The first of the cows is prepared for the NZ Dairy Event at Manfield Stadium, Feilding.
Dairy cows were primped to ready them for showing and sales at the opening day of the NZ Dairy Event.
About 385 dairy cows and heifer calves have filled Feilding’s Manfeild Stadium, and about 400 to 500 people associated with the three-day event are staying in nearby campsites and motels.
At the opening day yesterday, cows were being clipped, hair-sprayed and dried, and their udders and tails were being kept clean so they looked their best when in the show arena.
Some exhibitors stayed onsite in the stadium and watched the dairy cows and calves all night to make sure they kept clean, and could move easily.
Yesterday, young people tried their hand at judging dairy cows, while in the evening a total of 23 cows, heifers and calves went under the auctioneer’s hammer.
Today, competition between cows starts in earnest with ayrshires, friesian and jersey cows in the contest ring.
Tomorrow afternoon the supreme dairy show champion will be decided.
Entrants were pleased with the Manfeild Stadium, which they said was a world-class venue complete with a dairy shed, outside stalls and grazing for cattle.
Manawatu District Mayor Margaret Kouvelis said it was a big event for the region, and drew on the significant role Feilding had played in agriculture in the past 150 years.
The event was officially opened by Massey University vice-chancellor Steve Maharey last night.
“We meet at an interesting time, the world will need more dairy products because of a growing population,” he said.
He said more people would earn a higher income, more people in Western nations were over 65, more parents were having their children at a later age, and more people were concerned about the food they ate and their health.
