“A perfect pair” are the winners of the South Island Holstein Friesian Junior Championship title.
The Holstein Friesian championships were held in conjunction with the Gore A&P Show on Saturday.
Kate Cummings of Wyndham and her heifer Maylea Moovin Eko took out the junior title as well as the all breeds junior dairy champion.
The heifer, like her mother, mostly had white hair which fitted well with her as she was blonde, Miss Cumming said.
“Me and her are a perfect pair.”
The win was especially satisfying as she bred the heifer herself.
“It’s quite humbling. You don’t expect to take it all out but you do.”
She was given the heifer’s mother about three years ago as a 21st present by her parents Jock and Helen Cummings.
The cow was a very good milker but Miss Cummings chose a bull called Moovin that had characteristics that would improve the breeding line even further.
The heifer, which had a large frame, had many of those characteristics.
“She’s a year old and she’s got that much body.
“She’s grown out well.”
The heifer’s frame would continue to grow for another year and then she would start to fill out until she was a mature cow at about 4 years.
Miss Cummings started her stud when she was 9 and she now had about 20 animals living on her parents’ dairy farm.
She was grateful to her parents for the encouragement they gave her and for introducing her to the breed, she said.
“[Holsteins] are such a powerful breed.
“They’re hardy animals, they do well, got great protein in their milk and I’ve fallen in love with them.”
Miss Cummings manages a clinic for VetSouth but hopes to return to fulltime farming.
“It’s in the blood and it’s a passion,” she said.
Tessa Ayers (16) and Southbridge Nancy — also known as Nicki — won champion goat in the show as well as best registered doe in milk, champion registered doe and first in production and type.
Tessa said she started farming goats about six years ago at her Waikana home.
‘‘We like to milk them and they are awesome pets.’’ Goats had personality, she said.
‘‘They’re super friendly and they have such attitude.’’
She bought Nicki, who was a registered Sanaan doe, about a year ago to improve the bloodline of her breeding goats.
The family drank the goats’ milk and made it into cheese and yoghurt.
The pair lined up in the ring with the other animal champions for the best in show competition which was won by Freya Bols, of Edendale, exhibiting the Robertson family’s Hereford bull yearling, Duncraigen Bondi.
Glenham’s Nathan and Joy Dodd won the supreme champion sheep of the show with their 4-year-old Texel ram.
The couple said they were ‘‘over the moon’’ with the win.
‘‘[It was the] first time for us.’’
Waimumu woman Jane Forbes said she was surprised to win the champion lily of the show as about two weeks ago the wind caused havoc with her blooms.
‘‘Every one of my lilies were as flat as a pancake.’’
She also won the tray for most points in the flower section.
Entries were down in the flower section this year as Gore gardener Douglas Dixey, who usually entered, was not able to exhibit, Mrs Forbes said.
This could have also been due to the recent hot weather, show association president Ngaire Evans said.
It was the 140th running of the show and apart from the the temperatures, which were in the mid-30s, the day went well, Mrs Evans said.
There were good entry numbers throughout the show and a good-sized crowd enjoying the day, she said.
