Company News

Australia’s biggest annual dairy livestock competition, involving close to 3000 cows and 500 farms, is once again poised to bring commercial and registered dairymen together like no other event in this country.

The Semex/Holstein Australia On-Farm Competition enters its 14^th year this month, and the nationwide spectacle is widely accepted as offering producers key marketing and profile from the associated exposure of winning regional and state championships.

Each of Holstein Australia’s 29 sub-branches involved have or are now kicking off their local competitions (which involves one judge per sub-branch). Entries peak at more than 250 animals in some of the sub-branch strongholds. All the cows are judged for their conformation on-farm without preparation.

The first and second placegetters in each class at the sub-branch level then move forward to the state finals where they will be re-assessed by a fresh over-judge in early November to find the state champions.

Semex initiated the competition to acknowledge quality, functional dairy cows – often the unsung heroes of Australia’s dairy industry. It now includes a special application because cows that may not have enjoyed a profile before have a chance to shine and/or be discovered in the farmer-friendly time-efficient format.

“This competition has a lot of momentum and is held in high regard – very high regard – both here in Australia and overseas,” Semex’s Jim Conroy said. “Semex in 2014 is about offering Genetics for Life to our dairy farmers – everyone wants cows that produce, re-produce and live long healthy lives.”

He said the On-Farm Competition’s role was well accepted.

“The breeding industry is alive and well,” Jim said. “There is always good money to be made in selling high-end livestock.

“This competition is all about helping our producers gain exposure and marketability for their animals without the workload and costs usually associated with showing, picturing and/or marketing cattle.”

The state lines are divided into Northern Queensland, Southern Queensland, New South Wales, South-Eastern Australia (incorporating Victoria, New South Wales Riverina and South East South Australia), Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia.

The Victorian and South Australia’s South Eastern’s presentation date and venue (which involves over half the total numbers in the competition), will be held at the Witchmount Estate Winery, near Melton, on December 2.

2014 Competition Results