January 2020

In the barns of the Johnson family in Minnesota, a lot of high quality milk is produced. Nice results that are certainly being seen as a team performance, and which are freely shared with others. The family farm of Johnson’s Rolling Acres regularly opens its doors to the broader public. Splendid PR for the industry.

January 2020

In modern farming, environmental regulations controlling farming practices are becoming more and more restrictive in many regions of the world. Climate change and the contribution of agriculture to global warming are increasingly in the news. Finding practical ways for livestock farming to reduce its environmental impact is not only good land stewardship but is also critical for the perception of agriculture in the eyes of consumers. Manure management is singled out for special attention: Here is an additive displaying unique potential.

January 2020

In 2017 Australia became the first country to publish genetic evaluations for Heat Tolerance. At first glance it would seem that a trait such as Heat Tolerance would really only be of importance in hot or tropical countries – after-all, don’t we already have evaluations for too many traits on our proof lists already? Perhaps you should think again. Here are some reasons why Heat Tolerance proofs should be valuable in all major dairy countries.

January 2020

Picture a glass of JERSEY milk… rich & creamy! Picture a glass of GUERNSEY milk… golden & flavorful! Now, picture a glass of HOLSTEIN milk… nothing coming to mind yet?! Watery & white. Why is it that the lesser breeds can promote their milk… while Holstein milk is not known for its exceptionality?

January 2020

Throughout the Holstein world there are many, many examples of highly successful cows and cow families that have been established from animals exported from North America. However, here is a cow family imported to North America that is now tasting big-time success.

January 2020

A Rubicon daughter is one of the most appreciated progeny proven bulls in recent years. She herself was the 18th VG/EX in a row, descending from the same bloodline that provided foundation sire Mtoto. The four-year-old Pen-Col Rubicon Beth has an impressive foundation. Not surprisingly then, ABS Global harvested four sires of sons out of her. In the meantime, her breeders Dennis and Josey Wolff are obtaining remarkable results with Beth’s niece Pen-Col Modest Bernita.

January 2020

An average production of 10,756 kg (23,715 lb.) milk with 4.43% fat and 3.62% protein, average type of nearly 86 points and 16 cows that surpassed the milestone of 100,000 kg (220,000 lb.); the 74-head milking herd of Jan Thomas Vos in the northern Dutch province of Groningen is among the best in the country. This is an all-round outstanding herd based on deep, homebred cow families and they have their own unique breeding strategy. The two cows in the picture serve as examples.

January 2020

Back in the early 1990s Richard Charles’s family had a non-pedigree, commercial herd. However being a young, enthusiastic Holstein fan, the pedigree world was a new avenue Richard wanted to explore. Rather than buying a pedigree cow from an established family, amongst the herd at that time there was one cow, a stronger sort of cow, that Richard had...

January 2020

Jay and Jack Hein had to drive quickly straight through their home state of Ohio, arriving just on time at the sale of Doug Dye. There Jay and son Jack purchased the heifer Quality-Quest Fancifire. ‘She was black, had a splendid thin hide and looked fantastic,’ explains Jay. More than eight years later, their enthusiasm has only increased. ‘Fancifi...

January 2020

Udder quality is at an exceptionally high level, there are no cows with poor feet & legs, and the herd average is currently 10,600 kg (23,370 lb.) with 4.30% fat and 3.50% protein. Splendid results from focused sire selection and working with strong cow families, with the M family which makes up more than 50% of the herd leaving a definitive stamp.

January 2020

Thrulane James Rose, Loyalyn Goldwyn June and Bruynland Storm Kendra: Three 97-point cows that are just a few of the many great cows that have come from the Pierstein barn. Here we talk to the mastermind behind them – Pierre Boulet.

January 2020

The Jeffrey-Way herd in Wisconsin is a great type herd... cows with capacity, balance and size, great udders, big records and high lifetime production. Their famous “T” family has sent bulls into AI around the world for decades and continues to dominate this impressive herd.

January 2020

The last couple of months have been especially exciting for Marc Comtois, of Comestar Holsteins at Victoriaville, Quebec, Canada. In December he learned that he was voted Nr.1 in HI’s prestigious competition for the Most Influential Holstein Breeder of the Past 25 Years. (The results from this competition were published in HI’s recent December issue.) Just prior to that, Marc was officially inducted into the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame, recognizing his contributions to Canadian agriculture. Time to speak to this famous Canadian breeder.

January 2020

Currently AOT Silver Helix reigns supreme as the Nr.1 TPI daughter-proven sire in the US following his breakthrough in August of 2019. His maternal sister AOT Salvatore Hiccup is the dam of the Nr.1 and 2 genomic red bulls of the breed, AOT Helium-Red and AOT Happy Hour-Red. Brothers AOT Highjump and AOT Hawkeye are listed among the top ranks on the genomic bull list and are out of former Nr.1 CTPI cow Cookiecutter Habitan, a slightly different branch of the Halo family. It’s time for a visit with the people behind AOT Genetics.

January 2020

With 2727 TPI based on 1776 daughters, Duke has well surpassed his DNA index. The greatest influence of the Montross son is being felt in Canada. Good components, besides lots of milk, in combination with plenty of dairy strength are his most prominent success factors. As such, Duke has emerged as a figurehead from the influential Roylane Shot Mindy family.

January 2020

Most likely Jocko will never lose this status: the most popular Holstein bull in French history. After all, no other French bull has ever passed the milestone of one million doses of semen sold – but Jocko did so with a lot of enthusiasm and even reached 1,730,000 doses sold! Which puts him in the top-8 of the world’s most sold bulls for all time. Thanks to this popularity, Jocko received unprecedented influence. How was he bred? Through the instinct of two passionate breeders, father Joseph and son Gildas Fertil. They composed the pedigree of this super millionaire cleverly and deliberately. Gildas shared the details with HI.

January 2020

Whilst the start of the reigning Nr.1 gTPI sire, AltaZazzle’s pedigree story begins over 20 years ago with the legendary brood-cow Windsor-Manor Rud Zip – his modern-day narrative starts just two generations back, when Silver-daughter Bru-Dale Zeronica (photo) was purchased by Peak Genetics. Jon Schefers (Peak) explains: ‘Zeronica was what I call a...

January 2020

The Dutch company CRV the selection for fat and protein has a long tradition. We could present an entire team of sires, but there is good reason that Martin is the one selected. Afterall, with the Etazon Renates he has one of the best production families in the breed behind him. Via a VG-86 Penley and a VG-86 Boss, the Adorable son goes back to a V...

January 2020

In Italy, Westcoast Perseus (Penmanship-Doorman) is successful as a sire of sons: the list of top-25 DNA-tested sires includes no less than five Perseus sons. One of them is the popular Pess-Farm Faletti, who thanks to a gain of 168 gPFT points in December, reached the Italian top-10 with 4304 gPFT. In addition, he displays tremendous balance in hi...

December 2019

Fustead Rubicon Lavon was a finalist in the 2019 Global Cow competition. Her sons include the popular Frazzled son Solution and the Superhero sons Nacash (France), Superday (Germany) and Lavonte (US). Her success should not be a surprise as she is backed by a cow family that has supplied a number of bulls to AI.

