The Crawford's ended what has been one of there most successful years to date in the show ring by winning the Gordon bull for the most championships and the the show team of the year 2009.
Crawford brothers kicked of there show season in may with 10 cattle at balmoral show and won five classes, junior female championship , group of three and reserve overall female champion, they attended a show every week from may to the beginning of August, in all they won the breed championship at nine shows out of a possible 12, and 80 per cent of all beef interbreed championships.
Two of the highlights this year were winning the best limousine heifer in Northern Ireland at the Ulster Bank All Ireland limousine heifer of the Year at Clogher Valley Show.
For the second year running they won the Ulster Bank beef interbreed female of the year with their excellent breeding cow Curaghree Sensation, and last year with their cow ravassintte.
The Crawfords usually take part at the Royal Shows in England but because of Department of Agriculture red tape in Northern Ireland regarding blue tongue.
It would have been impossible for the show team to be imported back in Northern Ireland in a reasonable time frame .
When the Northern Ireland shows had finished in early August the Crawfords embarked on the show scene in southern Ireland, a first time a Northern Ireland exhibitor has showed at a number of shows in the south in 18 years.
They showed in Trim, Virginia, Tudavnet and the National Ploughing Championships in Athay, being a first for a Northern Ireland breeder.
They were welcomed welcomed in person by the Agriculture Minster Brendan Smith on the first day of the event.
The Crawford's recalled that the three day event in Athay brought back some happy memories of the early 1980`s were we showed at the Royal Dublin show in Ballsbridge.
"It's great to be back showing cattle and doing business with breeders in southern Ireland again," they added .
The show team of the year award is very highly contested by the limousine breeders in Northern Ireland every year with the Crawford's winning the award 15 years eight of them in succession, a major achievement in itself.
