Tongala’s Angus Fraser is looking forward to heading to Melbourne at the end of September to participate in the National Dairy Cattle Young Judges Championship finals at the Melbourne Royal Show.

Angus, 20, describes his love of cows as something that came out of the blue, considering he grew up in northern Queensland and his parents are teachers — although they both came from farming backgrounds.

He said participating in youth dairy events when he was young ignited his passion.

“When I was 14 I came down to International Dairy Week to show cows and I developed some contacts through that,” Angus said.

And then at 16 he left home to follow his dairy farming dream.

He said looking back now, it was a pretty big deal but at the time he didn’t think much of it.

“It does sound pretty scary that I had the courage to move but I have made it work for me,” he said.

Currently employed at Gordon Pastoral at Tongala, Angus is working as a dairy hand doing a little bit of everything.

“I like dairying and all the variety that comes with it — it’s all I have thought about for the last seven years,” he said.

“There is so much more dairying opportunity here in northern Victoria and there is a lot of energy and appeal in this region.”

Angus runs a small stud of his own — Montrose Cattle Company — and he has 20 stud cows, all Holstein except for one Jersey.

“I get a lot of joy out of showing my Holsteins,” he said.

“On a global scale they are at the cutting edge of technology and Jerseys aren’t quite as prevalent but if I was miking a herd of cows of my own, the majority would be Jersey.”

Angus said the goal since he left school was to one day own his own farm, acknowledging that would not be an easy feat.

“Long term I will keep growing my herd and hopefully move into a sharefarming role,” he said.

“I think that is the most viable way in a capital-heavy industry but right now it is all about continuing to work, learn and build up my skills.

“Dairying is a wonderful way to spend my life and eventually raise a family.”

Angus said this was the second time he had qualified for the judging competition.

“I qualified last year but had a three-month internship in Canada and I was unable to attend,” he said.

The time in Canada was spent working on a farm and following the show schedule.

“The dairy industry has certainly opened a lot of doors for me and there has been some global opportunity come with that, along with Australian opportunities through events like Dairy Week and the Gardiner Foundation,” Angus said.

“I don’t have too many expectations when it comes to Melbourne, I just hope to do well and get some experience on the microphone.”

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Sunday, 1st September 2024

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