Over the next few months we will be following the Masson family at Ballacricket Farm as they prepare their premium livestock for the two major agricultural shows.

Diary farmers Paul and Vicky and their two children, Rhian and Alec, keep Holstein cows at their farm in Ronague.

In 2019, the last time the Royal Manx Show was held, Vicky showed their cow, Cairbre Glauco Rolls, and came away with the Supreme Champion title.

Rhian and Alec also show their livestock and have had success in the young handlers classes.

Showing is something they enjoy and take seriously. Vicky says: ’A lot of people think showing is a waste of time but I think it’s really important because we intervened with this breed.

’We AI [artificially inseminate] our cows and it’s really important that we don’t mess it up.

’We’re breeding the best offspring we can get. We’re not just using one bull across the whole herd, we’re picking out traits of bulls to go on certain cows if they need correcting in a certain point and trying to manage it that way.’

When it comes to get ready for the big shows, the preparation begins at this time of year when they choose which animals they will be taking and Vicky has an important point to make at the outset.

She says: ’The traits that we look for when we’re showing animals are all to do with the production of milk.

’There’s a reason why every trait should be like it is, to help manage the cows and help them have a long and happy life.

’If we bred a cow that was terrible in her legs, and her udders were down by the floor, she’d have a horrible life because she’d struggle every day so it’s our responsibility to breed them as correctly as possible.’

The young calves are all living indoors at the moment so they are all well-handled and used to people.

The youngest of them wear coats, too, to keep them warm and allow the calories they eat to be used towards helping them grow.

As we arrive Vicky has just put five calves on a halter for the first time. She is not leading them anywhere yet, just leaving them tied up so they can get used it.

They are all Holsteins. In one pen, four of them are the traditional black and white and are September born. When shown in the summer they will be nearly a year old and will have grown and changed but some basic traits won’t alter so much.

Vicky points out the nearest calf in the pen. She says: ’I really like this white one here. As you can see, her top [the line along her back] is more or less straight and her hips have slight angle to them. And you don’t want them high in the pins [the prominent bones by the tail] or you get lots of problems calving.

’She’s got a really nice deep body so that means she’s got nice long ribs so she can get lots of food in. She’s nice and wide in the chest so she’s got lots of heart room and power to push in at the trough, which she needs to get in to get the silage.

’She has nice feet and legs and she’s fine in the bone. That means that she’s probably going to produce quite a bit of milk. If they’re quite thick in the bone they tend to look after themselves and not give as much milk.

’Obviously feet and legs are really important because we want them to go out and graze so they should be able to walk in and out freely.’

In another pen is a delightful little red and white Holstein calf, Avatar Mayflower. She is younger, born on November 20. According to Vicky, she has good legs, a feature that is apparent early on.

Vicky says: ’The judges really take note of the legs and how they walk because that will never change.’

The next step in their show preparation is to continue getting them used to the halter.

’We tie them up, probably three or four times, and then we’ll bring them out and start walking them and that’s when you can really tell whether it’s going to be a show calf or not,’ says Vicky.

Another decision to be made is who in the family will show which animals. Food and Farming will be back at Ballacricket Farm in future weeks to see how they are progressing.