AFTER a fantastic year on the showing circuit, Okehampton farmer Dudley Luxton has finished up with a top win at Hatherleigh Christmas Primestock Show.
Both champion sheep and cattle prizes were claimed by local farmers this year and Mr Luxton was delighted that his Limousin cow 'Nicky' went one better than her mother.
'We had reserve champion here with Nicky's mother five or six years ago,' he said. 'This is our local show and has always been the one I wanted to win since I started showing.'
The two-year-old animal won supreme champion at Launceston, Liskeard, Churston, Totnes and Newton Abbot this year and was reserve champion at the Royal Cornwall Show.
'It's unusual for an animal to be at its peak for this long,' said Mr Luxton, who declined from selling the animal in the auction in the hope that she may breed another champion one day.
'I bred her and I bred her mother and she is a nice line and so I would like to keep her,' he added.
With all the supreme titles under his belt this year, Mr Luxton's next ambition is to win at Exeter Primestock Show, which he is in fact exhibiting at tomorrow (Friday.)
Jacobstowe's Becky King came back from a year out of showing in 1998 to sweep the board in the sheep section. Her Texel cross animals won the champion and reserve prize and her pen of the best sheep fetched £45 each at the auction.
Becky has been involved in showing since she was a teenager and is keeping the farming tradition going in the family.
She said the show had a good atmosphere and it was a chance to chat with people from neighbouring farms.
The champion pen of pigs went to Messrs Paul Chown from Brandis Corner and they were auctioned at 64p a kilo.
Nigel Jenkinson's reserve champion Belgian Blue steer fetched 125 pence a kilo but according to spectators well over 200 pence a kilo was the average price the champions fetched a few years ago before the crisis in the farming industry.
'Just five or six years ago the average cattle going through the auction would make 20p or 30p a kilo more than they do now,' said show president John Heard. 'On a 500 kilo bullock that is over £100.
'There is an excellent quality of stock here today. Although everybody is a bit down because of the problems in agriculture, this is something they look forward to and as well as a chance for them to show off their stock — it's a time to meet up with others.'
Despite giving up stewarding at the show last year, there is no way 88-year-old Gilbert Daniel is giving up attending the event which he describes as 'home from home.'
'I live in a cottage almost alongside the market so I could not get a lot nearer unless I moved into the buildings,' he said.
A show-goer for 70 years and a steward for 60 years, but never an exhibitor, Mr Gilbert said cows and calves were more his line not fat cattle.
The former farmer, who at one time could name everyone at the show, said he believed the agricultural situation would improve but it would never be the same as it was.
'A lot of people have given up farming and farmers' sons have gone into other things,' he said.
'There used to be so many more farms and there was more stock at this show, especially sheep. Now many of the pens are empty.'
Exhibitor Shirley Griffiths said her parents' farm at Brandis Corner had been in the family for over 100 years but they were due to retire and she was in a real dilemma over what to do for the best.
'My brother is not interested in farming but farming is all I know,' she said. 'I am reluctant to sell because the farm has so much history and I have been involved in livestock all my life but I already have to do other jobs to supplement the income from the farm.
'People say farmers are just in the business for the money but it really is a way of life for most people. You have got to be prepared to work 24 hours a day sometimes.
'The situation is very sad for farmers now. There are so many giving up it is unbelievable really.'