CRAWFORD BROTHERS
Established 1980
24 Nov 2019
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Crawford Brothers' high profile commitment to pedigree Limousin cattle breeding.
CULNAGECHAN LIBERTY AND HER DAUGHTER RATHKEELAND PHOENIX WIN THE TOP PRIZES IN THE NI LIMOUSIN CHAMPIONSHIPS
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6th August 2019
The annual N.I. Limousin Championship was held on Saturday 27 July 2019 at Randox Antrim Show in the beautiful setting of Shanes Castle Estate, Antrim.
The Overall Champion, Female Champion and Senior Champion was Culnagechan Liberty exhibited by Crawford Bros, Maguiresbridge, Co Fermanagh. Born December 2015 Liberty is by Iveagh Gilkes and out of the dam Culnagechan Fruity. Bred by Derek Hume, Randalstown Co Antrim, Liberty was purchased by Crawford Bros at the N.I. Limousin Cattle Club’s Female sale in August 2018. At the show Liberty was awarded the Clyde Perpetual Challenge Cup, by Antrim Agricultural Show Society and the Bridgeford Saskia Perpetual Trophy for Female Champion which will be presented by the N.I. Limousin Cattle Club on prize night.
Liberty’s daughter Rathkeeland Phoenix bred and exhibited by Crawford Bros took Reserve Overall Champion, Reserve Female Champion and Calf Champion titles. This February 2019 born heifer calf is by Culnagechan Lazio.
Stephen Crawford’s winning team were in the prizes again when Haltcliffe Nijinsky won Reserve Male Champion and Reserve Senior Champion. This February 2017 born bull is sired by Ampertaine Elgin and out of the dam Haltcliffe Jezebelle.
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FEMALES DOMINATE EAST MIDLAND’S CLUB LIMOUSIN SALE
29 Apr 2019
Next best of the females was a 4200gns call for Erne Eileen from Chris White. Bred by Raymond Crawford she is by Tertio and out of Grange Orissa, an Irlandais daughter. This ET bred heifer sold with a heifer calf, Frogmore Imogen, at foot and was bought by Messrs Turner, Fordham, for the Bassingbourn herd. She had stood first in the pre-sale show.
27th July 2018
Male Champion and winner of the Derriaghy Perpetual Trophy, awarded by the Northern Irish Limousin Cattle Club, was Gunnerfleet Mack from the Crawford Brothers of Maguiresbridge, Co Fermanagh. Bred by Mr Ian Handley at Gunnerfleet Farm, Ingleton, Lancashire, the March 2016 born bull is sired by Plumtree Fantastic and out of Gunnerfleet Isabella. Mack stood first in his class at the Balmoral Show in May. He was purchased by the Crawford Brothers at Carlisle in October 2017 for 5,250gns.
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NORTHERN IRELAND LIMOUSIN CLUB ANNUAL REPORT 2012
18th February 2013
During the months of May, June, July and August the 12 local agricultural shows took place during the summer months and again the Limousin breed did exceptionally well. Mr R Crawford went on to gain the most points in the Show Team of the Year together with the title of the breeder to win the most championships during the 2012 season.
BLCS sale held at Ballymena on the 7th November where there was a fair trade with 20 Bulls averaging £2,300 (-£285) and 14 females averaging £1,957 (+ £497). Judge for the show was John Allen, Strabane with the day’s top price of 5,000gns going to Overall Champion Erne Gemma , sired by Sauvignon and bred by Raymond Crawford, Maguiresbridge
CRAWFORD’S CELEBRATE 2012 SHOW SUCCESSES
Friday 07 December 2012
AS 2012 draws to a close the Crawford family from Maguiresbridge have rounded off another successful year by scooping several of the top accolades at the NI Limousin Club’s annual dinner and presentation of awards, held recently at Clogher.
Herbie Crawford, and sons Raymond and Stephen, collected the Lusby Shield for the Danske Bank Limousin Show Team of the Year; and the Gordon Trophy, a Border Fine Arts bull, awarded to the herd gaining the most breed championships during the show season.
FERMANAGH SHOW: A CLEAN SWEEP OF TITLES FOR CRAWFORD FAMILY
04 August 2011
The 2011 agricultural show season came to a fitting climax yesterday with, possibly, the most closely fought Beef Inter Breed Championship class of the year bringing down the curtain on Enniskillen’s annual farming and food spectacular.
The day – and indeed the entire show season – was carried by the Crawford family from Co Fermanagh with their tremendous cow Clonlara Valance. The animal has won every class for which she was entered this year, giving her a clean sweep of Inter Breed titles. More significantly, her successes were marked up throughout the entire show season. This makes her a very special cow indeed. But her victories also reflect very positively on the abilities of the Crawford family to keep her looking so fresh for so long.
