Hereford Youth Expo brings cattle kids from as far away as NZ

Learning more about the beef cattle industry drew participants from as far away as New Zealand to the Hereford Youth Expo.

Fifth-generation cattle producer James Robbie was representing not only his family stud but also his country at the Hereford Youth Expo at Wodonga last week.

James, who comes from the Otapawa Poll Hereford stud at Tiraumea, New Zealand, made the journey across the Tasman to take part in the event, which draws competitors from across Australia to learn and compete.

The Otapawa Poll Hereford stud is run on a 3500ha property on the lower east cost of the North Island of New Zealand, and James, 23, is the fifth generation to be involved in the enterprise.

James Robbie from Tiraumea, New Zealand was one of the participants at the Herefords Australia youth expo at Wodonga over the weekend.

The stud runs about 500-600 breeding cows selling 40-50 bulls a year.

Youth shows in New Zealand involve showing steers, so showing heifers was a point of difference.

“It has been a really great experience coming home to the farm and it has provided me with the opportunity to come over to Australia and come to youth expo,” he said.

“It brings back nostalgia for me who used to do a lot of this as a kid growing up in New Zealand.”

James, who not only competed but mentored some younger participants, said he “loved the passion the kids bring, they are so enthusiastic about handling cattle and raising a good animal and looking after them”.

“I’ve been tasked with looking after a few peewees, young ones, and they are such a breeze because they are so enthusiastic about it that I don’t have to help them too much — they know exactly what they are doing,” he said.

In terms of the cattle differences between Australia and New Zealand, James said there were some subtle differences between the two countries.

“A large part of what we look for in our cattle is still the same,” James said.

“We still want good structural soundness, good feet, good bone structure as well as maternal attributes.

“Looking at the line-up of heifers here at the expo, there are clearly great maternal cattle in Australia which is much the same as back home.

“The main point of difference is the aesthetic look of the beast is something that differs from country to country.

“We might have slightly more rugged-looking cattle at home but that is because we are raising them on hill country or slightly harder contour country compared to Australia.”

While James did compete, he said the main goal was to make connections, and “meet some of the amazing people in the Australian beef industry”.

“I wanted to get my name out there, re-establish connections that our stud has had with others in the past and really present myself as the younger face of Otapawa Poll Herefords in Australia and expose myself to what the Hereford breed has over here,” he said.