With the show circuit on hold in 2020, BWCS members were still keen to publicise their stock on-farm to a digital audience and so a virtual show was born, encouraging breeders to submit video clips and photographs of their animals which were collated into breed classes viewable online. Voting was open for the public to cast their eye over each of the 80 entries from a total of 30 exhibitors and choose their winner in each section, followed by the final Championship.
It was the St Joseph family from Maldon in Essex who prevailed overall with their young bull Tollesbury Pirate rising to the top of the junior male section and finally being crowned Breed Champion. Sired by former Royal Welsh Show class winner and highly popular AI bull Castleton Kerfuffle, Pirate has proven extremely popular with the voters showing a great deal of promise as a future herd sire himself, currently at work in the Tollesbury herd.
JUNIOR BULL CLASS WINNER AND BREED CHAMPION TOLLESBURY PIRATE
Taking top prize in the junior heifer class was Woodland Horatio’s Holly, a homebred maiden from Mr & Mrs Fuller, Essex. One of the youngest heifers in the class, born in December 2019 and still suckling her mother when photographed for the competition, ‘Holly’ is sired by the Fullers’ own Woodland Hugo’s Horatio, now sold and working in the Croxton Park Herd in Cambridgeshire.
JUNIOR HEIFER CLASS WINNER WOODLAND HORATIO'S HOLLY
First place in the senior heifer section went to the February 2018-born Tollesbury Sapphire, also bred and owned by Dr Vivien St Joseph, Essex. Successfully shown as a junior in 2019, Sapphire had been a close contender for BWCS Junior Heifer of the Year having picked up top prizes at the South of England and Royal Norfolk shows.
SENIOR HEIFER CLASS WINNER TOLLESBURY SAPPHIRE
The class for cows in-calf or with calf at foot was very well supported with 22 entries received. The winner was another homebred offering; 2017-born Hartoak Abegail from Oaklands College in Hertfordshire, a popular addition to the on-site school farm and since being photographed for the Virtual Show has produced a heifer calf to add to the herd.
COW CLASS WINNER HARTOAK ABEGAIL
The final class to consider was for senior bulls, this time with the oldest entry in the section – 9-year-old Woodbastwick Conjuror (R) – coming out on top in the vote. Bred by Rotac Farms, Norfolk and re-purchased after a long spell at the White Rose herd in Yorkshire, this bull has produced over 85 pedigree progeny to date and continues to sire quality calves for the Woodbastwick herd.
SENIOR BULL CLASS WINNER WOODBASTWICK CONJUROR (R)
Every class can be viewed on the BWCS YouTube channel: CowShedTV