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Hayley Cox takes a second place finish at The Royal

Hayley Cox with her Holstein in Toronto


-by Anne Farries

    Hayley Cox took her cattle skills to Toronto and came back a winner.
    The Mabou grade 10 student showed the top-ranking Holstein out of 25 entries in the junior conformation class, which took her into the championship competition November 3rd at the TD 4H Canadian Dairy Classic, better known as The Royal.
    In that, she placed second out of 377 entries.
    “The Royal is to Canadian cattle showing as the NHL is to hockey — a big, national competition,” Cox said Saturday.
    “To get there, you have to pick out a calf in May and work with that calf – in Inverness County, in at least two shows – then be eligible for a provincial show, where eight members out of 150 competing are chosen to be the NS Dairy team.”
    “This year, I had a Holstein, which is what I typically show. On the team, there were five Holsteins, one Jersey, and two Ayrshires.”
    Cox showed a heifer that belonged to neighbours Neil and Nora Sargent and Craig Grant.
    “My main role was to train her and get her to act and work properly – the speed at which she walked, how she held her head and placed her feet when she stood still,” she said.
    “You want to show off your animal’s best features. Having them trained gives the judge a better look at them. If they’re jumping around the ring, it’s quite difficult to see (...) how well they will produce or work later in life.”
    The Royal was held at Exhibition Place in Toronto.
    Cox flew with her mother and the NS team, while the cattle travelled by truck and trailer to arrive two days before the competition.
    “This year, they stayed at a farm just outside of Toronto, which was generous enough to provide them with hay and water and a place to stay for a couple of days until they were allowed to move into the fairgrounds,” Cox said.
     “It was very exciting. All the cattle there were the best of the best,” Cox said.
    “To me, the best thing about being there was getting to work, meet, and talk with different people from the industry from around Nova Scotia. My entire life I’ve aspired to go into agriculture, either in dairy farming or as a veterinarian.”
    This year was the 40th anniversary of the Royal. To date, 12,000 4H members have participated.
    “You’re competing against the best of cattle and show people in all Canada,” Cox said.
    “You’re entered in two classes, including  showmanship, which is where you are judged on how well you can show off your animal – if you can show the judge that you know your animal’s faults and how to correct the faults and bring out their strengths.”
    “The combination class is based on the heifer’s looks and things they will need later in life.”
    In showmanship class for ages 12-14, Cox played 28th out of 120 entries.
    The Nova Scotia team also did well, with none placing lower than the halfway mark in every class.
    Cox’s family have a farm near Mabou. This year, they have 44 dairy cattle and a beef herd of 30 animals.
Does Cox milk cows and fork hay before school?
    “Sometimes,” she said. “Say, if one of my parents aren’t home, then I’m responsible to go out and do chores, but for the most part I’m lucky enough to have parents that will allow us to sleep in the mornings. We are in the barn every evening.”
    “I can pretty much do everything there. Feeding and clean out pens, or milking animals, or just general health and maintenance.”
    Cox’s local sponsors at The Royal were the Inverness and Victoria Federation of Agriculture; Baddeck Veterinary; Ed’s Hydraulics; Inverness County; Atlantic Feed Service; and Seaside Fuel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

       


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