Australian participants in the 2024 Young Breeders School trip to Belgium were (back, from left) Patrick Anderson, Hayden King, Ryan Barker and (front, from left) Callum McPhee, Elly Simms and Bridget Liebelt.
The 2024 Young Breeders School trip has been given the tick of approval by five young dairy farmers who travelled to Belgium to participate in the prestigious event.
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The Young Breeders School provides participants with the opportunity to network with other industry professionals from around the world.
Ryan Barker from Tasmania, Bridget Liebelt from South Australia, Elly Simms from NSW and Hayden King and Patrick Anderson, both from Victoria, joined 180 other young farmers at the event in August.
The trip also included some sightseeing opportunities, including a visit to the Barenbrug seed research facility and a look around some dairy farms.
The Aussie team checks out some lucerne on a Belgian farm.
Callum McPhee from Denilquin took on the role of mentor, and the group had one of the most successful years yet, finishing ninth out of about 25 countries.
Ryan performed the best individually for the team, placing 18th out of all participants.
This was Bridget’s first time overseas and she wasn’t disappointed by the experience.
Bridget has been showing cows since she was eight, and she found the fitting, clipping, leading, parading and showmanship aspects of the school particularly relevant.
“The team and the trip were just awesome — I loved getting to know our team and working with everyone in it,” she said.
“The school was amazing and I learnt something from every single session I participated in, which was great.
“I can’t wait to put all these new ideas and skills I picked up from the school and my own team into practice moving forward.
“I have grown and learnt so much from this trip. It was such a great opportunity for me to meet people from overseas and I have made close friends within my own team as well.”
Bridget said it was great to also check out some farms and see a bit of the countryside as well.
“I urge anyone interested in applying for the trip to have a go, it’s such a great opportunity and you won’t regret it,” she said.
Hayden King, Elly Simms and Patrick Anderson during a farm visit.
Callum said the trip was a great experience for him personally and the team.
“The competition covers such a broad spectrum of skills — from the basics to the more experienced level and there was something for every participant to learn and pick up on,” he said.
Callum said he was blown away by the camaraderie.
“Even though it was still a competition it was really great to see everyone helping each other out and there were people there from countries that I didn’t even know had cows.”
Callum found the school offered a really good insight into showmanship.
“Getting a first-hand view of the showmanship aspect has meant I can bring those learnings home and give myself a bit more of a leg up in that area when it comes to my own cows and future competitions.”
The McPhee family has been running Hillview Park Holsteins since 1956, and Callum has been showing cows himself since he was a young boy.
He urged any young farmers interested in the trip in the future, to keep an eye out for information for the 2025 trip.
The Young Breeders School is an annual, international event aimed at young people aged 13 to 25.
The main aim is to learn your way around a cow, improve knowledge and optimise show preparation.
The event was first established in 1999.
Standing proud were Bridget Liebelt, Patrick Anderson, Ryan Barker, Elly Simms and Hayden King.
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