Dairy Cattle The Farmers' Country Showdown

Across the country,

thousands of farming families work tirelessly around the clock.

-Whoa!

-Stop arguing, girls.

Give over!

HE WHISTLES

But there's one day each year,

when they get to leave the daily routine behind.

Right, here we come, Dorset!

These are show days.

'A very, very warm welcome to the show.'

Where they come together as a community

to showcase the fruits of their labour.

I just love showing my girls off!

And try to win prizes for their breed champions.

Smashed it.

And award-winning produce.

That's really nice cheese, that.

It was very good, darling!

There will be highs...

That's what we want to see, red. Red is the best!

..and lows...

She's not happy enough to go.

..for the dedicated farmers who give everything to walk away a champion.

Fingers crossed!

There are nearly 10,000 dairy farms in the UK,

home to almost 2 million cows.

They supply us with millions of litres of milk every day,

and are the backbone of British agriculture.

COW MOOS

Come on.

Today, we're meeting two families from Kent.

Trevor Warne, and Holly Berin and Ben Dyer,

are getting ready to show their prize animals at this year's

County Show in Surrey.

It's their chance to show their hard work to the world,

and to compete for top prizes.

Come on, girl.

On a farm just outside Dover in Kent, it's the start of a new day.

It's 5am,

and Trevor and his son are already hard at work on the morning milking.

I love milk. I drink milk every day.

You know, I drink at least three pints, four pints a day.

It gives me that...whoa!

It gives me a buzz when I drink it.

I tell everybody, drink milk, it keeps you young!

For 42-year-old Trevor, dairy farming is a passion,

handed down through generations.

My father's side were all herdsman.

My dad, he's milked cows.

My grandad milked cows and my great-granddad, he milked cows.

It's a job, but it's also a hobby for me.

The skill of getting high yields out of cows, that drives me.

I mean, when the milk tanker comes

and you get the milk ticket to see how much milk's in the tank,

that gets me going big-time.

Big-time.

Trevor is the herd manager for the Goddard family,

who own the 660 cows on their 800-acre farm.

He starts at 4am, and he has a long day,

tending to the herd.

Luckily, he has a large family to help.

His wife, May, assists with the calves.

When they see the bags, that means food time!

His eldest son, 22-year-old Sonny, works on the farm,

and manages his own herd of Jersey cows.

While his other son, Olly, works the tractor, helping with the harvest.

Next comes six-year-old daughter Cleo, and five-year-old son Jude,

and four-year-old grandson, Tyler, who are all learning the ropes.

Even new baby, Hope, is being started early.

Hope loves the cows, she loves coming out on the farm.

I'm passionate about encouraging youngsters into this industry.

Right, you're going to lead it?

A lot of youngsters think it's just about work, work, work,

work, work - well, it is hard work.

Hold this hand, on here.

'But there's also a lot of passion, pride.'

'My young son, Jude, when he started to lead his calf,

'and he was so proud of himself.

'He wants to be like what I'm trying to do, and that's why I do it.'

My daughter, Cleo...

COW MOWS

She's like, "Dad, I want to train my calf."

Sometimes I have to calm her down, she's so keen!

SHE SCREAMS

There you go!

LAUGHTER

I think the mouse...

The mice have been chewing it!

While Trevor has his family to help him, just down the valley,

his friends Ben and Holly are doing their milking on their own.

Come on, girls.

Neither 30-year-old Ben, or 25-year-old Holly,

are from a farming background, but both were smitten from an early age.

We used to go for days out to the Kent County show, with my family,

and just loved watching the dairy cows, the Holsteins,

walking around the ring. It was something I really wanted to do.

Loved it, addicted to it.

I just really, really love animals, and found dairy farming.

And I wanted to have a go at milking cows.

And it just went from there.

I didn't look back.

It's this love for dairy farming that first brought them together,

when Ben needed help with some show cows.

I offered to help with clipping his cows, so yeah,

I clipped his first team, and...

She done a good job, so she stayed!

LAUGHTER

Pretty much!

Basically!

This very committed couple are employed by the Billings family

to manage the 340-strong herd, virtually on their own.

So, while Ben does the milking,

Holly has to give the hungry calves their breakfast.

Let's put these out.

So, every calf gets two litres.

I broke my two-litre jug.

So, I'm on a one-litre jug!

So, extra scooping!

Okey dokey, let's go!

I always talk to the cows, especially the calves as well.

Like...

Especially when you're teaching them to get onto the teats and stuff,

yeah, there's a lot of talking involved!

