There are classes for calves, both bull and heifers.  The next class up is for yearlings which are under two years old and then the milking cows.

The judges look at the younger cattle to see if they will become good milking cows in the future, with good legs as they usually have to walk long distances. 

As the cattle mature, judges will look at their hips to make sure they are able to calf easily to avoid trouble and complications associated with difficult calving. 

Judges are also looking at the milking cow's mouth as it should have a good mouth to eat lots of grass and good body depth to fill with grass in order to produce more milk. 

Finally, the udder should be nice and square and even, with four nicely placed teats.

Using the criteria above the judges are able to chose those cattle that best represent what an ideal dairy cow should be and so encourage excellence within the local dairy industry.