On The Land
10 October, 2026
Judging honour for English
ONE of the region’s most successful and long-standing dairy farmers has been named as a judge for the prestigious 2027 New Zealand Dairy Event.
Malanda’s Greg English, a fourth-generation dairy farmer, will travel across the ditch in January next year to judge the Combined Breeds section of the event which features over 300 entries across a number of categories coming from all over New Zealand, and is aimed at showcasing the best in dairy breeding and promoting best breed practices.
Greg, who owns the Eachamvale stud with his wife, Bronwyn, has a string of accolades in the Illawarra breed.
The stud has around 280-300 predominately Illawarra cows on 154 hectares. The herd includes a handful of Holsteins and Jerseys in an operation that has gained recognition over the years despite the unique challenges of farming in a sub-tropical highland climate.
Notably, the Eachamvale stud won the Brisbane Royal Show’s 2019 Supreme Champion Dairy Cow, with Eachamvale Precious 7.
“At the time, she was the first Illawarra to achieve it in 29 years, and she did it after the biggest commute – a 3500km round trip truck ride,” Greg said.
The family showed six head that year – winning two of the three individual Supreme titles (both in-milk) – including Eachamvale’s first Premier Breeder and Exhibitor for the breed.
Greg says Precious 7 recently re-calved, aged 12 years.
At this year’s Malanda Show, Eachamvale won every Supreme age title (including Supreme Intermediate and Senior Best Udder and the Supreme Pen of Three). This achievement was no mean feat given there was approximately 80-head on the grounds.
In August, the family once again won Supreme Intermediate Champion/Supreme Intermediate Best Udder at the 2026 Brisbane Royal Show with Eachamvale Kaye 27, who was also Intermediate Champion in the Queensland Illawarra On-Farm.
It will be Greg’s first trip to New Zealand when he steps out at Manfeild Park, Feilding, between 24-27 January, but it’s not the first time the family has been given the honour of judging at the event, with his nephew, Simon Tognola, judging the Jerseys in 2024.
In Australia, Greg has judged the Illawarras at the Toowoomba Royal in 2009, at the Sydney Royal Easter Show in 2018, the popular Gatton Show twice, IDW in 2020, and the Adelaide Royal Show in 2025.
And, while the family is respected for its modern Illawarra cattle, Eachamvale has extreme history and a love of exhibiting cattle as a family.
It has shown at the Malanda Show every year (with the exception of Covid restrictions) since 1916, and at the Cairns Show for 110 years.
Greg has served as the Federal vice president of the Illawarra Cattle Society of Australia, vice president of the Queensland branch, president of the Malanda Show Society, and he is a board member for the local AI Co-op.
