Big show beefs up cattle section

Glenanthony Stud studmaster Tony Thompson with the Dannevirke A and P Show's Meat and Wool Trophy last year.

The return of cattle classes to the Dannevirke and District A and P Show is proving a boon to the big annual event with an expansion of the popular classes for the event on February 5-7.

The Friday-Sunday show, including Waitangi Day, is the fourth and last of the four A and P shows in Hawke's Bay during spring and summer, following the Hawke's Bay Show in Hastings in October, the Central Hawke's Bay show in November and the Wairoa show two weeks ago.

Last year the cattle section was revived after an absence of 15 years, and this year a lifestyle cattle section has been added, expected to add to the array of cattle with such breeds as texas longhorns expected to fill the stalls alongside the more traditional showgrounds breeding classes such as simmental, charolais and hereford.

Convener and champion cattle-shower Simon Collin, of Rauriki Charolais, near Ormondville, expects at least 50 entries across the classes, with 30 also entered in the prime cattle classes

A trophy for the lifestyle lines has been donated by Boxpalm Dexters.

Significant numbers are expected again from Central Hawke's Bay breeder Tony Thompson, of Glenanthony Simmentals, who claimed the show's Meat and Wool Cup last year, as he had when the section had last previously been run at Dannevirke in 2000.

The cattle classes now pose a viable option for breeders looking at the Royal Show in Hastings in October.

They are expected to attract a number of entries across the central North Island from Hawke's Bay to Taranaki, including Manawatu and the Horowhenua area.

The show also has strong sheep entries, and increasing entries for equestrian events, which dominate the last day of the show.

A big feature of the opening Friday is the Dannevirke Shearing and Woolhandling Championship and Aotea Rugby Club speedshear.

The event is in the busiest stage of the shearing sports season, which has competitions at the Taihape and Rotorua shows this weekend, and events at Marton and Aria in King Country clashing on Waitangi Day.

As part of the speedshear, the rugby club is trying to attract teams from other clubs for a feature event which has been held each year since the club first staged the speedshear in 2011.

A and P Show president Brian Beale said the event, on its own 17ha site, was in a good financial position and thriving from year to year.