A Jersey cow that set records at the Sydney Royal Easter Show in the past four years has added to the trophy cabinet taking the top award at International Dairy Week (IDW) on Wednesday.
Shirlinn Icy Eve, owned by the Wilson family, Shirlinn Jerseys, Tamworth, NSW, took the IDW supreme Jersey, senior champion and best udder awards.
Shirlinn also took the premier breeder and exhibitor awards.
The nine-year-old cow set records at Sydney in 2014 when it was named the Supreme Champion All Breed for the third year in a row.
It is also the only EX-95 Jersey cow in Australia.
One of the owners Todd Wilson said the cow was the complete package.
“She’s stylish and has the best udder,” he said.
The cow has three times produced more than 9000 litres in a lactation.
“She’s a milk cow,” Mr Wilson said.
“It’s nice to have a production cow that’s also a show cow.”
Judge Robert Anderson, Drouin West, Vic, said it was hard to get much better than a cow that had had this many calves.
“A cow that has got overall balance, presence and quality from end to end,” he said.
Shirlinn Icy Eve impressed him in the older cow class earlier in the day.
“She’s a very graceful lady,” he said.
“I love her style, angularity and the way she is balanced.”
One of Shirlinn Icy Eve’s calves sold earlier in the day for $9500.
The owners of the intermediate champion, Bushlea Galaxie Fernleaf 4, bought it at the Bushlea Jersey sale in November for $20,000.
“We’ve been looking for a special young cow for a long time,” said Callum Moscript, Leongatha, Vic, who owns the cow with Declan Patten, Sale, Vic, and Frank and Diane Borba, California, US.
He said they had picked out some heifers to buy at the sale but were told there was a young cow worth considering.
“As soon as we saw her we knew she was the one,” he said.
The cow was by Galaxy, which had left a lot of good daughters, from a cow from the great Fernleaf family.
Bushlea has continued to manage the cow.
The owners plan to breed it back ready to show at IDW again next year.
Mr Anderson said the cow was exceptionally well balanced and showed tremendous dairyness throughout.
“She’s all style; she’s one pretty lady,” he said in the class judging earlier in the day.
The junior champion was Brunchilli Excitation Belle, shown by the Boyd family’s Brunchilli Jerseys, Finley, NSW.
Lyn Boyd said the heifer had excellent families in its pedigree, including grand dam Tinaroo Juno Belle, which was “a very good cow that lived until she was 19”.
“She’ll be joined to sexed semen and hopefully she calves as good as she looks now,” Mrs Boyd said.
The win continues Brunchilli’s success at IDW.
“It was just amazing,” Mrs Boyd said.
“I like to enter animals in each class and see how we go.”
Mr Anderson said the heifer would one day make a great cow.
“She has dairy quality right throughout,” he said.
By: Carlene Dowie, Associate Editor, Australian Dairyfarmer
Source: Australian Dairyfamer.com
