MEDIA RELEASE 12 NOVEMBER 2013
2013 JUDGES FINALISED FOR INTERNATIONAL DAIRY WEEK
International Dairy Week will again host a number of international judges to take control of the ring
and view the best of Australian dairy cattle in the 6 breeds on show from Monday 21st to Thursday
24th of January at Tatura. Brian Leslie, Director of IDW is delighted with the line-up for 2013 noting
that each of the judges will bring a wealth of experience to the show-ring.
ABS Australia/Ridley Dairy Feeds All Breeds National Youth Show – Graham McPhee from
Australia
The judge of the 2013 National Youth Show will be Graham McPhee, a third
generation dairy farmer who grew up on the South Coast of NSW. Graham
and his family relocated to Finley in southern NSW in 1990, bringing the
Hillview Park stud with them. The last 20 years have seen Graham
successfully develop and promote the Hillview Park name, recently being
awarded one of the few 2nd Master Breeder awards in Australia.
Having judged at various Australian Royal Shows, on-farm challenges, IDW
2012 and numerous regional shows, Graham brings passion and knowledge
to the ring. He enjoys a great relationship with exhibitors and officials alike,
being a successful exhibitor himself.
The Hillview Park Stud has achieved not only Grand Champion at IDW, but
also numerous Champions, Reserves, and most successful breeder and exhibitor awards at
renowned shows, along with All Australian winners.
A great passion of Graham’s, beside the animals themselves, is encouraging and guiding the younger
generation, with both his sons heavily involved in the Dairy Industry.
National Brown Swiss Show – Molly Sloan from the United States of America
Molly grew up on her family’s registered Holstein Farm,
Florendale Holsteins, in Northern Illinois in the USA. She
attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison and earned
a degree in Dairy Science. At UW-Madison, Molly was
actively involved on the university dairy judging team,
leading her team to win the 2005 National Dairy Judging
Contest at the World Dairy Expo. Molly is also the only
person in the USA to win oral reasons at 4 National
Collegiate Dairy Judging Contests. Molly and her husband
Matt currently reside in Columbus, Wisconsin.
Molly has worked at Alta Genetics for the past 7 years. She
began her career at Alta as an Alta Advantage Consultant for the progeny test program. Here she
worked with herds averaging 1,000 cows to help prove globally influential sires such as
AltaWILDMAN, AltaBAXTER, AltaJAYZ, and AltaAUGUSTA. Her work guaranteed accurate proof
calculations and daughter promotion through professional photos and the Advantage Showcase
Tour. She currently serves as Marketing Projects Manager where she focuses on setting up
customized genetic plans for dairies throughout the world. She has traveled globally to over 10
different countries, which has allowed her to see thousands of cows each year in a wide variety of
environments.
During her spare time, Molly enjoys working with her husband Matt, who is one of the top dairy
cattle fitters in the world. Molly and Matt have helped many highly-respected North-American herds
at national shows and sales, including Budjon Farms, Gen-Com Holsteins, West Coast Holsteins,
Duckett Holsteins, Rosedale, Luck-E Holsteins and Lindale Holsteins.
Molly has judged several state, regional and district breed shows in the USA. Among these shows are
the Illinois State Fair Junior Brown Swiss Show, the Illinois State Jr. Holstein Show, all breeds at the
Illinois State Fair Jr. Show, Kansas State Fair, and showmanship contests at the Midwest National
Spring Show and Wisconsin State Fair. Molly typically judges 10 local shows each year and evaluate
all breeds there, many of those include Brown Swiss
This is Molly’s second trip to International Dairy Week. Her previous trip was spent in the barns,
working with the breeders and exhibitors to help prepare animals for show. She looks forward to
judging the Brown Swiss Breed at Dairy Week in 2013!
National Ayrshire Show - Iwan Morgan from Wales
Iwan was brought up on a dairy farm in Carmarthen, Wales. After leaving school,
he spent three years in the Welsh Agriculture College, followed by six months
working at Cormdale Farms in Canada.
