Twenty-one young cattle enthusiasts have already signed up for the 2025 World Wide Sires National All Dairy Breeds Youth Camp, to be held January 4-7, 2025 in Wyndham.
The camp, hosted by Holstein Friesian NZ and held annually in January, is a four-day event attended by approximately 24 young people from around the country.
The camp is the country’s premiere event to upskill young people interested in showing and handling dairy cattle, enabling them to make friends and learn about animal behaviour and care. Attendees will take part in showmanship and clipping modules, as well as a reproduction module with Vytelle and a technology module with SmaXtec. They will also take part in a mini-show on the final day, with the calf they were allocated on day one.
The camp is open to any young person aged 10-21 with an interest in dairying. They don’t have to be from a farm, or a member of a breed society. Those aged 10-14 must be accompanied by an adult and stay offsite at night.
In 2025, European Young Breeders School team members Kate Cummings and Holly Powell will help Holstein Friesian NZ field officer and youth camp organiser Amelia Griffin run the camp, which will be held at 4 The Girls Dairies Ltd (Niels Modde and Jodie-lee Templeman).
Each year five awards are presented at the conclusion of the youth camp, acknowledging attendees who were outstanding in a number of categories.
The Paramount Cup celebrates the camp’s top all-rounder, while awards are also given to Top Junior Handler, Top Senior Handler, Best Presented Heifer and the Dennis Terry Memorial Trophy, presented to the most improved clipper.
2024 Paramount Cup winner, 17-year-old Riley Taylor of Taranaki, has attended two youth camps and found them invaluable.
“I’ve always been passionate about getting into showing, and the dairy industry,” he says. “I thought attending youth camp would be a good opportunity to meet some people that are likeminded and are happy to talk cows all day.”
Riley, who is working as a farm assistant on a 340-cow farm, says winning the Paramount Cup last year was a great reward for the hard work he put in during the youth camp, and leading up to it.
“What I learnt at youth camp helps me in my job every day, and helps with my showing,” he says.
World Wide Sires NZ has come on board yet again as principal sponsor for the 2025 event.
“World Wide Sires is again proud to be the naming rights sponsor for 2025,” WWS Manager of Sales and Marketing Craig Robertson says. “The Camp, we feel, enables the next generation to develop and refine their husbandry skills, as well as further ignites the passion and the work ethic of its participants. The networking and friendships built with other camp goers, contributors and organisers is something the participants take away with them for life.”
The team sponsors for the 2025 Youth Camp are SmaXtec Bolus, Otago Holstein Friesian Branch and Lowburn Friesians and Milking Shorthorns.
Event sponsors are World Wide Sires, Holstein International, Cummings Family, STGenetics, Vytelle, Sveka Farming and O’Reilly Tye Ltd.
Registrations for the 2025 camp close November 29, 2024.
Add a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment