Baileys All-Ireland only two weeks away

Now in its 33rd year, the Baileys All-Ireland champion cow competition takes place at the Virginia Show on 24 August. The competition, which carries a prize fund of €10,000, sees the champion cow walk away with a cheque for €2,500. Those looking to take part, but who have not entered, still have time with entries being taken until 12 August.

As part of the run up to the big day, we spoke to David Boyd, a prominent dairy breeder from Monaghan, who intends to represent his county at the forthcoming competition later this month.

Farming a 110-acre farm just outside Glaslough village, he runs a herd of 60 pedigree Holsteins with one Jersey.

David also has approximately 70 young stock made up of in-calf heifers and younger heifers. On top of this, the top-end bulls are also reared for breeding, with David selling approximately 10 each year to dairy herds.

David has recently experienced a steady run of success in the show ring, referring to 2014 as an exceptionally good year. “2014 was a particularly good year with a great pair of great cows.

“They won champion and reserve at the Irish National Holstein Show in Moira and then went on to win champion and reserve and interbreed best pair at the Balmoral Show in May. The icing on the cake was the All-Ireland senior cow win at the National Livestock Show in Tullamore, followed by the Diageo Baileys reserve champion at the Virginia Show in August. We then ended the year with champion and reserve at the National Dairy Show in Millstreet, Co Cork, in October.”

It was a year David says he will never forget. Two years on and one of these already show proven cows is destined for the Baileys in Virginia.

“We are getting ready for the big one. To have a cow on song for the Baileys takes a lot of preparation. Firstly, she has to be a really good cow to be eligible for entry. She needs to have her diet right in the weeks beforehand and that means being indoors on a diet of long forage, preferably really good hay or long round baleage. She needs a lot of pampering too – her feet trimmed and regular washing. We would then clip her three to four weeks prior to the show so she has new hair to clip at show time. We are very lucky in Ireland to have some of the best cattle clippers in Europe and if you visit Virginia on show day, you will see their skills at work, preparing the cows for the parade ring.

“To say competing at the Diageo Baileys champion cow competition is an experience, would be an understatement. The buzz around the pavilion where the cattle are housed is unbelievable. In the lead up to the big day, everybody is sizing up everyone else’s cow and trying to guess beforehand, will this cow win? Will that cow win?

“Anticipation builds during the morning of the event when the cows are pampered and preened to perfection. They are then led to what has to be one of the biggest judging rings in Ireland. It also attracts one of the biggest crowds of spectators to any dairy livestock event in Ireland too. Each cow is paraded around the ring, wearing its county sash – hence it has become fondly known as the All-Ireland for dairy cows.”

“The judge assesses every animal over the course of about an hour. When he makes his decision, he taps out the winner and we have a new Baileys champion. It’s a title that will stay with that cow for a long time, adding value to her pedigree. Her progeny will always be promoted as ‘from the cow that won the Baileys’, a CV to be proud of in dairy breeding circles.”