![Winnie Daley continues her family's long association with the dairy industry at the Malanda Show. Photo by Lea Coghlan Winnie Daley continues her family's long association with the dairy industry at the Malanda Show. Photo by Lea Coghlan](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/208589040/4eba6324-b7b4-48c3-9813-acb1521217a6.JPG/r0_490_1723_3003_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The Malanda Show has been an integral part of the Atherton Tablelands landscape for as long as I can remember.
Subscribe now for unlimited access to all our agricultural news
across the nation
or signup to continue reading
Well over 100 years old, the three-day event is, without a doubt, the best example of a true agricultural show.
Call me biased but you'd be pushed to find another in Queensland where the variety is so broad, the exhibits so splendid and the entertainment so captivating.
The weekend event was point in case.
The beleaguered dairy industry turned out in numbers - despite dwindling farmer numbers. More than 140 animals competed in three breed arenas.
Especially pleasing was the number of "next gen" farmers who are investing in dairy genetics and continuing traditions established multiple generations before them - including showing.
Lets be mindful of the effort it takes to show dairy cows.
The milking doesn't stop, rather show teams come complete with mobile milking machines. And then there's the round-the-clock care to keep an eye on the 'girls', while work continues back on the farm.
While you'd hate to imagine a Malanda Show without a dairy exhibition, thankfully the event's continued focus on the industry has paid huge dividends.
This year, the show hosted the Queensland finals of the dairy parader and young judges competition.
Read More:
An honour usually bestowed on the Ekka, the Australia Ag Shows has identified the need to take the competition to the "industry" so to speak, with four shows - Malanda, Maleny, Beaudesert and Gatton - the only shows in Queensland with a dairy competition - taking over the honour to host the state finals.
In the stud beef industry, an incredible 13 different beef breeds were on display - another fine example of the role the Atherton Tablelands plays as a seedstock nursery for the commercial beef industry.
Standing alongside the more well-known Droughtmaster, Brahman, Santa Gertrudis, Shorthorn, Charolais, Limousin, Charbray, Murray Grey, Brangus, Lowline and Simbrah breeds, were new kids on the block - Miniature Hereford and Greyman.
The prime beef section was at capacity, recording its second highest ever number of entries and offering more than $5000 in prize money.
Space is the only thing holding back growth in this section.
The poultry pavilion was also at capacity, with some outstanding birds on display.
All events need to evolve and change to retain audience interest. Malanda Show is no different.
![Malanda Show had something for everyone. Photo by Feathers and Lace Photography Malanda Show had something for everyone. Photo by Feathers and Lace Photography](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/208589040/5bf2bab6-3315-4b4c-92e4-0c76fca80a69.jpg/r0_0_1397_2048_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The show committee has continued to grow the show, adding novelty events like the farmers challenge and charity celebrity hand milking competition to the traditional program which features woodchops, six-bar show jumping and other horse events.
At a time when the spotlight is firmly on agriculture as the answer to Australia's recovery from the world health pandemic, there is no better example of its value to the Atherton Tablelands alone than the annual show.
And when you consider agricultural output is valued at $240 million to the Tablelands (200/21, Tablelands Regional Council economic profile), it makes sense for the three day event to shine brightly on the agriculture industries on which the region was founded.
- Talk of the Town is a weekly opinion piece written by ACM journalists. The thoughts expressed are their own.