Members of Ayrshire New Zealand met at the Scenic Hotel Bay of Islands in Paihia in the first week of June for the Annual Conference.
The Conference kicked off with a Trivial Pursuit evening, keenly contested by teams of 4, followed by herd visits to the Loch Earn stud of Raewyn Price & Lyall Tonner at Kaikohe and the Lodore Stud of Roger & Jane and Malcolm & Marilyn Hutchings at Okaihau the following day. A successful Awards Dinner followed that night in a first for the Association. The Annual General Meeting on the Thursday was followed by a dine & dance that evening, and a smaller group travelled further north on the final day, visiting the Kiri Vale Stud of the Burkitt Family at Mangonui and the Pa Hill Stud of Gavin Travers at Kaitaia.
President Gordon Glentworth was re-elected for his sixth consecutive year as President. Gordon has served on the Board of Ayrshire New Zealand since 1989 and also served a term as President in the late 1990’s. Gordon is a Senior Judge and TOP Classifier and heads Ayrshire New Zealand’s breeding division, Semayr Breeding Services.
Production Awards presented included the Mayfield Trophy for the Top Herd in NZ, 50 or more cows, to Roma Farm Ltd of Morrinsville (107 cows av. 6818 litres milk, 310 kg fat, 253 kg protein in 286 days). The individual cow production awards were all scooped by Luckville Mar Debe ET, Ex4 (12906 litres milk, 592 kg fat, 432 kg protein in 305 days at 12 years), winning the Smith Family Trophy for the top cow for NZ, the Snowline Trophy for the Top Cow 10 years & over, and the awards for individual components of fat, protein, milk yield and dollar earning.
