Superior genetics earned a part-time dairy farmer a win for supreme champion Jersey cow at the Canterbury A&P Show.
Rangiora farmers Peter and Claire Hansen were surprised to beat full-time dairy farmers to claim top honours for the first time, but Mr Hansen said 4-year-old Lilac Grove Prides Ringlet was descended from a successful bloodline. ''It's a lot of hard work. You come down on Monday and you stay here until Friday. I think I've averaged about three hours' sleep a night since Monday. But it's all worth it,'' Mr Hansen said.
He said he milked just 20 cows, juggling milking before and after work, alongside running his business, Hansen Septic Systems. ''I would love to do it full time on a larger scale, but farms are pretty hard to buy into,'' he said.
His grandfather Fred Hansen started the Lilac Grove Jersey Stud at Fernside in 1936 and had considerable showing success, with two cows winning supreme champion three times each at Royal Shows over the years. ''When he retired I got keen.
I was just 10 years old, but I went to his dispersal sale and he gave me his best cow family,'' Mr Hansen said. ''The one advantage of breeding pedigree stock is that you breed for longevity. ''When you show your animals there is a misconception that you breed for looks, but it's about getting good conformation, a well-balanced cow, with good udders and good teat placement, which leads to good production.''
Mr Hansen said Prides Ringlet was placed second for her age group in the New Zealand purebred Jersey breeders production competition, producing 490kg of milk solids last season. ''She is a cow that I've bred and she just gets a little bit better each year.''
He said he had received considerable interest in the cow as a mother and while he was willing to sell her calves, she was not for sale. It was a successful show all round for the Hansen family. Five of the couple's six children entered calves, with son Israel winning junior champion.