Big winners from Western Ontario
Supreme grand champion in dairy cows is co-owned by Elgin County’s Walker Dairy.
TORONTO — The 102nd annual Royal Winter was abuzz as farmers and breeders from across the country gathered to showcase their finest livestock, and plenty of red ribbons went to Southwestern Ontario operators.
The bovine belle of the ball was Jeffrey-Way Hard Rock Twigs, a four-year-old dairy cow that captured the Grand Champion and Best Udder titles at the black-and-white Holstein show. Twigs’s Toronto win in November followed her finish as grand champion at World Dairy Expo a month earlier in Madison, Wisconsin.. She was owned by a combination of three Americans during her Expo success, but by the time of her Toronto appearance that ownership group also included two Canadian breeders, Elgin County’s Walker Dairy of Aylmer and R&F Livestock of Saskatchewan.
Walker and R&F also co-owned the Royal’s intermediate champion, two-year-old Olortine Avenger Design, as well as the Senior 3-year-old champion, Jendro Delta Lambda Sandy. The Walker and R&F ownership duo also finished second overall in the premier exhibitor category.
Dufferin County beef breeders from East Garafraxa — Hasson Cattle Co. and Rail Line Farms — had the overall supreme female in this year’s beef shows. She was an Angus intermediate yearling born in 2023 and also named grand champion female of the Angus show.
Medonte Highland Polled Herefords, of Mississauga, won the breeder’s herd and premier exhibitor award in the Hereford show. Dufferin County’s Rollin Acres Charolais, of Mulmur, captured the premier exhibitor award in the Charolais show and had the grand champion bull for that breed.
In the 4-H dairy showmanship show, McKenzie Howard, of Burgessville, Oxford County, captured the Junior Showmanship award.
Dairy goats
OIFO-Acres farm, of Smithville in the Niagara Region, had the grand champion and reserve grand champion animals in the La Mancho goat show.
Thistlerock Farm, of Meaford in Grey County, had the grand champion and reserve grand champion animals in the Nubian goat show. Thistlerock also earned the premier exhibitor and premier breeder awards.
Chippawa Creek Dairy Goats, in Canfield of Haldimand County, had the grand champion and reserve grand champion animals in the record grades goat show. Chippawa Creek also took the premier exhibitor and premier breeder awards.
Market Lamb
Emke Livestock, of Elmwood in Bruce County, won champion single market lamb and the champion pair of two lambs. Lauren Cowan, of Innisfil in Simcoe County, had the champion new crop milk lamb.
Honey
Beamish Honey, of Barrie, won the premier exhibitor award and had the grand champion liquid honey in the professional honey producers class. Steve Coyle, of Kitchener, captured the equivalent awards in the amateur honey competition.
Ice Cream
A Guelph-based mother-daughter team — 2 Farmers & a Cow Ice Cream Co — won a couple of awards for the artisanal ice cream made from their own farm-fresh milk. They won in the vanilla and classic chocolate categories, beating one other competitor.
Butter Tarts
Shelly Burzycki, of Oakville, won for best homemade plain butter tarts, while Burlington’s Catherine Richardson was judged to have the best butter tarts with raisins or nuts.
