Fulsome praise for Aberdeen-Angus at the 2019 Black Beauty Bonanza

Aberdeen-Angus breeders received warm accolades from the judge for an outstanding turn-out at the 21st Black Beauty Bonanza calf show at Thainstone Centre, Inverurie.

Northumberland breeder, Dallas Allen, whose experience as a judge includes officiating at the all-Ireland Aberdeen-Angus calf show a month earlier, said the show of calves and yearling Aberdeen-Angus was the best he had ever judged.

“There was depth in every class and the first three-or-four in each of the 13 classes would have been worthy winners,” he said.

Mr Allen said the characteristics he was looking for were breed character, easy fleshing and good locomotion and he found that in all four champions.

“All the cattle I put to the top have a bright future ahead of them and the potential to make a real impact on the breed,” he said.

It was a successful day for the Macpherson-Grant family of Ballindalloch Home Farms – the new main sponsors of the annual show – who won the reserve heifer calf championship with the eight month old, Ballindalloch Greta, by the home-bred Ballindalloch Earl, and went on to take the yearling heifer championship with the 20 month old, Ballindalloch Pev U539, by Deveron Lookout.

Ballindalloch Greta.

Ballindalloch Pev.

The recently retired Lord Lieutenant of Banffshire, Clare Russell, took particular pleasure in presenting the championship awards to her farm manager, David Johnstone, the current chairman of the North East Aberdeen-Angus Club who organise the event, and his wife, Susan.

“It’s great to see the Ballindalloch herd back winning top awards,” said Mrs Russell, whose great grandfather, Sir George Macpherson-Grant, founded the Ballindalloch herd in 1860 and is recognised as one of the great founders of the Aberdeen-Angus breed.

Aberdeenshire breeder, Neil Wattie, and his son, Mark, of Mains of Tonley, Alford, repeated their success at the Stars of the Future at Stirling the previous week to carry off the heifer calf championship with their Stars of the Future junior champion, the 10 month old, Tonley Lady Heather V591, by Blelack Evermore J231, a sire bought in Ireland as an older bull, and also stood reserve for the yearling bull championship with the 19 month old, Tonley Jezza Eric U518, by Warrenho Emperor M425.

Tonley Lady Heather.

Tonley Jezza Eric.

Also enjoying a double success was Stephanie Dick, Westerton, Cowie, Stirling, who took the reserve yearling heifer championship with the 20 month old, Crew Destiny U601, an ET daughter of Hallington Evo, which was following on from her reserve female championship success at Agri Expo two weeks earlier, and the bull calf championship with the 10 month old, Stephick Ezra V561, an ET son of Weeton Diamond Mine P444, a first prize winner at Stars of the Future.

Crew Destiny.

Stephick Ezra.

Reserve bull calf champion was the seven month old, Retties Paramount V052, by Gretnahouse Blackpot P685, from Richard and Carol Rettie, Devonside, Clackmannan.

Retties Paramount.

The Logie herd of David Stubbs, AJR Farms, Milton of Collieston, Ellon, repeated their success of last year by winning the yearling bull championship, this time with the 19 month old, Logie Endresult U812, by Isauld Prime S641.

Logie Endresult.

Championship results

Heifer calf – Neil and Mark Wattie, Mains of Tonley, Alford, with 10 month old, Tonley Lady Heather V591, by Blelack Evermore J231; reserve – Ballindalloch Home Farms with eighth month old, Ballindalloch Greta V565, by Ballindalloch Earl N397

Yearling heifer – Ballindalloch Home Farms with 20 month old, Ballindalloch Pev U539, by Deveron Lookout R504; resereve – Stephanie Dick, Westerton, Cowie, Stirling, with 20 month old, Crew Destiny U601, by Hallington Evo L333

Bull calf – Stephanie Dick with 10 month old Stephick Ezra V561, by Weeton Diamond Mine P444; reserve – Richard and Carol Rettie, Devonside, Clackmannanshire, with seven month old, Retties Paramount, by Gretnahouse Blackpot P685

Yearling bull – AJR Farms, Mains of Collieston, Ellon, with 20 month old, Logie Endresult U812, by Isauld Prime S641; reserve – Neil and Mark Wattie with 19 month old, Tonley Jezza Eric U518, by Warrenho Emperor M425

