November 26–28 in Cremona, Italy: four breeds, the European Sale at 7 p.m. Friday and the Supreme Champion final at 7 p.m. Saturday. Here’s the day-by-day plan.
Last November, Joël Lepage and Jean-Philippe Proulx judged the National Holstein Show at the Royal in Toronto. This month the Quebec pair are judge and associate judge at the Cremona International Dairy Show.
It’s a long way from Amqui, but it isn’t new ground. Before Lepage and his wife Mireille Lavoie bought their farm in 2011, he spent nearly 10 years fitting cattle at shows, “in Italy and Switzerland in particular,” he told France’s Paysan Breton in September. This time he’s picking the winners.
He’ll do it in front of an international crowd. At last year’s 80th edition, the Milan daily Il Giorno reported 103 farms in the barns, more than 200 exhibitors from 19 countries and more than 150 foreign delegates from 22 nations.
Judging is in the Arena, Pavilion 3. Times are local to Cremona, on the 24-hour clock, from CremonaFiere’s official event calendar.
| Day | Start | Event |
| Thu, Nov 26 | 09:00 | Jersey show |
| Thu, Nov 26 | 11:30 | Cattle-judging contest for agricultural schools |
| Thu, Nov 26 | 13:00 | Official opening of the 81st Fiere Zootecniche Internazionali (Pavilion 1 entrance) |
| Thu, Nov 26 | 13:30 | Brown Swiss show |
| Fri, Nov 27 | 09:00 | Holstein and Red Holstein heifers |
| Fri, Nov 27 | 16:00 | Next Generation classes |
| Fri, Nov 27 | 19:00 | European Sale @Cremona |
| Sat, Nov 28 | 08:30 | Next Generation Baby |
| Sat, Nov 28 | 10:00 | Holstein and Red Holstein cows, then the Next Generation final and awards |
| Sat, Nov 28 | 19:00 | Supreme Champion final, followed by the breeders’ party |
Picking your days: if you can only manage one, make it Saturday, with the cow classes in the morning and the Supreme final at night. If you’re looking at young pedigrees, or buying, Friday has the heifers and the sale. Jersey and Brown Swiss breeders should plan for Thursday.
Come for the cows, stay for the Supreme final. The sale and the breeders’ party are open to everyone.
The judge: Joël Lepage, Amqui, Que.
Lepage and Mireille Lavoie own JM Valley Holstein. Their Idee Windbrook Lynzi EX-95 4E 5* was Supreme Champion at the 2019 Royal and Holstein Canada’s 2020 Cow of the Year. In Europe he has judged Swiss Expo, Expo Bulle and France’s Open Dairy Show at Château-Gontier, and he was named this year’s Prim’Holstein judge at Space in Rennes (Paysan Breton). His résumé also includes Belgium’s Night of the Holstein Show and Argentina’s National Holstein Show. Associate judge Jean-Philippe Proulx is from Saint-Placide, Que., and worked alongside him at the 2025 Royal.
Friday night: the European Sale
The European Sale @Cremona starts at 7 p.m. Friday in the Arena, a few hours after the heifer classes, and it’s open to everyone. If you’re in the market, it’s your chance to look the lots over in person before the bidding. CremonaFiere’s auction page confirms the sale is back for 2026. The catalogue hadn’t been posted as of November 1. We’ll add the standout pedigrees here when it is. Until then, check lots and bidding arrangements with CremonaFiere.
Saturday night: the Supreme Champion
Last year’s Supreme final went to Fantasy Darsena (Dateline x Gatedancer), who was also Grand Champion Holstein. The Brown Swiss Vani Dua Lipa (Ray x Norwin) was Supreme Champion Junior, and Austria’s Schönhof Holstein was named best multi-breed breeder and exhibitor (CremonaFiere 2025 results). Cremonaoggi reported 400 animals at that show. This year’s Supreme Champion is named at 7 p.m. on November 28. (Our 2025 ringside report: Cremona’s 80th Explodes: Darsena Supreme.)
