On June 9 and 10, 2023, the 2nd edition of the German Dairy Show took place. After a four-year break from Corona and a move to Alsfeld in Hesse, everyone was excited to see how the event, organised by the German Livestock Association, would be received by exhibitors and spectators. Already a glance at the catalog showed that the number of registered cows would almost exceed the set limit. A total of 267 show cows faced the judgment of the judges Thomas Hannen (Holstein, Red Cattle/Angler), Lambert Weinberg (Red Holstein, Jersey) and Peter Stückler (Simmental, Brown Swiss). Not least due to the venue being more in the centre of Germany, the response from the southern German breeds in particular was greater than at the premiere of the German Dairy Show 2019.

The showmanship competition on Friday was judged by Marcel Egli from Switzerland. He was a master of his task, explaining his decisions with clear comments and praising the performance of all the competitors. The most important criteria were perfect and fast set up, correct following of his orders, harmony between man and animal and attentive posture during the presentation.

In the young classes, he singled out Lara-Sophie Röhling (RUW) as the clear winner. She impressed with her calmness, speed in setting up and constant control over her animal. The deciding factor to place her ahead of reserve winner Paula Drieling (Masterrind WEU) in the end was her performance in the animal exchange. Her handling of the strange, not quite easy animal convinced Marcel Egli.

In the older classes, Laura Köster, a young breeder from the RUW area, also came out on top. She clearly showed that she wants to win. She succeeded excellently in concealing the weaknesses of the animal, which was not easy to show, the judge commented. He awarded the reserve victory to Luke Lohmöller (Masterrind WEU) and praised his cool way of showing and the quick implementation of his commands.

The type competition that followed showed that the quality of the animal offspring was in no way inferior to that of the demonstration performances. As best type animal, judge Marcel Egli awarded Loh SCH Mojito (Lambda x Diamondback) by Loh-An Holsteins, Schönhof Holstein and Yasin Zeh. The young heifer, which is about to calve, could please with a lot of expression, good rib and correct feet & legs, especially in the front leg position. The optimal combination of fineness and width was the deciding factor to place this animal in front of the smart reserve winner Melbourne (Gymnast x Elio Red P) from Matthias Krugmeier.

The judging of the 2 year olds of all breeds was next on the program.

As there was only one 2yr old among the eleven Angler/Red Cattle, the decision about the Grand Champion of the breed was already made in this category. Judge Thomas Hannen described the red cows in the ring as a real feast for the eyes and awarded the winning title to the third-lactation cow Wolke (Tadel x Impalu) from Thomas Wiethege. This cow has everything: length, strength in the forehand and excellent feet & legs. Reserve winner was Red Lady (Tadel x Nougat) from Böhl-Melbach GbR, who shone with a super udder.

The phrase small but nice could be perfectly applied to the competition of the Jerseys, which was judged by Lambert Weinberg. He singled out KFV Cinderella (Choice x Dallas) by Wiethege, Kaufmann, Spanier as the winning heifer. She convinced with youthfulness, a lot of length, a nice rib as well as an impeccable topline. ZH Kentucky (Casino x Barnabas) from Mechthild Henkelmann won the reserve title with an outstanding udder texture.

The two classes of Simmental first lactation cows made judge Peter Stückler from Austria go into raptures. One can only be happy about such cows, he commented. He made Sina (Ex Machina x Imperativ) owned by Georg Bäuml the winner. She combined power and youthfulness with a glandular udder characterized by a clear central ligament. The reserve champion was Hanna (Milan x Wahrhaft) from Hegwein GbR, who impressed with her length and balance.

In the Brown Swiss heifers, Peter Stückler singled out Toni (Casanova x Verdi) as the clear winner, commenting, "She fascinated me immediately. Her youthfulness and the glandular, high set udder let her go ahead of the reserve winner Adzido (Vassido x Huray) from Jehle GbR. She scored with a lot of frame and capacity.

Lambert Weinberg was so impressed with the quality of the red and white heifers that he applauded himself in the ring. But for him there was a clear winner: Rosalie (Mirand PP x Awesome) from Henrik Wille. The very complete heifer showed a lot of type and had clear plus points in the udder. A little more width gave her the edge over reserve winner Elodie (Swingman x Styx) from Landwirtschaftsbetrieb Schröter. She had a great side view and perfect feet & legs.

With four first lactation classes the Holsteins represented the strongest contingent. Although the last class probably had the most balanced quality, Thomas Hannen found his winner directly in the youngest class. Loh Milana (Lambda x O Ki) from the Lohmöller farm was the Easy Winner for him. She has everything I expect from a heifer: balance, harmony, a super udder and enough body. She also impressed with excellent movement. As Reserve Champion he awarded Rolanda (Ronald x Defender) from Stefan Gumpold, who scored for him with very nice transitions, feminine expression and dairyness.

The emotional highlight of the day was the selection of the Junior Supreme Champion. The six winning heifers and the type animal from the Young Breeders competition entered the ring surrounded by a light show, a truly impressive sight that was rewarded with a round of applause from the crowd. Despite the consistently high quality, the three judges quickly agreed to award the Junior Supreme Champion title to the Holstein heifer Loh Milana.