The 166th Great Yorkshire Show gets underway today (Tuesday) with 140,000 visitors expected in Harrogate for the sell-out event.
England’s premier agricultural event will take place over the next four days, featuring agricultural excellence, spectacular entertainment and the chance to see thousands of the best animals in the UK in the competition rings.
The Show looks forward to hosting no fewer than five national livestock championships this year, for Aberdeen Angus, Longhorn and Charolais cattle and Kerry Hill and Zwartble sheep.
It will also host organic beef farmers from Bavaria 46 German farmers who are visiting to learn more about Eggs-Port, the cattle embryo and semen supply and shipping business.
TV presenter Jules Hudson and Rob and Dave Nicholson of Cannon Hall Farm met up with farmer Nick Pagett from Preston with his three-year-old Kerry Hill sheep Topspot Devito.
Jules, along with Julia Bradbury, is presenting Today at the Great Yorkshire Show, a two-part series which will be on Channel 5 at 8pm on Thursday and Friday of show week.
The series will feature Rob and Dave Nicholson from Cannon Hall Farm and the animals they are bringing to compete at the show.
Over in the stables, the equine section has extremely strong numbers this year, with nearly 2,000 entries and 40 different types competing.
New for this year are classes for British Miniature Horses and Suffolk Punch.
British Miniature Horse exhibitor Hannah Miller brought along yearling filly TLF Matisse, owned by breeder David Kelly, and standing just 82cm tall, to meet Show Director Rachel Coates.
Rachel said:
“This is my first year as Show Director and I am really looking forward to showcasing the very best of farming, food and countryside where it all comes together for farmers and the public.
“I have known the Show all my life but I continue to learn more about what it offers every day.
“As a former livestock exhibitor, I already knew about the superb quality of the animals here and the fierce competition to be a winner but there is so much more.
“Where else can you learn about the importance of bees or the latest agricultural technology at the same time as sampling some of the region’s finest food or seeing the work of its artists?
“We are indebted to the whole team who come together to help deliver a fantastic day out for our visitors.”
A new machinery demo ring has been introduced near Brown Gate with a daily programme of machinery showcased including from Siromer Tractors, Ripon Farm Services, T C Harrison JCB, Specialists in Fendt Machinery Brockhills of Yorkshire and Carrs Billington.
Models took to the catwalk over in the Ariat GYS Stage which will feature a fashion show at 1pm every day featuring clothes from Ariat, Manteaux, Maude & Fox, Lakeland Leather, British Wool and TOG24.
Abraham Moons is also showcasing its range of large and small ruanas in Yorkshire Agricultural Society Tweed, with 10% of each one sold going back to YAS to help support the farming community.
There are also celebrity chat shows hosted on the Ariat GYS Stage throughout the week, with TV presenters Helen Skelton and Matt Baker MBE, Rob and Dave Nicholson, of Cannon Hall Farm (which hosts Channel 5’s Springtime on the Farm series), and popular Peter Wright of Channel 5’s The Yorkshire Vet appearing in the shows hosted by TV presenter Christine Talbot.
Being fit to farm will be in the spotlight at this year’s Show to highlight the importance of both physical and mental wellbeing. Farmers can visit the Field Nurse trailer near Brown Gate on any day of the Show to get a free health check and for the first time, the Show will host a heat of Britain’s Fittest Farmer, on the Young Farmers’ lawn throughout Tuesday.
Health and wellbeing will be in focus at the Countryside Area where two talks at the Countryside Voices Stage on Tuesday will explore looking after the people who look after our land.
The future of the industry will be on display in a bigger and better Innovation Zone and by the Future Farmers of Yorkshire at their ever-popular Breakfast Meeting at the Ariat GYS Stage at 7.45am on Wednesday.
Navigating the Budget for farm businesses has been brought back by popular demand after being rolled out across the county by YAS earlier this year and will take place at 8am on Friday.
Free shuttle buses are operated by The Harrogate Bus Company every day of the Great Yorkshire Show.
The buses run every 10 minutes from Harrogate Bus Station (next to the Railway Station) to the Showground’s White Gate, starting at 7.30am. The last bus departs the Showground at 7pm.
Subscribe to the Great Yorkshire Show YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/GreatYorkshireShow
Download the Great Yorkshire Show App here: https://greatyorkshireshow.co.uk/gys-app/
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