December 2019

I/S Hedelund, a dairy enterprise in the northern Danish Aalestrup, made a flying start in the 1970s with the use of the ground-breaking German bull Pabst Ideal. More than 40 years later, the Christensen family provided VH Crown. From this two-year-old Charley son in Scandinavia, VikingGenetics has already sold 39,000 doses, including 8,000 sexed doses. Beyond Scandinavia, Crown is also popular. The milk and udder specialist out of the fantastic Hedelund Silver 4442 EX-91 is one of just a few bulls in Germany to test above 160 gRZG.

December 2019

Spectacular type, the red colour and polled...the descendants of Luck-E Advent Asia now fulfill a number of niche markets and appeal to an ever widening cross section of breeders. Here is the background of the exciting “A” family.

December 2019

With 23 EX daughters in Holstein USA’s data base, Windy-Knoll-View Promis is one of the absolute phenomenon of the Holstein breed. An unprecedented performance, which at the same time makes it impossible to cover all of the family lines within a single article. As such, we provide a brief overview of all the EX daughters (in table) and a sampling of the numerous highlights provided by Promis offspring during the past two decades.

December 2019

She is a cow that makes the mouth water and her pedigree likely does the same for many experienced Holstein fans. The cow we are presenting on this page is Lohmann’s Elly-Lilly, born in 2011. So far, nothing special has been said. A fantastically balanced Holstein, who was made EX-90 by the classifier after her 6th calving and has clearly earned ev...

December 2019

Don Bennink of No-Fla Holsteins in Florida has a clear vision which guides his breeding in his over 10,000 head herd: his ideal cow has a slightly below average size, has good production with high components and is convincing especially for important health traits like fertility. The consistency with which Bennink breeds has already produced severa...

December 2019

Although the Jones family are now into their third generation dairy farming in South Wales, it is arguably their achievements in recent years that have drawn the most attention. Earning two of the UK’s most prestigious breeding accolades, find out why Feithy Holsteins is considered to be one of the best herds in Britain.

December 2019

Slowly but surely, gains are being made by polled within international Holstein breeding. In the one country (including Germany) notably quicker than the other. There are now farmers that are striving for a 100% genetically polled herd. Like the herd of Scea Leroy Frères in France. Christian Leroy shares about experiences within his 70-head dairy enterprise, and his search for sufficient diversity of bloodlines.

December 2019

They reigned supreme during Finland’s National Show last summer in Okra. Vanhatalon Holsteins won all the champion titles for the milking animals, and provided a fantastic Grand Champion with Grace-Charmaine. Every reason then for a visit to the 110-head dairy herd owned by the Vanhatalo family, where, by the way, not only show bulls are in charge. Production is also receiving lots of attention, as is a healthy balance in the cows.

December 2019

The arrival of genomics brought a world of change to the bull breeding side of the industry. Welcome is one herd that adapted seamlessly and continues to send a significant number of bulls to AI. Over the years, bulls such as Garter, Pennymaker, Petrone and Tango, and more recently Montross, Modesty and Thonmaker, have been products of the breeding program at Welcome Stock Farm.

December 2019

Bronze for Hanover-Hill. Silver for Regancrest. And now, in this December issue of HI, follows the gold medal: for Comestar Holsteins in Quebec, Canada! Is it a coincidence that gold goes to the herd with the most millionaires world-wide? No, to the contrary. With its four millionaires (including one super-millionaire, Comestar Lee) Comestar has impacted dairy farms the world over. Remarkable: all four descend from the same cow – Comestar Laurie Sheik. Also via the female line, she exerts a large influence on our planet. Here is the herd that was selected by HI readers world-wide as the most influential breeder during the past 25 years: Comestar!

December 2019

The beauty of the Holstein breed is that it offers so much diversity. Here we investigate the breeding tactics of four breeders with differing goals.

December 2019

Anyone who interprets breeding in a traditional manner thinks of the selection of one sire for one cow. Of course, this approach is not outdated. But it is competing with a breeding strategy that does not revolve around single cow but keeps the whole herd in mind. And with that the tools change which farms use to improve their genetics and profitability. At the same time, such breeding strategies are based primarily on the professional use of IVF programs. Tom Mercuro, breeder and veterinarian in the USA, is intimately involved with the process as an employee of Trans Ova Genetics. His perspective and views of the future are more than fascinating.

December 2019

Of the current top-15 progeny proven bulls in Spain, ten are owned by Xenética Fontao. In the DNA list, they even have a share of 12 of the 15 highest sires, with the Gymnast son Guay as the first bull ever to surpass 5000 gICO. HI travelled to Galicia, spoke with those responsible for this success, and came eye-to-eye with the popular Spanish DNA topper.

December 2019

Vander Woude Dairy is based at Merced, California, and for the last seven years they have been using beef semen on part of their Holstein herd. Owner Simon Vander Woude shares details of their experience.

December 2019

We all know colostrum and pre-weaning nutrition is important for calf vitality, but how much does it impact a cow’s long-term milking career? Here we explore recent research to find out just how important it is.

December 2019

The Nr.1 bull in the Netherlands and the Nr.1 bull in Germany: Bouw Rocky is creating waves as a sire of sons! Rocky, compared to Finder and Snowfever, is not one of the most talked about names from the Bouw Goldwyn Femmy family (HI 06/16). Nevertheless, from North America to Oceania, the European Shamrock son already has 11,000 milking daughters who stand out for lifetime production due to lots of late maturity and outstanding longevity. Rocky provides a robust Holstein that is appreciated by many farmers.

December 2019

Until now, S-S-I Renegade was only available from his owners Select Sires through the NxGEN program and produced an impressive 55 sons for that breeding program. Now, as his early and pretty impressive daughters are coming into the age bracket for IVF and ET, the Outcross Sire of the Year 2019 will be openly available. And that is good news for dairy farmers and breeders around the world, as Renegade could have a really special influence on the population.

December 2019

Okay, even Axl, the young King Royal son from the Jetstream program, could have a slightly better rump angle (-0.47). But along with short teats and a slightly straight leg angle all of his weaker points are covered. On the other hand, he has an impressive profile of dairy strength, top udders, good feet, thoroughly positive fitness values as well...

December 2019

‘Alligator has always been very popular; every dose that he produced, is sold. That happened even before his official index, and his popularity has only grown since his successful daughter proof,’ tells Mike West from Semex about the Kingboy son of Stantons Agree, the VG-88 McCutchen daughter, who via Observer and Bolton descends from Shottle desce...

December 2019

Twitch is the nr.1 gTPI son of Helix, since August, the progeny proven leader in the US. The more than two-year-old STgenetics bull displays an all-round high and attractive profile and via the milky MS Farnear Trudy Thyme VG-86 (Delta-Uno-Observer-Boliver) is supported by Ronelee Outside Dabble. ‘Thyme was a big strong cow with a good udder and gr...

December 2019

‘At Global AG Alliance, we believe that we have won the “jackpot” with this sire.’ Speaking is Wout van der Goot about the nr.1 bull on Global’s NM line-up: Pine-Tree Jackpot with 953 NM$ (2659 gTPI). ‘We purchase at least 50% of our bulls from the Steiners at Pine-Tree. I believe in their breeding program and philosophy. In my opinion, it is one o...

