Great Yorkshire Show: Livestock takes centre stage for prize winners

Today will mark the close of the four-day showcase for this 165th year, with a focus on equine classes and showjumping which is deemed some of the most prestigious there is.

And at its heart, the Great Yorkshire Show has always been about farming, and that focus on rural life. Livestock, and produce, and the debates that shape a nation.

Livestock competitions ramped up yesterday, in fierce battles to be named 'Supreme', before a great spectacle in the Main Ring with a cattle parade as grand as it was imposing.

To Mr Mills, reflecting so far, there's "nothing quite like" the showfield on a dry day. Tuesday may have hailed a wet start but he praised facilities' teams as the ground continued to hold.

"Seeing people picnicking on the President's Lawn, that's what it's all about," he said. "And so many families, that's what delights me. I used to come, as a boy, with my parents."

Yesterday's showcase dawned dry if a little chilly, drawing visitors to the food halls and produce tents to sample the wares.

All through this week, there has been a festive atmosphere, as families and friends reunite for what may be their only holiday this year.

Millie Horsley, of York, was closely watching the competition in the pigs ring.

The family, with five generations now having exhibited at the show, has shown 13 pigs, across rare breeds, taking champions with Berkshires, Middle Whites and Large Black Boar.

"I've been coming since I've been able to walk," she said. "We call this our holiday, we don't go abroad. It's just nice to catch up with people we don't see for a year."

Visitors craned their necks to view the skills of farmers in the milking parlour and farriers changing horseshoes as action at the main ring continued apace with spectacularly groomed heavy horse teams and large ponies in the scurry display.

Earlier this show, taking refuge in the Churches on Show pavilion was Canon James Allison, vicar of St John the Baptist Church in Coley, near Halifax, enthusing about mixing spirituality with creativity with visitors' thoughts displayed on paper flowers.

"This is like a big village and every village has its church", he said. "The main thing is not to pretend you know anything about farming.

"I was stood next to a herd of cows which I called Freisians and the farmer said 'round here we call them black and whites'."

While many of the poultry classes had been affected by bird flu outbreaks, those running the pigeons contest boasted a record entry of 560, with visitors expressing astonishment at the variety of pigeons on display.

Great Yorkshire Show regular James Clark, of York, declared the 165th running of the event as among the best he could recall despite a lack of bright sunshine blessing it.

"At the end of the day though, it's all about seeing folk you might not have seen for a year or two", he said, "I couldn't miss it".

On top billing for yesterday was the famous Cock O'The North showjumping championship, with fashion shows and meet-and-greets and the ever-impressive Blythewood Dairy Pairs.

Climate and the environment was on the agenda for Yorkshire Agricultural Society (YAS) chief executive Allister Nixon, joining James Bush from GSC Grays and Paul Brown from Fera Science for a discussion on building a resilient showground.

Then the 'battle of the butchers', long service awards and the launch of special interest groups.

To Mr Mills, such a spread is essential, celebrating innovation and new.

The livestock sections are "amazing", he said, with the best to be found of the British isles.

The sheep sections were almost overflowing, with the best pigeon entries seen in years.

To farmers, he added, this was their shop window.

If the wider public can take away even a little bit more knowledge about farming and rural life, then it's been a success.

Ultimately, he said, it's about the strong bonds that form as folk share their successes, stories and losses, adding: "It's about the people that come back, year after year."