Heat turned up for day three of Ulster's farming showpiece Balmoral Show

The umbrellas were well and truly ditched – unless being used to provide some shade – as the sun provided an added attraction to the annual farming extravaganza which already has its fair share of things to see and do.

With better weather, the third day of the show might possibly have been the busiest as thousands descended on Balmoral Park.

One of the big attractions was the international showjumping competition in the main arena which was sponsored by ClipMyHorse, a German broadcaster.

Ruth Loney, the equestrian commentator, said: "Having the television channel ClipMyHorse.TV from Germany, having their cameramen here and their commentators, doing live coverage of the show for a huge global audience, is massive.

"It has put Balmoral and Northern Ireland on the equestrian map. I was in Morocco and Qatar recently and met the ClipMyHorse.TV team and I told them about Balmoral, and so I am delighted they came and sponsored an international class this morning."

Taking in the sights, sounds and smells of Balmoral Show was the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church, Rev Dr John Kirkpatrick, who hails from a farming background.

After his visit he praised farmers and farming families for the work that they do in providing food for tables, contributing to the local economy, managing the countryside – “all of which is often taken for granted”.

While the moderator’s father and grandfather were Presbyterian ministers – making him a third generation Presbyterian pastor – his farming roots go much further back.

Dr Kirkpatrick, who has been a passionate beekeeper for the past 10 years, said: “Much of my childhood was spent on the farm where my mother was reared, at Ballymena. Here I developed both an appreciation of the hard work and personal satisfaction of rural life.

“Coming from such a deep rooted heritage, I studied farm management at Greenmount Agricultural College, did a Social Science and Environmental Studies degree at the University of Ulster’s Coleraine campus, and worked for a year at the Department of Agriculture. But ultimately, as I discovered, my call in life wasn’t to the fields and the harvest, but the mission field and a different kind of harvest.”

During the show Dr Kirkpatrick and his wife Joan – who comes from generations of Fermanagh farmers – had an opportunity to meet a number of different organisations.

The Federation of Small Businesses chief Roger Pollen said the show was a great platform for members.

He commented: "The Balmoral Show is such a fantastic showcase for all types of businesses – large and small.

"We have an enormous number of members here – it creates a great platform for them but it's also a very good place for us to test the temperature, see what's affecting them, what their issues are. And then to bring politicians here as well, both to meet with us and then go out to meet with our members as well.

"The Windsor Framework is at the top of a lot of people's agenda, really looking to the detail of how it's going to be operationalised. It's going to affect this sector – the agrifood sector – enormously, so we need to see how it is going to work and when we're going to get the rules in place for Northern Ireland."

Meanwhile the Ulster Farmers’ Union and NFU Mutual were delighted to welcome Young Farmers’ Clubs of Ulster members Bethany Park, Lucy McCombe and Abbie Harkness to their stand in recognition of their public speaking title ‘rural crime’. Police Service of Northern Ireland Rural and Wildlife Crime Lead Superintendent, Johnston McDowell, was also present to commend them. UFU deputy president William Irvine said: “Rural crime remains an ongoing issue for farm families and it’s extremely positive to see such important awareness among young farmers.

"By choosing rural crime as their public speaking title, Bethany, Lucy and Abbie are doing vital work, helping to educate their peers about the seriousness of the issue and starting the conversation at home about what can be done to protect the family farm.”