November 2019

The Dafné family from Gaec du Moulin Trefoux in the west of France is well-known for fine shows results, females with high potential and high breeding values from new sires. Now, since a couple of months, the polled bull Olstar-P is the new icon of this outstanding family!

November 2019

The Roz family at Siemers Holsteins in Wisconsin has become one of the top performers on the genomic scene. A finalist in this year’s Global Cow competition is Siemers Delta S-Roz-Ann, a great grand-daughter of foundation cow Cherry Crest Manoman Roz. The family often appears on high genomic lists and continues to send bulls to AI.

November 2019

This story comes without any reference to high-testing and intensively used sons or grandsons. Without high genomic values. Without bull dams. And nonetheless this is the story of one of the best breeding cows there is in Europe: Mox Kite Maryrose EX-90. The now 14-year-old Red Holstein has produced over 100 embryos in her career and among her more than 60 direct offspring there are world-class daughters, like Mox Talent Mandy EX-95 or Joyboy Minapolis EX-91. And the Maryrose story is far from complete.

November 2019

Holstein International first contacted Murray Polson from Australia this summer for some information about his cow Mario Park Goldwyn Alicia (for July’s CowCountry). We expected to obtain some brief notes, but instead we gathered a novel! Immediately we knew this cow deserved more coverage… Here is the full page she deserves!

November 2019

While we were travelling for several stories two years ago in Austria, we had the opportunity to visit a special operation. The host on this lovely morning at the end of august 2017 was Thomas Riegler. Thomas, who operates a farm in the Styria region with his family, is fond of high conformation, long-lasting cows, and he has been pretty successful...

November 2019

It all goes back to the 2009 International Intrigue sale where a cow sold with a package for a monumental $1.5 million. That cow is now one of the modern-day legends of the breed: Regancrest Chassity. Whilst there are many successful branches from this line of the Barbie family, the line from Chassity’s Baxter-daughter Ms Chassity Baxt Chablis EX-90 is writing its own piece of history.

November 2019

During the Sale of Stars 2018, a 50% share in the EX-94 Lauthority daughter Bons-Holsteins Koba 219 was sold for C$47,000 to Westcoast Holsteins. Embryos from the cow family have now left for buyers in 14 different countries. The Bons-Holsteins Kobas, which have already been milked for 75 years by the Bons family in the Dutch Alblasserwaard, now enjoy global renown.

November 2019

She did it again. For the second time after 2016, the 15-year-old Swiss exceptional phenomenon Suard-Red Jordan Irene EX-97 was crowned World Champion. What more is there to tell about a cow which, thanks to a record classification, countless show successes, extremely desired sons and highly talented daughters and granddaughters, has been in the spotlight for more than ten years? Really, everything has been said about Irene. But that does not make her lifetime’s body of work less impressive. Compacted into one page is a story that has never been told in the history of Red Holstein breeding.

November 2019

Standing out on the TPI list of the highest and also the most reliable bulls is View-Home Monterey, who is the only transmitter with >3.00 PTAT. One of the 6466 classified daughters that contributes to his 3.20 PTAT and 2472 TPI (#33) is Al-Lew Ashley 1346. Bred by Scott Sollenberger in Pennsylvania out of a Mogul-Domain-Shottle (8 generations EX;...

November 2019

‘She was my once in a lifetime cow,’ begins Cameron Hickling of the Master Breeder Hicklee herd in Ontario. Hicklee Dundee Glow EX-93 produced over 100,000kg (220,000lb), consistently calved every March for 11 lactations and lived till she was 13-years-old. Yes: She certainly was a once in a lifetime cow! Glow’s family started at Hicklee with the p...

November 2019

It can be heard regularly, that it is all about the nr.1, the winner. Well, let us immediately state that this is certainly not the case for HI’s current breeders’ competition. It must be said that all breeders who reached the top-10 have provided an eminent achievement – each in their own way. A top-10 position acquired thanks to the many votes of HI readers. For the highest three positions – bronze, silver and gold – the title “phenomenal” is fitting. Last month, we saw Hanover-Hill capture bronze, and now silver goes to Regancrest. Right: a breeding enterprise which has made a phenomenal contribution to the breed.

November 2019

In the genomic era, the breeding of AI bulls has become very specialized. In North America, apart from the 4 main bull-stud programs which between them supply 40-50% of AI bulls, there are 12-15 breeders who supply significant numbers of bulls to the major AI sampling programs. Most of these are large scale operations with lots of embryo recipients, and a number are new herd prefixes to the Holstein breeding world. Here we profile one of those new names, T-Spruce from Minnesota, now with more than 40 bulls in AI.

November 2019

With “Libramont 2019”, the European Show returned to Belgium after 15 years. During this event, the prominent Belgian breeding herd Bois Seigneur opened their doors. Several hundred visitors took advantage of the invitation and viewed dozens of beautiful descendants from one of the most illustrious Canadian cow families ever. Welcome to Bois Seigneur owned by the Pussemier family, which for 30 years has been the source of Comestar Laurie Sheik breeding lines in Europe.

November 2019

It’s time to dry cow #374, a Supershot daughter that’s still milking 88lb (40kg). But, it feels wrong. Why? For generations, we have carefully coordinated the breeding program to enhance her ability to give loads of milk. She has been carefully raised to be healthy, from calfhood to freshening. Her ration during this lactation is designed to push her to maximum genetic potential expression of milk. She’s been bred and fed to milk... then we try to tell her STOP. This is tough. Tough on #374’s routines. Tough on the herdsman. Tough on her in-utero calf. Is there a way around this?

November 2019

The idea of writing about micronutrients in our management series is not something that came on a whim. The current discussion about climate change and increasing the efficiency of feed conversion in order to decrease the emission of greenhouse gases by the livestock sector, and the political and societal pressure to forego the use of antibiotics in animal feeds, have brought increased attention to micronutrients. But regardless whether talking about an increase in production or improved immunity, micronutrients are not simply micronutrients. The correct selection and combination are decisive.

November 2019

It started as a boyhood dream. Cousins Lowell and Jared Martin went to school and church together, and regularly shared ideas about their passion of cows and breeding. They often threw the idea around of making a bull stud, but it wasn’t until 2010 when genomics started to gain momentum that they started to think about it more closely. Jared explains: ‘When genomics began to impact the industry, we felt the market was moving away from what we thought was important – long-living cows made from balanced matings.’ Deciding to act, their dream slowly became a reality when Lowell’s brother bred Wyn-Lys Norman Jesh EX-94, a Stormin Norman-son from a VG-86-2yr Durham with the unique aAa code 642. Jesh was their ticket into the AI business and two enthusiastic teenagers began putting their ambitions into action. ‘Things went surprising well for us at the start and we began travelling around selling semen to breeders in our area,’ describes Jared. And so Triple-Hil Sires begun…

November 2019

Beef-on-Dairy, the use of beef sires on (part) of the dairy herd, is a global phenomenon. In North America, Beef-on-Dairy has been the most significant development during the past five years. After earlier publications in February and April, HI is again focussing attention on this important topic. Besides management considerations, like sire selection and semen quality, successful use of Beef-on-Dairy also requires a look beyond. Meeting the high quality requirements of growers is crucial to success over the long term.

November 2019

With a jump of 162 TPI points, AOT Silver Helix stormed to the top of the TPI list in August. The Silver son from the Halo family combines big-time production with positive fertility and calving traits and a solid type profile.

