A partner with his father – in – law Stanley Mount at the famed Woodland View Ayrshire herd at Knowlton, Quebec, the team had an unprecedented 10 Madison Champions and eight Royal champions, from 1976 to 1999.

The herd dispersed a decade ago, setting record prices with their sale.

The farm also exhibited at the strong Quebec Spring Show and provincial exhibition, as well as at the Eastern States Exposition in the U.S. Fixtures on their famed show crew that went to six or seven shows a year were Allan (Red) Turnbull, and Larry Skillen. A youth by the name of Callum McKinven – this year’s Royal Holstein judge – was trained and mentored by this crew.

There were 10 different famous cows winning those Madison and Royal honours Those carrying the Woodland View prefix were Dolmen’s Polly, K Polly 3, Prudence, Betty 3 and Andrea 6.

A son of Prudence called Pardner became a leading AI sire. A recent posting in the UK noted that he was “the best Ayrshire sire of our time.”

Other famed Madison and Royal champions owned by Woodland View, generally partnered in ownership with Turnbull and Skillen, were: East Rivers Daisy’s Last, Sunnymead Jade’s Silk, Da Vue Ayr Andrea, Strathburn Destiny’s Sarah and Blackadder Emily 3.

“He knew what a big time cow had to look like,” said Denis Descouteaux, who during his years as Quebec Ayrshire fieldman, made many a Madison trip with Barr. The pair also brought cattle to sales in Kentucky and Illinois, year after year, during the spring and early winter.

The favourite cow Barr ever owned was Dolmen’s Polly, noted Descouteaux.” He bred her and that’s the one that he would compare all his other great cows to,” he said.

The other key to his success was Barr’s at home ability as a herdsman, able to keep those great cows – despite being flushed – bred back right for the shows, said Descoteaux. Keeping the show cattle in shape with lots of dry hay, while the majority of the herd was fed a high percentage corn silage diet, was another show cow management practice keeping Barr ahead of the regular breeders, he noted .

Barr’s show focus was all consuming, said Descoteaux, chuckling, recalling how Barr spotted and bought a yearling heifer on the pasture from the reporters fathers one fall, despite being told it was a free martin and headed for beef.

It did go for slaughter, but not until after winning the senior yearling class at the Royal for Barr. The first and only fair the animal ever went to.

Barr once appeared on the TV program Sesame Street, which featured his young daughter with her calf at a 4- H show.

He also served twice as president of Ayrshire Canada and judged major shows, including in the UK. He was also the first from North America to supply Ayrshire embryo’s from some of his famed cows, crossed with Red and White Holsteins to the UK market, where such crosses could be registered in their herd book.