2012 – Foxhill Livestock

December 2012: No Likey No Lighty ends fatstock season on a high

Our last couple of primestock shows saw our Limousin steer No Likey No Lighty end on a high note indeed, as he won his heavyweight Limousin-sired class at the East of England Smithfield Festival before going on to be placed overall steer champion under butcher Jonathan Maycock, while at Sedgemoor for the South West Winter Fair he took the overall championship.

It’s been a great year summer and winter season for our commercial team and we’re already looking forward to the delights of next year’s season.

December 2012: An honour to judge the Royal Highland Winter Fair

It’s always a huge honour to judge any show, but for Michael to judge this year’s Royal Highland Winter Fair, it was quite simply an experience he’ll never forget.

: Michael judging at the Royal Highland Winter Fair

Not only does that event hold some fantastic memories for us as we’ve celebrated some amazing success there, but the quality of stock there are of a very high quality and this year was no exception. The heifers were particularly strong throughout and it was there that he found his overall champion in the form of Stewart Bett and Lynsey McKay’s Limousin cross heifer Marvellous Mo. Bred by the McLaren family and purchased privately, this heifer was jam packed with meat, full of style and ring presence and had all the right attributes Michael was looking for in his potential Winter Fair champion. And backing his judgement, she was later purchased for £3400 and will no doubt make an exceptional breeding female for us at Foxhill.

: Michael’s choice of champion at The Royal Highland Winter Fair Marvellous Mo, purchased by Foxhill for £3400

December 2012: Foxhill Farm Gracie wins inaugural pedigree Limousin section at Royal Highland Winter Fair

With Michael judging the main commercial beef classes at this year’s Royal Highland Winter Fair, we decided to take just Foxhill Farm Gracie with us to compete in the pedigree Limousin section of the show which was judged by Michael Scott of Thirlwall Castle.

Gracie, who is by the noted sire Wilodge Vantastic and is out of our foundation female and the 15,000gns Bankdale Alice, is no stranger to the show ring as she was highly admired by many at this year’s Royal Welsh Show when she stood second in a tough baby heifer class. We’re particularly pleased with how she is growing on and is expressing all the characteristics of both her sire and dam. Hopefully she’ll continue to grow on well and be an exciting prospect for next year’s show team.

: Foxhill Farm Gracie

: Charlotte and Gracie

November 2012: No Likey No Lighty takes Beef South West championship

It was great to be on home turf for the Beef South West event this month and we had yet another successful show with the commercial team.

Carrying on his winning form of late was our Limousin cross steer No Likey No Lighty who won his class then went on to take the overall championship. Also winning her class was Charlotte’s Charolais cross heifer Off The Clock, while her steer Will.I.Am stood second in his class and our purebred Limousin heifer Goldilocks stood third in a strong heifer class.

November 2012: No Likey No Lighty takes reserve overall championship at Agri Expo

In a repeat performance of Countryside Live earlier in the month, we took the steer and reserve overall championship at Borderway Agri Expo behind Tecwy Jones’ overall champion heifer Black Beauty. No Likey is currently weighing 675kg.

Also at the show, Charlotte took a first with her own steer Will.I.Am, a Limousin cross weighing 465kg which was bought out of Stirling. She also stood second with her Charolais cross heifer Off The Clock, before going on to win the Young Farmers heifer class with our pedigree Limousin heifer Bishops Goldilocks.

: Bishops Goldilocks – winner of the Agri Expo YFC class

October 2012: Celebrity visit at Countryside Live

It’s not every day a soap star comes and visits your pen at a primestock show, but we were treated to a visit by Lesley Dunlop who plays Brenda in Emmerdale at Countryside Live!

: Celebrity visit at Countryside Live

October 2012: No Likey No Lighty takes reserve overall at Countryside Live

Leading the way in the championships for us today at Countryside Live was our 670kg Limousin cross steer No Likey No Lighty. This one is by a son of Fieldson Alfy and was bought at Brecon in the spring from Andrew Powell. He has previously been steer champion at the Royal Welsh, interbreed champion at Frome, reserve overall at Royal Cornwall and overall champion at Three Counties.

: Overall Reserve Champion – No Likey No Lighty

Charlotte’s Charolais heifer Off the Clock also held her own for such a young heifer by taking the reserve heifer championship. This was purchased earlier in the summer and is by Falleninch Empire out of a Limousin x British Blue cow. That’s us now preparing for the long journey back home before we get ready to head to the Cornwall Calf Show next.