November 2019

Apprentice has already left his mark on the breed, especially via his sons such as the wildly popular red bull Swingman. Apprentice was bred by an investor group Endeavour Genetics (Endco) of Illinois. The red carrier Kingboy son is from a VG Supersire backed by a VG Alchemy sister to Apple. ‘His daughters are very functional dairy cows with set to...

November 2019

With two sons in the progeny proven top-10, the German bull dam KNS Reality VG-86 is meeting expectations in Italy. Her Balisto son Brasileiro (3398 PFT) stands out with high milk transmitting. Comedy, Reality’s Commander son, debuted in August (103 daughters) with a nice all-round profile, including high components (+0.32% +0.27%). Comedy, unlike...

November 2019

For more than a year IPS of the USA has been offering their Tobin son Chile-PP on the international market and the demand for the homozygous polled sire, who goes back to Brandt-View BWM Wendy VG-88 via Powerball-Castaway-Codie-O-Man, is high enough to make him one of the top-sellers at the company. Chile is indeed a special sire, which is not only...

November 2019

In April, he had insufficient daughters (30). But by August, the number had risen to 138 head and he was able to storm onto America’s TPI top-30: Wet Tatum Mitchell, owned by Select Sires - good for 2625 TPI and +3.10 type. He is a son of Tatum (Uno-Colby) out of Ms Delicious Mojo VG-89, a Mogul daughter of “Global Cow 2018”, Miss Delicious. ‘When...

October 2019

Master-Breeder award in 2015

October 2019

In the 1970’s, Glenridge Citation Roxy EX-97 emerged as one of the great cows of the breed, eventually going on to be acclaimed as the Queen of the Breed and the Cow of the Century. Her 21 daughters consisted of 17 EX and 4 VG. Today the Roxy name is revered throughout the Holstein community, with Brigeen-C Integrit Robin EX-95 and her 29 EX daughters helping to build that dazzling reputation.

October 2019

After years of absence, Brent and Kim Mitchell from Victoria immediately captured the Intermediate title with Mitch Aftershock Irene at Australia’s national show (IDW) in 2017. Two years later they were successful again: Mitch Chipper Beauty-Red was selected as the Red Holstein Grand Champion. Beauty-Red is jointly owned by the Mitchells and TPM Ho...

October 2019

‘The most prominent qualities of this family are capacity and strength. The cows have outstanding frames with tremendous capacity, strength through the loins, and wide rumps. And they are furnished with strongly attached and splendidly veined udders, and quality feet & legs with a good leg set.’ Speaking is Brad Hulshof from Hulsdale Farms in Canad...

October 2019

Ardylbar has been a prominent name on the Holstein scene in Queensland over recent decades. Down through the years a regular supply of show champions has come from the Ardylbar herd. Continuing that record in the face of the current record-breaking drought is no mean feat.

October 2019

‘It is not easy to be a cow here.’ Those are the words spoken in unison by mother Jeanette and daughter Amanda Sjöland. ‘We namely require everything from them: we want them to produce a lot, but also that they look good.’ The high standards, maintained for several years, have led to a high quality herd close to the Swedish town of Hörby. For years already, 140 Holsteins have produced an average of about 11,500 kg (25,300 lb). At the same time, the type level remains high: for many years already they stand out with an average above 85 points. In addition, there are regularly stars of a national calibre: in 2012, their JB Affirmed Donna K became the Swedish National Champion, while last year their JB Meteor Gerd became the National Reserve Champion. Logically then, JB Holsteins is a powerful name in Swedish Holstein breeding.

October 2019

Steve Buschur from Plain-Knoll Holsteins in Ohio is not only a very friendly man, but also someone who approaches Holstein breeding very progressively. For example, at a very early stage, he began using genomics extensively, they were closely involved with the female breeding program at Select Sires, and each year about 100 IVP/ET sessions are conducted in his own facility. All of that brought success. For example, Plain-Knoll Magnitude is in the top-10 gTPI, while conformation topper Plain-Knoll King Royal is one of the most talked about progeny proven sires: Thanks in large measure to the Mirror family.

October 2019

Quite soon after the nomination of the 100 candidates for this competition, a reader posed the following question: “Hanover-Hill… is it not too old for this competition? Does their influence not precede this competition?” The best answer to this question now comes collectively from HI readers, who voted en masse for Hanover-Hill. After all, this remarkable breeding herd – in its best days, likely the world’s most celebrates breeding enterprise – obtains a fantastic third place in this competition. Not surprisingly, with truly legendary transmitters like Hanoverhill Starbuck, Inspiration and Triple Threat-Red, its influence – certainly during the beginning – of the past 25 years is immense. Here we present a rough sketch of Hanover-Hill’s influence. Because a complete report would require many more pages!

October 2019

This month our management series looks at different equipment now available for the on-farm handling of milk. Under many circumstances, the chilling of milk before it enters the milk tank is now the most efficient option. And as with other aspects of farming, the technology of using sensors to electronically monitor the cleaning and operation of your milking system is now widely available too.

October 2019

The industry is on the cusp of a new revolution in dairy cattle breeding – the selection for feed conversion efficiency. While this trait has been prominent in poultry and pig breeding for many years, and has become a significant element in beef cattle selection, it is now set to become main-stream in dairy cattle breeding too.

October 2019

One judge, one vet, one classifier and one breeder help us understand what their ideal cow looks like, and the problems the breed needs to overcome to achieve the ideal cow.

October 2019

Clinical and subclinical milk fever are very costly. They incur not only direct economic losses, but also open the “door” to other illnesses. Health and fertility problems increase and longevity decreases. Especially the number of cases of subclinical (invisible) milk fever is strongly underestimated. Statistics from the field indicate that more than 70% of cows contend with it. Nutrition experts are looking for solutions to prevent calcium shortages around calving by modifying the ration during the dry period and adding anionic salts.

October 2019

A keen eye for development in the dairy industry: That is one of the most prominent core qualities of the Dutch company Bles Dairies. With lots of passion and driven by a rich family tradition, founder Henk Bles, together with his employees, contributes internationally in a variety of ways to the dairy industry. ‘Wherever in the world cows are being milked, I feel at home.’

October 2019

With numerous Frazzled sons and daughters featuring on high genomic lists, the daughter-based proof of this Josuper son was highly anticipated: Quite a lot depended on Frazzled maintaining his genomic numbers. Now the wait is over. He has landed at Nr.4 on the TPI charts.

October 2019

Supersire son Uecker Josuper sits at Nr.10 on the TPI charts with three sons ranked ahead of him: Frazzled, Rowdy and Raiden. His all important trait of massive milk production has resulted in seven sons all ranked in the TPI top-30 for daughter-proven sires... and his highest scoring sons are only now entering the system!

October 2019

In the French August release, three early sons debuted in the top-15. Among them were leader Oken and runner-up Ozy JBT. Molenkamp KP Carter himself has been unabatedly high on the gISU list for two years. Given his popularity and the high DNA results of his descendants, Carter is becoming very influential in France and beyond. Special: the Kingpin son, bred from the Beachlawn Bell Cleitus Pro line that earlier provided the French type specialist Gelpro, definitively found his AI destiny when he was 20 months old.

