If the number of students participating in the annual All Breeds Educational Dairy Camp at Malanda last week is anything to go by, the industry is in good hands.
Sixty-five students from across far north Queensland spent four days at the Malanda Showgrounds learning how to look after and present a dairy cow.
While the bulk of the students were drawn from the Atherton Tablelands, the contingent also included children from Mena Creek and Cairns, an international visitor from Scotland and a teenager from the Sunshine Coast.
Delivered by the region’s All Breeds Committee, the camp covered a range of subjects including calf care, clipping, judging, parading, photographing dairy cattle, promoting and advertising dairy cattle, speaking on the microphone and personal deportment.
It’s the third year the committee has run the camp, which had its beginnings some 30 years ago.
The committee, which brings together breeders of Holsteins, Jerseys, Illawarras and Brown Swiss on the Tablelands, has seen the number of students participate double each year.
Holstein Australia funded two classifiers Sean Miller and Blair Caldwell, while Todd Brown, a clipper from Gympie, also tutored the students.
Local instructors included Sam Rowe, Tableland Veterinary Service, Colin Lawson, a director of Quadsafe Australia, and dairyfarmers Paul Newland and Colin Daley, Ourway Holsteins.
Local dairyfarmers donated their cows and calves for use at the camp.
For city kid Drew Hawes, 14, a visit to family in Atherton this past school holidays turned into a farm experience he will never forget.
Drew lives at Currimundi on the Sunshine Coast and before last week had never been on a dairy farm, let alone milked a cow.
Then he met Colin Daley, Ourway Holsteins, Millaa Millaa, and participated in the camp.
“My grandmother lives in Atherton and I really wanted to milk a dairy cow,” Drew said. “I went to Colin’s farm and milked some cows and he told me about this camp.”
Drew said the experience was great.
“It’s really interesting how the cows produce the milk and we drink it, “ Drew said.
“I love breeding, I use to foster dogs, quite large ones and I thought cows would be very good too.
“We’ve pretty much looked after a cow. It’s been really great that we get to clip and feed the cows.
“It’s a great relationship.”
In the clipping, Lucy Bevan won the senior section, with Patrick English first in intermediate and Cody Marsh the junior winner.
Rachel English won the senior judging award, with Angus Fraser taking out the intermediate category and Nathan Daley the junior winner.
Lucy Bevan won the senior parader’s section, with Angus Fraser first in intermediate and Mary English, junior champion.
Lucy Bevan was named best top student of the camp.
Other top student awards went to Rikki Payne (senior), Angus Fraser (intermediate) and Nathan Daley (junior). Encouragement awards went to Drew Hawes (senior), Katie Crerar (intermediate) and Erin Burtenshaw (junior).