: Reserve Heifer Champion – Off The Clock

October 2012: Charlotte and Will.I.Am win Countryside Live young handlers

We’ve already started today’s second day of Countryside Live in a celebratory mood as Charlotte has won the young handlers under judge Lynn Dunlop with her steer calf Will.I.Am. This follows off the back of a highly successful summer circuit for Charlotte who won all five of the young handlers championships she competed in this year already. Congratulations to Llyr Jones who stood reserve

: Charlotte and Will.I.Am win Countryside Live young handlers

September 2012: Off The Clock joins Foxhill commercial team

We’re incredibly excited to welcome Charlotte’s new show calf to Foxhill. Having fallen for Ginger Bread as she was called when we spotted her at Caledonian Mart’s Stirling sale this month after she took the reserve championship, she quite simply had to come home.

Now named Off The Clock, this Charolais cross Limousin heifer bred by James McLaren was purchased at the sale for £9500 and is by Falleninch Empire out of a Lim x Blue cow. She’s arrived home and settled in very well indeed. We think a lot of this heifer and really look forward to showing her in the back end and possibly as a lightweight heifer early next year.

: Off The Clock

September 2012: Interbreed success for No Likey No Lighty at Frome Show

It was back to local showing for us this month as we took a trip to Frome Show where we had fantastic success with our commercial team, namely our Limousin steer No Likey No Lighty. He won his steer class and then went on to take the overall commercial beef championship before going one even better by being tapped out to take the interbeed beef championship, an accolade that rarely goes to a commercial beast.

In the rest of the commercial team, Goldilocks won her heifer class and took the reserve championship, while a new heifer to the team Hot Totty won her lightweight heifer class. This British Blue cross heifer was purchased for £3200 at Ruthin in February.

In the pedigree class Goldilocks won her class then went on to stand reserve female and reserve breed champion.

We were also delighted to see Charlotte win her fifth consecutive young handlers class of the year!!

August 2012: Stonebridge gimmer joins Texel flock at 5100gns

This month’s English National sale was the sourcing point for our next Texel addition where we purchased a Stonebridge gimmer RSS1100093 for 5100gns. By Allanfauld Rockafella out of a dam by Rascarrol Nightlife, who was reserve breed champion at Lincoln as a ewe lamb, she was purely purchased for the strength of the family line having been impressed with full brothers who consequently sold for 5100gns in Worcester and 9500gns and 3800gns in Carlisle.

: Stonebridge gimmer RSS1100093

August 2012: Wayside Topgun sells for 5000gns in Lanark

Our first Texel tup lamb to be offered at public auction was sold this month at Lanark. Wayside Topgun (owned by Charlotte) is by Glenside Razzle Dazzle and is out of the first Texel female to be purchased by us, Ettrick GGH1101166. By Ettrick Rainbow Warrior and out of a Thinacres Masambola dam, she stood first in her class of 53 at the Royal Highland Show and went on to be reserve female champion she was purchased in a private deal from Robbie Wilson (Milnbank) who purchased her that year from the Royal Highland show after her success.

Topgun went on to sell in a five way partnership for 5500gns to Southern Ireland.

: Wayside Topgun

August 2012: Northern Irish Texel genetics join Foxhill flock

We were delighted to purchase the Ballymena Texel champion this month for 11,000gns. The Fairywater gimmer FAO1100201 is by Strathbogie Python and out of a dam by Ettrick My Jinks and comes from an exceptional family which includes an unbeaten full sister, which was champion at Omagh and Castlewellan shows and is fullsister to Fairywater Samurai and maternal sister to the 9000gns Fairywater Superstar.

: Fairywater gimmer

Another gimmer was also purchased at the same sale from the Turragh flock CJT1100239 for 2700gns. By Garngour Patriot and out of a dam by Cherryvale Nijinsky, this one has great bone, skin, size and frame.

: Turragh gimmer

August 2012: Top genetics from Kelso flock arrive home

Really kick starting our Texel flock venture, this month saw the purchase of one of the best females on offer from Malcolm Reid’s Kelso flock in the form of the 8500gns gimmer RMM1100434. By Kelso Pedro (by Douganhill Mcfly) she is out of a dam by the 110,000gns Newhill Major whose grand dam goes back to the famous 17,000gns Glenside ewe FPG05151.

: Kelso gimmer

July 2012: Dinmore Hester joins Limousin ladies at Foxhill

Having been impressed with the catalogue of females on offer at the Dinmore sale, we decided to travel to Hereford to see if we could purchase something a little different for the herd and we found just that in the form of the January-born heifer calf Dinmore Hester who was purchased for 6800gns.

This ET bred calf is by the Vantastic son Carmorn Copilot and out of Aghadowey Alix and was sold, a Broadmeadows Cannon daughter and was sold suckling her recipient dam. Not only is her pedigree something we were particularly impressed with, but she is packed full of style and breed character and may make an appearance on the 2013 show circuit as a yearling heifer.

