Katamatite teen Sienna Ross brought home a ribbon from a national dairy paraders competition despite recovering from a fractured arm.
Sienna had her left forearm plastered following a trip to the emergency department of GV Health after tumbling from a farm motorbike about a week before she was due to compete in the Melbourne Royal Show competition.
The plaster came off in time for the competition, in which Sienna represented Victoria.
“It wasn’t going to stop me,” the 17-year-old said.
To add to her challenges, Sienna drew a big, nervous Holstein cow for her first entry into the ring.
Sienna was runner-up in the National Dairy Cattle Young Paraders championship organised by Agriculture Shows Australia.
Although her injured arm is the one she uses to lead with, Sienna said she didn’t think about her arm while she was in the ring.
Sienna has her sights set on participating in the next World Dairy Expo set in Wisconsin, United States.
The Melbourne parading competition was won by 21-year-old Lucy Newman from Prospect Hill, South Australia.
Lucy won a number of titles this year, including the reserve senior champion at International Dairy Week and the champion senior handler at the Royal Adelaide Show.
Lucy runs her own Ayrshire stud, Arabesque Ayrshires, and credits much of her success to the mentorship of her father and the hands-on experience gained from working on her family’s beef and dairy farm in Meadows, South Australia.
Lucy is also heavily involved in her family’s Angus stud, Newlyn Park Angus, where she manages social media and marketing efforts for their annual bull sales.
Third place was awarded to 15-year-old NSW representative Alexis Allen, hailing from her family’s dairy farm at Cobargo, near Bega.
Agricultural Shows Australia executive officer Katie Stanley highlighted the significance of the young dairy cattle paraders event.
“These young paraders are the future of agricultural competitions, which play a critical role in improving Australia’s food and fibre sectors,” Katie said.