The dairy section impressed the crowds of people who attended the Tullamore Show yesterday (Sunday, August 11) with a wide array of different breed classes being judged.
There was three different breeds on display and up for judging on the day with the dairy Shorthorn, Jerseys and Holstein Friesian classes shining brightly.
There was a total prize fund of €21,500 for the dairy section and a competition for each breed on the day with the Holstein Friesian section having two classes.
The first class of the Holstein Friesian cows was the super heifers in milk class, where there was a prize of €2,500 for the best heifer on the day and was sponsored by T.P Whelahan.
The second class was the senior cows in milk class with the winning cow receiving €2,800 and was sponsored by Lakeland Dairies.
Jersey champions
The judge for the Jersey classes was Stacey O’Sullivan form Co. Cork and she told Agriland that there was “a super Jersey turnout” on the day.
O’Sullivan – who has been showing cows all her life – said she was looking for animal that had “a good dairy frame that tracked well on her feet and legs, with a good rear and good udders”.
The champion Jersey cow was Ballyelan Engineer Louise owned by Thomas Lynch from Co. Limerick.
The reserve champion cow was won by Rathard Kasey owned by the Hynes family from Co. Cork.
Dairy Shorthorn champions
The dairy Shorthorn judge was Will Slade from Devin in the UK who is an organic dairy farmer milking 250 Shorthorn cows.
Slade emphasised that he was “looking for a nice balanced animal with a good straight clean udder, that is going to last for several years in a herd and do the job in making money”.
Slade said: “It’s my first time in Ireland and this is a wonderful show, with a great number of quality dairy stock on display”.
The dairy Shorthorn Champion was awarded to Ballytrain Belle, owned by James Lambe from Co. Monaghan.
The glory did not end there for James Lambe as the dairy Shorthorn reserve champion was awarded to his cow Ballytrain Primrose 49th.
Holstein Friesian champions
The judge for the Holstein Friesian classes at the Tullamore Show was Gerrit Van Der Kolk of the Bossink herd in the Netherlands.
Van Der Kolk is milking 110 cows in the Netherland while rearing his own 80 replacement heifers with his wife and three kids.
He has a fully pedigree registered herd with 15 of his cows having an excellent classification meaning they are ranging from 90-97 points and on average his herd has a classification score of 88 points.
Van der Kolk told attendees that he was looking for cows “that have good balance, good feet and legs, that have the capacity and strong ribs, cows that are profitable and will make you money”.
He also highlighted how impressed he was with the quality of cows on display and that he was honoured to be judging the fine stock at the show.
The Holstein Friesian junior champion cow was awarded to Tubbertoby Doc Joyful owned by Paul Flanagan from Co. Louth.
The reserve Holstein Friesian junior champion was awarded to Ellys KD Rhapsody owned by Steven and Mary Mcloughlin from Co. Kildare
The senior Holstein Friesian classes followed after the junior class where Van Der Kolk also noted how impressive the senior cows were, with good balance and capacity seen throughout.
The senior Holstein Friesian champion was awarded to Hallow Octain Twizzle from the Hallow Herd of Philip and Linda Jones from Co. Wexford.
The reserve senior champion was awarded to Bawnmore Pepper Almeric owned by John and Bryan O’Connor from Co. Cork.
The highest EBI cow of the Holstein Friesians was awarded to Seanacourt FR6574 Jenn owned by Denis Donoghue.
Tullamore Show handling results
The handling competition also took place on the day and gave young handlers the opportunity to display how they can handle and control their stock while parading the ring.
Rachel McNamara from Co. Limerick was the judge for the Holstein Friesian handling where she was looking for someone who could walk their animal with confidence and control.
A handler is judged on how well they can walk their stock around the ring, respond to problems, stop the animals with good posture and for their overall dignity and respect for the animal.
The results for the handling classes were as follows:
- Holstein Friesian (Under 12): Class 42, Zoe Grennan;
- Holstein Friesian (Age 13-16): Class 43, Will Jones;
- Holstein Friesian (Age 17-26): Class 44, Manus Murphy;
- Jersey handling: Zoe Greenan;
- Dairy Shorthorn (Under 14): Class 13, Clodagh Kennelly;
- Dairy Shorthorn (Age 14-18): Class 15, Tommy Lambe.
The chair of the dairy section at the Tullamore Show, Martina Neville, thanked all the sponsors involved in the dairy section this year and commended the record number of entries recorded at this year’s competition.