Driffield Show: Young to the fore at sizzler

Rose Jewitt, aged four, of Scarborough, pulls her Texel lamb, called Lilly, during the sheep young handler class at Driffield Show. Pictures: James Hardisty.

East Yorkshire's farming future looks assured amid the general uncertainty surrounding the industry that was the backdrop to the county's biggest one-day agricultural show.

Driffield Show was held for the 141st time amid scorching heat today but it would seem that the area’s agricultural future is not about to wilt.

Department heads from Bishop Burton College, based in nearby Beverley, told of how countryside focussed study programmes are going from strength to strength.

Some 150 students will start the new academic year in September studying agriculture from entry level through to degree level, with new modules in precision farming added to prepare future farmers for the technological revolution that is driving the industry forward.

Alisha Steele, aged eight, with her mum Deana Steele, from Easington, near Withernsea, cooling down one of their Simmental cattle.

Young exhibitors were evident in healthy numbers in the show rings and the East Riding of Yorkshire Young Farmers Club were an eye-catching presence with their stand. It was adorned with yellow rubber ducks as part of members’ fundraising efforts in aid of Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Club member Isabelle Moulds, 22, of Withernwick, said she had been coming to the show for around 12 years.

She said: “We really enjoy the show. It’s a social for us as well as showing what East Riding YFC is all about, and we have members showing livestock and showing in the stockmanship competitions.”

Showing livestock at yesterday’s show was no easy task. Many farmers arrived at the showground a day early and some spoke of how hard it was to prepare in Tuesday’s heat.

While the temperatures on show day were a little less intense, they still hit the high 20s, Celsius, before a welcome breeze had a cooling effect in the afternoon.

Some exhibitors were seen pouring buckets of water over cattle to keep them cool and pigs were draped with damp towels after appearances in the ring.

A fine line up of animals made the judges decisions tough but in the end the top rosettes fell to some of the very best on show.

The supreme dairy cow was a Holstein shown by Joanne Chapman of Hunt Hill Farm, Hempholme near Brandesburton. Huntholme Fannie 65 Excellent 91 won the interbreed title for the second successive year.

Martin and Brenda Wilkinson of Fleet Grove Farm, East Stockwith, Gainsborough won the commercial beef title with their Limousin X.

The supreme beef champion was a 1,300kg three-calver Simmental, shown with a calf, belonging to John Hollingsworth of Midhopestones, Sheffield.

The champion sheep of the show was a Suffolk called Alice owned by Andrew Tooze, of Hovingham and shown by his fiancée Abbie.

And in the pig section, a Hampshire shown by S Roberts and J Fairclough, Raisinhall Anna 4, picked up the interbreed championship rosette.

David Tite, chief executive of Driffield Agricultural Society, said he was pleased the show put smiles on faces amid the Brexit uncertainty surrounding farming.

“A massive part of our job to make people smile and enjoy the day,” he said. “People coped very well with the heat and a highlight was the grand parade of cattle. We had a lot of people watching, with rows eight deep in certain places.”

While he said it was too early to confirm the attendance figure, around 25,000 people were expected to visit the show ahead of the event.