Ballymoney Show: More success for Country Antrim farming family after Balmoral triumph

This year’s Ballymoney Show saw Mostragee Holsteins securing the event’s champion of champions’ accolade with their magnificent cow, Mostragee Bomber Louise.

This followed-on from her recent Balmoral Show success, where she won the dairy inter-breed championship.

Louise calved back in January for the fourth time and is currently producing 60L of milk per day. The cow is owned by the Henry family, who farm just outside the village of Stranocum in North Antrim. She was led by Mark Henry at Ballymoney.

He commented: “Louise is back in calf to the Holstein sire: Cogent Arrow. So, if everything goes according to plan, we can look forward to the arrival of a heifer calf in a few months’ time.”

Co Down Friesian breeder, Jim Morrison, judged the dairy classes at Ballymoney. He also took part in the adjudication of the champion of champions’ class, joining his beef counterpart on the day, Andy Patterson, from Cookstown in Co Tyrone.

Jim described his Holstein champion as an excellent example of the breed, adding:

“She has everything: tremendous class and a significant potential to produce large volumes of high quality milk.”

The final class of the day at Ballymoney saw the inter-breed dairy and beef champions go head-to head in the show ring. And it turned out to be a very close affair altogether, given the significant amount of time required by the judges to arrive at a final decision.

The beef inter breed championship at Ballymoney was secured by a magnificent 19-month old Charolais bull: Crossane4 Unique ET. He is owned by the Chestnutt family, who farm close to Bushmills in Co Antrim.

Andy Patterson described the animal as a young bull with tremendous breeding potential, adding: “He has tremendous scope for his age, but is not over fleshed.

“The fact that he is already covering cows adds to his attraction as a tremendous Charolais sire in the making.”

Both the dairy and beef inter-breed reserve champions at Ballymoney Show are also worthy of mention. The McLean family, from Bushmills, took part with their Holstein cow: Priestland Hanford Budweiser. The second calver is currently giving 50L of milk per day. She looked an absolute picture in the ring and is definitely one for the future.

The beef inter-breed reserve went to the Lynn family from Armoy with a very choice

Limousin cross Blue heifer. The animal was also chosen as the commercial beef champion of the show.

Meanwhile, in the sheep rings judging continued well into in the afternoon. The inter-breed championship was won by the Watson family, from Rasharkin with a Suffolk shearling ewe (gimmer).

Also catching the eye on the day was a marvellous Border Leicester gimmer, shown by the Dickey family, from Ballymena.

The sheep championship classes at Ballymoney 2024 were judged by David Sloan, from Dumfries in Scotland. He described his champion as a very balanced young animal, adding: “The gimmer caught my eye as soon as she entered the ring. But she was up against some very stiff competition. The overall standard of the sheep entered for the event was tremendous.”