“You can see the pride on their faces,” said Scottsdale Show beef cattle chief steward Trevor Hall.

“And while some of these children have not been exposed to farm animals before, and some have, they all grow in confidence and learn new pathways into agriculture if they choose to go down that path.”

Trevor showed his first calf at the Scottsdale Show when he was just four years of age. By grade eight he was on the committee, and he’s been involved in the show every year since.

The Life Member recipient is not only one of the district’s best angus beef producers, he has raised four children who all show the premium family stock.

“Funnily enough the first calf I showed was not an angus, it was an Illawarra, from our dairy herd, and it laid down in the ring!” he recalled. Over the years Trevor has seen the best angus, shorthorn, Limousin, gelbveih, Charolaise, Murray grey, belted galloways, Herefords, dexters and many more breeds paraded before the judges.

This year the feature breed with be the Scottish dairy cattle Ayrshire, which will be showing off their lovely tan and white coats.   

Trevor said that the breed classes start at 10am on Friday morning - and that the entries have been particularly strong this year - and then at 1.30pm the interbreed classes begin which involves three judges in the ring scoring on a points system.

“The junior judging, where children have a chance to practice their judging skills and be marked on how well they go by an overjudge, begins at 4.30pm. On the Saturday morning from 9.30am we have calf classes for children up to 16 years of age, and about 15 calves are entered. At the same time the junior handlers competition gets underwaqy in age groups from nine to 25,” he said.

On Saturday 10am sees the judging of the Woolworths Prime Cattle section and the challenge will be to better the reigning champion Lionel Mountney from Scottsdale who took the main award last year.

All the cattle and machinery will take part in a grand parade around the trotting track at 2pm.

More information at www.scottsdaleshow.org.au