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South Australia’s outstanding cattle and superb hospitality was still resonating with the state’s Kiwi judge several weeks after the event.

Duncan Pipe, from New Zealand, is well-versed in Australian Holsteins, he visits often and he avidly follows the breed’s news and developments. He owns cattle in partnership in NSW and in Victoria. While he has travelled to Australia five times this year – this was his first time in South Australia.

“I didn’t know what to expect, but I was incredibly impressed,” Duncan said. “I’d say it was the most exciting judging assignment that I’ve ever had, simply because of the calibre of the cows and the amazing hospitality. I had an awesome time, and combining their presentation with their centenary lunch made the whole trip pretty special.”

One of the stand-out exhibitors this year was the team from Blackwood Park – fresh off a great run at the Adelaide Royal Show. David and Karen Altmann, milk 500-head at Murray Bridge (including 100 registered Illawarras). They achieve an 11,000-litre average milking three times a day. The herd was averaging 36 litres at 190 days (average) fresh at the time of the competition.

The breeding has always been there – the time to show and promote individuals has not.

The likeable and modest couple have spent their career working hard to make their cows lives comfortable. They invested heavily in Heatime, reducing their herd’s average days open from 158 to 78 within three years. They recently upgraded to Heatime’s rumination collars. They have also installed 42 tonnes of Sure-foot rubber matting, which took 13,500 drill holes to bolt it down.

They are about to start construction on a 168m x 25m wide shed (with no internal spans), which will be bedded in dried compost they will be handling on-farm. The shed will house 500 comfortably under an 11m high roof.

The final piece of the Blackwood Park puzzle has been the addition of Rob Walmsley to the team [Rob formerly worked at Glenorleigh Holsteins]. Rob’s natural interest and ability with good cows, along with his additional set of hands has been the catalyst Blackwood Park needed to showcase its breeding in perfect form.

This year, Blackwood Park won two Champions and two Reserves, while Rob (and his partner, Rebecca Hehir) won the matriarch class (and the highest pointed cow in the competition) with the reigning Adelaide Royal Supreme Champion Glenorleigh Lheros Marree EX92-EE. Marree also won the Type and Production at Adelaide and led the interbreed pen of five. The couple bought her at the 2013 Glenorleigh Celebration Sale in partnership with Rob’s parents, Bruce and Eileen.

It was unquestionably a dominating run – and Blackwood Park’s best to date in the Holstein on-farm. However, this family has also owned a former Champion Illawarra at the Adelaide Royal Show. Blackwood Park also holds 13 national production records for the Illawarra breed out of a possible 28 categories. David was typically quick to downplay their Holstein success.

“We will enjoy it while it lasts, I guess; because it won’t last forever,” he smiled.

“In reality, I guess the pleasing part for me from a personal point of view is that I bred these cows. While it’s been great for this to happen since Rob joined us, it’s also nice to know that our breeding decisions created these entries.

“The calves that are being born now are the ones that Rob and I have both had input to. We talk about it all the time. And Rob put in a lot of work for this competition too, so making the time to put into these sorts of competitions is all sort of coming together a bit more now.”

Rob and Rebecca said it had been exciting to see their entry, Marree, be competitive in the show ring and on-farm.

“It proves you can be successful in both with the right cow,” Rob said. Rebecca noted that South Australia has some great cows: “South Australia’s cows sometimes go unnoticed in the eastern states, but there is some underestimated herds here,” she said.

One of the special victories for Blackwood Park was the Mature Champion (and Reserve highest pointed cow), Blackwood Park Godstar Bess 6364. Bess was also the 2014 winning six-year-old at the Adelaide Royal. She is sired by a Goldwyn son out of Elmar Winluck Josephine 3^rd VG89. Two years ago she calved in the autumn, and was down for almost a month with a pinched nerve in her back. In a big herd, saving her and having her successfully re-join the herd is a rare achievement.

“We nursed her through and got her on her feet,” David said. “She still ended up doing 12,500 litres. She’s not a huge production cow, but she just plugs away at it. This year she calved down and she had a bit of a pinched nerve again in her back, but she didn’t go down.

“We kept her out of the herd for two or three weeks until she was fully on her game. She’s looking really well at the moment. She’s only classified VG86, but if ever there was an excellent cow, she’s got to be it. The classifiers are coming in the next few weeks.”

The Reserve Champion Mature cow was a six-year-old Cedarwal Spirte daughter, Blackwood Park Spirte Maureen 63147 VG86.

Judge Duncan Pipe said both mature cows were well balanced with great udders. It was just the detail that separated them.

“The winner was taller through the front end and blended better from the neck to the shoulder,” Duncan said. “She had that extra style, but the Reserve Champion had a tremendous rear udder and spring of rib.”

The winning two-year-old, Blackwood Park Knowledge Dolly 6941 (x Sicy Knowledge) and Reserve three-year-old, Blackwood Park Reginald Nina 6916-twin (x Regancrest Reginald) are both from consistent families that are breeding solidly at Blackwood Park. Nina’s maternal sister is a former Reserve Intermediate at the Adelaide Royal.

