Gippsland breeders claim Brown Swiss championship with Benleigh cow

The Labertouche, Vic, farmers again claimed the senior champion award - this time with Benleigh Glenwood Gredel.

But this time their champion also took the grand award on January 16.

Cameron Bawden said his and wife Tracey's decision to enter two animals at the last minute into the show paid dividends.

Their other exhibit Shadyglen Blooming Lola, who was senior champion last year, was named honourable mention in the senior cow championship.

The Bawdens bought their grand champion cow two years ago from renowned breeder Max Wake's Benleigh herd at Singleton, NSW.

Last year in her first outing at IDW, she was second in the junior three class and honourable mention in the intermediate championship.

"We love her," Mr Bawden said.

"I love the udder on her, the mammary system has so many nice veins on it, she is high and wide in her rear udder.

"I just love the dairyness for a Swiss cow."

PHOTOS: Check out our picture gallery from the Brown Swiss Show

Judge Niel Van Rensburg, Gippsland, Victoria, also loved the champion's udder.

"She's a cow to me that's got the highest, widest rear udder with just beautiful texture," he said.

He also liked her overall strength.

"From end to end, she long, she's strong, she's deep, she's dairy," Mr Van Rensburg said.

In recent years, the Brown Swiss ring has been dominated by the Govett family's Tandara Brown Swiss, Dingee, Vic, which has claimed to the top award for the past eight years.

Cameron Bawden paid tribute to Tandara.

"I think there are two great Brown Swiss herds in this country and one is Govetts and one is (Max Wake's) herd," he said.

"The Brown Swiss people have been great - they will sell cows and that's how you start."

Mr Bawden said Tandara's Ben Govett first got the Bawdens "sucked in" to breeding Brown Swiss, selling them an animal that 18 months later won junior champion at IDW.

The Bawdens now have about 15 or 16 in their 250-head milking herd, plus another 20 young stock - and they are Tracey's favourites.

"They are great cows to work with," Mr Bawden said.

"In the morning I get cows in; when I lock the last cows in and Tracey's milked the first two runs and I will guarantee out of that 15 or 16 cows in milk, all but two are in the first two runs.

"They have been great cows, their temperament is great and they handle the heat better than the Holsteins and Jerseys."

Tandara claimed the intermediate championship with Tandara Dairystar Lola 99.

Ben Govett said the junior two-year-old in milk was from one of their better families in the Lolas.

Her grand dam won a few awards at IDW.

Judge Mr Van Rensburg said he liked the cow from end to end.

"For me the overall balance of this young cow is just phenomenal," he said.

"And she comes with a really good quality udder."

Proving that Tandara does sell its best - Dairystar Lola 99 was sold at the IDW sale for $18,000 to Loxby Brown Swiss Laceby, Vic.

Tandara also had the intermediate reserve champion.

Mr Govett said they tried to breed good functional cows that milked hard.

"We sacrifice a lot and do put a lot of work into what we do," he said.

Tandara swept the premier breeder and premier exhibitor awards - taking all four.

The Brown Swiss junior champion Dusty Road Aldo Paris 13949 backed up her success from the Youth Show earlier in the week.

Exhibitor Leah Dickson said the two championships were a dream come true.

"She was looking phenomenal at home but she came off the truck and she lost a bit of her body and I got a bit upset thinking she wasn't going to go so well," she said.

"But she's come good for me."

Mr Van Rensburg said the line up of heifers was absolutely phenomenal, "just quality from end to end".

"To me the number one heifer, if you talk about style, to me she's got it," he said.

"I think this heifer will be highly competitive going in to the interbreeds."

Dusty Road Aldo Paris proved him right, being named the reserve interbreed junior champion.

BROWN SWISS HONOUR ROLL

Grand champion: Benleigh Glenwood Gredel, Tracey Bawden, Labertouche, Vic.

Senior champion: Benleigh Glenwood Gredel.

Reserve: Sundar Total Shadow, Sundar Brown Swiss, Congupna, Vic.

Senior best udder: Benleigh Glenwood Gredel.

Intermediate champion: Tandara Dairystar Lola 99, Tandara Brown Swiss, Dingee, Vic.

Reserve intermediate: Tandara Dynamite Heidi 311,Tandara Brown Swiss.

Junior champion: Dusty Road Aldo Paris 13949, Leah Dickson, Garvoc, Vic.

Reserve: Tandara Aldo Fortuna, Tandara Brown Swiss.

Junior premier breeder: Tandara Brown Swiss.

Junior premier exhibitor: Tandara Brown Swiss.

Premier breeder: Tandara Brown Swiss.

Premier exhibitor: Tandara Brown Swiss.