A tremendous turnout of livestock competed for top honours at the Royal Bath & West Show on May 28-30, with the judges hard-pushed to select their interbreed winners.

In the beef lines it was ladies all the way, with all bar two of the breed champions being female. And it was an imposing Aberdeen Angus cow owned by Angus Neish which took the supreme interbreed ribbons. Rodmead Priba X026 is a homebred five-year old cow sired by Blelack Evorats S677, and was shown with her calf at foot. Mr Neish has about 80 cows at Rodemead Farm, Maiden Bradley, Wiltshire, with 240 head in total.

"She's got power, breed character and correctness," said Johnny Ward who produces the cattle for Mr Neish. "And we will be keeping her calf." As well as the supreme interbreed, the farm took the male Aberdeen Angus championships, pairs and group of three. Priba's next outing will be the national Aberdeen Angus Show at the Three Counties Show.

Judge Paul Tippetts placed Will Glover's three-year-old Charolais cow Caylers Umbrella in the reserve spot. "It was a hard decision – there were so many outstanding individuals, but both cows are good examples of their breed and are rearing their calves well," he said. "That's incredibly important for commercial success."

Mr Glover keeps 15 pedigree Charolais cows among 300 crossbred suckler cows at Birkshall Farm, Halstock, Somerset. He bought Caylers Umbrella as a yearling, and she won the interbreed championship at the Bath & West last year as a two-year-old. "And she was junior interbreed champ at the Royal Welsh as a yearling," he said. "She's never lost a Charolais class."

Umbrella – by Glenericht Pogba - was shown with her first calf, sired by Brompton Splash and born on January 20. "She's got a lot of showring presence, and will be heading to the Three Counties Show next," said Mr Glover. "We also won the reserve breed champion with a cow that's not mine but I bred her, which is great."

Dairy champion

Meanwhile in the dairy section, the supreme champion title was taken by a Jersey cow, Jubilee Perfect Ceres, owned by Anthea and Jeff Daw from Newcastle Emlyn, Ceredigion. Fitting farming around their day jobs as dairy herdsmen, their five Jerseys are milked on a portable milker, at home, where they are kept alongside their couple's Wheatfield Red Poll herd.

Returning to the show for the first time in 12 years, the couple established their herd in an unusual way. "Jeff gave me £2,500 to buy an engagement ring; I bought it for £500 and spent £2,000 on a cow," said Mrs Dawe.

Last year, Ceres was interbreed champion at the Three Counties Show and reserve junior interbreed champion at the Royal Welsh Show. Her next show will be the Three Counties in a couple of weeks' time. "She's a brilliant balanced cow, from the tip of the nose to the end of the tail."

The reserve title was awarded to WowCow Lambda Yoder Rachel, owned by Ben and Lizzie Yates from Downhead, Somerset. A three-year-old Holstein with two calvings to her name, she previously won champion calf at the Bath and West Show in 2023. "She is an 'everybody cow' with great genetics and well-balanced for width and strength," remarked Mr Yates.

A cow with good heritage (out of Macland Yoder Rachel, class winner at the World Dairy Expo 2022, and by Farnear Delta Lambda), she averages a yield of 11,500 litres/year.  Currently there are no plans to show her elsewhere this year – although Mr Yates' son Seth is keen to bring her back for the Dairy Event this autumn.

Popular pigs

A beautiful Berkshire gilt, Fairoaks Royal Saphire 8^th, by Alkington Nama, took top honours in the pig ring. Bred by owner Chris Impey at Tonyrefail, Glamorgan, and shown by Eleri Williams, this yearling's first litter is due in July.  "I've been coming here for 37 years and have never won the interbreed title," said Mr Impey. "She's lovely and really placid. She's got really good length, conformation and shape, and she's true to type."

In reserve spot was Bertie Johnson's Large White Portbredy Lassie. A four-year-old sow in-pig to her seventh litter, she was reserve supreme champion at the Devon County Show and heads to Royal Cornwall next. She was shown by Bertie's mother Hayley Loveless from Sunrise Farm, Bridport, Dorset.

Stunning sheep

The sheep competitions always attract huge entries, and topping the table this year was Brandon Roth's shearling ewe. Out of a homebred ewe and sired by Lakeview Longjump, she heads to the Royal Cornwall Show next, followed by the Royal Highland Show. "She's a big, correct, clean sheep," said Mr Roth, who keeps 60 pedigree Suffolk ewes and 20-30 Texels at Seaview Farm, Redruth.

Judge William Workman picked Tom Newth's Charollais ewe lamb as his reserve champion. "The standard of the sheep was excellent through and through," he said. "I'm a real stickler for correctness; they've got to be right in the mouth and in the feet."

Hailing from Brook House Farm at nearby West Compton, Somerset, Mr Newth keeps 60 pedigree Charollais ewes and a few Suffolks. This December-born lamb was first in class at the Devon County Show and heads to the Royal Cornwall next.

"She's by Wrenfwar Awesome, who's sired lambs that sell for up to 5,000gns," he said. "She's a really sparky sheep that handles really well." One of her pen-mates took the supreme championship at the Devon show, he added. "So it's been a really good start to the season."