NINE years ago, Semex decided to take the show to the farm.
It was a decision based on the fact that "traditional" agricultural shows no longer serviced the interests of farmers the way they once did, with more interest in "carnivals and cowboys", and the fact many dairy farms were becoming bigger enterprises, leaving farmers little time to leave the property to pursue showing.
Semex general manager Jim Conroy said there were many competitions where cattle were judged on-property in their "working clobber".
But Semex decided to take its own competition to the next level.
"(It gives) people the opportunity to display their cows to peers or the industry when they don't have the time or inclination to go to traditional shows," Mr Conroy said.
This year, 500 farmers from across the nation entered 2500 dairy cows in the Semex Holstein Australia On-Farm Competition.
Judges travelled around farms throughout each Holstein Australia sub-branch and cut the many entries down to first and second-place winners in two, three, four and five-year-old classes, as well as a mature-cow class.
The top two in each class from each sub-branch will vie for state honours this month.
Mr Conroy said the competition would be extended to include a national championship title.
Jersey breeders have not been left out in the cold, with preliminary judging under way for the Semex Jersey Australia Great Southern Challenge.
The Semex Holstein Australia On-Farm Competition has cemented itself as one of the nation's premier cattle exhibitions and now has an international following.
"It means if you have won or placed second, you have been recognised in the second biggest dairy- cow judging competition in Australia in terms of Holstein and Jersey," Mr Conroy said.
The competition had prompted "quite a few" winners to move into traditional showing, and cows sold had performed well at International Dairy Week, he said.