Iwan was an active member of Holstein Young Members, competing in
showmanship, stock judging and clipping at every opportunity, followed by
being club co-ordinator for five years. A lot of time was spent clipping and
showing for many respected breeders where I enjoyed learning from their
knowledge and experience.
Currently, Iwan farms at home in partnership with his parents, farming 250
acres with 140 Holsteins and 40 Jerseys, with 150 young stock.
Breeding profitable long living cows from proven cow families and introducing new and exciting
families is the aim. The Roxy, Lustre and Debutant Rae in the Holsteins and the Grove, Rumour and
Gorgeous in the Jerseys are prominent families in the herd at the moment.
Showing is an important part of family life. The family has enjoyed many successes over the years at
local and national level. During the past year, they have won Champion Red Holstein at the UK Dairy
Expo, Reserve Champion Jersey at the All Britain all Breeds Calf Show and All Wales and Reserve All
Britain Heifer in Milk.
Off the farm, Iwan enjoy all sports, especially football and rugby and currently serving as a Board
member of Holstein UK.
Iwan has followed his father onto both Holstein and Jersey National judging panels. Iwan has judged
Holstein, Jersey and Interbreed classes at over 60 shows in Wales, England, Scotland, Northern
Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Italy and also judged the Young Members Challenge at the European
Show and attended the Holstein Canada judging school.
He enjoys travelling to different countries to meet fellow cow enthusiasts and more so learn from
colleagues and friends and is delighted to accept the invitation to judge the Ayrshires at the 2013
International Dairy Week.
National Illawarra Show – Ashley Flemming from Northern Ireland
IDW are thrilled to welcome Ashley Flemming back to IDW 2013.
Ashley was with us in 2009 judging the Jersey Show.
Ashley was the youngest person in the UK to be elevated to a
panel judge in both the Jersey and Holstein Breeds. Over the
years he has judged all of the key shows in the UK and is well
recognised in Europe for his Jersey and Holstein judging
appointments. Ashley has been National UK Chairman, Chairman
of Judges and served on the Breed Improvement Committee.
Since judging the Jersey classes at International Dairy Week in
2009 the Potterswalls Herd owned by the Flemming Family has
continued to expand. The herd now totals 200 head with
approximately 100 cows in milk. The Potterswalls Prefix is
synonymous with the Jersey Breed throughout the UK and further afield. The herd has been very
successful at all the major shows either with their own stock or animals which have been sold on.
Today several bulls in AI from the herd have made their mark on the breed. In 2010 in partnership
with a friend the Sunrise Shorthorn Prefix was registered. With the opening up of the UK Herd book,
Sunrise Shorthorns feel there is an exciting opportunity ahead for this breed. A few quality
individuals were purchased and so far some considerable success has been achieved. The most
noted being a fifth place in the Northern Ireland Cow of the year competition. This was the first time
a Shorthorn cow has made it to the top six. Already we have some Illawarra bred calves on the
ground. Ashley is married to Lynda with three children who are all enthusiastic helpers.
National Guernsey Show – Jane Steel from Scotland
Jane has been immersed in the dairy industry from an early
age, being brought up on a dairy farm to her job as a Livestock
Photographer.
Her family milk pedigree Holstein & Jersey cows near Loch
Lomond in Scotland where Jane is actively involved and has
her own herd of cattle there under the ‘Lomond’ prefix
enjoying numerous show and sale ring success.
Jane is involved with all the dairy breeds in her job as a
Livestock Photographer. She has been taking photographs for
16 years and has travelled the world with her job, visiting IDW
many years ago when photographing for Genetics Australia.
Jane has judged many shows in the UK and Europe and looks
forward to returning to IDW to enter the Guernsey ring at this
year’s show.