Like, you're coaxing them to do it,

so I'm just talking them through how to do it!

I sound so weird!

-Not that they've got a clue what we're going on about, but...

-No.

Ben and Holly's dream is to own a farm of their own,

so they've been buying calves, gradually, to build up a herd.

This is one of mine and Ben's calves.

We have three heifer calves,

we're going to rear them so we have our own nucleus herd here,

and two bulls.

We're looking to sell those towards the end of the year,

and hopefully make a little bit of money.

I love the face of this one, it's really, really different.

Yeah, unfortunately he's a male,

so he's going to go to market, but, yeah,

he's got a really standing-out face with his two white patches.

He was born, and I was like, "Wow!".

It was awesome.

The calves and the morning milking might be done,

but there are still hundreds of cows, over 200 acres,

to be checked and fed.

Come on.

So, these cows are just having a bit of a break at the moment.

This is sort of like holiday time for them.

So yeah, we come out here once a day and check them,

make sure there's nothing going on, make sure they're all all right.

Ben and Holly have been living and working together on this farm

for five years now.

Smooth!

Dairy farming is their life, as well as their passion.

You've got.. You've got to love cows to do this job, I think.

-Yeah, it's a huge commitment.

-Yeah.

Definitely, they're definitely part of your life.

I see these cows more than I see some of my friends and family, really.

Not only do they have to work such long hours,

dairy farmers also have to cope with an unpredictable milk market.

So, farmers are always looking for ways

to improve the amount of milk the herd produces,

using careful breeding and the latest technology.

On Trevor's farm, he's finished the milking.

It's 10am,

and time to check if any of his cows are ready to become mothers.

Come on, girls.

Come on, Hope. Get in there. Go on, girl.

What we're doing now is just checking if these cows are in heat.

After an examination, Trevor is happy that his cow, Hope,

is ready to begin the breeding programme.

Like many dairy farmers, Trevor buys in bull samples.

Breeding technology has become so advanced

that he can even choose what characteristics

Hope's calf will have.

Overall, she's great type,

but I'd like to increase her milk production.

And it won't increase hers, obviously.

I talk like it is going to increase her milk production,

but the next generation will be a lot better milker.

Breeding good stock is so important for Trevor and his family's future,

that he's willing to pay hundreds of pounds for samples.

That's what it comes in. Just give it little shake...

And then we're going to defrost it.

40 seconds.

BELL DINGS

Right.

That's it, it's gone.

Even for an expert farmer,

there is no certainty his cow will fall pregnant.

For now, all Trevor can do is keep his fingers crossed.

Meanwhile, Ben has noticed

that a cow due to give birth is lying down and not moving.

The calf could be stuck.

This has been calving for a few hours now,

not really getting on with anything,

so I'll put my hand in and give a check,

make sure it's in the right position.

Sometimes it can be backwards, or have a leg stuck, or something.

So I want to check and make sure it's all in the right place.

But this potential new mother doesn't want to play ball.

For these young farmers,

a successful birth is vital to the business.

They'll do anything they can to save the calf.

Let's get her in. Let's get her in.

COO MOOS

Eventually, they get her into the barn.

Ben gets a proper look at her, and finds the calf is out of position.

Yeah, she had one leg back behind the other one,

so I've just corrected that, pulled it up forwards.

Go through out there.

It's important for Ben to get the calf out as soon as possible.

I just want to get it out now...

Take that gate back a bit.

HE SIGHS

For Holly, these are the most challenging moments as a farmer.

And in just a few minutes,

Ben helps the cow give birth to a healthy calf.

A nice little heifer.

After thinking they were going to lose her,

it's a proud moment for everyone.

If Ben hadn't have gone in, we could have lost mum and calf.

She's had a lovely, healthy calving.

As you can see, she's licking it like crazy.

I do feel like I'm their mum, because obviously,

the mums, they've to go to work and yeah, I'm their nanny!

Before long, this newborn is already strong enough

to take her first steps in the world.

For both these farms,

the cycle of pregnancy and birth is at the very heart of what they do.

After all, it's new mothers that make milk.

But for these competitive farmers,

there's something else on their minds...

Show day!

Showing is a very, very important part of what I do.

You're getting an opportunity to exhibit your animals.

If we win the first prize, in the ring,

then we're able then to market the genetics from that one cow

and we can profit from it.

It's another form of income, instead of just the milk.

That's what we've got...

You've got to make the money from genetics as well,

because we've invested a lot in it.

