifer at the 2014 RUAS Winter Fair, and Interbreed Heifer at Antrim Show the same year. Her 1st lactation 305-day production reached 13,079 litres at 4.89% BF and 3.37% Protein.

Mark Henry, Stranocum, with Glamour Iota Ambrosia VG87, the first of two cows from the Henry familys Mostragee Herd to qualify at Ballymoney Show for the 2016 McLarnon Feeds/NISA Dairy Cow Championship. Congratulating Mark on his achievement are Michael Stewart, McLarnon Feeds, and Clarence Calderwood, NISA.

The second Ballymoney qualifier, also from the Mostragee Herd, was the first lactation heifer Mostragee Frankie Ellie.

Calved down at 23 months old, she is 5 months into her first lactation, averaging 26.4 litres/day at 5.21% butterfat and 3.49% protein. She is projected to exceed 7,500 litres at 305 days. This promising young cow has already enjoyed show success this year, winning the Heifer-In-Milk Class at the 2016 Balmoral Show.

Meanwhile, Saturday was another very successful day for the organisers of Lurgan Show as huge crowds descended on Lurgan Park for a great family day out.

In the dairy ring, the judge Mr William Crawford, owner of the famous Ardmore Holstein Herd from Brookeborough, had a difficult job selecting the two qualifiers for the McLarnon Feeds/NISA Dairy Cow Championship from an excellent line up of cows.

Ashley Flemings Jersey cow, Potterswalls Action Daisybelle EX94, qualified for the McLarnon Feeds/NISA Dairy Cow Championship at Lurgan Show. Congratualting Ashley no his success are judge William Crawford, Brookeborough, and Harold Stevenson, McLarnon Feeds.

After much deliberation, Mr Crawford chose, as his first qualifier, a fourth calver from the Potterswalls Jersey herd, owned by The Fleming Family, Seaforde.

He described Potterswalls Action Daisybelle EX94(3) as “a beautifully balanced cow with a tremendously high and wide rear udder”. She is already a very successful cow, having won the Interbreed Championship at the 2016 Balmoral Show, and the Jersey Championships at the 2013 and 2014 RUAS Winter Fairs. She yielded 9,700kgs at 4.70% butterfat and 3.70% protein in her last lactation.

For his second qualifier, Mr Crawford picked the 4th calver, Glasson Shottle L G Gail EX91(2) from Glasson Holsteins, owned by Philip and Simon Haffey, Lurgan. This fourth calver calved in April, having completed a third lactation yielding 12,250kgs at 4.75% butterfat and 3.65% protein.

Her past successes include Honourable Mention Holstein at Balmoral Show in 2015 and Champion Holstein at Lurgan, Armagh and Antrim Shows in the same year.

Lurgan Show qualifier for the 2016 McLarnon Feeds/NISA Dairy Cow Championship was Glasson Shottle JG Gail EX91, exhibited by Simon Haffey, Portadown. Included are judge William Crawford, Brookeborough, and Harold Stevenson, McLarnon Feeds.

The judge said she was “a very stylish dairy cow with open ribs and dairy character”.

McLarnon Feeds would like to congratulate these winning cows and wish them all the best for the final of the McLarnon Feeds/NISA Dairy Cow Championship on Wednesday, July 27, at Clogher Show.