National Jersey Show - Johannes van Eeden from South Africa
Johannes van Eeden grew up on ‘Rheenendal’, in South
Africa, the 6th generation family farm where his father,
the late Kobus van Eeden started Rheenendal Jerseys in
1949. In 1983 he joined his father on the farm and soon
took over the responsibilities for the dairy herd. In 1987
after the death of his father he was elected to the
Western Cape Milk Producers Union and in 1990 elected
to the council of the Milk Producers Organization of the
South African Agricultural Union. In 1992 he was
appointed by the Minister of Agriculture to the Milk
Board. In 1990 he was also elected to the board of the Bonnita Co-operative and with the take over
by Parmalat served as the vice-chairman of SAMELCO, the co-operative providing Parmalat with its’
liquid milk supply.
Johannes is somebody who like and needs new challenges and after numerous visits to Latin
America he “discovered” Uruguay and decided to get involved in a new enterprise. In February 2004
he sold the commercial part of his Jersey herd (400 cows) back in South Africa, keeping only the 150
top pedigree animals of Rheenendal Jerseys on the family farm. He then bought a farm near Castillos
in the province of Rocha on the east coast of Uruguay, approximately 3 hours from the capital
Montevideo and only 80 kms from the Brazil border. Due to the language barrier and the technical
nature of dairy farming, he decided not to start a Jersey herd in Uruguay, but instead he entered into
a complete new venture. Here, with the assistance of a local agricultural adviser, a geneticist and
imported genetic material he introduced the Bonsmara cattle breed to Uruguay. Today Johannes is
running a herd of 150 Bonsmaras and crosses and bulls from his herd are represented in all parts of
Uruguay.
Since 1989 he has visited more than 60 countries worldwide to study the Jersey cow, management
systems, judge shows and give talks. He is especially interested in the marketing of Jersey branded
dairy products. In 1997 he was elected as second vice-president of the WJCB and in 2002 at the
conference in Denmark as the President.
Johannes is at his happiest when amongst the Jerseys on his farm or when assisting Jersey farmers
around the world. He still travels annually to many parts of the world, giving talks or judging shows.
Apart from his native South Africa, he has judged in Argentina, Costa Rica, Guatamala, Uruguay, the
UK, New Zealand, and Kenya. He likes to give back to the breed some of the valuable knowledge that
he has picked up over the last 30 years.
National Holstein Show – David Stalker from New Zealand
David has been involved in the registered cattle industry all his life.
He was born at Lincoln and raised on his parents Lucernvale Holstein
stud at Greenpark, 30 kms south of Christchurch. Upon leaving
school David worked on the family farm. In the mid-nineties he,
along with his brother Grant, took over the farm, until it’s dispersal
in 2002.
Established in 1924, the Lucernvale herd was known as one of New
Zealand’s elite production and type herds, winning many major
championships over the decades. Never scared to invest in new cow
families Lucernvale was one of the very few in New Zealand to import live animals from Australia.
This proved very successful with two animals carrying the Lucernvale prefix winning Champion
Holstein cow at New Zealand Royal shows, both being daughters of imported cows. David was also
an accomplished leadsman. He is quick to nominate the well-known Romanac Renegade Jane as the
best cow he has ever led.
David followed both his father and grandfather as a Senior Holstein judge. He has judged at most of
New Zealand’s major Holstein shows, including the New Zealand Royal Show. David has also been a
regular visitor to Australia where he has judged at several major shows including the Holsteins at
Melbourne and Brisbane Royals, the New South Wales State Holstein Show, and the Ayrshire Show
at International Dairy Week.
Since leaving farming in 2002, David has worked for Semex NZ as an Area Manager. David’s role in
the company includes sales, running the Semex Mate Programme and providing advice for clients.
He has also kept a keen interest in the Holstein breed and at present is working with granddaughters
of some of the breeds elite cow families including Gen-I-Beg Shottle Bombi, Comestar Goldwyn Lilac
and Shoremar Alicia.
In his earlier days David played rugby, cricket and tennis through to senior level. These days he can
be found most Saturday afternoons at the Tai Tapu golf course where he plays off a single figure
handicap. David is married to Diane and they, along with their seven year old son Sam, live at
Lincoln, south of Christchurch.