Taranaki dairy farmer wins big at the North Island Championships

Two cows owned by a Taranaki farmer have won major accolades at a hotly-contested dairy show in Stratford.

Almost 200 cows and heifers competed in the North Island Championships at the Stratford A&P Show over the weekend.

Makuri Goldwyn Hazel EX2, a nine-year-old Holstein Friesian owned by Mark Rowland, was named the champion all breeds dairy cow.

She also took out several other awards, including best udder in the Holstein Friesian section.

“The win still hasn’t sunk in. We’ve had some great moments in business, and this is certainly right up there,” said Mark.

“Hazel is my favourite cow. She doesn’t like a lot of fuss and is always one of the first at the shed for milking.”

Mark milks 110 Holstein Friesians at his Stratford dairy farm. Hazel produced 712 kilograms of milksolids in 2018-19.

She was one of three cows and two calves he entered in the show, which drew breeders from the Waikato and Manawatu.

His six-year-old cow, Makuri Gold Amber-ET EX2, also won several accolades, including supreme champion Holstein Friesian cow.

It was her first time in the show ring.

“She’s never been shown before, but she’s always been quiet is a really sweet cow who’s a dream to work with,” said Mark.

Amber was born after Mark and a friend imported 10 embryos following a trip to Canada.

“I got to see four generations of the same cow family in one barn. That’s unusual in Canada,” he said.

“We sold her full sister two years ago for $13,500.”

It was the first time cattle have competed at the Stratford A&P Show since 2017.

Cattle classes were cancelled last year because of the threat posed by the Mycoplasma bovis outbreak.

Two-year-old heifer Larkspur Beemer Libby-ET, owned by Palmerston North-based Fusion Genetics, was named the Holstein Friesian intermediate North Island champion.

Yearling heifer Hukaview Darlingo August-ET took out the Holstein Friesian junior North Island champion title.

Holstein Friesian NZ member, Gordon Fullerton, 22, won the World Wide Sires all breeds junior judging competition.