Youth activities run all three days: the school judging contest Thursday, Next Generation classes Friday, and Next Generation Baby and the finals Saturday. Last year Cremonaoggi reported more than 70 children and teenagers in Next Generation, and 11 school teams from 5 institutes in the judging contest.
Beyond the ring: three sessions
All three are in Pavilion 2. Session titles are published in Italian, and interpretation isn’t listed, so check language support with the organizer before you go.
- How should a dairy prepare for climate change? Thursday, Nov. 26, 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m., Innovation Hub. Italy’s biogas consortium, CIB, hosts “La zootecnia da latte e la sfida del cambiamento climatico: fare le scelte giuste” (dairy farming and the climate challenge: making the right choices).
- What can you recover from manure and digestate, and is there a market for it? Friday, Nov. 27, 11 a.m.–1 p.m., Innovation Hub. CIB covers nutrient-recovery technologies, markets and opportunities.
- What does my milk cheque have to do with world markets? Saturday, Nov. 28, 4–5 p.m., Ruminantia Area. Euro Holstein and Ruminantia launch Milksight Observatory, which links production costs, milk price and market movements, with data on a website and an app. Euro Holstein CEO Paolo Sali speaks, and Ruminantia director Alessandro Fantini moderates.
In July, CremonaFiere reported a 15% increase in exhibitors and booked space for 2026, with more than 400 brands across 50,000 square metres. If automation’s on your list, Lely Centers from Crema, Milan, Brescia and Mantua will be on hand to talk automatic milking and herd-management software. For manure and digestate, combine your walk through the stands with CIB’s Friday session above.
Cremonaoggi reports that trade delegations and buyers from abroad will attend with ITA, the Italian Trade Agency. Exhibitors who want to meet them should ask CremonaFiere how meetings are arranged.
| Where | CremonaFiere, Piazza Zelioli Lanzini 1, Cremona, Italy |
| General hours | 9 a.m.–6 p.m. daily, as published on the visitor page |
| Outside those hours | Next Generation Baby, Sat 8:30 a.m. · European Sale, Fri 7 p.m. · Supreme final and breeders’ party, Sat 7 p.m. The sale and the party are open to everyone. Ask CremonaFiere about entrance times and re-entry |
| Tickets | Current prices at the official checkout, linked from the visitor page |
| Parking | Lots P1 and P7, €5 |
| Where to stay and eat | CremonaFiere visitor team: +39 0372 598011 · City Infopoint: +39 0372 407081, turismocremona.it |
| Organizer contact | fierezootecniche@cremonafiere.it |
Going? The full program and visitor details are on the Fiere Zootecniche Internazionali website.
Watching from home? The Bullvine will be ringside all three days with video, photos and full class results.
Full 2025 champion credits
| 2025 title | Winner | Owner(s), as listed in the official results |
| Grand Champion Holstein & Supreme Champion Senior | Fantasy Darsena (Dateline x Gatedancer) | Soc. Agr. Oitana Guido e Ezio – Gariglio Gabriele – Erica Rijneveld – VKI Singh |
| Supreme Champion Junior | Vani Dua Lipa (Ray x Norwin) | Vanifarm di Vaninetti Riccardo, Cosio Valtellino (SO) |
| Grand Champion Red Holstein | Rota Doral Barbara-R (Doral Red x Jordy Red) | Soc. Agr. Rota – Maria Cerri |
| Grand Champion Jersey | AL.CE J Victorius Barbie-ET (Victorious x Valentino) | Soc. Agr. Cerri Pietro Rinaldo e Figli S.S. |
| Grand Champion Brown Swiss | BBS Tracy (Lennox x Edgard) | Soc. Agr. La Favola – Bertoletti Davide |
| Made in Italy | Sabbiona Tiki (Doorman x Goldfarm) | Soc. Agr. Sabbiona di Ciserani Francesco e Lorenzo Ireneo S.S., Brembio (LO) |
| Best multi-breed breeder & exhibitor | — | Schönhof Holstein (Austria) |
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