A win for the record books

The win comes off the back of Brenton’s own cow, Instyle Solomon Dahlia, winning in 2024, making him the very happy owner of two IDW supreme champion cows in a row.

The boys, from Cooriemungle in south-west Victoria, were absolutely delighted with the win.

They both thought Barbara was a pretty good chance of winning the Red and White show, but they were blown away when she won supreme champion.

“We never thought she would go all the way, but during the show a few people came up to us saying she was in with a chance and then we started to get a little bit excited,” Juddy, of Rusty Red Holsteins, said.

Juddy purchased Barbara sight unseen as a calf because of her red gene and her world class pedigree.

Brenton, of Instyle Holsteins, bought into Barbara as a two-year-old after she went to his farm in preparation for IDW back in 2022.

“Even then she had all the makings of a really great cow, she just needed to fill out a bit more. She had a great udder and her pedigree was amazing,” Brenton said.

“When she went out into the ring in the supreme class I got really nervous but quietly I thought she was in with a pretty good chance.”

Both the boys agree it was an honour to have their cow judged supreme champion by legendary Holstein Judge Mike Duckett.

“He has bred some pretty amazing cows over the years and to have him judge ours as best of the show was amazing,” Brenton said.

Barbara has recently been joined and down the track the boys are planning on doing some IVF work.

They have a daughter, Alpha X Lighning Ridge CMD Dback Barbara-Red Ex 92, selling in the Settlement Sale at Heytesbury on February 28.

For someone who only took on the Instyle prefix off his dad five years ago, Brenton has been pretty successful at IDW in a relatively short period of time.

This is only the fourth time he has shown at the event and he already has two champion cows under his belt.

“I like to breed balanced cows which work well for us on our farm,” he said.

“I like good feet, legs and udders — really extreme cows don’t last on my farm.”

Brenton and his wife Ellie and children Evie, Jayme and Lewis milk 200 cows.

“I left school when I was 16 to become a builder but I have always loved cows,” he said.

“Dad had a dispersal sale about seven years ago but kept his heifers and we ended up using them as the foundation for our herd.

“I do like farming but if I didn’t love cows there would be no way I would be dairy farmer, there are a lot easier ways to make money,” he laughed.

Brenton said when he originally bought the farm, with the help of his dad, the milking herd was largely crossbreeds, now it is predominately Holstein with a few Jerseys.

He keeps his show team away from the milking herd so he can give them the additional care they require.

“I remember going to the Winter Fair and seeing a bunch of Avonlea cows, I looked at them and that’s when I decided to stop running my show cows with the main herd, and it’s worked out pretty well ever since,” he said.

Juddy has around 60 cows, with the majority of his herd milked at his cousins farm.

“I change my mind a bit but the dream is to one day have my own farm, I just love breeding good cows,” Juddy said.