Our 2024 Show Judges & Speakers

  • James Metcalfe

    Hardenclough Farm

    James Metcalfe, is the third generation of the family to farm the tenanted 350 acre hill farm, Hardenclough Farm, in the Peak District in Derbyshire.

    Hardenclough is a challenging farm due to all being north facing and running low quality pasture. Stocking by previous generations has been a stratified system of Swaledale ewes crossed with Blue Faced Leicesters and North of England Mules crossed with Suffolks and Texels.

    Under the current management, the sheep flock is based around 500 North Country Cheviots bred both pure and crossed with Traditional BFL rams and a small herd of pedigree Luing cattle.

    Small flocks of both Herdwick and Badgerface Welsh Mountains are also kept on the farm.

    James is no stranger to judging, and is excited about his upcoming role at the NAHSS.

  • David Baillie

    Calla Farm

    David Baillie, of Calla Farm, a 1,600 acre holding near Carnwath, South Lanarkshire, has been carefully breeding North Type, or Perth Type, Blackface sheep for many years as well as being active in the Perth Ram Society.

    Calla Farm is situated 900 feet above sea level, and David's flock is content to live in the lowland, which included 400 aces of bog and moss.

    Hardy and vigorous stock is Baillie's calling card, and the Blackface ewes are used to lambing out of doors. Good finishing weights are the norm, and Baillie regularly tops the sales for breed stock.

    North Country Cheviot ewes are even more prevalent at Calla Farm, however, with a flock of about 700 strong that graze the hill and higher land.

    Limousin and Beef Shorthorns also call Calla home, and David gets much help from his wife and daughters.

    David has sold hundreds of semen straws to the United States in recent years, and the NAHSS is looking forward to seeing him judge this September.

  • Alan Blackwood

    Auldhouseburn Blackface

    Alan Blackwood, a main man at Auldhouseburn, Muirkirk, Ayrshire, breeds record breaking Blackface and Texel sheep.

    With a start in the free-range egg industry, and his father raising purebred Blackface sheep, Alan realized that Texels were the next step and has been taking the market by storm ever since with both breeds.

    Alan is driven, passionate, and successful-

    “Auldhouseburn” is synonymous with quality.

    Alan is keen to see the sheep over here in the US, and we’re just as keen to show them to him.

  • Michael Staunton

    Mask View

    Tom Staunton runs the Mask View flock on the shores of Lough Mask, Co Mayo, Ireland with his sons Thomas, Kevin & Michael. They breed Bluefaced Leicester, Mules and Scottish Blackface Lanark type sheep on a mixture of hill and lowland type pasture.

    Tom also writes a column for Irish Independent newspaper where he gives an inside view into life at Mask View.

    Mask View put a huge emphasis on producing quality correct sheep and their show and sales results speak for themselves.

    Tom and his sons at Mask View have judged many shows over the years and are really looking forward to judging this September.

    Michael Staunton will be the judge on show day with the rest of Mask View in tow.

  • Cameron Wilson

    The Sheep Game

  • Gareth Wyn Jones

Janet McNally

Tamarack Lamb & Wool

Janet McNally was the Lamb and Wool instructor at Pine Technical College for 14 years, then spent the next 20 years full time as a sheep and beef producer near Hinckley Minnesota. Forty-two cent lambs in the 90s made Janet take a hard look at input costs and was what pushed her into a grass based production system long before 'grassfed' was cool. 

Then in 1999 a large wolf pack of wolves forced her to into a mob stock grazing system. Over the years Janet has worked through the challenges that rapid rank grass growth poses to producing finished lambs on pasture. Being grass based and often grazing as far as 7 miles from home Janet has also faced many predator challenges.

Janet will share her knowledge gained on producing a grass fed/finished lamb and keeping those lambs safe in a hostile predator environment.

janet@tamaracksheep.com 320 336 9071 www.tamaracksheep.com @tamarack_sheep on tik tok.