Pair home-bred calves – Robbie Galloway, Cardona, Doune with second prize seven month old bull calf, Cardona Exchequer V113, by Deveron Master Banbury L376, and fifth prize seven month old heifer calf, Cardona Ermus V096, by Fordel Magic Potion K359; reserve – NF Massie and Sons, Blelack, Dinnet, Aboyne, with third prize 10 month old bull calf, Blelack Eyebright V955, and second prize seven month old heifer calf, Blelack Poppy V957, both by Tonley Jester Eric S318

Pair home-bred yearlings – Hamish and Margaret Sclater, Denhead of Dunlugas, Turriff, with the second prize, Deveron Legend U624 and the third prize, Deveron Endurance U609, both seven month old sons of Deveron Lomax R510; reserve – Richard and Carol Rettie with 15 month old, Retties Lady Rose U033, by Water End Payton N108 and second prize 13 month old, Retties Lionheart U037, by Gretnahouse Blackpot P685

New herd award – Karl Scott, Foggie Farm, South Brownhill, Turriff

Karl Scott, Foggie Farm.

Special prize for endeavour – Harvey Stuart (13), Glenlivet

Class results

Heifer calves

January 4 – March 1

1 Neil and Mark Wattie’s Tonley Lady Heather V591; 2 Richard and Carol Rettie’s Retties Eveline V045; 3 NF Massie and Sons’ Blelack Eyebright V955

2March 15 – April 8

1 Ballindalloch Home Farms’ Ballindalloch Greta V565; 2 NF Massie and Sons’ Blelack Poppy V957; 3 AJR Farms’ Logie Eyebright V926

April 10 – May 25

1 and 3 Hamish and Margaret Sclater’s Deveron Elize V665 and Deveron Elderberry V672; 2 Richard and Carol Rettie’s Retties Lady Ruth V056;

Yearling heifers

January 28 to April 17, 2018

1 Ballindalloch Home Farms’ Ballindalloch Pev U539; 2 Stephanie Dick’s Crew Destiny U601; 3 Hannah Heereema’s Balavilhouse Rita U757

April 26 – October 10, 2018

1 Ken and Margaret Howie’s Cairnton Blackcap U430; 2 Richard and Carol Rettie’s Retties Lady Rose U033; 3 Donald Rankin’s Kilmaluag Lady Isobelle U035

Bull calves

January 1 – 31

1 Stephanie Dick’s Stephick Ezra V561; 2 Ewen and Gill Macgregor’s Raddery Lothario V229; 3 NF Massie and Sons’ Blelack Evening Standard V956

February 12 – 28

1 AC Grant and Son’s Varis Punch V133 and 3 Varis Petro V131; 2 Richard and Carol Rettie’s Retties Elo V048

March 1 – 18

1 Karl Scott’s Foggie Edition V237; 2 Ewen and Gill Macgregor’s Raddery Exige V237; 3 Charles McCombie’s Auchincrieve Lord Inferno V437

March 19 – 30

1 Hamish and Margaret Sclater’s Deveron Laidlaw V655; 2 Ballindalloch Home Farms’ Ballindalloch Emperor V571; 3 Charles McCombie’s Auchincrieve Jekyll Eric V454

April 1 – 27

1 Richard and Carol Rettie’s Retties Paramount V052; 2 Robbie Galloway’s Cardona Exchequer V113; 3 Neil and Mark Wattie’s Tonley Kante V609

April 28 – May 10

1 NF Massie and Sons’ Blelack Equator V976; 2 Ewen Campbell’s Kilmalllie Jukebox Eric V343; 3 Hamish and Margaret Sclater’s Deveron Evans V679

Yearling bulls

March 3 – April 17, 2018

1 AJR Farms’ Logie Evolution U797; 2 and 3 Hamish and Margaret Sclater’s Deveron Legend U624 and Deveron Endurance U609

April 21 – December 22

1 Neil and Mark Wattie’s Tonley Jezza Eric U518; 2 Richard and Carol Rettie’s Retties Lionheart U037; 3 Ken and Margaret Howie’s Cairnton Killimanjaro U435

Junior showmanship

Senior 1 Eion Cumming, Mains of Collieston, Ellon; 2 Mark Wattie, Mains of Tonley, Alford; 3 Katie Meston, Ballater