Leading Edge Genetics awards 2023: Fish Creek and Labertouche farm wins

Farming families from Labertouche and Fish Creek have beaten out 48 different breeders to win at the dairy genetics awards.

Farming families at Labertouche and Fish Creek have taken out the top honours in one of Australia’s largest dairy genetics competitions.

More than 350 cattle from 48 different breeders were entered into the 2023 Leading Edge Genetics On-Farm Competition, with winners announced today in Drouin.

The Thomson family at Fish Creek and the Hammond family at Labertouche were top of the pops in the 2023 competition, judged by Wisconsin-based cattle genetics expert Roger Turner, currently visiting Australia.

Mr Turner named Holstein entry cow 190 sired by Samite — owned by Peter, Helen and Michael Thomson — as overall champion.

The same Holstein also won the four to five-year-old class while the Thomsons added the three-year-old class win with their entry 412, sired by Summerday.

“It was certainly a competition of great depth,” Mr Turner said.

“Each farm had animals of tremendous quality. There could only be one winner in each class unfortunately. But for me I was looking for the most correct well-balanced cow.”

Wisconsin-based dairy judge Roger Turner.

Mr Turner named the Hammond family as winners of the two-year-old class with entry 4410 sired by Alum.

The Hammond family also won the mature cow class with entry Bourbon daughter 3107.

Leading Edge Genetics owner-manager Brad Aitken said the Thomson family also collected the winning pen prize with their Samite daughter group as well as the most successful exhibitor title.

He said more than 100 farmers took part in the presentation held at the Drouin Golf Club on Friday afternoon.

“Each year I marvel at the quality of cows presented in this competition,” Mr Aitken said.