Kirstin Nicholson, The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper

Georgia Sieben will represent Victoria at the 2021 Agricultural Shows Australia National Young Judges finals. The 18-year-old, who grew up on a farm in Torrumbarry, has been showing and parading at the Cohuna Show with her family from a young age.

“I have always loved the parading side of cattle shows and doing the best I can to make my animals look the best of their ability. This competition allows young leaders like myself help improve and learn more each time they step into the ring which is why I decided to compete.”

Georgia already boasts titles of Junior Champion, Senior Champion and Grand Champion in the youth show at International Dairy Week in 2020. She is studying her first year of animal and veterinary bioscience at university and would like to become an animal nutritionist. 

Georgia is amongst seven dairy cattle judges and seven dairy cattle paraders from across Australia and New Zealand who are eligible to compete in the national finals. The finals were scheduled to be held at the Ekka in Queensland in August, but due to ongoing instability due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they will be held at a date yet to be decided.

Dr Rob Wilson is the chairman of Agricultural Shows Australia, the peak body overseeing 572 agricultural shows in Australia which attract six million visitors annually and contribute nearly $1billion to the national economy, and says the competition is designed to recognise the best new talent in livestock judging and presenting nationwide.

“It’s an extremely prestigious event and positions at the nationals are keenly contested,” Dr Wilson explains.

“These young people are the future of agricultural show competitions which are crucial to the continual improvement of Australia’s food and fibre. The national competition is a coveted opportunity to grow personally and professionally by practising skills against the cream of the crop.”

The national competition is held in a different location each year to promote livestock judging, parading and the industry as widely as possible throughout Australia.

This article appeared in The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper, 29 July 2021.