The Templeton family's View Fort Holsteins scored back-to-back wins at International Dairy Week when their home-bred cow View Fort Dictator Dottie was named Australian Grand Champion on Thursday.
It was an amazing performance from the Tarwin, Vic, based operation of Matt and Nicola Templeton and his parents Bruce and Jan, who took the top award the last time IDW was run in 2020.
Holsteins dominated the interbreed competitions, taking the senior and junior championships.
The Jersey exhibit took the intermediate award with the Holstein as runner up.
The Jersey was runner up in the senior competition, while the Ayrshire was runner up in the junior competition.
The win was especially sweet for the Templetons with this year's winner bred on their farm.
In 2020 they won the event with an Avonlea Holstein cow.
Matt said Dottie was the granddaughter of a cow his father had imported as an embryo from Canada in 2006, after seeing the mother competing at the Royal Winter Fair.
Eight-year-old Dottie has had five calves and made her IDW debut on Thursday.
Matt said his father had not been able to attend the event.
"Dad was in cow yard the other day and he told me this is the only cow I needed to bring, so I guess he was right for once in his life," he said.
Matt said it was special to win back-to-back.
"To keep doing it year in year out takes a lot of time and effort and money and there is always someone else trying to do better," he said.
"So to stay at top, you've just got to keep on top of it and keep working hard.
"The cow's got a play a part in it.
"The time we put in at home, as well as running a farm, the little things after milking at night - you might want just go inside and sit down, but you've just to keep putting in those one percenters."
Matt said there was no pressure to repeat the performance but expectations were always there.
"At end of day we try to present the cows the best we can, we bring the cows we like and we hope the judge agrees," he said.
Nicola said COVID had made for a tough year, reducing the number of people they had been able to bring to help out at the event.
She said they were grateful for everyone who had helped.
Dottie was a clear winner in the interbreed competition, being placed first or second by the judges of the other breeds.
The reserve was the 2021 Sydney Royal interbreed champion Jersey exhibit Windy Ways Galaxies Dawn 7, owned by Cherrylock Cattle Co. & Windy Ways Jerseys, Tallygaroopna, Vic.
Jersey claims intermediate interbreed
The intermediate Jersey champion Kings Vale Joel Madge, owned by Roger and Helen Perrett, Kongwak, Vic, was a clear winner in the interbreed competition.
The other breed judges placed the Jersey first or second in the competition.
The three-year-old cow was bought at the herd dispersal of Kings Vale stud.
"She's had two calves and she has been a dream to handle since she calved down as a two-year-old," Mr Perrett said.
Winning the interbreed competition was "the thrill of a lifetime" for Mr Perrett, who has been competing in the Holstein and Jersey competitions at IDW since its inception.
It was great to see IDW back up and running.
"It's great to see friends and great to have a drink together in the evening," he said.
"It's great camaraderie.
"Dairy has had tough times and its ups and downs and to see it at the fore again is fantastic."
Kings Vale Joel Madge was prepared for the show by Brad and Jess Gavenlock at the Cherrylock Cattle Co.
Mr Gavenlock said helping people win competitions like the interbreed was special.
"Nothing beats seeing the joy on people's faces," he said.
The reserve was the Holstein Eclipse Altitude J Princess - Red, shown by Robsvue & Busybrook, Myponga, SA.
Holstein comes out on top in tight junior interbreed competition
The Holstein junior champion Lightning Ridge Thunderstorm Nico came out on top in a close contest in the junior interbreed competition.
The Holstein finished just one point ahead of the Ayrshire and two points ahead of the Illawarra.
Thunderstorm Nico is owned by Kelly Bleijendaal, Mal Nikora and Busybrook Holsteins, Longwarry, Vic.
The calf was bought at the Lightning Ridge Genetics sale in December.
Ms Bleijendaal and Mr Nikora run around 15 show animals on the farm they live on where Ms Bleijendaal works as a calf rearer.
Both have been coming to IDW for around a decade and have shown three strings of animals as a couple.
They picked up the calf at the sale for $8000, after having previously worked with and being impressed by its dam.
Mr Nikora said they were over the moon with winning the interbreed championship,
"So all the hard work has paid off, it's unreal," he said.
He paid tribute to the organisers of IDW for going ahead with the event, despite the challenges of COVID.
The reserve was the Ayrshire junior champion Finesse Reagan Maisie, exhibited by Casey Treloar, Victor Harbor, SA.
INTERBREED HONOUR ROLL
Australia's grand champion: View Fort Dictator Dottie, B, J, M & N Templeton, Tarwin, Vic.
Senior interbreed champion: View Fort Dictator Dottie.
Reserve: Windy Ways Galaxies Dawn 7, Cherrylock Cattle Co. & Windy Ways Jerseys, Tallygaroopna, Vic.
Intermediate interbreed champion: Kings Vale Joel Madge, R & H Perrett, Kongwak, Vic.
Reserve: Eclipse Altitude J Princess - Red, Robsvue & Busybrook, Myponga, SA.
Junior interbreed champion heifer: Lightning Ridge Thunderstorm Nico, Bleijendaal & Nikora/ Busybrook Holsteins, Longwarry, Vic.
Reserve: Finesse Reagan Maisie, Casey Treloar, Victor Harbor, SA.
Check out our complete International Dairy Week coverage:
- INTERBREED: Templetons score back-to-back IDW wins
- HOLSTEIN: Home-bred cow takes Holstein championship
- JERSEY: Windy Way repeats 2020 joy as Jersey grand champion at IDW 2022
- BROWN SWISS: Sarah Chant and Ben Govett's Tandara Paray Lola 74 named champion Brown Swiss at International Dairy Week
- AYRSHIRE: Munden Farms 12-year-old cow Magic Park Shady Maiden named Ayrshire grand champion at IDW
- GUERNSEY: New owners share in Guernsey glory at IDW 2022
- ILLAWARRA: Age no barrier for Illawarra champion at IDW 2022
- YOUTH SHOW: Jett Easterbrook heifer wins Australian Grand Champion Heifer award at 2022 International Dairy Week
- SALE: Tandara cow tops $27,000 at International Dairy Week sale
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