Pictured is KMWL stock and station agent Sam Parish who took out the top prize at the National Beef Cattle Young Judges Championships
Australia’s most promising young beef cattle, dairy cattle and alpaca judges have been revealed by Agricultural Shows Australia through the prestigious national competition.
The competition brings together the best young judges and paraders aged from 15 to 25 in each state to compete at the national finals. This year, the event was hosted by Tasmanian Ag Shows and held at the Launceston Royal Show.
Dr. Rob Wilson is chairman of ASA, the peak body overseeing 572 agricultural shows in Australia which attract six million visitors annually and contribute nearly $1 billion to the national economy. Rob says the competition is designed to recognise the best new talent in livestock judging nationwide.
“It is an extremely prestigious event and positions at the nationals are keenly contested,” Dr. Wilson explains.
Sam Parish, a 22-year-old local stock and station agent from KMWL in Forbes, secured the top spot at the National Beef Cattle Young Judges Championship.
“My parents were involved in stud and show cattle so I was always running around bull sales as a kid. I competed at the National All Breeds Junior Heifer Show when I was five-years-old and got the reserve pee wee champion,” he reminisced. “I have been involved in shows my whole life and it’s the ability to give your judgment and give credibility to your judgment that I love. It’s a massive learning curve, and you take in a lot from the opinions of peers and fellow competitors,” Sam stated.
He reflected on his participation in two national finals: “I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to compete in two national finals, Beef Paraders and Beef Young Judges across Perth Royal Show in 2019 and Launceston Royal Show in 2023. These two wins have enabled me to create a network amongst the industry which I love.”