Showtime for three generations

Chiefs Lelia Masaga slips pass Blues Jerome Kaino on his way to score
Chiefs Lelia Masaga slips pass Blues Jerome Kaino on his way to score
Three generations of a Taieri family are continuing the tradition begun by a fourth, as they prepare to exhibit their cattle at the Otago Taieri A&P Society's 155th annual show this weekend.

Kelly Allison, who owns a dairy farm and breeds cattle about 1km from Outram, said his family's involvement in entering A&P shows went back further than the three generations that included his father, and his own children.

''My father's father - he loved Clydesdale - actually showed Clydesdales."

Kelly's father, Peter Allison, who has a farm at Henley, starting exhibiting dairy cattle at A&P shows at Milton, Balclutha and Taieri from his teenage years, and Kelly began at an even earlier age.

''I started exhibiting calves from the age of 4 onwards.

''I've grown up around shows, and was taken along with Mum and Dad to all the shows.

''We had pet calves, and helped out.

''We've had a little bit of a resurgence since my kids have decided they are quite keen on it.

''That's probably given us a little bit of a surge.''

Mr Allison said his 190ha dairy farm at Outram ran 600 cows, mainly Ayrshires and Jerseys, and exhibiting at shows had a variety of benefits.

''In some ways there is a financial gain in terms of getting our name out there ... exhibiting good-quality stock.

''There may be some flow-on effects in stock sales, but that's not the primary reason we do it.

''For us it's a hobby, it's an interest.

''We don't play golf, we don't really do too many summer sports, so in the summertime we're really involved with going to shows.''

That involvement, however, was not limited to exhibiting; both Kelly and Peter were senior judges in the Ayrshire and Jersey categories, judging at shows from Invercargill to Auckland.

Peter judged at Royal A&P shows, while Kelly was on the executive of the Royal Agricultural Society.

The qualities needed for a show win for a dairy cow included a ''strong udder, attached well to the body'', good teat placement, good legs, ''a nice straight back'', and a strong head and jaw.

But competition was not the whole story of the show.

''Obviously we prepare our stock to win, so we're looking to go there to win.''

But after the judging was complete, ''what is nice is the camaraderie between the breeders - the chance to sit down and have a beer with them, and have a yarn.

''We've got some really good friends we've made around the country through being involved in the breed society, and through showing.''

There was also the chance to educate the public about country matters.

''Unfortunately, with a lot of urban drift we've had recently, some people don't understand the finer points of livestock, and it's really good to educate people.

''They don't have the rural connection that, once, everyone in New Zealand had.''

 

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