Handling sheep with care
I wrote an article in the May 6th issue of Rural News about how when set-stocking ewes for lambing, they need spreading lightly - and topped up with cattle after the lambs have dropped.
This year, 661 Holstein Friesian cows from 89 herds were judged across eight regions, evaluated for their inherent structural correctness using specially developed linear scoring.
Of the six Champion cows, four were from down south, and the other two from the Waikato.
The competition was part of the 2023 HFNZ annual general meeting and conference.
Flay Farms’ (Keith and Caroline Flay, Leeston) two cows Keilyn Fitz Katie and Keilyn Stan Cup Halo S3F took the Champion titles in the Hanoverhill Raider – Five-Year-Old Cow and Comestar Laurie Sheik - Veteran Cow classes.
The Parkes family also had an exceptional competition, with six animals owned by Parkes Brothers Farming Ltd (Picton) and Johnson & Parkes Partnership (Hawera) placing in various categories in the national competition.
Tahora-bred cows placed first, third and sixth in the Conant- Acres Jy Broker - Mature Cow class, with Tahora McCutchen Alissa (K & MK Singh Farms, Hamilton) taking out the Champion title in that class.
It was also a great competition for Waipiri Holsteins (Hamilton) and the recently-dispersed Rock View (Stratford), with Rock View cows placing second in both the Maughlin Storm - Two -Year-Old Cow and Townson Lindy – Four- Year-Old Cow classes.
Waipiri Sidekick Maggie took the Champion title in the Maughlin Storm - Two -Year-Old Cow class, and Waipiri Mogul Kristy (A Dreadon/A & D Fullerton Partnership, Hamilton) the Reserve Champion title in the Conant-Acres Jy Broker - Mature Cow class.
Raetea Holsteins (Schnuriger Family Trust, Rotorua) also had three animals place in the national competition, including Raetea Pegment Sweety-Red placing Reserve Champion in the Comestar Leader – Three- Year-Old Cow class.
This year, the Semex On-Farm Competition celebrated 20 years. Special prizes were awarded to the Most Successful Breeder 2004-2023 (Deloraine – AM, BV and JJ Sherriff, Canterbury, who entered 18 class-winning animals, plus two other winning animals bred by Deloraine but entered by other members) and Most Successful Cow 2004 -2023 (Okawa Tony Serenity, owned by Tim and Jo Barclay of Okawa Ltd, Waikato) who won her category in 2012, 2015, 2019 and 2021.
A special award was also presented to Dylan Lynch and Natasha Maybee (Lyncrest Dairies Ltd, Invercargill) for Comestar Leader – Three-Year-Old Cow Champion Lyncrest Sidekick Lucy-ET being the highest pointed animal in the 2023 competition.
The annual competition is aimed at attracting entries from members and non-members alike to promote the Holstein Friesian breed. Individual cows are judged on type at their home property in natural conditions without being fitted or halter led.
Six in-milk age groups classes are open to all Holstein Friesian cattle. Breeders enter their cattle for regional judging and the top two animals in each class in each region then move on to the national competition to compete for the Champion and Reserve Champion titles for each class. The top animals are judged again by a national judge – in 2023, Corey Ferguson of Otorohanga – with the results announced at the Holstein Friesian New Zealand Annual Conference.
Semex NZ’s Ryan Lett said this year’s event was a special night, celebrating the 20th year of the HFNZ-Semex NZ On- Farm Competition.
“It’s a great achievement, not only for the 20 years but because it is still such a big part of ours and Holstein Friesian NZ’s calendar,” he says.
“It’s a competition that we look forward to every year and value, and the members that enter every year hold it in that regard, too.”
Overall final judge Corey Ferguson says the quality of the cows entered in the competition was second to none.
“All the cows we saw throughout the competition were pretty impressive,” he said. “It was interesting to see that there are some pretty good cows out there that don’t come to the shows. It would be a pretty good spectacle if they did.”