October 2019

No matter what you think of line-breeding, it worked for Canada’s Nr.1 gLPI sire S-S-I Biggelo, as the Delroy-son features the O-Man Mirror family on both sides of his pedigree. Although Biggelo’s dam died prior to calving, his granddam is a GP-83-3yr Montross who produced 35,650lb (16,171kg) milk in her last 305-day lactation (3rd). Behind her is...

October 2019

Combining the Lila Z family through his sire Westcoast Lighthouse (Spring-Distinction) with the Barbie family through his dam Walnutlawn Abbott Bree VG-85-2yr, already the high-conformation sire Walnutlawn Bridgestone attracts attention. As the Nr.25 Conformation sire he comes with a well-rounded type proof – but an interesting quality about his li...

October 2019

In his debut on a daughter-proven basis in August he was able to celebrate being one of the most noteworthy newcomers with his 2612 TPI (428 daughters). Nonetheless, the gap to the top remained large. The list-leader AOT Helix is almost 200 points higher. At least in the USA. In other countries the picture looks a lot different. In neighbouring Can...

October 2019

He is new in America’s progeny proven type top-10, holding 6th place, with no less than +3.48 PTAT. With 2525 TPI, he is the highest total transmitter in the top-10. We are talking about Wilra Harvest (Monterey-Uno), descending from the successful family of Wilra Ramos 598 EX-90. As mentioned already, Harvest is not only a top type bull. This ABS g...

September 2019

The Kathy family at Penn-Dell is built around a daughter-dam pair of 94-point cows that have both been Grand Champion at their county fair. Further back in the pedigree we find a number of successful bull dams. Here is the Kathy family from Pennsylvania.

September 2019

In 2013 she won the Quebec People’s Choice Cow of the Year title: Lehoux Goldwyn Ruby is a 20 star brood cow with 7 EX and 23 VG daughters and produced over 100,000kg of milk lifetime. And she is backed by a very deep and successful cow family too.

September 2019

Although we are now nearly 30 years on from when Castelverde Chief Mark Susy EX-97 was born, her genetics have not got old. In the Castelverde herd her genetics are as relevant as ever. Here we discover why…

September 2019

Don Mayer in Wisconsin has such confidence in Catamount’s genetics, in three years he would like 75% of his 55-cow Mayerlane herd to be from her family. Every calf born from the family has a big pedigree, and most recently Don discovered that he had a line with nice genomics too… Catamount is a third generation EX-94 cow; she is out of an EX-94 Dam...

September 2019

With 800 milking and dry cows, the dairy of John Koster (JMK Holsteins) is clearly below the average size in Texas (1343 cows), making it the fifth state for milk production in the US. ‘Compared to farms in the West, I am just a small player… I prefer to manage cows rather than people,’ says a laughing Koster, who engagingly shares about the fascinating history of his enterprise, and makes us enthusiastic about his outstanding and remarkably uniform herd.

September 2019

With six finalists, including the Grand Champion, as well as the best herd group Raunhøj Dairy had a sensational performance during the Danish National Show. A visit with the Therkildsen was already scheduled. Thanks to the combination of 22 years of organic farming, and an average of 11,300 kg milk per cow, the Raunhøj herd offers special insight into the future potential of a likely growing portion of the Holstein population.

September 2019

Suddenly he appeared: Oxterril. With +218 gISU (index release 4/2019) one of the very highest in the French index round. With a relatively unknown sire (Surgeon, more about him later) and a virtually unknown maternal line. However, definitely not unknown to the breeders of the bull, Gilles and Hervé Guerin! This maternal line has performed splendidly for years on the dairy where the Guerins are the third generation to manage this farm. And the cow family? It has already been active for 13 generations in the Du Terril herd. Or… in the Du Terril barn? No, primarily in the pastures around the barn, because weather permitting, they pasture 10 months a year here. Travel along with us to the southern part of Brittany.

September 2019

Here we are! We have arrived at the top-4, and thus the quartet of HI reader’s highest ranking breeders during the last 25 years. In this HI issue, we announce number four… and likely no one is surprised that this position is claimed by De-Su Holsteins, the breeding enterprise of the Meyer family in the American state of Iowa. Especially during the past 10 years, the De-Su prefix has intensively dominated global Holstein breeding; elsewhere in this article we will mention their numerous bulls. When HI published an extensive report about De-Su in December 2012 – 5 pages long – we received responses for several months thereafter; all over the world, people were impressed with Darin Meyer’s strategy. We called him the “king of genomics”, because he made use of the genomics concept so quickly and effectively. The title is still fitting.

September 2019

Todd Stanek did not grow up with registered Holsteins: He was already an adult before he caught the passion for cattle breeding. Recently at this year’s National Holstein Convention he proudly accepted recognition as a 40-year member of the Holstein Association. Here he looks back at the journey involved in the development of Our-Favorite Holsteins, based 10 miles from Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

September 2019

When our photographer Christine Massfeller was asked if she would be able to take a picture at the Kleemann family farm in Germany, the request itself was already unique. The Kleemanns’ did not just want to photograph one or two cows, but they wanted to prepare eleven cows for the photoshoot! And not some young animals with lots of potential from their 135-head herd, but the oldest and highest-producing cows in the herd. The results can be seen here. A picture as a tribute. A representation of the breeding goal for the breed.

September 2019

Progressively, more and more breeders are paying attention to management traits. The reason is the impact they have on farm profitability. Chief among these traits is longevity: If an animal does well for all the other traits then it should add up to a long expected lifetime. Here we examine the sources of data and the evaluation methods used worldwide in coming up with these expected lifetime predictions.

September 2019

At the Genetics Conference 2019, Dr. Mike Lohuis, Vice President of Research and Innovation at Semex, based in Guelph, Canada, presented a 10-Year report card on genomics. Lohuis started his career in the mid 80s as a sire analyst with the bull stud Eastern Breeders before returning to University of Guelph to earn a PhD. After 5 years of research and teaching he left to join Monsanto, where his work involved using genomics in their dairy and pig breeding programs, then later in plant breeding. In 2017 he returned to Guelph to take up his current position at Semex. Here is his “Report Card” on the use of genomics in the first 10 years.

September 2019

At Cogent in Great Britain, they had to bid farewell to a popular favourite in their sire facility: Cogent Twist. And… Twist was not only a favourite among his caretakers, but also of many dairy farmers world-wide. Which explains why with a lifetime total of >700,000 doses, he became the most used sire ever at Cogent. ‘Twist semen has been sold to...

September 2019

On first glance, it is the all-around positive values for all management and health traits that grab attention. Additionally, there is the good heritability for production and proper conformation with great udders. We are talking about a bull who is no longer alive and of whom there is only limited semen still available, but who since august is the...

September 2019

No matter what you think of line-breeding, it worked for Canada’s Nr.1 gLPI sire S-S-I Biggelo, as the Delroy-son features the O-Man Mirror family on both sides of his pedigree. Although Biggelo’s dam died prior to calving, his granddam is a GP-83-3yr Montross who produced 35,650lb (16,171kg) milk in her last 305-day lactation (3rd). Behind her is...