July 2012: Bishops Goldilocks takes commercial championship at East of England

Having supported the Peterborough team in the past, we decided to make the trip to the East of England Show with both the pedigree Limousin heifer and the commercials. Bishops Goldilocks stood second in her junior heifer class and then took the reserve junior championship.

She then switched teams to win her heifer class in the commercials and go on to take the female and overall championship. No Likey No Lighty also won his steer class.

: Bishops Goldilocks

June 2012: Smarty Pants takes top honours at Royal Highland Show

The journey up to Edinburgh for this year’s Royal Highland Show was certainly made worthwhile when we won a first in the heavyweight heifer class and then the overall championship in the commercial beef classes under judge Donald MacPherson with the Limousin cross heifer Smarty Pants.

This was the icing on the cake for this heifer so far this summer as she’s already taken the championship at Devon County, the Bath and West and Royal Cornwall this year. She was bred by Gordon Hendry and was purchased for £3000 from Thainstone in September last year.

Also in the team was Bishops Goldilocks who stood second in the middleweight heifer class.

: Smarty Pants

: Rob, Melanie and Michael with Smarty Pants

June 2012: Charollais, Limousin and commercial success at Three Counties

Well we seem to be on a bit of a roll this summer and it certainly didn’t stop at this year’s Three Counties Show where our four year old Charollais ewe won her class again and then took the female and then reserve breed championship.

Then in the Limousin classes, Bishops Goldilocks won her class and then stood reserve female and reserve breed champion behind Ironstone Dumandy, while in the commercial classes it was time for No Likey No Lighty to switch positions with Smarty Pants as he won his class and then went on to be commercial champion. Smarty Pants stood second in her class and added another young handlers win for Charlotte.

June 2012: Smarty Pants and Goldilocks continue winning form at Bath and West

This year’s Bath and West Show saw us take a strong team of both commercials and Limousins and the Charollais sheep. Kicking us off in the Limousin classes was Bishops Goldilocks who won the junior heifer class then went on to be placed junior champion and then interbreed junior champion.

Smarty Pants yet again held her own in the commercial classes by winning the heifer class before taking the overall championship. Goldilocks then switched teams for the afternoon and stood second in the heifer class and then took the reserve commercial championship behind Smarty Pants.

Also in the team was No Likey No Lighty who won his steer class and Real Thing who stood third in the heifer class and then Charlotte then won the young handlers class with Smarty Pants again.

The Charollais sheep also did incredibly well with our four year old ewe winning her class again and going on to be female and breed champion before taking the interbreed championship.

June 2012: Foxhill commercial team takes champion and reserve in commercials at Royal Cornwall

The weather might have been awful at this show, but that didn’t dampen our spirits as we certainly went out in force in the commercial classes. Smarty Pants won her class then went on to be female and overall champion, while the other heifer in the team Real Thing stood second to her and then took the reserve heifer championship.

In the steers No Likey No Lighty won his class and then went steer and reserve overall champion behind Smarty Pants. Charlotte also took her third young handlers championship of the year, this time with I’m No Article, our first prize young heifer from Beef Expo.

Our pedigree Limousin heifer, Bishops Goldilocks also won the junior heifer class before being tapped out as female and then reserve breed champion. This summer is certainly turning out to be a memorable one, next stop Bath and West!

May 2012: No Likey No Lighty takes reserve Continental title at Beef Expo

Following on from a successful start to the season at Devon County, we travelled to Malvern for the Beef Expo event where we stood second in the steer class and then followed up by taking the reserve overall Continental championship and reserve steer championship with No Likey No Lighty.

This 522kg Limousin cross by a Fieldson Alfy son was bred by A J Powell and was purchased at Brecon for £5500.

At the same event Smarty Pants stood second in her heavyweight heifer class and we won the final class of heifers with I’m No Article, a British Blue cross heifer weighing 406kg. Charlotte also went on to win the young handlers class with Smarty Pants.

May 2012: Commercial and Charollais sheep on winning form at Devon County

Kicking off our show season is style this year was a trip to our local show, Devon County, where our commercial heifer Smarty Pants, won her class then went on to be placed champion commercial heifer and overall commercial champion. She was bred by Gordon Hendry and was purchased for £3000 from Thainstone in September last year. Adding to her success Charlotte then went on to win the young handlers class with her.

In the pedigree Limousin classes, we took a second in the junior heifer class with Bishops Goldilocks, a heifer purchased privately from Andrew and Becky Bishop. By Waindale Ufo she is out of Scorboro Custard.

The sheep classes saw a successful run of form with our pedigree Charollais aged ewe winning her class before going on to take the female championship and overall breed championship. She then went on to team up with our stock ram to take the interbreed pairs championship.

Next stop for us in our busy summer ahead will be Beef Expo with the commercials.