A national competition with a difference – the NMR/RABDF Gold Cup is not for the elite, but for the practical producer doing a good job. So it would be well worth those who have recently received a letter saying that they meet the entry criteria having a go!

More than 800 milk-recorded herds have met the criteria required to enter this year’s Gold Cup. This means that their milking herd has more than 50 animals with an average cell count for the year ending September 2005 of no more than 200,000/ml and a genetic merit above the level set for the breed.

Holsteins must have a minimum PIN of £4, Friesians £22, Ayrshires £9, Jerseys £7, Guernseys £5, and Shorthorns £9.

Quite an achievement in itself, this combination includes good all-round herds. They may not be top of the production or genetic rankings, or prize-winners in the show ring. Instead, they will inevitably combined very high standards of herd management with good breeding and feeding.

“We recognize that we set a high level for entry – and it’s no mean feat to get this far,” says Frank Armitage, who coordinates the Gold Cup on behalf of sponsors NMR and RABDF. “All these herds are sent an entry form – a fairly detailed but straight-forward questionnaire that takes them through to the next round. All those who enter receive a runner-up certificate in recognition of their achievement.

Producers should not be put off by the questionnaire. And it’s the details in this questionnaire that makes the Gold Cup unique. “We ask for details of grassland and soil management and feeding as well as production information,” adds Mr Armitage. “Producers will have a lot of the information from their records anyway, and we are willing to help.

“It’s a very broad brush approach but it is current and relevant and looks forwards – not backwards.”

A panel of independent judges will select around six finalists from all the entries. “Each one is given a great deal of consideration and it’s always a tough sifting job for the judges. But the past few years have shown that it works as finalists have been from a wide background, farming in very different conditions and with different resources and different dairy breeds.

“This is not a competition for selecting the biggest and grandest. We’re looking for a herd that makes the best of what it has with a producer who is dedicated to the industry and looking ahead very positively.”

All entries should be sent in by the end of April and finalists will be informed in May, with judging taking place in July and the winner announced at the Dairy Event in September. “Entry forms have now been out for a few weeks and I have had a lot of interest this year – a few needing just that extra bit of encouragement to go ahead and enter!” adds Mr Armitage.

What the entrants say

“Qualifying is an achievement and we’re keen to be near the top so this is a way of benchmarking us against others. And it gives us an incentive to try that bit harder.”
Tom Yuill, Lanarkshire. Runner up in 2005 and qualifier in 2006

“I’ve filled my form out. It would be such an accolade to win and great publicity for our herd as we’re hoping to sell some surplus heifers an start making and selling ice cream later this year. We work hard to qualify every year and are really pleased to have made it into the top 10%, based on production, this time.”
George Beckwith, Cumbria. Runner up in 2005 and qualifier in 2006

“We’re thrilled to have qualified for the first time. We’re striving to improve the herd all the time and this is recognition of our efforts. Yes, of course we will be entering. And our achievement has given us the motivation to get even better.”
Dewi Wyn Jones, Denbighshire . First-time qualifier in 2006