New Zealand’s best dairy cattle and hundreds of people will converge on Feilding this week for the ninth dairy event.
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About 365 cows and calves will fill the Manfeild stadium arena on Wednesday and the best in-milk and dry cows will be crowned.
The three-day event attracts many of the country’s top cows, heifers and calves, with stock competing from as far north as Northland and south as far as South Canterbury.
Cattle will be shampooed, their hair will be cut and hooves and tails will glisten as they are prepared for the show.
And the dairy event brings money to the region. Motels and restaurants are flat out as they fill with owners and staff for the week. A few people even sleep in the Feilding stadium with their cows.
This time round there are six breeds on show: Jersey, Ayrshire, Holstein Friesian, Milking Shorthorns, Guernsey and Brown Swiss.
The main category will see the supreme winner of the dairy event named to much fanfare.
Last year’s winner was Jersey cow Ferdon Comerica Viyella, which won the supreme championship for third time. She is now retired, her owner Warren Ferguson said.
Ferguson was an exhibitor each year, bringing about 10 cows, heifers and calves.
It was a family-run business, with the Ferdon stud registered in 1949 by Don Ferguson, Warren’s dad.
Four generations of the Ferguson family are expected to be at this year’s dairy event, which fits in nicely with this year’s “next generation” theme.
By: Jill Galloway
Source: NZFarmer.co.nz