Manawatū dairy farm assistant Holly Powell was rewarded with the top award after quickly striking up a bond with her heifer over four days at the World Wide Sires National All Dairy Breeds Youth Camp in Rangiora. Photo / Holstein Friesian New Zealand
Manawatū dairy farm assistant Holly Powell was rewarded with the top award after quickly striking up a bond with her heifer over four days at the World Wide Sires National All Dairy Breeds Youth Camp in Rangiora. Photo / Holstein Friesian New Zealand
A youth camp has helped young animal handlers perfect tricks of the trade. Central Rural Life’s Tim Cronshaw takes a closer look.
Holly Powell is tucking away a few tricks of the trade for a major dairy event after picking them up at a skills camp in Rangiora.
The 19-year-oldwas among 21 young handlers to attend the World Wide Sires National All Dairy Breeds Youth Camp organised by Holstein Friesian New Zealand at the local A&P showgrounds.
“I’ve been to four camps now and every year you pick up little pieces and tricks to make the animals look as good as possible, just picking up tricks to do the top line and the belly hair.”
Now she’s looking forward to putting them to practice at the three-day New Zealand Dairy Event at Feilding’s Manfeild Agri-Centre from Tuesday 24.
She will be part of a team preparing a line-up for the dairy event from the Radly Holstein stud of about 400 pedigree Holsteins, owned by her parents, Brad and Kelly Powell, at Manawatu’s Rongotea.
The stud had put cattle into the dairy event the past six years and had been getting some good results, she said.
Leaving school in 2020 after finishing year 12, she knew a career in the dairy breeding industry was for her.
Today she is working as a farm assistant at Manawatō’s Maire Farm where there are 700 pedigree Holsteins.
Powell was singled out for praise among the handlers, aged from 10 years old to 21, who came from around the country for the Rangiora camp.
As well as the Paramount Cup awarded to the top all-rounder, she also received the Top Senior Handler award.
The junior handler honours went to Canterbury’s Israel Hansen (13), while the Best Presented Heifer award was presented to Southland’s Chloe Thomson (18) and the Dennis Terry Memorial Trophy for the most improved clipper went to Canterbury’s Caitlyn Stewart (17).
Senior handlers go under the spotlight for their workmanship with preparing young animals for a mini-show at the four-day World Wide Sires National All Dairy Breeds Youth Camp in Rangiora. Photo / Holstein Friesian New Zealand
Held over four days, the camp brings young people together to make friends and learn about animal behaviour and care, and they take part in a mini-show and team-building activities.
Depending on their age, each participant is given the responsibility of looking after a 10-month or four-month-old animal with Holstein, Friesian, Jersey or Ayrshire bloodlines.
Educational modules include genomics, clipping, animal health and photography, as well as an on-farm visit.
“I love seeing all the young ones come through and it’s really cool seeing the next generation get going,” Powell said.
Canterbury’s Caitlyn Stewart cuts out a topline with the clippers on the heifer she looked after during the four-day World Wide Sires National All Dairy Breeds Youth Camp in Rangiora. Photo / Holstein Friesian New Zealand
HFNZ field officer Amelia Griffin said the handlers got a lot out of the camp, learning to do a full body clip, a top-line - spiking up the top hair with hair spray to ensure the spine looks straight to the eye - and belly hair as they would for an A&P show.
Griffin said she was amazed by the progress they made in such a short span every year.
“We provide some helpers, but it’s their responsibility to make sure it’s all done and the animals are ready for the show on the final day.
“Maybe 90 per cent of the animals have never been used to a show before so they are barely broken in and we had one animal which lasted five minutes in the ring.”
Griffin said the challenging animal was barely recognisable four days later after its handler had turned it around.
She said the handlers benefited from the experience of dairy breeders who gave their time for the camp, which was the next step up from calf clubs.
Many of them would take lessons from the camp to assist breeders for the dairy event, she said.
“We have kids coming from all backgrounds. Most of them this year are farming kids, but it’s just about kids that like cows. That’s the main criteria.”