With the show looming, there's a lot to get done,

especially if just two of you run the whole farm.

When showtime comes,

there's a huge amount of extra work to do on top of your normal routine.

Farm life comes first.

Yeah, the show is just our little thing...

Extra, we do that on top of the farm stuff.

There's a lot of competition in the industry at the shows.

You don't want to lose.

You go because you think you've got a good cow.

We take it so personally, because, you know,

-you work with them every single day, and you want to win.

-Yeah.

I have to clip 13 animals within a few days of the show,

so that's highly intense.

Especially as I could easily spend two hours on one cow

to get her ready, so to fit...

There's a lot of this involved.

-Come on, Holly!

-Yeah!

Over at Trevor's, he's also thinking about the show.

And it has a special and romantic significance for Trevor and May.

When I started showing dairy is when I met Trevor.

It was actually at the Edenbridge Show that we met, wasn't it?

Yes, we wasn't... It wasn't dating, we just met there,

and sort of got to know each other.

And then, a few months later,

May wanted a calf to show, so she came up,

picked a calf, and then... Yeah, the rest is history.

We got talking about cows, and I realised May would listen to me,

because nobody listens to me, really.

They're like, "Can you shut up about cows, please?

"There's more to life than cows.".

No, there isn't! And May agrees with that.

And the dairy theme even carried through to their wedding day.

It took a bit of persuading May

-for me to have a milk churn to sit on, but...

-No...

It did! A little bit.

Yeah.

Romance aside, Trevor's ambition for this year's show

is to come home with a different kind of trophy.

This time, for the farm's champion cow.

So, this is Lucy.

She's a show cow, and a seriously good herd cow as well.

I just love looking at them.

I just love it.

This is what I get, I get a buzz out of it,

like anybody who'd look at their lovely sports car,

or something like that.

That's why it's so nice to go to a show and compete.

When you get there you just feel,

whoa, you know, it really gives you that real buzz.

So, two farms who believe their cows are the best.

And to make it more interesting,

Ben and Holly will be going head-to-head against Trevor

at this year's show.

Well, Trevor is a very good friend of mine.

He got me into cows.

He's got such passion for it, and it rubbed off on me.

Now I just want to beat him!

Ben worked for me when he was younger.

And he's gone on to do the rest himself, really.

But he's got this great cow.

And she's been trying to take on Lucy at most of the shows.

And at the Kent, she pipped her to the post.

Boom!

You know, I was happy for Ben but I was absolutely gutted,

I had a lump in my throat, that Lucy had come second

because I was really excited that she might get first.

Well, we're one-all so far.

And so, yeah, it's the best out of three.

It's a rivalry that has played out for years.

But tomorrow's show will be the decider.

It'll be the final...

Yeah, the final one for this year.

Could literally go either way.

Yeah, we'll see how it goes.

After all their hard work, and months of preparation,

the day of the show has finally arrived.

The prestigious Edenbridge and Oxted Show in Surrey

is starting to come to life.

It's one of the highlights of the local farming calendar,

and an important show for the cattle-breeding community.

Up to 40,000 visitors are expected through the gates,

to experience the best of what the rural South East has to offer.

In the dairy section, preparations are in full swing.

The cows' beauty parlour is open for business.

It's like going to the hairdressers.

It's like the cow salon.

And then we do our hair later on with this, so...

Over at Ben and Holly's stall, true beauty takes time.

We started at 2.30am, washing, getting these ready.

Picking up all of the poo.

I love show mornings.

It's just a mad rush to get everything done.

There's a bit of dirt there.

When Holly squeegeed them off, she didn't clean the squeegee first.

Who was doing the squeegeeing?

You!

For the farmers, cow beauty works on an industrial scale.

With clipping, blow-drying, powder,

and even super-strength hairspray.

All right, then.

All this hard work is to hide any imperfections,

and give them the best chance of winning.

We are trying to reduce the flaws.

So we're trying to trick the judge.

-Cheating!

-Cheating!

No, the cheating is the 50 quid we gave him this morning!

We're not cheating, we're just... trying to make her look beautiful.

But jokes aside, the boys are keeping a close eye on each other,

with so much at stake.

We're going to battle it out today.

Bit nervous, really.

You always are, it's all about competition, isn't it?

It's not long to go before everything kicks off.

But Ben and Holly have spotted a problem with one of their cows.

She's been too comfortable and eaten too much,

and made more milk than we assumed she would have done.

