National Dairy Show announces cattle judge
Mark Logan spent 33 years as farm and later estate manager at Clandeboye Estate near Bangor, Co Down. File photo: Tony Keane
Renowned Northern Ireland dairy breeder Mark Logan has been announced as this year's judge for the cattle classes at Millstreet for the 2026 FBD National Dairy Show.
Mr Logan, from Islandmagee, Co Antrim, spent 33 years as farm and later estate manager at Clandeboye Estate near Bangor, Co Down. The Holstein herd he developed there won Holstein UK’s Premier Pedigree Herd award in 2007 and achieved two Master Breeder Awards.
He served as president of Holstein UK from 2025 to 2026. Since retiring, he has kept a small number of Holstein heifers registered under his Clovervale prefix, as well as Beef Shorthorns and, in his own words, “for some inexplicable reason, 30 sheep”.
Logan said he regularly attends the National Dairy Show and is delighted to have been invited to judge this year’s cattle entries.
Jane Steel, from Loch Lomond in Scotland, has been appointed handler judge. She keeps a herd under the Lomond prefix and has worked as a livestock photographer for 30 years.
Ms Steel said she is looking forward to meeting breeders and judging the Young Handlers at the show, which takes place at the Green Glens Arena in Millstreet, Co Cork, on October 9 and 10.
Organisers have also announced that Austrian cattle photographer Mathias Penn will attend to photograph the two-day event.
Penn, 24, grew up on his family’s organic dairy farm in Upper Austria, milking around 30 cows alongside approximately 30 head of youngstock. Today, he works as a farmer, a media designer at Besamungsstation Oberösterreich and a cattle photographer.
Cattle breeding and photography have always been closely connected for Mathias. Through photography, he has had the opportunity to visit many leading herds, meet breeders across Europe, and see a wide variety of cows, cow families and breeding philosophies.
At home, he is also heavily involved in the breeding decisions for his own herd, with a philosophy centred on producing cows that are long-lasting, healthy and functional, while still having the type and quality to compete successfully in the show ring.
Mathias's interest in dairy shows comes from that same combination of breeding, great cows and the people behind them. For him, shows are about much more than winning ribbons.
