More than 100 South Devon cattle put on a stunning display at the breed’s National Show last week.
Hosted by the Devon County Show this year, the National Show attracted exhibitors from as far afield as Leicestershire and Staffordshire, making the competition stronger than ever.
“The quality of the cattle was superb,” said Caroline Poultney, secretary of the South Devon Herd Book Society. “Each National Show raises the bar, and this year’s showcase was the best yet.”
Known as the Gentle Giant of the beef industry, the striking South Devons even had their own Otter beer named after them, which was on sale throughout the event. “We always get a lot of publicity from the National Show, and we had a good level of enquiries coming in from farmers interested in the breed,” said Mrs Poultney.
Claiming the prestigious Breed Championship was A&C Farms’ four year-old bull AI X Mutterton Ashton Bitter, with Roger Rundle’s cow Kestle Dahlia 60 placed in the reserve spot.
Mutterton Ashton Bitter broke the breed record when he sold for 10,500gns at Exeter two years ago, and has gone on to win a string of prizes including Breed Champion at the Royal Welsh Show, Interbreed Champion at Rutland Show, and Reserve Interbreed Male at Newark Show.
“It felt fantastic to win the Breed Championship at the National Show,” said owner Jo Rodger, who travelled five hours from Rutland to attend the event. “We always try to support the National Show, wherever it is – but we came down two days early to allow the cattle to rest before the big day.”
Miss Rodger brought seven cattle to the show, and was thrilled when two of Ashton Bitter’s daughters were placed first and second in the yearling heifer class. “It proves that he’s not just a good looking bull – he can really do the job, too,” she said.
“He’s always done well at shows, but to get the Breed Championship at the National Show tops it all. I think we’ll now just let him do his job at home – it would be hard to do much better.”
With 80 pedigree South Devon cows at the family farm near Oakham, Miss Rodger is always keen to showcase the breed.
“The National Show provides a great opportunity to do that – and this year was just fantastic,” she said. “It was really well attended, and people were watching around the ring all day long. Ashton Bitter is one of those animals that everyone falls in love with, so people like to follow his successes – it’s really good for the breed.”
