North Island Black and White Youth Day
By Laura Phipps
On Wednesday 7 October, a Black and White Youth day was held at the farm of David & Wendy Harker, Westell Stud in Te Awamutu. It was a nice, warm day after heavy rain the Central North Island shared. There was a good turn out of about 10 members who were ready to learn.
The day began with Michael Lynch teaching us about what to look for in a good dairy cow. He showed us the correct points and also the faults in the cow being judged. He explained that a nice dairy cow or heifer should display correctness over the rump, should walk squarely, show ideal capacity and clean bone structure with a good spring of rib along with a good udder. After we listened to Michael’s demonstration, we all judged four cows (all different ages) and placed them in the order we thought was correct. Once we had decided on our placings, we got the opportunity to get up on the microphone and describe the reasons why we placed the cows in the order we did. Every one got on the microphone and had a go at giving their reasons. It was a lot easier than it looked and it became easier once you got started. We really enjoyed using the microphone.
After lunch we were assigned with a calf, yearling or cow. We paraded the heifers around while we were given tips on showmanship. We were taught that it is important to teach your heifer to stand correctly by manoeuvring her head with the halter, rather than standing on the heifer’s hooves to get her to stand. This is important to practice before the show you are attending. We then listened to Wendy, who taught us good things to feed our calves before the show and some tips on how they should be feed.
Overall the day was a great experience for all who attended. We learnt a lot of helpful information that will definitely benefit us. Thank you to David & Wendy Harker for holding the day on their farm and providing us with the cattle and the facilities. Thank you to Michael Lynch for coming over to point out the good conformation points of a nice dairy cow from head to tail and giving us tips on showmanship. Thank you to Danie Swart for organising this day and for giving us the opportunity to learn as much as we did.
