National Dairy Show comes of age
The conference is eagerly looked forward to by the ambitious Cork Holstein Friesian Club, which has enjoyed 21 years of success with their show at Millstreet, and who this week announced a substantial increase in prize money for the 2003 Show on Saturday, October 18.
They also revealed that their livestock marketing programme launched last year has already assisted in the sale of about €850,000 of cattle, and they hope to expand it and develop export markets for high quality Irish heifers.
The growing international status of the breed in Ireland has been further boosted this year with one of the young Cork members, Conor Morley, successful in the European Championships recently, and the club's chairman, Peter Kingston, winning a major championship in Italy this year.
This Verona champion, Quantana Mellissa Grand, will provide an international benchmark in Millstreet on Saturday week, in a line-up which includes all the top champions of the 2003 summer show season providing visitors to the show with a unique shop window of the unique strengths of the Irish Holstein Friesian, such as well attached udders, strong legs and feet and body capacity.
The show organisers also offer Munster farmers the chance to hear and meet Jerry Henchy, the recently appointed chief executive of Dairygold Co-op. The programme will start at 11am in the Green Glens Arena at Millstreet, and Mr Henchy will officially open the show at 12.30 pm.
Other highlights include the announcement of the Irish Examiner Farming National Dairy Show champion for 2003, and the show closes with the "Sale of Stars 2003", an auction of potential future Holstein Friesian champions.