August 2019

At +4.82 for type, Schur-Vu Undenied Neon is a standout among young genomic bulls. He’s the kind that creates excitement among type enthusiasts everywhere. The source behind this impressive type specialist is his grand-dam, the successful show cow Sunnyside Nelly Atwood. Here is her story.

August 2019

In the All-New Zealand photo competition, the Ohaka-based Sherraine herd won all 3 milking classes. And testament to this 180-cow herd’s breeding, two of these cows were from Sherraine’s homebred “C” family, which represents around 25% of the herd. Sherraine is run by Peter and Rhonda Sherriff, and their daughter Olivia and husband Jared Cahill. Al...

August 2019

Ladd was the first polled bull used by Casey Jones on his family farm Scenery-View Farm in Pennsylvania. The results are noteworthy; within two generations Scenery-View Crackup (Simplicity-Silver) was bred; in early 2019 as the female Nr.1 PP-Red in the world, sold to Progenesis for $42,000. Her grand-dam, the four-year-old Ladd daughter Scenery-Vi...

August 2019

We couldn’t have found a more ideal herd for our Red Review issue: Or a much better herd either. Do you know a dairy farm in your neighborhood where exclusively red-and-white Holsteins are milked? And in addition a herd that is overrun with deep cow families, genomically interesting bull dams and high-quality show cows? No? Then accompany us to one of the coldest locations in Switzerland and to one of the country’s best Red Holstein breeders. Welcome at Sibéria Holsteins, the herd of Denis and Jérémy Huguenin.

August 2019

Through an intensive ET programme, the American Pheasant-Echos herd continues to build a solid type foundation. So far, this strategy has earned them a World Dairy Expo Grand Champion… Here we find out more!

August 2019

Some top breeders garner a lot of respect for the influential bulls that they have bred and that have left their stamp globally. Such as Sandy-Valley, who appeared in HI last month. Other breeders gain a lot of respect through their success in the show ring with deep, homebred families, thus inspiring enthusiasts around the world. A notable example of this is Ferme Jacobs, who with several generations of homebred elite show cows, were able to earn a position in the top-10 of most influential breeders during the past 25 years. How did that all start for Ferme Jacobs in Quebec, Canada? Here follows the words of the pioneer and founder of Ferme Jacobs: Leo Jacobs.

August 2019

For generations the breed has been working to reduce calving interval length. The quicker a cow becomes pregnant again, the better the economics. There is a global consensus on this point. But is this breeding goal still practical? In times of ever increasing production? In times where the high-risk time around calving is viewed as the main determinant on a cows economic viability? In times where calves are decreasing in value and replacements are being procured with sexed semen? We found a breeder who has a different definition for what the ideal calving interval should be. His theses, which are now also supported by science, seem to be convincing. A meeting with Gerd Karch in Germany.

August 2019

In the article “The Background and Future of the Most Significant Red Holstein Populations” in HI’s Red Review issue 08/2018, the decreasing number of Red Holstein inseminations in the Netherlands was noted. The cause? Further analysis by the Dutch HI publication HI Plus! pointed to the supply of daughter proven Red Holstein sires. Dutch Red Holstein farmers attach a relatively high value to daughter proven bulls, but: the supply of high bulls with the good components and robust frames that are desired by farmers is currently limited. What is the states of affairs with the demand and supply of good, daughter proven Red Holstein bulls? HI provides answers.

August 2019

The topic of “intelligent barns” flags up many questions. With milk price struggling, is the investment worth it? How will automated technology affect my workforce? Where is the “intelligent” market heading? In this article we address some challenging questions.

August 2019

After graduating with a daughter proof in December 2015, Scientific Defiant went on to spend more than 12 months sitting atop the Holstein type list in the US. As an added bonus, he carried the red factor and a high-profile pedigree free of Apple blood, making him a special attraction for Red-Holstein breeders.

August 2019

We want to begin our story about Prince with an “upgrade”. Did you know that Prince produced a total of 501,084 doses of semen, that have nearly all been sold? (And demand is still significant, so sire analyst Francesco Veronese expects that all the semen at owner Intermizoo will be sold out shortly.) Well: half a million doses of semen for an Italian bull is phenomenal. Often a bull appears in the limelight once he reaches a million doses, but that happens primarily in countries like the US, Canada and the Netherlands. In most other countries, millionaires hardly happen – the sales network is simply less extensive. Therefore, corrected for sales network, Prince would certainly have joined the honour gallery of the world’s millionaires – he functioned so tremendously out of Italy.

August 2019

The Caudumer Lol family has been a household name in Red Holstein breeding for years. In the Netherlands, but now also beyond. A prominent cow within this family, Lawn Boy daughter Caudumer Lol 292-P-Red, was one of the candidates in HI’s Red Impact Competition 2019. Also her Magna daughter Caudumer Lol 306-PP-Red is creating quite a stir. She is c...

August 2019

He supplies the type, the udders and the width & depth to the body many Red-Holstein breeders are looking for. In addition he improves the components at good milk production and combines that with A2A2 for beta casein and AB for kappa casein. And then we shouldn’t forget that – through the sire stack Revival-Red-Delta-Sympatico-Observer-Forge right...

August 2019

We already wrote about it: Salvatore continues to be a high calibre sire of sons and is still delivering remarkable sons. New in his top-5 of the very best sons is DG-OH Doble RC, out of a daughter of another top bull: Rubicon. Doble’s dam is DG-OH Donna VG-85, who originates from the strong family of Golden-Oaks Mark Prudence EX-95. What makes Dob...

July 2019

The truth of the matter is that we would like to use as few words as possible for this story to maximize the focus on the picture that our photographer Christine Massfeller took of Gastlosen Integral Laylani in her Swiss home. At the same time, we want to take a look at the story of the current Swiss Expo Reserve Intermediate Champion as it is just as nice as the great picture here.

July 2019

Idee Lustre was Grand Champion at the Royal in 2002, and in the almost 20 years since, this family has never been far from the news. The latest accolade was the naming of Idee Goldwyn Lucia – dam of the 2017 Royal Intermediate Champion Idee Windbrook Lynzi EX-95 – as Atlantic Canada’s Impact Cow of the Year.

July 2019

Tuesday February 26, 2019 was a historical day in France. Indeed, a very special heifer was sold during the Paris Dairy Sale at Simagena and registered a new European record for a public sale at €130.000! What kind of cow family could have produced such a coveted female?

July 2019

Production, longevity and type: It is hard to find a breeder who isn’t interested in at least one of these traits – and it is even harder to find a cow family that can excel in all three… Introducing the La Waebera Glacier Océanie family, which in addition to having all of these qualities – is Red!

July 2019

With 2111 TPI, Niclo O-Man Debbie VG-87 (born 2004) is one of the very highest American index cows from her birth year. The O-Man owned by the Nichols and Longshore families in South Carolina intrigues as the grand-dam of the progeny proven S-S-I Damaris (Sterling-Bookem) and various DNA tested bulls. Pine-Tree Firefly (Yoder-Supersire) descends fr...

July 2019

After their herd dispersal sale in April, the only milking cows the Irish Sinnott family kept were their homebred dam and daughter pair – Ballyboy Goldwyn Carmen VG and Sid Carmen VG-88-3yr. The Carmens symbolise the Ballyboy herd and at the time of the sale, 75% of their herd were from this family. The Carmen story started at Ballyboy when Jim Sin...

