Janette ‘Nette’ Falls has been awarded the POW in Dairying Bette Hall award for 2026.

The award recognises resilience and adaptability, and just like Bette, Nette has that by the bucket.

She grew up in Gloucester and was helping show cows from the time she could walk – this helped establish a love and passion for Jersey cows that has endured many decades.

At 16, she passed the Jersey Judging School and would go on to judge a countless number of shows across the country, including Toowoomba and Canberra Royal.

She has judged many On Farm Challenge finals across different breeds.

In 1968, she established Pasadena Jerseys and has been a member of the Jersey association for over 57 years.

In the mid-1980s, she moved to the Southern Riverina with her family, milking 25O cow at Blighty, while raising her three children.

Over the years, Nette has bred many excellent Jersey cows, and she has a long list of class winners and champions including the Southern Riverina Jersey Cattle Club On Farm Challenge.

Noted cow families developed by Pasandena Jerseys include the Beautiful, Olive and Mistletoe’s.

Family remains everything to Nette, and she has also shared success with the Charo family with daughter Lauren of Topshelf Jerseys and Suzie of Goldbar Jerseys.

Nette has even dabbled in breeding stud Holsteins and Illawarras, under the Abbotsbury prefix.

In 2013, Nette dispersed her dairy farm at Blighty and is now based in Finley, where she works for Elders as a dairy specialist and real estate agent.

Nette has been the Southern Riverina Jersey Cattle Club president for many years, and chief dairy steward of the Finley All Breeds Show, and also helps out the Deniliquin Show Committee.

Nette was responsible for establishing the fancy dress class at IDW after watching her granddaughters sit on the sideline.

“I was watching my granddaughters little eyes watching everyone else, and I thought, they need something to aspire too as well,” Nette said.

The fancy dress class has gone viral around the world with tens of thousands of views online.

Nette is well known for her nurturing and support of the next generation of farmers.

She was shocked, but equally thankful to receive the Bette Hall award.

“I really don’t feel qualified and it blew me away,” Nette said.

“I love what I do and cows are in my DNA — they are my comfort.”

Nette said there had been so many people who have helped her over the years she didn’t want to name them for fear of leaving someone out.

“Hard times bring out the best in you and I have been on my own for three decades now.

“It was always sink or swim, and I was always going to swim – I learnt to back myself,” she told IDW’s Around the Barn.

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Wednesday, 2nd November 2022

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