The fullness of the cow's udders is a big factor in judging.

One of their girls is already at the perfect milk level.

She's looking spot-on now for the class,

where we would want it to be in two hours' time.

So, we're thinking, two hours' more milk,

is it then going to spoil her by having too much milk on her?

They need to decide whether to milk her, or wait.

The welfare of the animals comes first.

Can she wait?

When's the class? What's the time now?

-Quarter past seven.

-Quarter past seven.

Ben decides she's fine, and wants to get her ready for the showring.

We'll do it, and we can always just take a little bit off, can't we?

That's Holly's not impressed face!

Meanwhile, Trevor has a few problems of his own.

There's something wrong with his cow's food.

Ben, you haven't got any spare food, have you, which I could have?

-Mine's gone hot.

-You want some food, do you?

-Yes, please.

We'll help you out, no worries.

-Have you got some spare?

-Yes, yes. He needs some food.

-That's really good of you, mate.

-No worries, mate.

-Thanks very much.

The show is starting to fill up,

with crowds eager to see what's on offer.

'Attention. This is a ten-minute warning.

'We are going to be starting at 9am. Thank you.'

Time is ticking towards the first competition of the day.

Ben and Holly simply can't manage all the prep on their own,

so they've enlisted a team of helpers.

They're brilliant. We have done a show without them.

Just the two of us. We took a big team, and it was mayhem.

And Holly's mum is filling in as chief cow beautician.

What we're putting on is a coat of product that will make them shiny

and look sleek.

You can't see it so much on the white cows,

but it's much more evident on the black ones.

But it's not just the cows that are getting ready.

Nervous. Always get really nervous now.

It's like these last five minutes take for ever.

Mum, do you reckon you could run to the tent, please,

and get my tie, please?

Can you run now, because you'll probably have enough time.

The competition is moments away.

But Holly's not happy.

You know on that show-shine stuff?

Someone's accidentally done the jet setting,

and now it looks a bit silly.

Yeah?

I think that's probably Mum.

Today's dairy cow competition will be judged by farmer Ben Yates,

who has also brought along the family for a day out.

I've been judging about eight years now.

I've been showing cows about 15-20 years.

We're looking for cows that we can see can survive in our systems

at home, which have got plenty of strength.

They've then got to have great feet and legs

so they can walk round farms, into milking parlours.

And then we want a really good udder.

It shows they can produce milk.

Engaging the audience when we're judging is very important.

I want to be able to tell people what I'm looking for,

and explaining what the difference... Why this one's better than that one.

We try to make sure that everybody knows exactly what I feel

there... Is the difference...

And hopefully the exhibitors understand what I'm saying, too,

and feel that I've given them the right reasons, too.

Put our hands together, please.

But what makes a good cow can be a matter of very broad opinion.

Everybody's got their sort of cow they like,

whereas you have a judge who has a different opinion

-and you can really burn.

-Yeah.

Holly and Ben enter the ring for their first round.

You're blocking me.

First of all, I'd like to thank Edenbridge and Oxted Show

for inviting me to judge the show today.

Real privilege to come down here,

and great to start the day off with such a good class.

They're each leading a calf they believe can win.

Once classes begin, it's one after the other, after the other,

and it's a brilliant adrenaline rush.

You don't really have time to think about the last class

-because you are in on the next one.

-Yeah, you don't.

Ben and Holly have worked hard to breed these calves to show level.

A win would mean everything.

Time to make a decision.

And Ben's calf takes first prize.

An incredible start.

Thank you. Ta.

And it's not just the crowd who are impressed.

Without further ado, we're going to lead off with this calf.

This calf, I fell in love with when it first came in the ring.

A real sharp calf, a calf with a real big future,

a real cow-making heifer, I hope.

It's a great first result for them both.

Good start. Good start, yeah.

-See how the rest of them do.

-Good.

That's good. Great start to the day.

The show is in full swing, and the public are flooding in.

Over in the cattle section, they're ready for the next competition.

After a morning of sprucing up the cows,

time for Trevor to turn the spotlight on himself.

Well, you've got to look smart against a smart cow, try to, anyway.

I'm not very good at doing ties, though, but there you go.

That's not bad for me, to be honest.

It says Holstein Young Breeder there.

I like that.

That means I'm still a young breeder, if I wear this tie.

With an early win under their belts...

That's fine, that fits.

..Holly and Ben are feeling hopeful.

See how it goes.

But things could change, now that he and Trevor are going head-to-head.

Yeah, we're getting close now.

