During IDW over 900 cattle are entered into 7 National Shows, with breeders and exhibitors from all States of Australia competing fiercely for the pride and honour of winning at IDW.
ABS Australia/Ridley All Breeds National Youth Show – Monday at 8.00 am
IDW Sheri Martin Memorial Youth Showmanship Classes – Monday from 3.00 pm
National Illawarra & National Ayrshire Shows – Tuesday at 8.00 am
National Guernsey & Brown Swiss Shows – Tuesday – at 1.30 pm
National Jersey Show – Wednesday – at 8.00 am with the Jersey Australia Futurity Class at 1.30 pm.
National Holstein Show – Thursday – at 8.00 am
Australia’s Grand Champion – Thursday – from 4.30 pm
IDW 2016 JUDGES
HOLSTEIN – Pierre Boulet – Montmagny, Québec, Canada
Pierre has operated his dairy farm, Ferme Pierre Boulet in Montmagny, Québec, Canada, since 1995 under the prefix Pierstein. Alongside his partner, Katie and five children, they operate a herd of 500 Holsteins, as well as a few Jerseys and Ayrshires. In addition to the milking herd, the farm deals in thousands of cattle annually for commercial dairies and export. Several cows are flushed every month to supply embryos locally and internationally. Pierre is also the co-owner and auctioneer for Les Encans Boulet, an auctioneering company specialising in on-farm auctions and high-end genetic sales across Canada. Pierre’s most famous cow is, without doubt, the two-time Holstein International World Champion, World Dairy Expo Supreme Champion and three-time Grand Champion at the Royal Winter Fair: Thrulane James Rose EX-97-2E 3*. In the past eight years, Pierre has owned two EX-97 point cows and four 96 point cows. The Pierstein show string has won Premier Breeder and Premier Exhibitor banners at World Dairy Expo, as well as Premier Breeder and Premier Exhibitor seven times at the Royal Winter Fair. Pierre has owned more than 130 All-Canadian and All-American nominated cattle.
JERSEY – Robert Anderson – Drouin, Victoria
Born into a family passionate about Jerseys, Rob Anderson is fourth-generation farmer who established Kings Ville Jerseys when he was aged just 16. Rob, his wife Kerrie, and their three daughters, milk 220 registered Jerseys in Victoria’s Gippsland region. In 1993 Rob was awarded the Australian Jersey Breeders Qantas Youth Scholarship, and travelled throughout the USA and Canada for 10 weeks. In 1994, he won the National Dairy Cattle Judging at the Sydney Royal Show. Rob is a member of both the Jersey and Holstein Australia judging panels, and a former classifier for Jersey Australia. Major judging appointments include the Royal Shows at Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and Launceston. He has also judged the Shepparton National All Breeds Show, the NSW Dairy Spectacular, twice at the NSW State Jersey Show and twice at the New Zealand Dairy Event. He has also judged the Semex Holstein Australian On-Farm Competition final for South-East Australia in 2012, and the 2014 Great Northern Jersey On-Farm Challenge Final.
Illawarra – Ryan Weigel – Platteville, Wisconsin, USA
A Sire Analyst for Accelerated Genetics in Baraboo, Wisconsin, Ryan Weigel is responsible for creating and procuring the highest genomic quality young sires within his assigned area. Before he worked with Accelerated, Ryan was the Dairy Cattle Show Manager for World Dairy Expo (WDE), Inc. in the USA. He is also the co-owner of KHW Genetics, which has produced All-American show winners, had active bulls in many different AI organisations, and exported embryos globally. The highest-profile animals KHW has bred include: KHW Kite Advent-Red (six-time Premier Sire of WDE’s Grand International Red & White Show), KHW Regiment Apple-Red (Grand Champion World Dairy Expo 2011), and KHW Goldwyn Aiko (2015 Red Impact Cow in Holstein International). Their dam and the foundation cow of KHW Genetics, Kamps-Hollow Altitude, has received many honours including, the Red Impact Cow of the Year awarded by Holstein International in 2009, and the Wisconsin Cow of the Year also in 2009. Together with his business partner Ryan Kamps, Ryan Weigel was awarded Wisconsin’s Distinguished Young Holstein Breeder in 2014. He is an Assistant Coach for the University of Wisconsin-Platteville Dairy Judging Team, and is a certified judge with the Wisconsin Purebred Dairy Cattle Association. He is on Holstein Association USA’s Qualified Judges list. Ryan lives in Platteville, Wisconsin, with his wife Traci and three young children.
