Carlie Mackelmann with 'Heatherfield Topaz' with which she won Young Judges and Paraders Champion after just one hour with the heifer.
A rising Invergordon cattle stud owner won the 2023 Agricultural Shows Australia’s prestigious Young Judges and Paraders Competition in Launceston on Saturday, October 14.
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Carlie Mackelmann, 21, represented Victoria at the Launceston Royal Show in a tight field of competitors from the five other states and said judging was based on numerous factors relating to the handling and showing of cattle.
Entrants were randomly assigned an animal only one hour before judging.
“You are judged not only for your presentation, but also your handling skills, sometimes your gear to see if the halter fits properly and how you present your animal,” Ms Mackelmann said.
“And you have got to know your animal’s faults, so you can hide its flaws.”
Ms Mackelmann said the judges commended her on how she dealt with her Angus heifer’s faults.
“They liked that I knew how exactly to manage the conformation faults in my heifer and what it needed conformation-wise.”
Another challenge on the day was the strong wind which made the cattle flighty.
“The cattle were not happy with the wind flapping their neck card around so we had to clip their number to our own jacket.”
Ms Mackelmann began Glenwyn Red Poll stud as an 11-year-old on her family’s Hereford production farm, inspired by her grandfather using Red Poll bulls to breed crosses.
Her grandfather bought her six heifers ‘just for interest’ in March of 2013, and she began entering into local shows the following spring.
The Red Poll was first bred in England in the early 1800s from crossing Norfolk and Suffolk breeds.
They first came to Victoria in 1870.
A farming accident saw Ms Mackelmann unable to attend school for more than a year, during which time she adapted to home schooling and perfected her stud.
“It fitted in a lot better with farming because I could do schoolwork in the morning and then go out and work with the cattle.”
Ms Mackelmann first competed at the Melbourne Royal Show in 2018 as part of that year’s show being dedicated to Red Polls.
She has competed at the Royal since then and first entered her own cattle in 2022.
This year she won Junior Champion with a bull calf and Senior Champion Cow.
Ms Mackelmann attributes her success to her ‘two’ families.
“I have had my own family help me along the way ever since I was young because starting a stud was so challenging.
“All the show people are like a big second family, and they have been pretty supportive.”
Ms Mackelmann intends to take her stud’s future down the path of genetics-based and nutrition-based breeding.
Her competition season is continuing, with her having competed at the Geelong Royal Show on Sunday, October 22.
She will be presenting at the Numurkah and Euroa shows on October 25 and 28.
Carlie Mackelmann's 413kg bull Glenwyn Terzo which won Junior Champion at this year's Royal Melbourne Show.
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