Expo Ball: Cows at the Espace Gruyere Confluence

On Friday, young cattle of the Flikfeh breed competed in the Expo Ball. This day, which was much quieter with the crowds, allowed the various elementary school classes to come and visit the livestock and learn more about life on the farm and the livestock competitions.

“The classes benefit from the exhibition to connect with the farm animals. We have many situations that we give them in the life of the cow. The children are less in touch with the source of their food and with their local life. Pupils from the city come here, because it is easier than if they came to our farms,” ​​explains Caroline Moudonnet, Introduction to farm school. Coming to Expo Bulle, students discover, over the course of five stops, the cow’s family, its diet, its activities, its beauty on the track, and all the dairy products made from its milk.

Among the disciples, some had never approached cows before. “The only thing I didn’t know, but everyone knew, was that cows have spots on their bodies and not just on their hair,” said one student. A rich outing for students who will taste their dairy as they remember the day.

Expo Ball, competition

For the second time in a row, event boss Patrick Reutemann decided to include the Fleckfeh cattle breed in the competition. “It’s a breed that is becoming especially important in Friborg’s French-speaking Switzerland.” But the star remains Holstein, the competition queen. If the cows remain similar in physique, the Holstein breed produces only milk, while the Fleckvieh breed produces milk and meat.

For breeders with show cows, it’s a full-time job. Throughout the year, they take care of their animals so that on the day of the competition they are in the best conditions. But this hard work is handsomely rewarded if the cow wins the prize. In fact, a cow that wins a national fair will make its produce and the products of its offspring a little more expensive to sell.