Farm World 26-28 March 2021 LARDNER PARK
Farm World Lardner Park Returns 2021 Farm World “Return to Heritage” After a year of cancelled agricultural events, Farm World was the 1st of the major field days to make it back on to the 2021 event calendar, strict covid19 protocols in place, pre purchasing of event tickets essential, the Farm World event could boast selling out and over 50,000 pre-event tickets sold. By the end of the 3 day event the Maine Anjou Society exhibitors felt like they had spoken to each and every one of them the event was a huge success. There were several obstacles confronting the exhibitor team this year which made planning and participation both challenging and uncertain. These challenges included the threat of lock downs, possible boarder closures or last minute cancellations. The old site with its large separate pens and open grass space for additional yarding was no longer available. The new exhibit space has 2 small adjoining pens, limited static display area with a floor plan of the shed only to work with. Add to this uncertainty of the new shed being completed on time, the requirement of a covid safe plan for the exhibit and the announcement 10 days out of a “Best Cattle Exhibit” competition really put the pressure on and stretched the imagination of the societies 2 person team. Loading up the Ute Wednesday night, the team headed off in the fog on Thursday morning for a 5 hour drive. The exhibitors set out armed with Covid protocols, cattle feed, Maine- Anjou promotional material, an exhibit display idea, overalls, a couple of posters, a few things French and a few old bits and pieces from around the farm and the 2 young bulls in tow.
10mth Old Bull Calf Maine -Anjou Rouge Ex’cel Sired by Rouge Romeo out of Dam Rouge Genevieve
9mth Old Bull Calf Maine-Angus Tiger Woods Sired by Rouge Napoleon out of Angus Dam Witherswood Abigale
Arriving at Lardner early afternoon the Bulls were unloaded and led into their pens, fed watered and settled in, then setting up the display began. The new shed was in the midst of having some last minute changes made to pass the final council inspection including the installation of a drain right in front of the exhibit delaying the teams set up. The team had arranged for some small hay bales to be available for the display, now working in the space they discovered that the main table was too big, there was nowhere to hang banners without obstructing the view of the cattle and thanking their good fortune at choosing the last site at the end of the shed as this afforded the opportunity to create a hay bale wall display. The banners were hung at the back of the last pen and the space was transformed into the low budget team Maine-Anjou display. Sometime around 7pm that evening standing back and taking in the other cattle exhibits, the stylish hi-tech exhibit of the Speckle Park team, the immaculately groomed Herefords with calf pen out front and kick boards around the pens to keep in the hay, the Limousines with their country show influenced exhibit with curtaining and large garden pots. Comparing this with a few hay bales, some laminated posters and a bucket, stool and a basket, the Maine Anjou team looked at each other, sighed, shrugged, agreeing it is what it is. About now I should let the reader in on the teams inspiration for the theme for the Maine-Anjou exhibit. The Theme for Farm World is “Return To Heritage”, Farm World has a strong focus on women in agriculture hosting each year during the event The Women In Ag Lunch. At home on the farms to fill labour shortages created by Covid 19 women have stepped out of the farm offices and into the paddocks, yards and sheds just like the “Land Girls” in times of crisis, so did todays women on the land step up during the 2019-20 Covid crisis and so the theme evolved. The team decided that the MaineAnjou Society exhibit theme should pay tribute to the heritage of the Maine-Anjou Breed and to the largest group of working women in agriculture the Land Girls. Up early Friday and the final touch to the theme matching shirts and dress in “character” a couple of vintage styled modern day Land Girls then off to Lardner park to feed and water the bulls, put out brochures, final touches to displays, muck out stalls, sweep up loose hay and a bite to eat before opening. From then on the rest of the day is a bit of a blur,
7pm the Maine-Anjou Exhibit is all set to go
8am Event time the only quiet moment of the day
the new location was great for passing foot traffic, far busier than the old site, almost everyone we spoke to was either a beef farmer, a dairy farmer, a hobby farmer, a retired farmer with some land or a new property owner wanting to farm a few animals, then there were school groups who were plentiful with cuddles and hugs for the young bulls… and just as plentiful with questions, the young bulls loving every minute of the attention, so much so, that Tiger and Ex’cel would lean in to the rails as soon as they saw a child coming their way. Mid-morning saw the official opening of the new cattle shed followed by more visitors to the exhibit and media interviews with the Maine Anjou exhibit getting a spot on the local TV news and in local press. As the day went on it got even busier getting a break was out of the question, no lunch, no coffee, just plenty of talking, sometime during all the mayhem the exhibit was visited by the Lardner Park Judging team.
Did I hear someone say Lavern & Shirly? A couple of Maine-Anjou Land Girls Michaela Rea of Heartland Maines and Karen Morham of Morham Maine’s
The next 2 days of the event were pretty much the same, the full on pace only slowing down on Sunday afternoon. There was lots of interest in the little known Maine Anjou breed from simple curiosity to genuine interest in breed benefits, Ex’cel just 10 mths old impressed many of the dairy farmers whom are looking for beef breeds to AI to dairy cattle to take advantage of the current strong beef market. Tiger also did his fair share of impressing the 9 mth old recently weaned Maine-Angus provoked much interest and discussion with local beef farmers, impressing with his weight for age comparison to an Angus calf. Tiger's temperament astounded many a farmer too. During the course of the weekend the team gave out over 200 Morham Maine’s 2021 semen catalogues and Uandi Maines semen flyers to genuinely interested beef and dairy farmers. Lardner Park is not all work, there is the Saturday night social, food, wine and a chance to catch up with other exhibitors and Awards. By mid Saturday the societies exhibitors began to suspect that something was a hoof, during the day several members of Lardner’s admin team casually dropped by asking questions like “are you going to the social tonight? Are you wearing your costumes? The exhibitors social is held at the park after closing and yes the exhibitors were going and they will be going as they are in costume. Saturday draws to a close cattle are fed and watered
Morham Miane’s Ex’cel lapping up the attention
Tiger Maine-Angus (1st cross Maine Anjou & Angus)
pens cleaned, exhibit tidied then the team headed up to the social and the formalities begin. Awards are presented then …..it’s the “Best Cattle Exhibit Award” the “Clive Walkingshaw Perpetual Trophy” sponsored by Alex Scott & Staff. The a perpetual award is in honor of a local livestock Icon Clive Walking Shaw. WALKY died in 2020 at the age of 92 after dedicating over 66 years to the livestock industry in Warragul. Winners of the best cattle exhibit receive a glass sculpture, gift voucher and have their exhibit embossed on the perpetual timber trophy.
