Record priced Guernsey heifer takes out junior champion

Glamorous Kakadu Barbell set a new breed sale record at the Guernsey sale at Rochester Showgrounds last year for $17,000 and her owners could not be happier with the win at Sydney.

"The win is a feather in our cap for the heifer and her breeders, we think a fair bit of her and think she has good pedigree," Ray Perkins, Laceby Victoria said.

Mr Perkins, who owns the hiefer in partnership with Shirleen Evans, said they were only new to the Guernsey breed.

"We have been putting together a few elite animals from different breeders to get a solid core of cows," Mr Perkins said.

"We will do embryo work on her and get some more offspring.

"We've done it with others and it's worked well to build our numbers up."

The 15-month-old heifer, sired by Golden Gate Prada Kakadu and out of Glamorous Ladysman Barbell, took out titles at the Myrtleford and Wangaratta Shows as well as being awarded an honourable mention in the junior line up at International Dairy Week in January.

Mr Perkins, who milks 150 head (mainly Brown Swiss), always wanted to get into the Guernsey breed and did so about seven years ago.

"They have come a long way in 10 years and are appealing cows to have," he said.

"The modern Guernsey cow matches it with the Holsteins, once it probably didn't.

"So hats off to Guernsey breeders who have brought the breed a long way in the last decade."

Guernsey judge Brian Leslie, Kialla Victoria said the heifer was well balanced and was a large animal with a lot of scale.

Mr Leslie recalled attending the World Conference Show of Breed in 1986 at Sydney Royal in the old showgrounds where there was a great exhibition of Guernseys.

"Today's breeders have continued that on," Mr Leslie said.

Reserve champion went to Meadow Vale Vengeance Laura, 22 months, exhibited by Julie and Michael Moore, Dorrigo.

Honourable mention was awarded to Giggles Grove Hulk Weave, exhibited by Brian and Murray Russell, Meadow View, Bega.