Rewarding way of life

• Ringarooma’s Katrina and John Sykes have received a 50 year breeding award with their stud Minstonette.

By Taylor Clyne,
June 08, 2022

Held in high esteem for their cattle, Ringarooma’s Katrina and John Sykes have received a special accolade marking 50 years breeding with their stud Minstonette.

John started the jersey stud when he was just 15 years old with a cow called Bubbles, a line that he still has in the herd to this day.

“At that stage Father was still going strong with his stud so it made sense to start my own,” he said.

Katrina and John met in 1978 and married in 1981, followed by three children in the years following Jason, Jane and Mark. 

“The morning of our wedding John was laying cement in the new cow shed and the herd was calving, they’ve always come first,” she laughed.

Coming from a love of animals herself she followed in pursuit of John and his passion for breeding.

“It’s a passion we now share together,” she said.

“The cows are our life, and we don’t mind admitting to that,” John added.

Their stud has had much success over its years with some peaks including a cow named Minstonette Blackys Vicky Sixty that the pair bred and owned.

“We took her across to International Jersey Week in 2011 it’s the greatest show in Australia and there were 300 jerseys entered, she won Reserve Champion Cow and Best Udder.

“She went back two year later in 2013 and won Champion Cow and then Supreme Champion at Gippsland Fair,” John said.

Another star was Easternview Neenie who won reserve champion at the National Ayrshire Show.

“Whilst she was a great cow, she was a bit of a nuisance - she took up three bays in the horse transport going over there, three on the way back costing us over $5,000 in transport and the prize money was $80,” John laughed. 

The Sykes’ pride themselves on not just being a stud but also a profitable dairy business, jointly winning the Dairy Business of the Year Award in 2004 with the Davenports.

“We aren’t just playing around with cows and breeding cows we are working on our business successfully too.”

Over the 50 years they have reared more than 8,000 calves and take a hands-on approach to mating programs, always looking to improve with confirmation, udders and workable traits.

“I know what I’m looking for and to breed good cattle you’ve gotta know what’s good about your cow and you’ve gotta know what’s bad about your cow so you can improve.

“You have to be your biggest critic.”

Using genetics from across the globe, most recently Danish blood and New Zealand, the aim is to not just breed a show type but a cow that will pay the bills too. 

Milking 600 cows, fifty of which are Ayrshires, the story of how those came about wouldn’t surprise anyone who know the Sykes family.

“Mum wanted an Ayrshire for her fiftieth birthday,” Jane recalls.

“So, dad and I went to a sale and came home with half a dozen and a birthday card.

“The neighbour said the least we could have done was tie a bottle of perfume around the neck of one of them too,”
she laughed.

These days Jane is also heavily involved in the breeding program with 30 of her own cows in the herd.

“My best cow died this year, she was 14 years old but thankfully last winter we embryo transferred out her and got 17 A class embryos – so her legacy will continue,” she said. 

“It’s very much a family affair, my brothers and I have a great passion for cows in varying degrees.

“A good cow for us is a good cow regardless of the breed or anything
like that.

“It’s the way that she works and performs.”

The family still do a lot of showing, admitting that they are old fashioned and see the importance of showcasing their way of life to people.

“In the early 1970s we had a feature show and there were 20 exhibitors – now we are nearly the only ones competing against ourselves,” John said.

Jane adding that there is a growing disconnect between what’s considered country and city.

“There are less people and less kids getting out on farms, so the show is still the best opportunity that our primary industries have to demonstrate what we do and how we do it, and educate those who aren’t familiar with our ways,” she said. 

“We need to take the opportunity and that’s why we still take our cows otherwise they will form an opinion off something they might see on social media and that’s a scary thought.

Going forward Jane hopes that she and her brothers can continue the legacy of their parents.

“This award is a great recognition of their work and their love of cows.”

John agreed, adding that every day spent with their cows is a good day.

“I don’t mind driving around in a beaten up old car as long the cows are right and we’re doing things with them – everything will be alright,” he said.