Five young people have been selected to represent Australia on the world dairy youth competition stage.
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Holstein Australia and Jersey Australia have revealed the Australian team that will head to the Young Breeders School in Battice, Belgium, in August.
The group will also visit dairy farms in the Netherlands.
The team members, selected after a rigorous application and interview process, come from five dairy regions across two states and represent several dairy breeds.
The team members are:
- Kieran Coburn, Horfield, Victoria;
- Jess Eagles, Moto, NSW;
- Angus Fraser, Tandarra, Victoria;
- Rebekah Love, Newry, Victoria; and
- Kyella McKenna, Warrnambool, Victoria.
The team will be led by Kelly Bleijendaal, Winwood Holsteins, Cohuna, Victoria, while Ryan Barker, Flowerdale, Tasmania, has been selected at the reserve.
"As someone who has been a part of the industry a long time, to be selected to represent Australia is thrilling," Mr Coburn said.
"The experience and the knowledge I will take away, I couldn't access it anywhere else."
Ms Eagles said the opportunity to represent Australia in something she was passionate about was "mind-blowing".
Mr Fraser said he was humbled to be selected and was looking forward to building connections with dairy enthusiasts from across the globe, while Ms Love said she was looking forward to seeing other farming operations and the technology they were embracing.
Being part of group a privilege
Ms McKenna said being part of the group was a privilege.
"What I look forward to most is the international networking opportunities and a chance to give back to the industry," she said.
The Young Breeders School, which takes place in Battice, Belgium, from August 30 to September 3, is an annual event run by the Association Wallonne de l'Elevage
It involves hands-on workshops including bedding, showmanship and clipping, as well as classroom-based sessions such as marketing and herd promotion.
After three days of workshops and practice, participants put their skills to the test in stock judging, showmanship and calf classes.
An Australian team competed at the Young Breeders School for the first time in 2019, with all team members finishing in the top third of the results and three in the top 15.
Formerly called the European Young Breeders' School, the event's increasingly international nature has seen it rebranded as the Young Breeders School to reflect its global reach more accurately.
Ms Bleijendaal said the Young Breeders School was the international reference point for training and show preparation.
"It will be a great learning experience for our team members, and a real opportunity to showcase the talent of Australian dairy youth on the world stage," she said.
"It's about more than the show ring too.
"Key selection criteria for our 2023 team were that individuals were focused on a dairy career and were able to demonstrate leadership potential.
"What became clear to us during this process is that Australia is in a good place in terms of youth participation, with opportunities like this playing an important part in nurturing and developing that potential."
Helping young breeders to hone their skills
Jersey Australia general manager Glen Barrett said the school enabled Australia's young breeders to hone their skills at an elite training school competing against the best young fitters from across the globe.
"We see this as also a great opportunity for the team members to develop personal and leadership skills that will better support them in their own business, as well as to the dairy industry as future industry leaders," he said.
Holstein Australia chief executive officer Rohan Butler said this experience would enable the team members to benchmark themselves against some of the best young competitors from Europe, the United Kingdom and Canada.
"We see our 2023 team members as emerging leaders, so we, along with the other partners, will be working with them once they return from Europe to develop those skills further," he said.
Following the Young Breeders School, the Australian team will travel through the Netherlands on an educational tour visiting several farms, Alta Genetics and Lely in what is regarded as one of the world's most productive dairy regions.