The Champion three-year-old came from brothers Gavin and David Newman (in partnership with their parents, Ian and Elaine). Newlyn Park KTP Magnolia, is on her first calf and had been milking 12 months. She is sired by Krezanda Triumph, a Ladino Park Talent son from an imported Triumphant daughter out of Scientific Crystal Rae EX-1E.

Duncan was again impressed.

“She was a really balanced heifer with a great spring of rib and a really well attached udder with veining all over,” he said. “She showed more spring of rib and capacity than the Reserve Champion, who was really nice with a bright future, but she didn’t have the capacity of the winner.”

Magnolia is a descendant of the Maid family at Newmans that Gavin says has been rock solid for them. Her roots trace back to the matriarch, Andervale Buttermaid, who was bought within a herd line from Andervale, in the early 1960s. Several maternal lines from that original half-herd purchase continue to perform more than five decades later – and Gavin says the Maids consistently shine in the family’s 220-cow herd.

“We do show a select animal every now and then, and more often than not it’s a Maid,” he said. “They keep performing and producing that consistent type.”

They say they have no immediate plans to capitalise on the win – given they are running a substantial operation that includes a 130-cow commercial Angus beef herd in addition to 25 registered angus cows on two properties that are 250km apart. A third property in the middle is used for growing heifers out.

“It’s just business as usual for us,” Gavin said. “I guess the heifer could have a halter on her, if you were so inclined…”

The four-year-old Champion was the second twin in the South Australian competition to do well. Esjay Breakout Alex, comes from the well-performed herd of Steven and Verica Seeliger at Flaxmans Valley. Alex comes from the Donach Tempo Peach family, which found its roots in New Zealand. She will be seeing the classifier before the end of the year.

“She has never been shown, but we may show her in the future,” Verica said. “She is a trouble-free cow, who is easy to manage.”

The Reserve Champion four-year-old, Windy Vale Contender Rose-ET, from Geoff and Louise Hutchinson and Chris and Karen Royans, at Myponga. Her pedigree traces back to an imported member of the Blackrose family at Leslie Farms. She is a Contender x Windy Vale Advent Rose VG87 x Windy Vale Roses Champion EX92-2E x Pooley Bridge Storm Blackrose 8-Imp-ET EX-1E. She has since changed addresses, within the same ownership, and she is expected to be entered for International Dairy Week.

The five-year-old Champion, Grantley Talent Opal, came from the 120-cow herd of Grant and Bronwyn Liebelt, at Meadows.

Duncan said the typically quality bone of the Ladino Park Talent daughter and her additional length and style carried her home.

Grant said she was entered last year but was unwell on the day. This year she was ready. She has a Gen-I-Beq Brawler daughter, who was Junior Champion at the South Australian Calf Handlers’ day recently. The dryland farm has had its challenges this year and Grant welcomed the good news. With just 250 bales of silage made instead of their usual quota of 600 – 800 he was concerned about what the rest of the season held for them.

“We have sold some heifers to export and if anyone moves an eyelash the wrong way, they’re gone,” he said.

One of the well-known South Australian cows to win Reserve Champion in the Matriarch class was Misty Brae Alan Della-ET, from Misty Brae Holdings, at Myponga. The EX92 11-year-old has been well decorated during her show career and again made her owners proud.

State Over Judging - South Australia

 

Judge: Duncan Pipe, Clover-Lane Holsteins, Waikato, New Zealand

120 entries (2013 – 130)

17 breeders (2013 – 15)

TWO YEAR OLD

1st: Blackwood Park Knowledge Dolly 6941 – JC Altmann and son (Murray Bridge)

2nd: Glenorleigh Atwood Tamara – Southern Edge Genetics (Murray Bridge)

THREE YEAR OLD

1st: Newlyn Park KTP Magnolia – HA Newman & Co, Newlyn Park Holsteins (Meadows)

2nd: Blackwood Park Reginald Nina 6916-Twin – JC Altmann and son (Murray Bridge)

FOUR YEAR OLD

1st: Esjay Breakout Alex-Twin – SJ & V Seeliger, Esjay Holsteins (Flaxmans Valley)

2nd: Windy Vale Contender Rose-ET – CJ & KA Royans, Windy Vale Holsteins (Myponga)

FIVE YEAR OLD

1st: Grantley Talent Opal – G Liebelt, Grantley Holsteins (Meadows)

2nd: Misty Brae Shottle Dela – Misty Brae Holdings Pty Ltd, Misty Brae Holsteins (Myponga)

MATURE

1st: Blackwood Park Godstar Bess 6364 – JC Altmann and son (Murray Bridge)

2nd: Blackwood Park Spirte Maureen 63147 – JC Altmann and son (Murray Bridge)

 

MATRIACH

(special class for South Australia)

1st: Glenorleigh Lheros Marree – Rob Walmsley and Rebecca Hehir, & Bruce and Eileen Walmsley (Murray Bridge)

2nd: Misty Brae Alan Della-ET– Misty Brae Holdings Pty Ltd, Misty Brae Holsteins (Myponga)