Dairy Week Monday: Parades and fancy dress

By Daneka Hill

Jan 21, 2022

On parade: Max, 6 and Ava Fisher, 3, with Alexis Osbourne, 3, and Hallie McVilly, 2, from Kyabram. The children participated in the fancy dress competition which required them to parade alongside dressed-up calves. Photo by Rodney Braithwaite

The unofficial children’s day at International Dairy Week featured a crowd of well-dressed kids and perfectly groomed heifers.

However, another group of youth was sorely missed in the stalls with farmers finding their workload heavier than usual without the regular army of keen teenagers to do the busy work.

There was something for youngsters of all ages on Monday, January 17.

Family show: Declan and Ellie Patten with six-year-old Eva and two-year-old Hendrix. Eva competed in the fancy dress class with her mane-wearing calf, dressed as a lion. Photo by Rodney Braithwaite

Children under seven could battle it out in a fancy dress competition, while those eight and over could brush up a calf and parade in the arena for their chance at a $150 cash prize.

The ABS Australia/Ridley All Breeds National Youth Show also offered up $250 for the Grand Champion Heifer.

Blow-dry: Nilma North local Karl Munden prepares his calf, Ringer Maiden, from Munden Farms. Mr Munden’s cow Magic Park Shady Maiden went on to win Ayrshire Grand Champion on Tuesday. Photo by Rodney Braithwaite

Beth Tivendale from Toolamba West competed in the intermediate section of the IDW Sheri Martin Memorial Youth Showmanship Awards (ages 14 to17).

Beth said she’d picked her calf — a six-month-old Guernsey called Crisp — from her parents’ herd after seeing some potential.

“If you see something special in them, you try to work with them,” she said.

“With Crisp, she walks really well and had a good mother who was also a show cow.”

Seeing the potential: Beth Tivendale with Crisp. The pair competed in the Intermediate class. Photo by Rodney Braithwaite

Crisp was on the younger side at the Sheri Martin awards, going up against heifers double her size, but younger calves can have a competitive edge as they learn quicker and are easier to handle if they have a tantrum.

Across the waiting yard, Lexie Pearce was keeping Nellie, a Jersey, in a game mindset.

“This is my first time parading,” Lexie said.

“But not my first time at Dairy Week. The calf is from a family friend and was picked out for me.”

First go: Lexie Pearce with Nellie. This was Lexie’s first time competing in the arena. Photo by Rodney Braithwaite

Keen to show: Bill Macadam from Arlia Ayrshires. Standing with Arlia BV Melva, Mr Macadam has brought five Ayrshires to IDW 2022. Photo by Nathan Burdziejko

Back in the stalls Bill Macadam of Arlia Ayrshires in Merrigum was mucking out the straw.

“The workload has been more than usual (at this year’s IDW),” Mr Macadam said.

“That’s because we haven’t been able to access the young guys from interstate and international. Now we’re having to do all the work ourselves instead of managing it.”

Mr Macadam usually brings across a team of high schooler students and school leavers from New Zealand to help out with his cows.

“The restrictions in New Zealand right now means they could have gotten here, but they wouldn’t have gotten home in time to attend their own dairy event,” he said.