CRAWFORDS’ CLEAN SWEEP OF INTERBREED TITLES
1st August 2011
The Fermanagh Show held at Enniskillen in early August brought the Northern Irish Show season to a close and with it a clean sweep of breed and interbreed titles for Crawford Brothers, Rathkeeland, Maguiresbridge fittingly at this their local show.
Winning at Fermanagh was the seven-year-old cow, Clonlara Valance, sired by Grahams Samson and shown with her Sauvignon-sired calf at foot. She had previously stood Breed and Interbreed Champion at the Saintfield, Omagh, Newry, Castlewellan and Cloghervalley Shows.
LOCAL EXHIBITORS LIFT BALMORAL SHOW CHAMPIONSHIP AWARDS
20th May 2010
For Crawford Brothers, Balmoral Show was the start of what promises another exciting year in the showring for their pedigree Limousins. With the largest livestock entry at Balmoral of any exhibitor across Ireland, they had a show team of 17 animals from two farms at Maguiresbridge and Clones in Co. Monaghan.
To seal a great show, they won the coveted Champion of Champions Interbreed Beef award, sponsored by Dunbia which brought them a special prize of £300. They won the title with their impressive cow, Clonlara Valance, which they acquired 18 months ago. It was her first time in the showring, having been bred by a Cork breeder and on her way to this the top title, had won the Limousin championship.
Crawford Brothers also won numerous titles in the Limousin breed section, lifting the Herbert Lusby Memorial Cup for the best group of three Limousin animals and winning the most points overall.
Crawford Brothers are now planning to exhibit some of their Limousins at the Royal Highland, Royal Welsh and the Great Yorkshire Show this summer as part of their celebrations marking 30 years of pedigree breeding.
HOW A FAMILY'S LIVESTOCK BREEDING BUSINESS BECAME A GLOBAL BRAND
1st April 2010
The country came to town last week as the Crawford Brothers, one of the most successful livestock breeding businesses in Fermanagh celebrated 30 years at a reception in Parliament Buildings at Stormont. In addition to members of the Crawford family, there were many people associated with the family and their farm which is based at Rathkeeland, Maguiresbridge attending the anniversary event.
FAMILY FARMING BUSINESS FOCUSES ON EXPORTS
24 Mar, 2010
Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster pictured with Stephen Crawford, Raymond Crawford and the Duke Of Westminster Major-General Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor, at the Crawford Brothers 30th anniversary event in Parliament Buildings, Belfast.
Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster has noted the export success of a Fermanagh based firm.
NORTHERN IRISH WIN ROYAL LIMOUSIN TICKETS
03 July 2008
The long trip over from Northern Ireland was certainly worthwhile for the Crawford Brothers as they took the Limousin title in thejudging rings earlier this morning.
Having taken the feamle championship ahead of recent reserve interbreed Highland Show winner Brockhurst Batik from Doug Mash, the French bred Victorieous later went on to take the overall title. Sired by Romeo she is out of Paloma. Batik had to settle for overall spot.
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NORTHERN IRELAND LIMOUSIN BREEDER TRIUMPHS IN PARIS
09/03/07
Northern Ireland Limousin breeders the Crawford Brothers celebrated on Monday 6th March 2007 when their five-year old bull Sauvignon took the Male Championship title at the SIMA/SIMAGENA Show held in Paris. As well as winning his class and standing Male Champion, Sauvignon also took the Champion Carcase Bull award. British Limousins were truly centre stage as the judging honours were undertaken by Mr Colin Soutter, Herd Manager of Whinfell Park Limousins, Clifton Moor, Penrith, Cumbria.
FERMANAGH BULL IS BEST IN EUROPE
Monday, 5 March 2007
A bull called Sauvignon is the toast of Fermanagh after winning Europe's premier agricultural event, the Paris Show. The five-year-old Limousin bull was exhibited by Crawford Brothers from Maguiresbridge, who are the first United Kingdom cattle breeders to win the top beef rosette in Paris.
LIMOUSIN BREEDERS FIRST TO GET SEXED SEMEN
16th February 2007
LIMOUSIN has become the first beef breed in the world to take advantage of sexed semen technology.
In partnership with Cogent Breeding, Northern Ireland Limousin breeders Raymond and Stephen Crawford have had sexed semen collected from their two Limousin bulls, Sauvignon and Vigot, both winners at the Great Yorkshire Show.
SEXED LIMOUSIN SEMEN - A WORLD FIRST!
09/02/07
Limousin has become the first beef breed in the world to take advantage of sexed semen technology. In partnership with leading AI company Cogent Breeding Limited, Northern Ireland Limousin breeders, Raymond & Stephen Crawford have had sexed semen collected from their two Limousin bulls, Sauvignon and Vigot.
FIRST EXPORT OF LIMOUSIN AND BELGIAN BLUE EMBRYOS TO ROI
12/12/05
Crawford Brothers’ Rathkeeland and Newlittlemount herds have begun exporting the first consignment of Limousin and Belgian blue embryos into the Republic of Ireland from their base in Maguiresbridge, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.