There might be a new group behind the organisation, but for five young dairy farmers the opportunity will still be the same, as they head off on the trip of a lifetime to take in some industry sights and compete at the Young Breeders School in Belgium.
The Young Breeders School provides an opportunity for attendees to test out their showing and fitting skills over two days, culminating in a competition where the Australian team will compete against other young farmers from 19 countries.
More than 180 young farmers participate in the school and 30,000 people visit the show every year.
Ryan Barker, Tasmania; Bridget Liebelt, South Australia; Elly Simms, NSW; and Hayden King and Patrick Anderson, both from Victoria, will represent Australia on the trip which kicks off August 24.
For 25-year-old Bridget, who grew up on a dairy farm and has been showing cows since she was eight years old, the trip will be an awesome opportunity to work on her showmanship skills.
“I am grateful to be chosen and I am really looking forward to the trip,” she said.
“I haven’t been overseas at all and I can’t wait to get to the school, meet other young farmers and experience everything the trip has to offer.”
Organiser Justin Johnston said the trip was a great experience for young dairy farmers and it was something he wanted to see continue in the future.
Not only do the team get the opportunity to compete at the breeders school, they also get to take a look at some different farms in Holland including a barn, grazing and robot system.
They will also take a tour of a seed facility, among other things.
“I was part of the first original trip back in 2019 and I thought the experience was invaluable so along with the committee (Simon Tognola, Julia Paulger and Brent Mitchell) we have made it happen, along with help from our sponsors,” Justin said.
The organising team raised $32,000 — half in cash donations and half from an auction from donated goods held at the Bendigo Winter Fair.
Justin said 19 young farmers put their hands up to be involved in the trip, eight were pre-selected for an interview by the panel and then the final five were chosen.
“The team will get the chance to show off their cattle skills to over 30,000 people, network with other industry professionals and also get to tour around Belgium — there are not too many opportunities left for young farmers in the industry these days so it is important we keep what we have so we encourage them to stay in the industry,” he said.
Callum McPhee, 32, from Deniliquin has the job of mentoring the Australian team.
His family has been running Hillview Park Holsteins since 1956 and he has been showing cows himself since he was a young boy.
His family milk 300 cows and Callum said he is always looking to improve the next generation.
“The goal is always to breed an animal good enough to compete in the show ring,” Callum said.
He is looking forward to heading to Belgium and taking on the role of a mentor.
“I guess my role will be to use my experience to help the team if they run into a problem and to drive them around as well,” he said.
“It will be great to travel to Belgium and the networking and learning opportunities for the team will be amazing.
“It is still a competition, a bit like the cow Olympics, and we will be competitive and do Australia proud.”
The Young Breeders School is an international event created in 1999.
It is aimed at young people aged 13 to 25 years, with the main aim to teach young breeders their way around a dairy cow and improve their knowledge on optimising selection and show preparation.
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