AND THEY'RE OFF: Greenham's livestock co-ordinator Graeme Pretty and Janette Bishop with the Maine Anjou heifers.

The heifers were bred at Chris and Janette Bishop's West Inlet Maine Anjou stud near Stanley. The cost of getting the heifers to South Australia is being paid for by Greenham Tasmania.

The scholarship program is designed to give young Maine Anjou enthusiasts a start in the stud breeding game. Heifers for the program are donated by breeders each year.

Mrs Bishop said until now they had been unable to participate in the program because the cost of getting the heifers across Bass Strait had been prohibitive.

"It costs quite a lot to get them over there, so it's fantastic that Greenhams have come on board to help this year," she said.

One of the Tasmanian-bred heifers will be going to Phoebe Goodham, from Melrose.

Phoebe, who is in Year 11, lives on her family's sheep farm, so the prospect of having a Maine Anjou heifer on the property has created quite a bit of excitement.

The second heifer is going to Kate Farley, from Mount Gambier. Kate is in Year 12 and is also the South Australian Angus Youth chairperson. Her father runs the well-known Lanark Angus Stud.

Both the heifers will be broken in and shown around the state at a variety of events, including the Royal Adelaide Show.

Mrs Bishop said they were happy to be able to help with this year's scholarship program, which is aimed at promoting the breed to younger people.

The heifers are about nine months old and Mrs Bishop said she was looking forward to regular updates from the girls about how they were progressing.