But yesterday, before a good-sized crowd enjoying the weather at Saumarez Park, the cow classes were the smallest in the show.
There were 15 cattle entered into various classes, alongside 70 horses, 34 sheep and 16 goats.
But cows still hold a great appeal, said society secretary Liz Naftel.
‘It’s a lovely showcase for the general public to come and see and, a lot of the time, it’s the closest anybody ever gets to a cow. Which is lovely.’
All cattle being shown yesterday hailed from Mrs Naftel's farm Les Fauconnaires, Les Jaonnets, St Catherine’s, or La Petite Croute farms.
Judge Oggie Smith from the UK spent the day examining each one closely as they were walked around the judging pen by their farmers.
They were competing for 40 trophies, some more than a century old.
Mrs Naftel said that many animals were not used to be handled as they would be in the show ring.
They need to be halter-trained but with most herds being milked by machine, the cows do not need to be handled as much and are not used to it.
‘People don’t do it for the money. Honestly, the farmers do it because they enjoy showing their cows,’ said Mrs Naftel.
‘And the show is always good for the social side. It’s a nice little crowd we’ve got today.'
Included among the crowd were some visitors from residential homes across the island.
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