The Rural Voice, 1980-01, Page 611.
Glen McNeil with Flettdale Marquis Janet, grand
champion at Italy's top Holstein show. The owners, the
Ladinas, are at left.
Supercow in Italy
Huron farmer shows top Holstein for Italian family
BY SUSAN WHITE
When Glen McNeil was four years old he showed a calf for
the first time at the Dungannon Fair. He ended up dead last in
competition, "where everybody should start", he says now with
a grin.
But the judge, perhaps to encourage a youngster whose calf
was even smaller than he was, gave Glen fifty cents "and I was
happier than the kid at the head of the line with a red ribbon."
Gien1now a 25 year old dairy farmer in partnership with his
dad in Colbourne Twp., has been showing Holsteins ever since.
In between that episode and Glen's trip with his wife Vanda
this fall to Italy where he showed the grand champion at the
biggest Holsteinshowin that country are a lot of years of learning
about the Canadian Holstein, the beast breeders and dairymen
are so proud of, the beast christened "Supercow" on a recent
CBC television special.
For a long time, as Glen tells it, he was at the end of that line
of exhibitors at shims.
Wasted time? Not at all Glen says "you learn more a2 the end
of the line than at the top." '
Just when he was getting discouraged, he gradually moved
up. Shows at Teeswater, London and eventually the Royal
followed.
When he graduated from Grade 12 in 1973 Glen made up his
PG. 4 THE RURAL VOICE/JANUARY 1980
mind to learn what he needed to know to show cattle well. He
helped his dad out on the farm but also worked for Romandale
(the well known Holstein breed;iig operation owned by Stephen
Roman which recently sold a calf for $400,000) at shows.
Glen also showed for some of the top Holstein breeders in the
province, all the time learning a bit here and there. "It doesn't
maybe sink in at the time but eventually you can put it all
together," the affable young farmer says.
Glen and Vanda, who grew up on a farm near Seaforth and
only got involved in showing after she met her husband (at a
Junior Farmers' Conference in Toronto) show their Holsteins
locally and won the premier breeder award at the recent
Tri -county Holstein show in Walkerton.
BLACK AND WHITE
Earlier this year Glen helped Thamescrest Farms._ of St
Marys get cattle ready for the big Perth County Black and Whits,
show. Thamescrel is owned by the Laduta lamily from Italy and
run by farm manager Maynard Bell.
One night in October he answered a phone call from crcole
Ladina whose first question was "uo you have passports?" They
do and when Glen got off the phone he was greeted by Vanda
with "where are we going now?" The answer, Italy, surprised
even her.:
Few people outside the Holstein business are aware of its