THERE were haircuts, washes and even blow dries as anxious exhibitors tried to dodge the rain while grooming their animals for the second annual Swan Hill Beef Cattle Show.
At last weekend’s first event for the Victorian cattle showing season, Chief Stewart and local committee member, Scott Bruton, said that there were about 70 head of cattle participating.
“It’s not far off what we had last year, so it’s good to be abler to maintain the numbers,” he said.
“It’s been a bit of a tough year with cattle because of the commercial prices.
“This is our second year holding the cattle show as a stand-alone show separate to the Swan Hill Show and it’s a great chance for all the exhibitors heading on to Adelaide and Melbourne royal shows to come out and have a bit of an outing here.
“Nearly three quarters of the cattle in the shed here are at the first show they have been to.
“Coming here and getting a little of experience under their belts makes showing at the royals that much easier.
“We’ve got people here from all over Victoria, it’s a great place to come and have your first hit out.”
President of the Swan Hill District Agricultural and Pastoral Society, Reg Packer, said that the decision to hold a separate event came about as the Royal Melbourne show changed the dates for their show.
“They traditionally only went for eight or nine days but now they go for 14 days which is right over the top of our show,” Mr Packer said
“We decided to have the cattle show so that we didn’t miss out on the cattle being shown.
“Then we thought it was such a good idea we would do it again this year.
“It’s been a success from the point of view of the cattle numbers.
“We normally only get around 30 head of cattle and they are coming from all over the place.
“People are wanting a show, it gives them a chance to bring some new animals along.”
