The 33rd RUAS winter fair took place in the Eikon exhibition centre near Lisburn last week and a number of top Irish show herds claimed top spots.

Leading the charge, securing the overall Holstein and overall interbreed championship, were Cyril and John Dowling, Dublin, with Baldonnel FM Sunshine.

The supreme champion is two months calved in her second lactation and is classified VG88.

Bred from six generations of EX dams, Sunshine gave over 10,0000kg in her first lactation, of which 660kg was milk solids.

Homebred on both sides, the four-year-old cow’s dam was the result of an embryo imported from North America.

In addition to winning the supreme championship, she also won best exhibitor-bred animal and best udder titles.

No stranger to success, Sunshine also placed champion heifer in milk at the 2017 Baileys cow competition.

A delighted John Dowling and his Supreme Interbreed Champion Baldonnel FM Sunshine look on as Danske Bank’s Debbie Reid and Rodney Brown, Head of Agribusiness, add their congratulations in honour of this success. \ McAuley Multimedia

This is particularly impressive given the small herd size of 60 cows, which now contains two Millstreet champions and two winter fair champions.

Tasked with the job of judging the Holstein, Jersey, Dairy Shorthorn and Ayrshire breeds at the show was Brian Behnke from Brooklyn, Wisconsin, US. Behnke is from a family dairy farm and has worked for most of his career in the AI industry.

He is currently business manager at the ABS-owned St Jacobs Animal Breeding Corporation in DeForest, Wisconsin.

He is well known in pedigree dairy cattle circles, having judged multiple times at the World Dairy Expo in Madison, US, as well as shows across North America, Asia, the Netherlands and Australia.

Interbreed champion

Behnke’s reserve interbreed championship this time went the way of the Ayrshire breed.

Champion in this section went to Ardmore Janet 110 from John Hunter, Crumlin, Northern Ireland. The EX92 cow is sired by De La Plaine Prime and came out on top of the breed at last year’s show also.

Judge Brian Behnke gives a final look over his championship line up \ McAuley Multimedia

Currently in her third lactation, Janet has a projected yield of over 9,000kg.

It was back to the Holstein ring for the supreme honourable mention when Hallow Atwood Carmen was tapped forward.

Exhibited by Philip and Linda Jones, she was first senior heifer. Her success in the winter fair follows on from a very successful showing year having won honourable mention and champion heifer in-milk at the Tullamore National Livestock Show.

She is classified VG87 and has a projected first-lactation yield of 9,192kg milk, 662kg milk solids.

Speaking on the reserve Holstein champion and supreme honourable mention, the judge said: “I love this cow. It’s her quality udder that is so pleasing and she has such a beautiful frame.”

The Hallow herd also claimed a host of other prizes including Holstein Honourable Mention with Hallow Atwood Twizzle 1181.

Calved with her second at the end of September, she recorded 8,210kg milk, 686kg solids, 4.75% fat and 3.61% protein in her first lactation (305d).

The award for Reserve Champion Holstein at the Winter Fair was won by Hallow Holsteins from Killowen, Wexford. The award is presented to Philip, Will and Kate Jones by Seamus McCormick, Senior Agribusiness Manager, Danske Bank, North Region and Billy Martin, Deputy President, RUAS \ \ McAuley Multimedia

Her dam Hallow Advent Twizzle ET EX96 4E is a noted show cow with many previous successes including the inaugural winner of IHFA champion cow of the year.

Junior title

Junior champion was David Boyd’s Leagh Solomon Maui, with Rory Timlin’s Lynbrook Atwood Erin in reserve. Overall, it proved a highly successful show for IHFA members who won first place in all the Holstein classes.

Paul and Marguerite Flanagan’s Tubbertoby Dempsey Natasha was first junior heifer. Lisnalty Megasire Ritual was first intermediate heifer for Paul Hannan. Drumlina Atwood Megan was first in the third-calver class for syndicate owners Boyd, Moore, O’Neill, Greenan and Timlin.

Cyril and John Dowling had further success in winning the fourth-calver class with Clonpaddin Sanchez Fame.

Bordermist Sanchez Fran won the production class for the Bordermist Syndicate with Philip Jones on the halter.

Jersey breed champion at the 2018 RUAS Winter Fair was Quintrell Kyros Indigo, exhibited by the Fleming family from Downpatrick.

This stylish cow stood breed champion and reserve interbreed at this year’s Balmoral Show back in May.

Continuing his successful year having won interbreed at Balmoral and Dairy Shorthorn champion in Tullamore, James Lambe from Castleblayney was again to the fore.

Securing the overall dairy Shorthorn championship was Ballytrain Marina 6th. This cow stood reserve to her stablemate at this year’s Tullamore Show.