Search for new stars of the show

Selection is under way around the county’s farms this month as stockmen and women cast their eyes on their main hopes for this year’s marathon agricultural show season.

Yorkshire is home to over 50 shows ranging from what is now the largest show in England – the Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate – right through to smaller but nonetheless extremely important shows such as Muker Show in Swaledale.

The season gets under way next month at Otley, the oldest agricultural show in the county, which celebrates its 204th staging on Saturday, May 18. Its origins go back to 1796 when a livestock competition was held in 
the yard of the Royal White Horse.

Edward Fort and his daughter, Georgina, of High Bracken Hill Farm near Silsden will be attempting to replicate what to them was a surprise success of 2012 when they came away with the junior dairy champion out of their Silmoor herd of Holstein cows.

“We’ve a fair idea of what we’re taking to Otley in three weeks,” says Georgina. “Last year we didn’t really think we had anything that would do much and we treated it more as an opportunity to give some halter training for the future. It’s a lot harder training cows when they get a little older so this year we will be taking a calf and two young cows.

“Shows such as Otley, Gargrave and Kilnsey are still good shop windows for us as we sell our bulls and it gives us the chance to show others just how well our stock looks.”

But with competitor numbers in the dairy 
sections not what they 
were a couple of decades 
ago and a milk price that is still far from encouraging, Georgina believes something needs to be done if their 
black and white cows are going to be around for the future.

“I’ve grown up with dairy farming and showing, but with the current price we’re getting and costs as they are you do wonder whether we’re going to be here in 10 years time.

“Asda who we sell our milk to, through Arla want to send me on one of their ‘Next Generation’ days. It’s pointless doing that if they’re not going to pay us any more for our milk.

“We’re on 29 pence per litre and we really need to be somewhere like 33-34 pence to be able to reinvest properly in equipment.”

The Forts showed their commitment to the dairy industry when they restocked after being taken out as a contiguous cull during 2001 when foot and mouth disease raged.

Edward’s father Jack came to High Bracken Hill from Lothersdale in 1967. Back then the farm ran to 120 acres and today it has moved up to 300 acres largely built up since Edward took over in 1992.

“It was purely a dairy farm when dad first came, with a herd of 45 Friesians,” says Edward. “We now have 125 milkers plus 100 young stock. We also have 150 Mule/Texel sheep bred as butchers’ lambs.”

Although he is looking forward to Otley Show where he has competed for around 15 years Edward believes the short term is not looking particularly clever for the family farm situated 900ft above sea level.

“We received a bit more from Arla in December but it wasn’t enough. The cost of feed and fuel is going up all the time and fertiliser, if you can get it at all, is astronomical. The worrying factor is that things are getting in short supply.

“I’ve enough silage to last until June but the grass just hasn’t grown yet and it is forecast to be cold again this weekend.”

No matter what the problems they may face on the farm Edward is still optimistic that they can improve the herd further.

One of their herd that won’t be competing at Otley Show this year is Silmoor Geno Peach. Edward says: “She 
is graded Excellent 92 2E, which means she achieved 
it twice.

“We have shown her quite a bit but she’s not going anywhere this time. She is such a beautiful cow to work with and we have her daughters in the herd.”

Georgina has already been told that she and her dad are in for a bit of a fight to retain their trophy this year.

“My boyfriend is a herdsman with another dairy herd and they are going.

“I’ve been told we’re going to be beaten, but it’s the judge’s preference at the end of the day so we will see.”

The Forts of High Bracken Hill

Edward’s wife Stephanie is on the national board of the Women’s Institute. They have four offspring of whom Georgina is the youngest. 
The others are Andrew, who works for a builder and assists at the farm on a weekend; Rebecca, who 
has worked on the farm 
for the past 15 years and has recently adopted a 
little boy; and Jayne, a 
civil engineer.