International Dairy Week is go!

It’s mid-January and once again it feels like all roads lead to Tatura. International Dairy Week is go!

Recognised internationally and attracting cattle from across the country and premier judges from around the globe, this year IDW marks a real milestone, 35 years in the making.

To mark the occasion a dinner is being held on the Tuesday night in the main arena which will see around 250 guests celebrate, amongst other things, Power of Women in Dairy, the Lex Bunn presentations, National Herd Improvement Association awards and, of course, IDW itself, with founder Brian Leslie taking centre stage to look back over the history of the show.

The evening will also include IDW’s People’s Choice Award, voted for by the show’s Facebook fans, to celebrate the many legendary cows that have graced the ring over the years.

Strong Holstein showing

Over 330 Holsteins have been entered by 88 members this year, with Holstein Australia members also featuring prominently on the judging roster.

The event will include all the usual classes across Jersey, Holstein, Illawarra, Ayrshire, Red and Whites and Guernsey breeds, along with the popular youth events – including the Holstein Australia Youth Challenge – which kicks off proceedings in the show ring on Sunday.

International judges include Mike Duckett from the United States for the Holstein Show, Kurt Wolf, also from the US, for the Ayrshire Show, and Canada’s Roger Turner for the Red and White Show.

The Ducketts (wife Julie and kids Logan and Chloe) operate Duckett Holsteins and have had great success exhibiting three Supreme Champions at World Dairy Expo. Mike has judged many shows internationally and also operates Genetic Futures and Showbox Sires.

Roger Turner was raised at Railhaven Holsteins, a registered Holstein farm in Ontario, Canada. His judging career has included assignments to more than 22 countries, and he was recently awarded a 20-year service award for outstanding service and commitment to the livestock industry.

Holstein Australia members performing judging duties at IDW include Matthew Templeton (View Fort Holsteins & Jerseys) for the Jersey Show, Simon Tognola (Twin View Holsteins) for the Illawarra Show, Brad Gavenlock (Cherrylock Cattle Co) for the Brown Swiss Show and John Gardiner (Avonlea Holsteins) for the Youth Show.

Holstein Australia Youth Challenge

Sunday’s Holstein Australia Youth Challenge will see 140 competitors under 22 years of age take to the show ring to showcase their skills, teamwork, and passion for dairy cattle.

Attracting teams from South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria and New Zealand, Holstein Australia sub-branches are well represented with entries from the Northern Victorian, Western Districts (2 teams each), North West Victoria and South Australian sub-branches.

Other teams taking part include Australian Dairy Youth, Guernsey Australia, Gippsland Dairy Youth, Jersey New Zealand, Australian Ayrshires, Illawarra Australia, Brown Swiss Australia and first time entrant, Aurora Dairies.

Come and say hi

Holstein Australia staff will be on our stand (in our usual spot) bright and early Sunday morning for the Youth Challenge through to the highlight of the week, the National Holstein Show on the Wednesday afternoon (dry classes) and Thursday (in milk classes).

Come along and say hi! You’ll be able to catch up with some of our office staff, directors and classifiers over the course of the week. And of course with other HA members.

As ever the fridge will be loaded with cold drinks, the evaporative cooler working overtime – unsurprisingly it’s looking like a warm one – and the conversation about all things black and white.

You can also find out more about Holstein Australia’s new EasyReg service, our tissue sampling ear tags, how our plans are developing for the World Holstein Friesian Federation 2028 conference in Melbourne and more.

And of course, come Wednesday and Thursday, our stand is a great place to watch all the Holstein action in the show ring.

See you there!