July 2019

With this photo page we arrive in Uruguay, South America: Or more specifically in Sarandi Grande in the Florida Department, 140 km north of Uruguay’s capital of Montevideo. We arrive on the farm of Jose Gurgitano and his son Martin, owners of the El Grillo dairy where 650 Holsteins are being milked. More than 10% are herdbook registered, but artifi...

July 2019

Murano (150 RZG), Morgan (148 RZG) and Masato (147 RZG) occupy 3 of the top-4 positions on the German progeny proven index list. They are three Mogul sons of one and the same Man-O-Man daughter: KAX Debita. A threefold reason then for a visit to the breeding enterprise Rinderzucht Kaack GbR in the far northern part of Germany. Where we meet a very healthy Debita, surrounded by more than 300 family members. Here follows the fascinating story of a modern dairy farm, and the home base of the exemplary D family.

July 2019

Unstopabull and Incredibull – the two high-type red bulls have been giving the Riverdown name a presence on the international Holstein scene over recent years. This month we take you on a visit to this modern, efficient dairy operation located half an hour south of the national Canadian capital of Ottawa.

July 2019

Spectacular! We have not yet started with the top-5 of our competition and now already we come across real heavyweights… en route to the absolute Nr.1, which will be revealed in December. But now already, it is time for a giant, because what to say about Sandy-Valley from the Bauer family in Wisconsin? It’s the birth barn of millionaire Bolton and the superior foundation cow Sapphire, as well as the breeder of a long list of sires like Forbidden, Saloon, Sterling, Colt-P, Afterburner, Scenario, Difference, Gram and current top DNA bulls like Eisaku, Batman, Emerald, Fullmarks, Lenny, Challenger, Panama… Yes, for decades Sandy-Valley has been an inexhaustible source of top genetics.

July 2019

A multi-faceted operation with many interesting features, join us as we visit the American Savage-Leigh herd where two very different operations work harmoniously under the same prefix. And more: Discover the secrets behind their world-famous Licorice family!

July 2019

Since the recent April release, Natural is the proud owner of the two highest Czech Holstein bulls: Zetor and Zologram-P, while their colleague Attila also shines in the top-5. On the progeny proven list, Natural is represented by Sunnyday in first place and Polledstar-P in third. High time then to become better acquainted with this privately owned AI located just south of Prague, where independence is high in the banner, as is a close working relationship with Czech breeders.

July 2019

Several years have passed since the last calculation of the worldwide breeding index (2013), which Holstein International did regularly since 1996. Enough time, which national breeding associations and other organizations used to develop new statistical models based on changing economic realities and the discovery of new relevant breeding traits. The results can be seen in the worldwide breeding index 2019, in which the ratio for fat to protein is a lot closer and which includes various new traits. And more changes will be coming in the next few years, as a lot of research is going on for traits like feed efficiency.

July 2019

‘Our dairy farmers appreciate Balic and are using him again as a progeny proven bull,’ states Mathias Poferl from Rinderzucht Baden-Württemberg (RBW). ‘Also in his DNA period, Balic was already very popular, so that there are already more than 250 daughters in production. And GGI-Spermex continues to place orders for international customers.’ The A...

July 2019

The breeding values for conformation are among the best the breed has to offer, but that is not the reason why we are presenting these four bulls. The quality of this quartet is not based on numbers but on the feedback from the barns of many different breeders around the world. They are bulls whose daughters excite with great type, either as calves...

July 2019

Giordano is the new Nr.1 DNA-proven bull in Italy and combines solid production (+1330kg milk) with high components (+.50%f +.24%p) and is the highest rated bull for udders in the top-10 at 2.93. He is sired by Westcoast Perseus, a Penmanship son out of the VG-88 Doorman sister to Monterey from the Pine-Tree Rudy Missy family. The cow family behind...

July 2019

Salvatore dominates for the red & white sire of sons, but in his wake we find Endco Apprentice RC, a Kingboy son of Blondin-TJR Supersire Aroma VG-85. Apprentice is not only the sire of Westcoast Swingman-Red (nr.1 in Canada and the US for Red Holsteins), but also of the high Americans KenmoreTriple Crown-Red and Avance-Red, and the high Canadian M...

June 2019

As herds get larger and livestock handling systems become more mechanized, time spent on heat detection for each individual cow continues to dwindle. However, next to top nutrition and elite genetics, getting cows to reproduce regularly is the next most important link in the chain of effective farm management. Activity monitoring is becoming increasingly popular as an aid to successful reproduction programs. We sought some practical farm experiences.

June 2019

In the US there are 12 cows that have produced 22 EX daughters or more. Gloryland Lana Rae EX-94 is one of the cows on that list, and while her total of 22 is far short of such cows as Ashlyn (60) and Adeen (37), the percentage of her daughters that have gone on to classify EX makes her very special indeed.

June 2019

Progressive elite breeding sometimes results in small, fragile Holsteins with insufficient durability for long-term production. This is anything but the case for the native Dutch Grietje/Genua family. This is the story of component-rich stayers with increasing influence in Europe.

June 2019

Grand Champion of the Swiss Expo and Reserve Grand at the European Show in Libramont: Sunibelle Dempsey Esprit is one of the true superstars of the European show ring. Here is a look at the background of one of Europe’s leading show divas.

June 2019

During the finale of an enthralling Holstein show, thousands of enthusiastic Holstein fans in Libramont (Belgium) witnessed as judge Mark Nutsford crowned the pitch-black Du Rahun Chelios Heline as European Champion. This splendid Grand Champion originates, just like the winner of the previous European Championship (Galys-Vray, 2016) – from the show herd of the Junker family in Switzerland. And she is also of French origin.

June 2019

The 300-cow Belbrook herd was recently identified in HI as the leading herd in New Zealand for the highest number of excellent cows. However looking closer into the herd, a bloodline emerges that’s littered with production champions, long life cows and show-ring superstars: Belbrook’s “E” family. In fact, the vast majority of the herd has “E blood”...

June 2019

As there are only a handful of herds in western Germany that are of a similar size, simply the number of 1,200 cows that Marc Benninghoff milks on his north-German farm is a statement. But Benninghoff Holsteins has much more to offer. Afterall, the herd is one of the highest-producing and most intensive breeding herds that can be found in Germany. Even in Europe there will be few similar large farms where management and breeding are combined at such a high level. Anybody who pays close attention can learn a lot.

June 2019

La Waebera, the ultra-modern farm of the Clément family, is world-class for conformation. But there is much more to the story than that. La Waebera does not only have a tradition as a successful breeding barn with various positive sires and high-producing and persistent cows but also a noteworthy collection of cows from diverse international cow families. Whoever thinks that conformation is the only point of concentration here is just scratching the surface.

June 2019

Numerous top TPI sires, globally impacting families and highly productive cattle thriving in a large scale environment are what symbolises the American Coyne-Farms herd. Home to the world-renown Yadda, Jelly and Daffers families, here we discover how this large scale dairy has continued to remain successful over the decades.

June 2019

Never before has interest in a competition during HI’s 25 years been as great as it is in the unique breeder competition that was introduced in HI’s January edition 2019. First, one hundred breeders were nominated from fourteen different countries. This was followed by voting in large numbers by HI readers – who do they consider to be the most influential breeders of the past 25 years? The results were clear, and started with the countdown in March: each month we feature one herd from the top-10, ending with the nr.1 in December 2019. Now it is time for nr.7: Braedale Farm in eastern Ontario. And one immediately makes the connection of Braedale with: Goldwyn!

