Summer holidays with the cows

The girls love the show and they love the fact the pool is nearby as well.

“IDW goes for a whole week and I have got my own swag to sleep in this year,” Isla said.

The girls have been working hard with eight-month-old Jantilly and seven-month-old Black Rose, who are part of the Southern Star Holstein team this year.

Dakota said Black Rose was her favourite.

“Black Rose is special because she is the last heifer (their family line was nearly extinct before her birth) and Mum said we have to look after her — she still gets a bucket of milk even though all the other heifers calves are weaned,” Dakota said.

The Robertson family from Yarroweyah are no strangers to the show circuit.

They have been attending IDW for a few years now, along with many of the local shows including Cobram and Rochester.

At this year’s National Herd Development Winter Fair, Jantilly came second in the youth section while the family had a class win with another heifer, Tonio.

Jantilly’s dam, Southern Star Windbrook Jantilly, also received honourable mention and won the aged cow class at the Winter Fair, so she has some pretty good genetics behind her.

“We enjoy the shows and we like working with the cows and getting to know them,” Isla said.

Mum Beck said it was really rewarding to watch the kids as they learn their way around a cow.

She said the girls were also taking a keen interest in the animals as they progress through the generations.

“Some of the calves they are working with now are daughters out of the calves they first led a couple of years ago — watching and listening to them make the connection is really rewarding.”

And the girls certainly know their animals, as they chatter away about their heifers and all their calves.

Everyone might have a different favourite calf, but one thing is for sure — the girls love their calves and they love working them.

Beck said Stewart and the kids spend the entire week at IDW while she usually stays home and keeps the farm running.

“Stewy and the kids love going. They enjoy seeing the cows and catching up with people they don’t get to see all the time,” Beck said.