The scholarship allowed Emmalea to tick off one of her major bucket list items — a trip to World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin in the United States, and it certainly didn’t disappoint.
Fresh back home from the trip and straight into work pitting silage, Emmalea said it was an experience of a lifetime.
“It was so amazing and I had such a great time meeting so many great people and attending the expo — it was just next level.’’
While she didn’t have too, Emmalea chose to work with the Maple Leigh Futures Holstein string and it was an experience she will never forget.
“I worked alongside some really great people who have now become lifelong friends. I helped prepare the cows during the day just like what I would do at home.”
Emmalea’s hard work and dedication to the cows didn’t go unnoticed — she was offered an internship by three different farms.
“You head over to the US for the start of the show season and work for three months and finish up at the expo — at first I thought they were joking and when I realised they were serious, I was honoured to have been asked.”
She said the expo experience was different to the hustle and bustle of International Dairy Week.
“There are no distractions away from the cows and the stadium is quiet and has background music.
“Everybody whispers and it is such a quiet atmosphere and then they announce the supreme champion and the lights are zooming around and then she is there in the spotlight and it is just amazing.”
Emmalea was away for three-and-a-half weeks and took the opportunity to see some working dairy farms, which included spending a bit of time at Budjon and Milksource.
“It was a great chance to look at some different set ups and see some more awesome cows, although the quality of cows we have here in Australia do compare.”
Emmalea said American cows are valued higher than Aussie cows and the price paid is just crazy.
She also found some nice young cow families and she is hoping to import some embryos to develop at home (Rowlands Park Holstein).
She fell in love with Ryan-Vu Unix Shasti and Milksource Tantalize-Red.
“Seeing these great cows made me miss my own cows and also motivated me to focus on our breeding program at home.
“I am determined to get stuck in and have a real go and personally I want to learn a bit more about cow families.”
The trip wasn’t all just cows — Emmalea did take the opportunity to do a bit of sightseeing, which included a five-day stay in New York.
Returning home Emmalea was also stoked to be asked to participate in International Dairy Week’s Around the Barn podcast, talking about her dairy expo experience.
“I got to talk to Casey Treloar and Declan Patten and that was pretty awesome too.”
Emmalea said she simply cannot thank the Power of Women in Dairy team enough for the opportunity, and she would urge any dairy woman to apply for the scholarship.
“I was devastated when I missed out last year and I thought I would never get the opportunity again but here I am and I wouldn’t change a single thing.
“It was such a great opportunity to see a different side of the world and I am just so grateful — it was absolutely amazing.”
The Power of Women in Dairy scholarship is made possible by the support of Genetics Australia, Holstein Australia, Jefo and Murray Dairy.
Emmalea is the third woman to participate in the scholarship.
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