Profile: Mike and Lizzy Kirby

Mike Kirby and Black Butterfly - part of the winning team at Agri-Live Smithfield

When it comes to bringing out prize cattle, North Devon farmer Mike Kirby is proving to have the knack after bagging one of the country’s top awards twice in just three years.

His pure bred Aberdeen-Angus heifer, Black Butterfly, scooped the Duke of Norfolk trophy at the prestigious AgriLive Smithfield show, often referred to as the Crufts of the cattle world.

Mike’s wife, Lizzy, said: “You are up against the crème de la crème and just to get a placing is incredible but to actually get a first and to win a cup is out of this world.

“Winning at any show is fantastic but winning at Smithfield is indescribable. Just to be able to take part is a great experience.”

It is the second time Mike has done well at the show. In 2006 he swept the board, winning the Duke of Norfolk, Royal Cornwall and Queen Mother’s Trophy with his Aberdeen-Angus heifer Top Totty, Black Butterfly’s half-sister.

“This was an incredible feat made even more so by the fact that she is a pedigree Angus and a native breed,” said Lizzy.

Black Butterfly pictured at the English Winter Fair

But she added that entering cattle shows was “not all about winning” as they played another vital role in the farming community.

“There is also the social aspect to showing. Farming is a very lonely and relentless job but it is also a way of life for many. There is not a proper farmer who can honestly say that they are not proud to produce the finest whether it is beef, lamb, milk, straw, hay or barley.

“This is why the demise of the local markets is such a travesty, not only because this is when the everyday farmer gets to sell their fine produce but it is also an opportunity for these farmers to socialise and I suppose even to network.”

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