Belgium Young Breeders School success

The second ever Australian representative team attended the Young Breeders School in Belgium last month.

The Aussie team of young leaders, led by passionate Youth advocate Justin Johnston of Glomar Holsteins - held their own against some of the best young talents in the dairy industry. 

Participating in the Young Breeders School (YBS) was a privilege for the team consisting of Courtney Afford, Andrew Gray, Nathan Hart, Georgia Sieben and Katilyn Wishart.

The annual five-day event run by the Association Wallonne de l’Elevage (AWE), consisted of 3 days of theoretical courses on classification, marketing and show preparation, as well as setting up their stand bearing the image of their nation, 

The final day of the YBS was a show which each participant paraded their own heifer in highly competitive showmanship classes. 

Congratulations to Kaitlyn Wishart who placed 1st in her Showmanship class and placed 20th overall in the Individual competition. 

Team Australia member Courtney Afford fondly reflects on her Young Breeders School experience:

"YBS was a great experience to not only broaden our fitting & showmanship knowledge, but to network with many like-minded people from around the world. It was a long week, crammed with workshops and great experiences that will last a lifetime.

"Our host family were great at making us feel at home - we cannot thank them enough for the laughs & miss them already. Thanks to the sponsors who have helped make this trip possible & experience more enriching."

The Young Breeders School scholarship program would simply not be possible without the support of the wonderful sponsors who have come together to support this initiative. 

We thank fellow program partners Jersey Australia and the Melbourne Royal for their outstanding support.

And to the sponsors Bega Cheese, Coprice, Genetics Australia, the Gardiner Dairy Foundation, Ridley Stockfeeds, STGenetics Australia, Yarra Corportation and WFI - your support was imperative in making this trip possible. 

Further coverage of the Team Australia YBS competition, including interviews with the participants and photos, will be in the Summer issue of the Holstein Journal.