MOFFAT Show's move to a new site at Raehills Meadows, at St Ann's, couldn't have had a better start, with bright sunshine topping off the news that had the event been held at its traditional site in Moffat, then it would almost certainly have been cancelled.

That would have meant a fourth 'no-show' in seven years – an outcome which could have heralded the end of the Moffat Show Society's efforts to stage it.

The new site, held on free-draining haugh land courtesy of Annandale Estates, had the benefit of a hard road both going into and out of the showfield. Champion of champions was the leading dairy cow shown by John Jamieson, Woodhead, Annan. His milky fourth calver was picked out by inter-breed judge, Jim Goldie, Ruthwell, Dumfries, and has produced yields of up to 19,000 litres.

Top sheep was a two-crop Texel ewe shown by the MacTaggart family for Douganhill Farms, Palnackie. She's by Cairnam Tavish and had been first at Stewartry.

Reserve overall sheep was a 'true Blue' Bluefaced Leicester from Drew Brown, Drumhumphry, Corsock – a two-shear Rossiebank-bred tup.

Runner-up for the cattle championship, as selected by Alastair Marshall, Hardgrove, Carrutherstown, Dumfries, was the British Blue leader, the 28-month-old heifer Blackstone J'Adore, from Kelly Blackwood and Duncan Davidson, Auldtoon Cottage, Abington.

(Full report and pictures in this week's issue of The Scottish Farmer, out on Friday, September 2).