David Mayo judges World Ayrshire Show
Well-known dairy industry figure, David Mayo, is continuing to build his impressive list of judging appointments, having recently judged the International Ayrshire Show as part of the World Ayrshire Conference held in Finland recently.
It was the first time an Australian has ever been invited to officiate at the combined show, sale and conference, which is held in a different country every four years.
Mr Mayo said the prestigious event, which attracted 161 head from 70 breeders throughout Finland, was one of the highlights of his long judging career. A translator conveyed his judging comments to the mostly Finnish-speaking audience.
“Not many people would know that Finland has the largest Ayrshire population in the world,” Mr Mayo said. “There are 170,000 Ayrshire cows in Finland and they make up two-thirds of its dairy cow population.
“It was a tremendous show with a wonderful atmosphere. It was held in a huge indoor arena and was attended by a very large and enthusiastic crowd of both local and international visitors.
“The classes in the show were quite large, ranging from 15 through to 30 head, and were very competitive in terms of quality. The Champions and Reserve Champions in both junior and senior sections were great animals which would be competitive at any major show in other countries.”
The Senior and Grand Champion cow, HH Tia Marie Sue, was by Woodland View Pardner from a Royalcroft Brendan cow imported into Finland from Canada as an embryo. The Junior Champion, Joukolan Vaavikki, was by another Canadian sire, Margot Calimero, and from a Finnish dam.
“A lot of overseas genetics have been imported into Finland over the past six to eight years, with both embryos and semen being used in breeding programs,” Mr Mayo said.
Although the average herd size in Finland is only 25 ... Read More...
