Up to 15,000 expected for today's 75th Virginia Show

Virginia Show’s been on the go since 1942, and now in its 75th year, it’s selfie sticks instead of push bikes, euro instead of shillings and baseball caps instead of tweed caps. Virginia will today be alive with all the sights and sounds associated with early autumn. A day for everyone, the serious business of over 470 classes gets underway alongside food markets, children’s amusements, trade stands, demos and the hustle and bustle of a great day out. In an Ireland of increased awareness of food traceability, Virginia Show allows you to meet the people who set the high standards of the Irish dairy, beef, and sheep industries.

Core Farming Showcases
The prestigious Diageo Baileys Irish Champion Dairy Cow Competition, which is sponsored by Diageo in association with its cream supplier, Glanbia Ingredients Ireland Limited, promises to be a real crowd-puller at this year’s show. This years judge is looking for a combination of conformation and performance and the judge of this years finale will be Kevin Wilson from Cumbria. The competition consistently attracts top Holstein Friesian breeders from across the island of Ireland and has become known as the “All Ireland for Dairy Cows”. Entrants will exhibit their finest pedigree cows in a battle for the top prize of €2,500 and a Reserve prize of €1,000. Anyone wanting a sneak preview of these bovine beauties whilst they are being pampered and preened for the big parade, can head to the new show centre where the elite ‘Baileys cows’ will have exclusive use of the state-of-the-art livestock section.
Along with the cheque for €2,500, the winner selected will take home the illustrious Virginia Milk Products trophy. In addition to the top prizes, there is a Best Heifer-in-Milk prize fund of €1,700. 1st place attracts a prize of €500, 2nd place will be awarded €300, and €200 will go to 3rd place. Also €100 will be awarded to entrants from 4th to 10th place inclusively. Trophies will be presented for Highest Protein Content, Best EBI and Best Exhibitor-Bred Cow, there are also special awards for Best Protein and EBI emphasising important factors in milk production. For further information contact Brendan Smyth on 087 2560952. Follow the conversation on Twitter @BaileysCow #IrishChampDairyCow2016.

Annual highlights in the cattle section
Gunne Carnaross Mart All-Ireland €2000, Male/Female Weanling Champion,is always has huge crowds looking on while the Liffey Meats €2000 Champion Beef Bullock never fails to claim some of the best beef bullocks in the country. Glanbia Virginia, as well as being associated with the Diageo Baileys Cow, are sponsoring the €700 Friesian In-calf-Heifer. Other highlights include the Lakeland Dairy Champion of the Show, Francie Brady Charolais Champion of the Show, A.W. Ennis Interbreed Champion of the Show, Lisgrey House Restaurant Commercial Champion, and both the North Eastern Simmental and Charolais Clubs will hold their Junior Championship Finals at Virginia. Following on from last years success is the Univet Ireland Ltd and Virginia Show Commercial Heifer Championship for all non pedigree baby beef heifers with no permanent teeth on Show Day open to continental and non continental animals.

Dairy conference: Back by demand
With its huge triumph year after year, Virginia Show is inviting farmers from all over to the Virginia Show Dairy Conference. This years conference will focus on Animal health and Lameness. Speakers this year include Mike McCann, Chairman Animal Health Ireland who will address the BVD eradication programme and The Johnes Programme as well as other National health issues. Abigail Ryan from Teagasc based in Greenfield farm, Kilkenny will speak on ways to prevent lameness on the dairy farm, offering practical cost effective tools to minimise lameness in the dairy cow.
EU commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr. Phil Hogan will also pop in to address European issues.

30th Liffey Meats €2,000 Champion Beef Bullock
The drawing power of Virginia Show as the number one venue for the exhibitors of top quality commercial cattle is once again borne out by the large number entering the Liffey Meats €2,000 Champion Beef Bullock Competition each year.
Entries are confined to Beef Bullocks, any age. This year celebrates 30 years of sponsorship by our own Liffey Meats and their contribution gives an added boost to their local show. It provides an incentive for farmers to produce quality beef cattle necessary for the lucrative European Market where Liffey Meats exports to in order to get a higher price for the quality beef produced in this area.

Gunne Carnaross Mart €2,000 Champion Weanlings
Another competitive display of high quality animals is the competition to find the champion non-pedigree male and female weanling of the show. Sponsored by Gunne Carnaross Mart, who sales attract high quality stock from all over Ireland.
These classes are open to calves born in 2015. Maximum weight male is 430kgs and female calf is 380kgs.

North Eastern Charolais Club Championships
The North Eastern Charolais Club are holding the North Eastern Charolais Club Junior Championships at Virginia show this year. There are five classes with €200 worth of prize money in each class.
Exhibitors are limited to counties Cavan, Monaghan, Meath, Westmeath, Longford, Louth, and Dublin.

North Eastern Club Simmental Championship
For Simmental cattle breeders there is plenty on offer with the highlight being the finals of the North East Simmental Championship. The wealth of top stock the length and breath of the NE area of the country are attracted to our east Cavan town for the Final. They will compete for the John Morton Memorial Cup.
Commercial champion of the Show is sponsored by Lisgrey House and will receive the Jack Love Cup while the A W Ennis Interbreed Champion will also be selected.

Novice and Young Stockpersons
Virginia are delighted to have a qualifier competition for the YMA showmanship league final in both under 16 and aged 16-26 sections. The young stockpersons finals in beef, sheep and dairy are always very popular events at Virginia Show.
Open to young people between the ages of 12 and 16 years, they are judged on their ability to prepare the animal for judging and general knowledge of the breed of the animal itself.
They are also examined on the animals’ nutritional requirements whilst being prepared, ability to handle and present the animal in the show ring and knowledge of the animal. Virginia has also a unique Novice Competition and entrants can be any age, so long as they have not shown before.

Horses & Ponies Classes
Among the classes are Brood Mare, light and coloured horses, ridden hunter and cob, heavy horses, as well as classes for palomino horses and ponies, Welsh and Connemara as well as the miniature horses and donkeys.
There are impressive cups and trophies for many classes with a new cup in memory of Wilkie Lyttle, former Master Steward of the Horse Section for the Champion ridden hunter of the Show.

Beef & Dairy

Cattle Classes
There are dairy and beef classes for all cattle. These include Holstein Friesians, crossbred classes, commercial classes, and continental, Shorthorns, Herefords, Angus, Charalois, Limousin, Salers, Simmentals, Belgian Blues, Aubrac and Blonde D’Aquitaine.

Other Classes
As always, the 2016 Virginia Show will feature very strong competition for sheep, including the Paddy Keoghan Perpetual Memorial Cup for Pedigrees and the Hugh Faulkner Cup for crossbreds as well as classes for Suffolks, Texels, Charalois, and Vendeen. There are also classes for Goats, Poultry, Farm & Garden Produce, Oats Barley, Turf, Hay, Grazing, and Maize.