Alan Patterson, owner of Herdstown Holsteins, has achieved a remarkable double Scottish successs. Alan has won the Holstein Championship at the recent Royal Highland Show with his homebred cow Herdstown Rachel 388 EX94, having also won last autumn's AgriScot Holstein Championship with Herdstown Susette 64.

Alan farms with his wife Carol and family near Donaghadee. They farm 240 acres and have over 100 dairy cows and followers. The Herdstown Herd was established in the 1950's by Alan's father John and since have built up an excellent herd of high yielding cows with tremendous body capacity and superb udders.

Rachel 388 was spotted by Mr Paul Rawcliffe, from Almond Holsteins, when visiting the herd just a few months ago. He was so impressed that he suggested she could be a big show winner. He persuaded Alan to sell a half share and both agreed he would show her at the Highland Show.

Paul produced Rachel in tremendous form to also win the Holstein Best Udder in Show. This is an even greater achievement considering the short time to prepare this cow that had never been shown before!

Currently the herd is averaging 10,093kgs of milk at 4.02% butterfat and 3.21% protein. The Rachel family is one of the Herdstown foundation families. Herdstown Rachel 388, sired by Parker Aero Wade, has had 5 calves and is classified EX94 with a mammary score of 96 points. Currently in her fifth lactation she has produced 10,240kgs of milk at 4.7% Butterfat and 3.00% protein on a conventional management system. To date she has produced 62 tonnes of milk with a projected yield of over 16,000kgs in her current lactation, and has a daughter Rachel 415 in the herd that is classified 88 points.

Since calving in November her diet included easy fed silage and McLarnons Elite Butter-Yield dairy nuts through Out-Of-Parlour feeders and in the milking parlour. Since turnout the diet has incorporated grass and McLarnon Elite Butter-Graze Nuts in the parlour only.

McLarnon Feeds would like to congratulate the Patterson family on a remarkable Scottish Show Championship double that may never again be equalled by two different homebred Northern Ireland cows from the same breeder.