It brought dairy cattle from Dargaville in the far north, to Wyndam in the deep south.
Event manager Neville Turnbull says there were about 400 dairy cattle – females, from calves to older cows.
They were shaved and blow-dried and some even had hair spray to keep the hair in place. Hair was left on the back and sometimes under the belly to make cattle look their best for judging.
Turnbull says there were six breeds – jersey, ayrshire and friesian, and those fewer in number, swiss brown, guernsey and milking shorthorns.
All the breeds competed to be named New Zealand 2015 supreme cow. She was a 6-year-old jersey cow, Ferdon Comerica Viyella, from Ferdon’s Genetics in Otorohanga.
There was also a sale, with cows, calves and heifers, as well as dairy embryos going under the auctioneer’s hammer.
And there were 25 trades people, and stalls were held by semen-selling companies, concrete manufacturers and farm supply companies.
They were all dairy-industry related, says Turnbull.
The Dairy Expo grows each year, with more people showing dairy cows, and more trade stalls each year. «We reckon about 20 per cent of the people who brought cows this year had not been to this event before. It is growing year on year.»
It started in 2008 with just 250 cattle.
«This year about half of the dairy cattle were drystock, and half were cows in milk.»
There is a milking shed at Manfeild and most cows are milked twice a day.
«Each cow gives about 20 litres of milk and there are 170 in-milk so the logistics of it are a big thing. Luckily, we have people who will feed the milk to pigs.»
It can’t be sold.
The biggest exhibitor is Ferdon Genetics, from Te Awamutu, which had 30 jerseys at the Dairy Expo.
Some people bring just a few cows to show; most had about 10.
The Dairy Expo is a money spinner for Feilding and Manawatu.
Most of about 400 people who came to Expo stayed in hotels or motels. They bought food and spent money.
Manawatu District Mayor Margaret Kouvelis says Feilding has played a significant role in the agricultural landscape over the past 150 years.
«It is becoming even more of a hub for agri-business and agri-technology . . . enabling the region to meet future challenges and global demands.»
She says they are proud of the Dairy Event, which boasted some of the world’s best known judges, from the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand and for the first time, South Africa.
Turnbull says judges pay for their trip to New Zealand themselves, then the Dairy Event takes over and pays for accommodation and meals while they are here.
Dairy Event chairman Lawrence Satherley says there was also a Youth Camp, where young people learnt to judge and prepare cattle for the sale ring. It has been a highlight of the past two events.
«In travelling around New Zealand, young people talk about the Dairy Event from the North Cape to the Bluff and look forward to the event with enthusiasm.»
The camp attracted 19 young people from all over the country to learn how to evaluate and show dairy cattle. It was to encourage young people to know the ropes and feel good about showing cows.
Emma Kearins, 17, is from a dairy farming family in Kairanga.
She is at Taratahi Agricultural Training School in Masterton, doing level 3 and 4 NCEA dairying. She finishes in July.
Kearins says that a couple of years ago she went to A&P shows as well as the national dairy all-breeds show, showing cows with the farm manager, Amy Lowe.
«I loved this experience and wanted to learn more about showing cows and carry on in the years to come,» Kearins says.
«I have been on a farm my whole life and I love being outside with the animals. It’s my passion, and my dream from a young age was to be a dairy farmer.»
That’s still her dream – but she can see a way of getting there.
«I am thinking about going to Waikato and maybe go down south for a while to see what it’s like farming in different areas.»
Being around cows, clipping them and preparing them for showing, as well as being with other people is what cranks Kearins’ handle. «You clip and prepare cattle, which I like. You learn how to do AI [artificial insemination] and you learn about judging them at this youth camp.»
She says she likes helping with young stock and seeing them grow and come into the dairy herd.
The Dairy Expo had a regional youth challenge, where young people had to prepare a heifer for sale, lead her, judge all the team’s heifers and do a two-minute impromptu speech.
Turnbull says some people camped or stayed in motorhomes or caravans at the site.
«It is a big thing for Feilding and for Manawatu and it is growing every year. We probably have 20 per cent of people here for the first time – people who have not shown here before.»
Some people stayed the night in the stadium to be with the cows.
Two young women, Nicole Maher, from Toi Toi genetics near Te Kawhata, and Sarah Leech, from Brookview Genetics in Tirau, say they both stayed to be with the cows in case there was a difficulty.
Maher says they have a tent inside with a couch in it, and she sleeps on that. It is their love of cows and showing that keeps them going.
«If you didn’t like the cows, you wouldn’t be here,» Leech says.
Turnbull says the low dairy payout made little difference to the people who came to the Dairy Event. Most could afford it, and wanted to see how their dairy cows fared against others. «People involved are all passionate about showing their cattle and they are not swayed by a low payout.»
Source: Stuff