Farm World Winners Best Cattle Exhibit 2021 The Maine Anjou Society Team Karem Morham & Michaela Rea
“The winner of “The Best Cattle Exhibit” Is ….. The Maine-Anjou Society”. The team was thrilled to have been able to win this award for the society and the 2021 Maine-Anjou exhibit will be the 1st name on this highly coveted and prestigious Lardner Park Award. Needless to say the team drank much champagne that evening. Back into it on a drizzly Sunday morning the rain played to the exhibitor’s advantage, as being one of the few open air undercover areas, every time a shower came through people would cram into the cattle shed where the team took full advantage of showing off the young bulls, talking about the breed and distributing pamphlets, Ex’cel & Tiger again let their gentle natures shine in crammed close quarters the young bulls sat quietly letting every child and curious adult pet them. Day’s end and the event closes all packed up the cattle loaded a very happy, tired and successful Maine-Anjou Society Exhibit team start the 5 hour trip home. Convinced yet again that Field Days are the best place to showcase the breed, Lardner Park Farm World (or any other Field Day) places MaineAnjou Beef Cattle right in the path of the farmer the Lardner Park Field Day Team hope they can inspire other Maine Anjou breeders to get involved with Field Days in their local regions.
MAINE ANJOU SOCIETY 2021 LARDNER PARK TEAM STUDS MORHAM MAINE’S LURG VIC & HEARTLAND MAINES JERILDERIE NSW
The perpetual Trophy and the glass sculpture Award. French tunes playing in the back ground a basket of French produce including wines from the Loire Valley, a Vintage milking stool and bucket along with vintage Land girl poster and black n white vintage milking scene to celebrate the breeds dule purpose French heritage
Maine-Anjou Beef Cattle Maine-Anjou Women In Agriculture Karen & Michaela A Couple Of CV-19 Modern-day Land Girls Celebrate the Heritage of Women In Agriculture CV-19 challenges of farm labour shortages, boarder confined spouses & farming contractor shortages has shone a light on the often silent partners of many a farming business the Modern day Land Girls. Partners, wives and girl friends of farmers whom would normally work behind the scenes or working in other CV-19 affected businesses stepped up to the forefront to run the farms & fill the labour shortages. Like many of the Land Girls of the 1900’s both Karen & Michaela were originally city girls until becoming farmers partners. For Karen CV-19 has left her fully responsible & working alone on a Vic Maine Anjou stud & beef steer business whilst her husband a FIFO worker rides out CV-19 in WA.14mths on & Karen easily manages the daily challenges of mending fences, hand feeding cattle, implementing breeding & AI
programs, Karen has built her own cattle yards & managed to make it through two very successful calving seasons. For Michaela CV-19 has meant less time in the farm office & more time in paddock on the tractor. With 1500 acres of cereal crop, a prime lambs & beef cattle business the shortage of shed hands, farm labours & machinery drivers meant “All hands out in the paddock”. The farms harvest team (usually a majority of males) consisted of 4 girls and only 3 men, the girls were from a diverse range of backgrounds just like the original Land Girls. Turning their hands to sheep & cattle work when not driving Headers, Chaser bins, or Tractors. For Karen & Michaela accepting & overcoming the farming challenges of the last year has brought to mind just how adaptable, capable & valuable women have proven to be in Agriculture during times of crisis....None more so than those amazing women who blazed a trail for all women in Ag to follow those Land Girls who volunteered or were conscripted in to
THE WOMENS LAND
ARMY.
Morham Maine’s, Heartland Maines & The Maine Anjou Society Return To Heritage Women In AG Recognising the contributions made to Australia’s farming history by the largest ALL FEMALE
AGRICULTURAL WORKFORCE ever assembled known often as “THE LAND GIRLS “ 1917-1950 THE WOMENS LAND ARMY’s of AUS, GB & USA
At its peak comprised of over 80,000 Land Girls working on farms, ploughing fields, growing & harvesting crops & tending livestock & keeping nations feed during a time of great crisis. Maine Anjou cattle became a registered breed in 1908 just a few years before the Land Girls went in to service. The Loire (Anjou) Valley, birth place of the Maine Anjou breed like the rest of France suffered terribly during the war many farm animals were slaughtered by invading army’s to feed their soldiers. However, the new French breed managed to survive. Romantically perhaps the Land girls in GB may have had a hand in this. The romantic notion that the Maine Anjou’s in GB are descendants of cattle once tended by these amazing women in Ag has been the inspiration for the Maine Anjou Society’s display. LAND GIRLS an inspirational army of women that deserve recognition as a significant part of our Agricultural Heritage