A HERFORD commercial holding, where cattle have to compete with potatoes and cereals for productivity, carried off the supreme championship in the well-supported Hereford cattle section at the Three Counties Show, writes Roy Lewis.

Stan Quan of Benarth, Wormbridge, beat off strong competition from some quality animals with a home-bred cow, Border Oyster Lass, which edged the grand male champion, Longville Sinbad, exhibited by A H Bennett of Much Wenlock into reserve place.

Mr Quan's son Bill said the prize winner was for sale. "We are a commercial farm and productivity is what we are after."

The Quan's 500-acre farm produces stock bulls for the Hereford beef scheme. Waitrose take 125 cattle a week from Hereford breeders through Meadow Valley Livestock and numbers are expected to reach 380.

Mr Stan Quan said that although they had a herd of 110 cows, the farm had not been regular show exhibitors. However, they had previously won at the Royal and the Hereford National Show at Tenbury.

North American and Canadian breeding lines were used and they concentrated on producing beef from grass. David Jones of Phocle, Ross-on-Wye, won the senior male championship with a bull he bought after seeing him at the National Show. Mr Jones is diversifying by providing Meadow Land Meat with beef and is seeking planning permission for the company to operate from his premises.

Leading exhibitors in the Hereford lines said that the standard of cattle was higher this year. Both Clive Davies of Mamble, and Edward Lewis of Dilwyn, spoke of more even and better-quality Herefords. However, individual exhibitors were showing fewer cattle because of the high costs involved in preparing and presenting them.