SE stud dominates in national Highland showing

An investment in overseas genetics has paid off for Melissa Kramer, with her MacAnLeister fold at Mil Lel helping her to be named the most successful exhibitor at the 33rd Australian Highland Cattle Society Show in Mount Pleasant at the weekend.

Her ribbon haul included senior and grand champion bull, junior champion bull, junior champion female, as well as the breeders group from about 60 cattle from SA, Vic, NSW and WA studs.

New Zealand judge Judy Smyth said Titan Arrow of MacAnLeister - the senior and grand champion bull - was a sire with "a lot of presence and length".

"He is wide in the back end and those back legs drop off exactly where they should be," she said.

"He is very, very strong along the topline and has a very clean underline."

Ms Kramer said it was extra special that Sam Vogl, Circle V Cattle Co, Nebraska, United States, who sold her the exclusive Australian semen rights in Symbiosis Sir Titan - Titan Arrow's sire - was able to lead the October 2022-drop in the ring.

"He is a very smooth appealing bull and has a great temperament," she said.

"He has what a lot of people would like to improve in their Highland cattle.

"I don't think I have seen the length of him in another Australian bull before."

Ms Kramer says they were looking forward to a few calves by Titan Arrow later in the year.

"We are the only ones that have semen in his sire and haven't released any in Australia, so we have taken expressions of interest for his (Titan Arrow's) semen," she said.

Titan Arrow's stablemate - Domnhall Murchadh Arrow of MacAnLeister - was junior champion bull and was described by judge Smyth and her associate judge Keira Campagnolo from Myponga, as "majestic in his own right".

The supreme exhibit of the show was Isobail Caoimhe of Hunter Highlands - an April 2023-drop heifer exhibited by Jane Komacha, Nundle, NSW.

Ms Smyth said it was always hard to justify putting a female over a bull which could produce more calves more easily, but urged her owners to use her as an embryo transfer donor.

"She (Isobail) has plenty of body, she is sweet and carries herself in an exemplary manner," she said.

Show co-convenor Scott Carter said the event was a success, despite heavy rain on Saturday and the livestream of the judging having to be shut down for a few hours.

"No one was complaining about the rain - what other breed of cow can you show in that sort of weather?" he said.

He said they were very grateful to the Mount Pleasant Farmers Market for enabling them to move their judging ring undercover into the sheep sheds and also take up some of their parking area at Talunga Park.

"Because of the market we got a very good crowd watching the judging," he said.

"If it was just the cows, I don't think we would have had half as many people."

A major focus of the show was the workshops for the juniors, from ringcraft to parading.

To be eligible to compete for the new Youth Excellence award, based on junior judging and paraders results, the juniors had to be members of the Australian Highland Cattle Society.

This resulted in 14 new junior members.

The winner of the excellence award was Lincoln Butler, Bearii, Vic, while the encouragement award went to Bronte Howard.

"New members are fantastic and help the breed to grow and develop, but if there are no young people to take over that, there is no contingency of the organisation," Mr Carter said.

Another new initiative was classes for market steers (where at least one parent is a registered Highland).

The grand champion market steer was an entry from Tom and Cassie Robinson, Hoyleton.