AYRSHIRE – Max Hyland – Pine Lodge, Victoria
Max Hyland established the Rockvale Ayrshire stud in Tasmania in 1962, relocating to Victoria in 1973. The stud imported several females from New Zealand in the 1980s, while top AI sires from Canada, USA and the UK have contributed to the stud’s success. Rockvale has been one of Australia’s leading production herds and has also won many Champions at Royal Melbourne, International Dairy Week and country shows. The milking herd was dispersed in May this year. Max has judged at four of the Royal Shows — Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide. He has also judged in New Zealand and Semex’s Great Southern On-Farm Competition for Jerseys.
GUERNSEY – Murray Sowter – Moss Vale, NSW
Murray Sowter owns and operates Murribrook Holsteins, on 110 hectares of prime improved pasture. He has been breeding and showing Holstein cattle for more than 30 years at the highest levels. Murribrook Holsteins milks approximately 250 cows, with a rolling herd average of 11,000 litres per cow per annum. In addition, Murray runs an extensive ET and natural breeding programme, with over 200 young stock on the farm. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Murribrook imported several cows from Canada, whose impact continues to be very significant at Murribrook, and in the wider Holstein breed in Australia and New Zealand. Murray’s career highlights include being three-time Premier Breeder and Premier Exhibitor at International Dairy Week, plus winning the 2013 Intermediate Champion Holstein and 2014 Junior and Intermediate Champion Holstein. Murray has been Premier Breeder and Premier Exhibitor 11 times at the Royal Sydney Easter Show.
BROWN SWISS – Paul Trapp – Taylor, Wisconsin, USA
Paul Trapp is in his 22nd year with ABS Global, working as a Regional Sire Analyst. He graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1993 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture Economics, and marketing emphasis. Paul, his wife Sarah, and sons Kole and Beau, own an elite group of registered Brown Swiss, Jerseys, and Holsteins. They have received All-American nominations across all three breeds. Paul is also a partner in Pit-Crew Genetics, which has received 19 Brown Swiss All-American Nominations since 2007, including the 2014 Reserve All-American Aged cow and Reserve All-American Senior Best Three Females. Paul has judged shows in 20 different US states at the local, state, and national levels, and internationally in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Columbia, Ireland, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Japan, the United Kingdom and Australia. Paul has judged at WDE, serving as the 2010 International Guernsey Show associate judge, 2011 International Milking Shorthorn Show lead judge, 2013 International Ayrshire Show lead judge, and the 2014 International Holstein Show lead judge. At WDE this year he is the lead judge for the Brown Swiss show. Paul has also served for five years on the WDE Dairy Cattle Exhibitor Committee, 12 years as an official for the WDE Intercollegiate Dairy Judging Contest, and was a member of the Young Dairy Leaders Institute inaugural class.
All Breeds National Youth Show – Brad Gavenlock, Australia
Brad, his wife Jessica, and daughter Penny, own and operate Cherrylock Cattle Company, which recently re-located back to Australia after nine months living and farming on their own property in the USA. The couple has a strong influence in Jerseys, with a few Holsteins and Illawarras. Brad has judged throughout NSW, Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania. He worked as a fitter and Area Sales Manager for Agri Gene, based on the NSW South Coast for 10 years. Brad has recently re-joined the team at Agri Gene in a new role as Dairy Genetics Manager. After their herd dispersal in 2014 at the Sydney Royal Easter Show’s Royal Edition Sale, where Bralock Jerseys set a New Jersey average, Brad and Jessica moved to the USA where they milked 60 Jerseys in Central Wisconsin. They showed the 4th placed Winter Calf at the 2014 World Dairy Expo and 1st place Winter Yearling at the Wisconsin Jersey Spectacular. They have collected more than 70 embryos in the USA to develop in Australia.
National Youth Showmanship Champions – Hayley Menzies, NSW, Australia
Hayley Menzies needs no introduction at any level in the Australian industry. The 33-year-old dairywoman works alongside husband Stewart on their busy 600-strong Holstein and Jersey herd at Nowra (NSW). Cairnsdale Holsteins and Rivendell Jerseys compete at the highest levels in both breeds. Hayley is also well-known for her talented graphic design work within the industry. Notably, she is also the daughter of Lyn and Maurice Boyd – of Brunchilli Jersey fame. Hayley has led many animals to Championships against some of the best leadsman in the country on behalf of her parents. In her own farming right, Rivendell has won Reserve Intermediate Jersey at the 2015 International Dairy Week (IDW) and Honourable Mention Intermediate Jersey at the 2014 IDW. Hayley has adjudicated at the 2013 Melbourne Royal Youth Show, the 2012 Sydney Royal Youth Classic, the NSW State Jersey Show Paraders’ show, and the showmanship section of the 2013 IDW Youth Challenge Show. Hayley has won showmanship titles at IDW, the Melbourne Royal, the Sydney Royal Easter Show, the Shepparton National Show, and the NSW State Jersey Show.
