Most 10-year-olds do not have their own business. JEMMA JONES caught up with Ella Betts, 10, after the Royal Melbourne Show, where she took home the supreme champion title with a Murray Grey cow from her own stud.
This year’s Melbourne Royal Show will be one to remember for 10-year-old Ella Betts and her mum, Sam, who have come away with the highest of honours for their cow Peggy Bug.
In only their third appearance in a tough cattle competition, Ella’s seven-year-old Murray Grey cow has come home to Nanneella holding the ribbon for supreme champion exhibit.
Sam said achieving this was something they had previously only dreamed of.
She opened Floodway Pass, a farm for Murray Grey cattle, about 15 years ago.
When Ella was born, Sam transferred the stud into her name.
Ella has been steadily carving her path in the competitive show circuit, and Sam noted this win marked her daughter’s first major breakthrough.
“It took a while to sink in for both of us, actually,” Sam said.
“We were just ecstatic.”
Judges said Peggy Bug was a big-bodied cow, with a brilliant structure and udder, and produced a good calf — all the makings of a champion.
Peggy dominated her categories, also clinching grand champion female, senior champion female and the coveted title of best female cow over 36 months.
“The judge really liked what he saw,” Sam said.
“We wouldn’t choose any other breed than Murray Greys … they’ve just got the best temperament and (Ella) has been around them pretty much since she was born.”
Ella has been working at the stud since she could walk, with Sam gradually giving her more duties over time.
Sam said working with cattle had been instrumental in Ella working through losing her dad when she was only five.
“The paddock was just something she could look forward to, she’d spend time with her cattle,” she said.
“I don’t know how a five-year-old deals with something like that … but it seemed to really help her through that.
“The win for us has been a build-up from a pretty horrible time in our life.”
Even at 10, Ella has a passion for animals and already has her heart set on a career with cattle.
“I want to do (artificial insemination),” she said.
“It’s the only way I get to work with animals without having to put down animals at the vet.”