The champion contendors.

The champion, Panorama Angeline 8 chills as everyone waits for the decision

HEAD TO HEAD WITH DOUG SAVAGE

DM: "So, Doug, how do you think the breed is moving?"

DS: "The breed has clearly made dramatic improvements over the last 20 years. The outstanding udders, and the consistency and depth to the classes were highlights of the DairyWeek show for me. But apart from the showring, production figures show that the Illawarra is second only to the Brown Swiss in production gains over the past 7 or 8 years, and of course the Brown Swiss is still only becoming established in Australia at this stage. In fact the Illawarra is now third on production averages behind the Holstein and Brown Swiss, both breeds with much larger animals. You can't help but be impressed by the rate of improvement the Illawarra breed is displaying."

DM: "What did you think of the Australian show this year?"

DS: "It's been 10 years since I was last at DairyWeek, and the last time I judged was the Youth Show back in '91 when I judged under the shade of a tree. Certainly IDW has now established itself as a truly national show that can showcase the Australian dairy cattle breeding industry to the world. The improved facilities, the wide range of international judges, and the number of international visitors make it a world class event."

DM: "There are obviously two schools of thought with regard to using red and white Holstein bulls (or sons of a red and white Holstein over an Illawarra) – what is your opinion on it all?

DS: "The infusion of outside blood has made a huge difference to the breed. And clearly the option of going back to having a closed herd-book simply isn't viable. The breed just does not sample enough bulls to be able to make competitive genetic gains when compared to other breeds around the world that sample hundreds or thousands of bulls each year. The caution to breeders is that they should try to strike a balance and not go too far down the Holstein path to the point of bringing in their weaknesses in such areas as ease of managment - such traits as calving ease, cow fertility and even the lighter skin pigmentation that cause skin and eye cancers in the tropics. I think there are some other genetic options that can be blended in along with the Holstein that can help in these areas."

DM: " How would you rate IDW Illawarras on the world stage?"

DS: "I would rate IDW as the best red breed dairy show anywhere in the world. There may be some red Holstein displays that are comparable, but of the other red breeds this would be the best. That aged cow class only had one animal that was not 88 points or higher, and that was the cow that stood last which had a score of 87. I certainly don't recall seeing 5 or 6 Illawarra's scored EX in the ring at the same time as we did in that class."

DM: "How did you find the conference?"

DS: "The conference session covered a wide range of topics that should provide those Illawarra breeders, and the Shorthorn breeders from the other four or five countries that were represented, plenty of food for thought. Hopefully some of the ideas presdented will inspire new programmes or approaches that will benefit the breed."

DM: "How did you think the conference went?"

"Conferences can create a lot of enthusiasm and be a wonderful catalyst for positive changes. However, that does require the organisation to provide structure to build on the enthusiasm and to implement new programs and ideas. Only time will judge if the conference will have long-lasting effect."

DM: "What did you think of the supreme champion that was added to the show agenda for the first time this year?

DS: "The Holstein that was Supreme Champion was a powerful cow with a wonderful udder that fitted right up into the body and had extreme width from top to bottom. While the Illawarra couldn't match her in the udder or for overall power, she was more angular and refined, and was cleaner and longer in the neck. I placed the Illawarra as Reserve, and I know at least a couple of the other judges did too, though there was no announcement of a Reserve Supreme Champion."

DM: "Any suggestions for the show that would improve it?"

DS: "Now that there is the selection of Supreme at the end of the Holstein judging it may be better to start the Holstein cow classes an hour earlier. The only other suggestion would be that perhaps the announcing of a Reserve Supreme Champion would provide opportunity for another animal to attract publicity. I thought it was an extremely well run event and the organisers deserve full credit.

DM: "Anything else you’d like to add?"

DS: "I've now lived and worked in Canada for 20 years but being amongst Australian cattle breeders and their relaxed, friendly attitude made me feel like I hadn't been away at all. Thanks for such an enjoyable time - Australia will always be home!"