Scottish dairy breeders certainly came up with the goods amongst a strong show of heifers at AgriScot, on Wednesday, winning the majority of the top awards including the coveted SuperHeifer.
This event at the Ingliston Showground, near Edinburgh, always attracts a bumper line-up of dairy cattle from the length and breadth of the UK, with a packed array of trade stands, and this year was no exception, with no fewer than 115 dairy entries.
History was made too, when a red and white won the supreme heifer title for the first time. Even better for the industry north of the Border was the fact that the winner was from two of Scotland’s best known dairy farming families – the Lawries, from Sandyford, Monkton, Ayrshire, and the Yates, from East Logan, Castle Douglas.
It was the ladies of those families who were the real stars though, as it was Caroline Lawrie and Sheila Yates’ Eastford Atomium Kiwi Red, a VG88-2yr classified heifer which was crowned SuperHeifer.
This is one of 30 owned by the pair – who, incidentally, were left at home ‘to do the work’ – that was given the winning slap by AgriScot director and head steward, Johnnie Cousar, Howcommon, Craigie, who was brought in at the last minute to select the winners, when the judge, Peter Prior, of Designer Holsteins, took ill with severe back pain.

Mr Cousar said his choice of champion, was a ‘clean dairy heifer and an easy winner’ over his reserve, Sterndale As Rae, a Holstein from Derbyshire.
“The red and white heifer has a higher rear udder and slightly better teat placement than the reserve champion,” said Mr Cousar, who is well qualified for the job being on the national Holstein UK panel for judging and on the European panel for judging both black and white and red and white cattle.
His choice of supreme overall is also well qualified, having secured numerous accolades this year. Heifer champion and reserve inter-breed heifer at the Highland, this jointly-owned female was also reserve heifer at the Royal Welsh and first in her class at both Dumfries Show and the South-west Dairy Show. 
Calved in February, she was shown by Michael Yates and is still producing 31 litres per day. Her dam is the privately purchased, Coton-End Secure Kiwi Red, an Ex90-6yr, which is still going strong.
Just pipped at the post was Bill Nadin and Yasmin Bradbury’s Sterndale As Rae, a VG88-2yr classified heifer by MS Atlees SHT Aftershock, bred from 10 generations of Ex or VG dams. 
Calved in August and giving 36 litres, she was first in her class and reserve intermediate heifer at Dairy Day. Her dam is the Ex94 classified Sterndale Snow Rae.
Reserve Holstein heifer was Hefyn Wilson’s Tregibby Atwood Geraldine, a Maple-Downs-I G Atwood-sired heifer which calved at 24 months of age in the 80-cow herd, which runs alongside 15 Jerseys at Cardigan, Dyfed. 
Breed champion and reserve inter-breed heifer at the Welsh Dairy Show on her sole previous outing, she is out of Tregibby Meridian Geraldine VG88 and was paraded giving 38 litres per day after calving in mid-September.

Just pipped at the post, was the first prize senior Holstein heifer from Scottish duo, Robbie Scott, Mossblown, and Colin Laird, Blyth Bridge. Their show stopper was Nethervalley Turbo Glauco Sara, a Toc-Farm Duplex Glauco daughter bred from the boys' Sterndale Goldsun Sara, which was bought as a calf at the X-Factor sale for 3000gns.

Champion heifer at Ayr, this three-year-old which was also Scottish Calf Show champion in 2015 and won the heifer class at LiveScot, last year, was paraded having calved 13months ago. She has already produced 16,000litres and is still giving 40litres per day.

The Yates’ East Logan herd might be mainly Holsteins, but they again came up with the goods in the Jersey lines, taking the red, white and blue heifer title with Logan Oliver P Glitter, shown by Brian and Michael Yates. She calved down mid-August, is producing 29 litres and stood reserve at the South West Dairy Show. Her dam is the home-bred cow, Logan Fantom Glitter VG86-4yr.
First time exhibitor, Anwen Thomas, was also well rewarded for his long trip all the way from Gelligatrog, Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire, when he scooped the reserve Jersey heifer title with Gatrog Tequila Dream, a VG88-2yr classified heifer. Previously unshown, this youngster giving 24 litres since calving down six weeks previously, is by Tower Vue Prime Tequila ET, and bred from the privately purchased, Fourcrosses Resurrection Dream Ex.
Scottish breeders secured the remainder of the top heifer awards, winning the champion and the reserve in the Ayrshire lines and the runner-up trophy amongst the red and whites.
For the second year in succession, Willie Watson, The Muir, won the Ayrshire heifer title, this time with the previously unshown, Muir Real Ursula, paraded by herdsman, Neil Sloan. 
A daughter of Palmyra Tri-Star Reality, bred from the show cow, Muir Oblique Ursula VG88-3yr, which stood champion at Ayr Show and reserve at the UK Borderway Dairy Expo, she was shown six weeks calved and giving 32 litres.
Kinross-based James and David Lawrie, Cuthill Towers, lifted the runner-up with Cuthill Towers Harrys Miss Blondie. Backed by home-bred genetics on both sides, this previously unshown youngster giving 30 litres per day having calved two months previously, is by the Cuthill Towers Prince Rupert son, Cuthill Towers Harry P ET and bred from the Ex94 x3 Cuthill Towers Miss Blondie.
Lifting the same title amongst the red and whites was Keith and Shaun Rennie’s Brocklehill Arrmani Honey, a Mr Apples Armani, from Brocklehill, Ayr. Shown four weeks calved and giving 35 litres, she is bred from a home-bred VG87 classified cow.

LEADING awards

Heifers

Red and white – 1, heifer champion and inter-breed heifer champion, Eastford Holsteins’ Eastford Atomium Kiwi Red VG88-2yr, by Gen-I-Beq Atomium Red ET; 2 and reserve red and white, J and K Rennie’s Brocklehill Armani Honey, by Mr Apples Armani ET; 3, DA Howie and Sons’ Morwick Ruth 160, by Camion Van De Peul.
Jersey – 1 and heifer champion, BG Yates and Son’s Logan Oliver P Glitter, by Dutch Hollow Oliver-P; 2 and reserve heifer, H Thomas’ Gatrog Tequila Dream VG88-2yr, by Tower Vue Prime Tequila ET; 3, R and S Scott’s Drointon Gammon Chjerish, by Rapid Bay Gammon CJCC ET.
Holstein – Junior – 1, champion heifer and reserve inter-breed heifer, WJ Nadin and Co’s Sterndale As Rae ET VG88-2yr, by MS Atlees SHT Aftershock ET; 2, AH Wilson’s Tregibby Atwood Geraldine, by Maple-Downs-I G W Atwood ET; 3, Evening Holsteins’ Evening Seaver Mischief, by Go-Farm Zeber ET. Senior – 1, RM Scott and C Laird’s Nethervalley Turbo Glauco Sara VG86-2yr, by Toc-Farm Duplex Glauco; 2, PD and BS Lawrence’s Lynholme Broklaw Amly ET, by Mr Atwood Brokaw ET;  3, J and I Wilson’s Northshields Fever Gilberta, by Northshields Fever.

Ayrshire - 1 and champion heifer, W and A Watson's Muir Real Ursula, by Palmyra Tri-Star Reality; 2 and reserve heifer,  A and S Lawrie's Cuthill Towers Harrys Miss Blondie, by Cuthill Towers Harry P; 3, K Lawrie's Brieryside Thunder Pear 2, by Brieryside Thunder.