The Judges



Career Background

 

HOLSTEIN JUDGE – Mr. Edward Griffiths

Edward Griffiths together with his wife Jenny and parents run the family dairy farm at Penistone, 750 feet up on the edge of the South Yorkshire Pennines. With the help of two part time staff, they manage the Coachgate Herd of 150 plus followers.  The herd calve all year round and are managed on a commercial TMR system, returning a herd average of around 9000 litres.  All milk is sold to Arla on an Asda contract.  Surplus heifers and breeding bulls are sold privately as an additional income.
 
Edward and Jenny have three daughters Frances 17, Sally 15 and Lydia 12.  All three are active members of Cawthorne Young Farmers Club and enjoy taking part in the Yorkshire Young Breeders Club.  Last summer they showed the Champion Calf at the Club Calf Show and Frances was Reserve Champion Handler.
 

Judging appointments have taken Edward and his family to many of the top UK shows including The Dairy Farming Event, Royal Welsh, Northern Expo, McLarens Dairy Cow Final, and Bath and West etc.

Nearer to home Edward is involved with the running of the Great Yorkshire Show and is a passionate promoter of the event.
 

Edward is looking forward to judging this event and says he will be looking for the kind of cow we all need 365 days a year, but for a National Champion to go all the way, it will be the cow that gives him a buzz when it comes in the ring and has that special bit of magic. 


 

 

 

UK AYRSHIRES JUDGE - Mr. Gilmour Lawrie

Gilmour Lawrie with his son Kevin, runs the Sandyford portion of the Brieryside herd consisting of 350 Ayrshires and Red and Whites as part of a family partnership extending to over 1100 acres on the outskirts of Prestwick in Ayrshire.

 

Over the last decade, the Brieryside herd has been one of the most successful in the Ayrshire breed, both in the show ring and for production with wins at all the major shows in Scotland including the Royal Highland and Agriscot. In 2009 it was also the highest placed Ayrshire herd in the R.A.B.D.F. Gold Cup. Bulls from the herd have also been very successful with one of them being the top red and white PLI sire of the breed.

 

Gilmour is well qualified to officiate at this inaugural National Show having judged at most of the top shows in the country.

 

 

BROWN SWISS JUDGE - Mr. Kevin Thomas

The Brown Swiss judge for the National is Kevin Thomas. Kevin runs the pedigree ALLSTAR herd of 150 Brown Swiss and Holsteins at Gellifelen, near Tavernspite, West Wales. Kevin was brought up on his parents commercial dairy farm, but he began an interest in pedigree cows when his father bought some cows from the Noremead and Twilight herds. His interest in Brown Swiss began when working as a livestock advisor for Fred Williams’ Semen World, and Mr Williams brought Valauclair Improver Pearl into his Canadian Show Barn. Kevin ended up with 2 daughters of Pearl, and the line continues in his herd today. Cattle and embryos have been brought in from Germany, Austria and North America. Kevin’s herd has been under TB restriction for over 6 years, but in the years before restriction, regular showing was practised, twice having the Reserve Breed Champion at the Dairy Event as well as other Championships and an Interbreed Champion at the Pembrokeshire show. As of August 2009, the herd is milked through two Fullwood Merlin robots, giving Kevin more time to concentrate on the management of the cows, youngstock, and his “other” interests. He has judged at the Welsh Dairy Show and the South West Dairy show, and whilst enjoying his judging duties, looks forward to once again showing his own cattle in the ring.

 

 
UK JERSEYS JUDGE - Mr. John Dickinson
Lily Hill Cup success – John Dickinson (Thurlstone), pictured with wife, Sue,  presented with the Lily Hill Cup at the 2009 Dairy Event & Livestock Show.

 

‘A young, well educated and enthusiastic family operating a simple, uncomplicated, system with easy to manage cows producing the highest possible value product,’ is how John summarises their philosophy to the 220 cow herd.

                                                                                       

In spring 2006 John and Sue Dickinson took the management decision to disperse their high profile, high yielding, prize winning pedigree Holstein herd. Jerseys were introduced, mainly from Danish imports, and production now focuses on the requirements of their milk purchaser, Longley Farms, who specialise in manufacturing Jersey products.
 

 
SHORTHORN JUDGE -  Mr. Seimon Thomas

The Shorthorn judge is Seimon Thomas from Drysgolgoch, Llanfyrnach, Pembrokeshire.

 

Seimon farms 450 acres fully organic, milking 250 pedigree Dairy Shorthorns helped by his wife Eleanor and children Sion and Hanna. Seimon has been involved with Dairy Shorthorn cattle for over 40 years having worked with his father and grandfather showing cattle at major shows across the country. He has been on the Shorthorn Society's panel of judges since 1992 and has judged major County and National Shows including the Dairy Event and the Royal Show. He has also been invloved in breeding and showing pedigree Limousins. Seimon was also recently elected to the Shorthorn Society Council to represent the West Midlands and Wales region.

 

Seimon is looking forward to judging the inaugural National All Breeds Show and is excited about the prospect of judging the prestigious Inter Breed Burke Trophy.
 
 
 
GUERNSEY JUDGE -  Mr. Philip Cox
Philip Cox has been farming in partnership with his wife, Caroline, since 1998. They moved to Meadwell Farm in West Devon in April 2004 from Sluice Farm, Wick-st-Lawrence, near Weston-super-Mare,  formerly owned by Caroline’s family EH and ME Durbin. They now farm with their two sons Joe and Chris. The Durbin family had kept Guernseys, mainly on a commercial basis since 1937. Philip and Caroline graded up the herd in 1996 and have worked to improve what was a very run down, low imput – low output herd in the intervening years.

In December 2008, the herd fell victim to TB and a commercial decision was made to introduce Holsteins. The Holsteins co-exist very happily within a primarily Guernsey herd and with careful management Philip has been able to maintain their previous constituent figures of 5.0% Fat and 3.6% Protein, whilst increasing production considerably. They have also created the Meadwell herd of Pedigree Holsteins.

Philip is actively involved in the English Guernsey Cattle Society, having served on Council for more than 7 years and is on the Future of the Breed sub-committee which works closely with Guernsey Island to improve the breed. He was promoted to the Judges Panel in 2005 and has been Judge at a variety of Shows since.