Australia’s most promising young dairy cattle judges have been announced ahead of the Agricultural Shows Australia National Young Judges’ and Paraders’ Competition finals at the Melbourne Royal Show on 28 September 2024.
Agricultural Shows Australia executive officer Katie Stanley says the competition is designed to recognise the best new talent in livestock judging nationwide.
“It’s an extremely prestigious event and positions at the nationals are keenly contested,“ Ms Stanley explained.
“These young judges are the future of agricultural show competitions. The national competition is a coveted opportunity to grow personally and professionally by practising skills against the cream of the crop.“
The winner of the dairy cattle young judges will be determined by who most accurately places the animals from first to fourth, according to its form and characteristics and justifies their assessment.
Each year, Agricultural Shows Australia brings together each state’s best young judges, aged from 15 to 25, to compete in the National Competition Program across nine categories.
Qualification is via success in competitive regional and state competitions.
Young Dairy Cattle Judges finalists:
Patrick English, 19, Malanda, Queensland.
“I have lived all my life on a dairy farm. My family has exhibited Illawarra cows at our local show for 108 consecutive years and, more recently, we have shown Jersey and Holsteins. I won the State Young Judges’ finals, which were held at our local show in 2023.“
Bridget Liebelt, 25, Meadows, SA.
Bridget Liebelt started her own stud Torlea Holsteins & Ayrshires in 2014. She has more than 50 animals of her own that she breeds from and shows.
“I live and breathe dairy, having been raised on my parent’s dairy farm in Meadows, SA in the Adelaide Hills.
I started showing dairy cattle at eight years of age and was instantly hooked. I believe that being a great judge of dairy cattle is crucial to making better breeding decisions to breed cows that are profitable and long-lasting, it also enhances your showmanship and fitting skills. Plus, it can create so many opportunities including travel and make long-lasting friendships with people who share the same passion.“
William Dudfield, 26, Burnie, Tasmania.
William represented Tasmania at the 2023 National Finals, placing runner-up. “I’ve been showing since I was three-years-old and I’ve been a part of the paraders since I was nine. I really enjoy the competitive side of it and it’s hard to go past coming second at Nationals at the Sydney Royal Easter Show last year. I’m from a dairy farm and, although I’m in civil construction now, it’s something I’ll always enjoy.“
Angus Fraser, 20, Tongala, Victoria.
“Growing up in Far North Queensland, I became involved in the dairy industry at age eight by attending a dairy youth camp.“
As his passion grew, he sought more opportunities to be involved in the industry and, in 2020, he moved to Victoria to pursue a career in dairy.
“In the years since, I’ve been fortunate enough to achieve first place in my age group in young judges’ competitions at the Brisbane Ekka and at the Royal Adelaide Show. Recently, I’ve been appointed as a judge at four local shows in Queensland and Victoria. This is my second year qualifying to represent Victoria at the national finals but it is my first time being able to attend and I look forward to the opportunity to compete.“
Macs Rubain, 19, Camden, NSW.
“Growing up on a property and having previous experience in the beef industry, I started working on a dairy farm after helping a local stud at the Sydney Royal Easter Show a few years ago,“ Rubain said.
“I quickly found a passion for the dairy industry and began competing in junior judging at local qualifiers. I was lucky enough to win the state final and compete at the national finals in Launceston. Although I was unsuccessful in winning, I was asked to judge some local shows in my region. This year, I won the state final again and look forward to competing at the national finals in Melbourne.“
Zoey Morris, 17, Woodvale, WA.
Growing up in the city, Zoey got a taste for country living on family camping trips. She discovered agriculture at high school in year nine and this allowed her to pursue her desire of working with animals.
“At school, my close friend introduced me to the love of dairy cows. I followed this passion and each year in the school holidays I have attended the WA Youth Cattle Handlers’ Camps where I have learnt cattle handling, parading and judging for dairy cows.“
