STG Australia Virtual Holstein Spectacular announced

Back by popular demand, Holstein Australia’s Virtual Holstein Spectacular kicks off next year with the backing of new sponsor STG Australia.

“Last year’s Virtual Holstein Spectacular was originally conceived as a one-off event to replace the cancelled Semex-Holstein Australia On-farm Competition, however feedback from members and Sub-branches that took part was that they’d like to see it as a more permanent fixture, with new sponsor STG Australia embracing the concept” says CEO Rohan Butler.

The STG Australia Virtual Holstein Spectacular will run from March 2022 through to April with Sub-branch, Regional and National judging taking place over the first two weeks of May. Like last year the National Finals Presentation will be streamed on the HA Facebook page, with a prize pool of $1,250 per class at National level.

Changes for 2022

The single biggest request from HA members for the 2022 competition was ‘can we enter more animals?’. The answer is yes, with members able to enter two animals per class across the five classes.

Changes are also being made behind the scenes to the STG Australia Virtual Holstein Spectacular website to make the entry process easier. The competition timeline has also been shortened, with winner announcements and awards taking place more quickly.

“The first Virtual Holstein Spectacular went from an idea to implementation in a matter of weeks, with a lot of learning as we went along,” says Rohan. “The feedback we’ve had has enabled us to make changes which, coupled with the support of STG Australia, will I’m sure see the competition grow this year and into the future.”

How to enter?

Like last year all that is required is an owner-filmed video of each cow entered. If you are not sure if your video is up to scratch, there is a sample video on the website to refer to.

There are five classes, from 2-year-olds through to 6-year-olds and over, with a limit of two entries per class per entrant. Members can select the classes they are entering, animals they want to enter and their Sub-Branch from a drop down menu, attach their video, hit send, and that’s it.

Each Sub-Branch has the opportunity to hold its own competition, with the top two animals per class going through to the regional competition, and the top two per class from the regional comp going through to the national final. At regional and national level there are trophies for winners and placegetters, with cash prizes at national level.

Start choosing your animals!

Entries for the STG Australia Virtual Holstein Spectacular open mid-March and close during the Easter school holidays.

Entry is only open to registered animals and is free. Animals registered during the competition period can also be entered.

“With the support of our Holstein community, I’m really looking forward to seeing the videos of all our winners and placegetters on the HA Facebook page, and with more relaxed COVID restrictions, hopefully more Sub-branches will have the opportunity to hold Virtual Holstein Spectacular gatherings and events as Western and South Australia were able to do last year,” says Rohan.