A HOLSTEIN was handed the highest honour at the Royal Melbourne Dairy Show yesterday, with judge Keith Dorries, Queensland, saying she “epitomised” the modern dairy cow.
Linsand Aspen Cinnamin, co-owned by the Gardiner and Marshall families, of Cardinia, first earned the supreme broadribbon in the Holstein judging, before taking out the interbreed title later in the day – being singled out over and above 400 entries.
Mr Dorries said the four-year-old was a pleasure to judge.
“She really was the Queen on the day,” he said.
“She fits the bill so perfectly and is a wonderful exhibit.”
Co-owner John Gardiner, of the Avonlea Holstein stud, is no stranger to the show ring, but was overjoyed to be awarded the interbreed trophy.
He purchased the animal (bred by LR&SJ Thompson) as a calf at International Dairy Week about four years ago in partnership with the Marshalls.
“We bought her as a calf, because we bred her mother Avonlea Robthom Connie 2nd and after we sold her mother she went onto to be IDW champion and supreme cow in 2009,” he said.
In jointly purchasing her calf back, Mr Gardiner said they were able to continue the cow family.
“We knew the family and she was an outstanding calf,” he said.
But the winning cow wasn’t just about looks, with Mr Gardiner saying she had runs on the board too.
“She did more than 10,000 litres on her first lactation,” he said.
The top cow was their only entry at the prestigious event, and nearly didn't make it to Melbourne.
“We initially had another cow picked out too, but she got injured,” he said.
“We thought about not showing this one, but decided to proceed because she looked so good.”
Lindsay Marshall, who was the other half of the partnership, said he was ecstatic with the animal's victory.
The retired dairy farmer said he'd had big wins at other shows, including Brisbane, but had never won the interbreed title at Melbourne.
However, it was the Jerseys, not Holsteins, that pulled rank in the intermediate interbreed judging.
Mr Dorries selected the Nicholson brothers’ entry Jugiong Nellie 6650, of Girgarre, as his winner in this section.
“She’s in fine form,” he said.
The junior champion interbreed honour was awarded to the Peatling family’s young exhibit, Bluechip Goldwyn Tonio (IMP).
Anthony Peatling said he’d never won an interbreed gong previously, and said he’d bought the heifer from the Bluechip stud.
He runs the Broadway and Moonshay Park studs at Toolamba.
