An Eden farming family enjoyed a memorable time at the Borderway UK Dairy Expo, taking two major championships at the world class event.
Will and Tom Horsley and their parents Duncan and Helen, of Catterlen, were delighted to take the overall championship in the red and white classes with a home-bred second calved cow, Woodcatt Toffee Vodka.
“She’s from a completely home-bred family, it was the first show she’s been to and it was a really strong section, so it was a very good weekend for us,” said Will. “After this we might take her to the Royal Highland, but time will tell.”
The pure red and white Holstein — one of about 30 kept by the Horsley family — gave around 10,000 litres in her first lactation at 4.2 per cent butterfat and 3.2 per cent protein. She was giving about 50 litres a day at the time of the Dairy Expo and is due to calve in November.
Will and Tom also had a share in the supreme champion heifer, with the other owners of the 16-month-old Jersey being James Robinson and Katy Bainbridge, of Wishingwell Genetics, a small elite herd of youngstock based at Warcop.
The partners bought Silver Sparkle Chocochip Roses — bred by Izzy Lee — last year and have already seen her achieve considerable show success, including gaining the breed championship at last year’s All Breeds All Britain Calf Show.
In other classes at Agri Expo, 18-year-old Alfie Hay, from Plumpton, was highly commended in the showmanship competition, which was won by Peter Cotton, aged 25, from Staffordshire. The reserve intermediate title in the Holstein classes went to the two-year-old Wolfa Lambda Ivy, from the Wolfa herd based near Great Salkeld.
The cattle classes drew more than 400 entries, with the supreme championship going for the second year in a row to Mag Pandor, from the Laird family — Alister, son Colin and his wife Izzy, of Blythbridge Holsteins, Blythbridge, East Linton and Ferme Blondin, Quebec, Canada. The five- year-old Holstein, purchased from Ferme Mag Holsteins in France, has taken top spots at several shows, including the supreme championship at the 2024 Royal Highland Show and firsts at AgriScot and UK Dairy Day in 2023.
The prestigious John Dennison Award was presented to noted Holstein breeder John Lomax, from Staffordshire, for his lifetime’s commitment to the dairy industry.
Commenting on the event, which drew thousands of spectators, Glyn Lucas, dairy sales manager and event organiser at Harrison and Hetherington, said: “From a livestock perspective, the 2025 UK Borderway Dairy Expo was an incredible event. The quality of the champions in all individual breed shows was simply breathtaking.”