Nerves are there. I've already run to the toilet once, so,

that bit's out the way.

Both are bringing out their big guns.

It will be Ben's prized Alison up against Trevor's champion, Lucy.

She is doing all right, Lucy. We'll just see how she goes.

Would've liked a little bit more milk on her

and I would've liked her to just relax a little bit.

All my cows seem to be really fired-up today.

I don't know if Ben's sabotaged me with the food he gave me.

It might have something in it and made them a bit hypo.

As they wait to be called in,

Trevor can't help doing a little last-minute comparison

with Ben's cow.

Trevor and Ben enter the ring.

There's no competition like the competition between two dairy men.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, we come to our first in milk class,

and what a credit this class is.

We may not be in the big dairy country down here,

but what quality we've got in this class, it's quite tremendous.

COW BELLOWS

There are four others in the ring,

but they're only interested in each other.

Morning, mate.

It's a friendly rivalry, but Ben wants to show his former boss

he's his own man.

And Trevor wants to prove he's still got it.

Steady, steady, steady.

It's getting tense as the judge scrutinises each cow.

Now, he must decide.

Steady, steady, steady.

Steady.

And Trevor takes first prize.

The judge pulled me up at the front, number one.

That was it, I was ecstatic.

-Well done.

-Thanks, mate.

Well done.

She's the sort of cow that's either at the top or at the bottom,

and unfortunately today, she's at the bottom,

but that's the way showing goes.

You know, Ben...

I didn't like looking at his sad face,

but then I had a really smiley face so, you know...

It made me buzz!

Ben's cow, just when you get in amongst them,

she wasn't quite clean enough for me.

I mean, I'm happy - Trevor's cow was a good cow.

Just don't like losing to him.

It's midway through the day, and time for a spot of lunch.

For everyone.

After the stresses of the morning's competitions,

Trevor gets to celebrate his lead

by taking some time out with his family.

Edenbridge has been running since 1837, making this the 179th show.

For generations of farmers, it has been a well-earned day out.

But for the many urban visitors that come every year,

this Home Counties show is an important link

with the countryside and rural life.

It's a really lovely show.

We've got our cows and sheep all set round us in an enclosed space,

so a really good place for the public to come

and see what's going on at the show

and all the different animals that are on farms.

Shows like this are very important.

We've got to educate everybody to what our industry is about,

where milk comes from, that it is a 24/7 job.

It is important. Milk is one of the key ingredients to life, really.

Especially popular is the livestock section,

which is the real heart of the show.

It's the largest collection of cattle seen together

anywhere in southern England.

It's one of the many reasons why it's so important

to the farming community.

BLOWS HORN

The family lunch break is over,

and time for the competition between the two friends to kick off again.

Just a few last minutes for those all-important touch-ups.

It's like your foundation.

You know, we're putting the foundation on the legs this time.

Trevor may have won the first competition,

but Ben isn't beaten yet.

He wants to make sure he has his best cows for the next round

and asks Holly for advice.

What do you think?

These two?

Um... Let's have a look.

Yeah, definitely those two.

Because they're taking out two cows in this competition,

Trevor's roping in his niece to help.

Maxine's the best handler here.

She knows how to hold on to one if it goes a bit wild.

She's stronger than me.

She could pick me up in the air like that,

so I gave her the one who's a bit tough.

Trevor's wife May and baby Hope, are here to cheer them on.

And the farmers are back in the ring.

Whoever's cows are the most identical, will win this one.

Me and Ben, we're basically focusing on each other in that class.

Everybody else isn't there, to be honest with you.

-All right, Ben?

-All right?

'This is one of the best line-ups we've seen in a very long time.'

There are a lot of buyers and dealers at the show today

who are looking out for the competition winners.

Rosettes are invaluable to their business.

Showing is very important for the promotion of our cattle.

Bringing them to the show is our shop window

for all the other breeders to see the cows,

and then winning makes it all the better for us.

But for Ben and Trevor, it's more personal than business.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, we've come to the pairs' class.

When I'm judging the pairs' class, I like a pair to be a pair.

And I'm going to go with this pair right here as my winning pair.

Trevor's done it again.

Super pair of cows. A real credit to the breeder.

That unbelievable feeling inside.

The butterflies now have gone into something else.

They've gone into, like, a swarm of bees and butterflies and everything.

I just feel crazy inside.

Then we're going to go to this pair here.

A super, super pair.

And Ben and Holly come in second place.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

Who wants the beer tokens?

