SUCCESSES in agriculture and champion cattle, cheese, pigeons and forestry were all recognised at the second day of the Great Yorkshire Show.
Spectators were treated to the stunt riding of Lorenzo in the Main Ring and Adam Henson’s popular chat show returned to the GYS Stage for the second day of the event yesterday (July 12).
Charles Mills, show director, said: “Today was a real celebration of a great variety of different aspects of rural life, from food production to forestry and we heard some great stories about the conservation initiatives from farmers across the north.”
The School Veg Box competition, which annually challenges primary schools across Yorkshire to grow British produce from scratch, was won by Mill Hill Community Primary School in Northallerton.
More than 200 farmers and industry professionals came together for the Future Farmers of Yorkshire’s popular Breakfast Meeting where they were urged to cut through tough economic challenges by focusing on factors within their control and plotting a clear plan for their businesses.
The third national cattle championship at the show, the British Charolais, went to a two-year-old heifer, Marne Sweetpea, owned by Robert Tremayne and Nicola Osgood of Kent.
With the importance of quality food at the top of the agenda, the Cheese and Dairy section showcased the best of British produce.
This year saw two new memorial trophies to mark the contribution made to the show by two significant figures in the world of cheese and dairy, David Hartley and Judy Bell.
David from Wensleydale Creamery, who passed away in 2020 was influential in the Cheese and Dairy Show being established at the Great Yorkshire Show. Judy Bell MBE was chief steward for many years and a passionate supporter of the show and the industry.
The Judy Bell Supreme Champion Cheese title went to Dewlay Cheesemakers of Garstang for their Creamy Lancashire.
Managing director Nick Kenyon said: “I knew Judy Bell very well. She was an inspiration to us and to many people. She was a powerhouse in the industry and to receive this award is an absolute honour.”
The Royal Yorkshire Regiment’s Best Soldier of 2023 was also recognised. This year’s honours went to Private Damien McDonald of the 1st Battalion, a Civilian Armoured Vehicle driver.
The David Hartley Supreme Champion Dairy Product Trophy went to Longley Farm, in Holmfirth, for its blackcurrant yoghurt.
Top pigeon at the show, the Supreme Pigeon, went to a Chinese Owl owned by chief pigeon steward Keith Robson from Hurworth. Keith has been chief steward for 15 years but it was a school trip to the Great Yorkshire Show 58 years ago that sparked his interest in fancy pigeons.
The inaugural Farmland Curlew award, developed by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society and Nidderdale AONB to reward famers who make a significant contribution to curlew conservation, was also announced.
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