A GIANT stud display banner took precedence over the high heels and lipstick in 14-year-old Ellie Hourigan's Christmas stocking last month.
A third generation stud Jersey breeder, Ellie received the gift from her father, Darryn, as the backdrop for her show team at this year's International Dairy Week.
Since the age of nine, Ellie has been showing heifers and entering junior handler classes, spending hours out in the paddock with the calves selecting potential show stock.
Darryn bought two heifers at IDW about five years ago for Ellie and her brother Bailey enabling them to found their respective studs, Ellie-Mae and Miltara.
Today, the Year 9 student from Milawa, in Victoria's North East, is competitive on the show circuit, notching up wins at Shepparton and Numurkah last year, and taking out the IDW reserve grand champion heifer with Wallacedale Larbuck Melanie.
A talented cricketer, Ellie has even forfeited playing for the North East Knights in Melbourne to show young stock at IDW.
This year she will take a team of five heifers, aged six-18 months, including Darryn Vale Vanahlem's Glory, a direct descendant of a cow imported from New Zealand by her grandfather, Keith Hourigan, in the 1970s.
Competition is expected to be high among the junior, intermediate and senior handlers at the ABS Australia-Ridley Dairy Feeds All Breeds National Youth Show.
Youth have their chance to showcase their skills in showring etiquette, showmanship, cattle preparation, feeding and herdsmanship.
There are 16 classes for junior, intermediate and senior handlers, aged from eight to 21 years, to be judged by fourth generation stud master, Pat Nicholson, Jugiong Jerseys, Girgarre.
Judging gets underway in the Blackmore and Leslie pavilion from 8.30am on January 20.
"I look for a heifer that is tall, has spring of rib, is upstanding and with Jersey character and style,'' Ellie said.
The Hourigans run a split calving herd of 200 cows in their Darryn Vale Jersey Stud, with last year's herd test figures standing at 6476 litres, 248 kilograms of protein and 330kg of fat.
Keen to make a career out of breeding dairy cattle, Ellie is quick to help her father with private treaty bull sales and preparing cows for on-farm challenges.
Also looking forward to a career in the industry is Brady Hore, 14, of Elmar Holsteins, Cohuna.
Brady won the junior handlers championship at IDW last year and has prepared a team of seven heifers and in-milk cows for this year.
He conceded benchmarking his family's cows with other stock and meeting up with friends were the most enjoyable aspects of the youth show.