I felt we had, I thought a good pair, but they were second today.

Felt a little bit hard done by. Just in my opinion.

HE CHEERS, SHE LAUGHS

That's what we want to see. Red. Red is the best. Well happy.

Trevor's cows... Yes, we don't judge faces,

we judge the cows,

and he's just been the guy that's got the right sort of cows today.

Yeah, very impressed with them.

-Mate, I'm so happy.

-Doing all right.

Really happy with that.

The day is beginning to come to an end.

But the crowds are still flowing.

In the cow tent, all thoughts are on the last competition.

It's 2-0 to Trevor.

But there's still everything to play for.

Ben and Holly are double-checking everything.

-Can you just check Norma?

-Huh?

-They let Norma lay down.

-Can you go and have a look at her?

-Yeah.

I'll get the numbers.

Over at Trevor's stall, he has a few last-minute tricks up his sleeve.

Ollie's putting the baby oil on now.

He's just rubbing it over the udder, so it shines a little bit.

We always have one person to do that

because if you get baby oil on your hands,

it's like a slippery fish, the halter is.

You can't hold on to it,

and the cow just runs away with you and the halter goes over there

and you're like, "Bye-bye, cow!". Gone!

Meanwhile, for Ben and Holly,

this is their last chance to get everything right.

This one is all about which farmer is the best breeder.

Don't worry about that one.

You sure?

This is the championship now. This is the finale.

The very best cows have been entered,

and winning here will carry a lot of prestige.

And it's drawing massive attention.

There's even more pressure for Trevor

because Sonny, his eldest son,

is also in the ring with his own prized cow.

These old friends have been battling it out at shows

throughout the summer.

The judge has changed for this competition,

so will he see Trevor and Ben's prized cows differently?

All the long hours, the hard work and dedication,

have come down to this moment.

Lucy, don't run away.

It could help Ben and Holly towards their dream

of owning their own farm.

And for Trevor, it could help him boost the size of his beloved herd.

The judge lines them up for a final assessment.

There's a lot riding on this.

All Ben and Trevor can do is wait and hope.

And Ben has won at last, with Trevor in second place.

It's good to have a bit of competition with Trevor again today

and it just shows how close those two cows are, really.

Good girl.

Could have gone either way, it was like splitting hairs.

He won that, so good on him.

We've got to give him something, haven't we?

This prize has really given Ben and Holly a boost.

It means that this young couple are on the road to success

and a bright future in farming.

Yeah, all good.

Being in the championship is really encouraging for the future,

to come back and try and do it again, and do better.

It just means that we are doing things right when we're at home

for the other 300-odd days.

The Edenbridge and Oxted Festival has turned 100 acres of empty fields

into a showground that's celebrated the best of the British countryside.

It's been a long competition.

Soon it will be over for another year.

All the winning farmers take one last opportunity

to parade their champions.

Is it just the only one in the class, was it?

'Welcome to the Edenbridge and Oxted show cattle parade.

'I do believe we're going to show you a few sheep later on.'

Holly leads with their prize-winning calf.

And Trevor follows behind with champion, Lucy.

'Cast your eyes on the cattle as they come through the gate now.

'We go to our dairy section and our supreme dairy female.'

Ben is awarded one last grand prize for breeding.

-Cheers.

-Congratulations.

Thanks so much.

All done for another year, and, yeah, we've done all right, so, happy days.

Slowly, all the farmers make their way out.

The day has been a triumph for everyone involved.

It's a drug and I'm addicted to it. It's great fun,

and I've got friends all over the world from doing this job.

Judging the shows, it's nice to meet people as well,

and the respect that you get back from people is really, really good.

As the site winds down, the families finally get a chance to reflect.

I think we've had a really good show this year.

Good fun, good rivalry...

-..and all worked out fair in the end, I guess.

-Yeah.

I've had a good day, actually.

We've had top-of-the-class wins, really.

Really, really happy.

Brilliant, absolutely over the moon at how we did today.

The winning is really good promotion for our herd,

and it's a good building block for the future family, hopefully.

COO MOOS

It is a big family outing, really.

It's a bit like a holiday.

We don't get away from the farm much,

so this is our fun break, really.

Yeah, that's true.

And the boys are already planning next year's showdown.

Next year, I think we'll get them lined up and see what happens then.

-You know.

-That's it.

I've got another one in the jewel box at home.

-I haven't taken her out yet.

-I've got two I left.

-Yeah?

-They probably could have won today.

-Really?

-Yeah.