June 2019

Problems with hoof health (lameness in cows) is among the biggest irritations of dairy farmers – the costs of lost milk production, additional labour, veterinarian visits, involuntary culling, and lower fertility quickly add up. Via management and nutrition, many hoof issues can be prevented, or at least minimized. But… breeding is also offering more and more possibilities. After Scandinavia and the Netherlands, Canada and Germany also recently introduced official indexes for hoof health.

June 2019

Soon the stifling heat of summer will be with us and that can adversely affect the production levels of high yielding dairy cows. Here we look at some of the management steps you can take to help alleviate the impact and stress to your cows of extreme weather this summer.

June 2019

With a unique selection criteria, that includes the requirement of all bulls to be A2A2 and have no haplotypes, a look into Jetstream Genetics’ ethos makes interesting reading. Still a relatively new company in global AI industry terms, here we find out more about Jetstream and the brains behind the operation – Roger Turner.

June 2019

During the past decade, a lot has been said and written about the stature of Holsteins. The trend towards less tall Holsteins is now probably truly being pursued, partly because of Shamrock, one of Planet’s very best sons. His longevity genes pop up everywhere in today’s rankings.

June 2019

‘He is the undisputed French leader at an unparalleled level – never before has a bull reached this high.’ This is what HI wrote in late 2016 about the new and promising French Louxor, who made his sensational debut in April 2016. ‘Interest has been overwhelming, since April people will go to all lengths to get Louxor semen,’ said David Girod from...

June 2019

America’s nr.1 Einstein, Homeground, Mixology and Maestro in Canada; these four young Semex bulls debuted in the absolute top during the April release. Brian Carscadden, sire analyst for Semex: ‘Maestro, currently one of our most heavily used mating sires, will be the closest to be released.’ Just like Mixology (<Topnotch; see BullTalk) Maestro is...

June 2019

He is the very highest NTM transmitter of Scandinavia and is available both domestically and abroad: Growny with +41 NTM. ‘Certainly a very interesting bull: high indexing and with an alternative pedigree,’ says Claus Langdahl on behalf of owner VikingGenetics. Growny’s pedigree is definitely different. Sire Goleen is a son of Grace, who in turn is...

June 2019

The dam is an early daughter of the Balisto son Brasil and the granddam is a productive Snowfever daughter with Laron-P, Canvas and Lightning in her sire stack. On the on the female side, the Josefien family has been part of the Nukleus program of CRV for generations and the result in the form of Jacko-PP-Red brings everything together. The Leader...

June 2019

For the leading group of young DNA sires, Checkmate always came just a few RZG points short, but in the end, according to Ingo Schnoor from RSH, this had no influence on his popularity. ‘He had what a lot of dairy farmers are looking for; high components with sufficient milk, not too much stature, lots of strength through the front end, good capaci...

May 2019

For months, Frist PJP was the master of French conformation proofs before to be dethroned by a new sire: Norman EFP. This bull, who received his first proof in December 2018, comes from a new cow family: Shottle Bresilienne. Here is all about this new French cow family.

May 2019

Elegance has 69 classified daughters in the US, 34 of which have scored EX. That ranks her third behind only Ashlyn (60) and Adeen (37) and level with Apple-Red for most EX daughters in breed history. And remarkably, Elegance offspring claimed the Premier Breeder banner at Expo for Budjon-JK on 6 occasions!

May 2019

Jedi has been one of the most extensively used sires of sons of the genomic era establishing his position as a major impact sire of the breed. However, now with over 4,000 milking daughters in his proof, not everything about his career has gone exactly to plan though he remains as one of the most popular sires in the line-up at Select Sires.

May 2019

Debutante Rae, Rhonda, Perk Rae, Cinderella – the Roxy family has reinvented itself through many different lines. Here we discover a powerful UK branch that falls under the Canadian import Bond Haven Dixie Rox – excelling for longevity, production and type!

May 2019

‘She makes you look smart,’ says Anthony Liddle about Liddleholme Resurrect Lu-RC, one of the breed’s newest 97-point cows. ‘She likes to be left alone – at a show you can just dump a load of food in front of her and she gets on with it. She’s a very easy cow,’ explains Anthony, who was just 13 years-old when he bought Lu’s dam at the last Hanoverh...

May 2019

The development and the discovery of new and unique cow families is one of the most important challenges facing Holstein breeding. But new families with breeding values at a top international level are not easy to find. Nonetheless, such a jewel was found in the 700-cow herd of Milkmen Holstein in Hungary. The family of question is the Vilmas, a fa...

May 2019

Grand Champions of the prestigious Swiss Expo in Lausanne all enter Holstein history with full capitalization. Because victory at the prestigious Swiss Expo is in a “class of its own”. Being in a class of her own also describes the glamourous winner of the 2018 edition of the Swiss Expo: Rogy Goldwyn Ghardaia, owned by Joe Demierre. Was Ghardaia a surprise? Absolutely not, because a little over a month earlier, she was triumphant at the well-known Expo Junior Bulle. But Ghardaia is more than a famous Swiss Expo winner. She also indicates the strength of a unique cow family. As such, Gharadia marks the international breakthrough of owner Rogy Holsteins and her valuable family, which has been deeply anchored for numerous generations at Rogy. Travel with us to the Jura Mountains in western Switzerland – close to the village of La Joux.

May 2019

Stone-Front Iron Pasta EX-96 was Reserve Grand Champion at the World Dairy Expo in 2010. Currently the Stone-Front name attracts attention through the popular high type genomic bull Stone-Front Artist, while the young bull Stone-Front Reeve-Red has been the Nr.2 Red-Holstein bull in the US over recent months. Time for a closer look at the Stone-Front herd owned by Andy and Lyn Buttles.

May 2019

‘The appearance of his first progeny proven index last December marked the comeback of Board, who is currently in high demand both at home and abroad,’ tells Liane Krauter from RUW, who indicates that during the Highlight Sale an outstanding daughter group from the top-10 bull (146 RZG) was displayed, who convinced for frame, feet & legs, and udder...

May 2019

In the meantime, you have read the stories about numbers 10 and 9 from the top-10 of HI’s unique Breeders Competition: Pine-Tree in March and Mil-R-Mor in April. Now follows the enterprise that ends up 8th in our competition: Ferme Gillette from Embrun, located in Ontario, close to the border with Quebec. Just like the first two stories, this report is written based on information already known by HI, and we have not (yet) interviewed Ferme Gillette. So that, with the publication of this issue, the splendid nr.8 finish will also be a surprise for the Patenaude family from Gillette. In our next issue, you will find their response. And at the same time will read about nr.7… as we continue the countdown to nr.1 in December.

May 2019

Over the forecast period of 2017-2023, the robotic milking market is projected to grow at an annual growth rate of 9.78%. Yes: We can expect a lot more robot dairy farms in the future! From changing the barn to accommodate robots, to learning how to decipher copious amounts of information, changing to an automated milking system brings a whole lot of change. One of these changes is a breeder’s approach to sire selection – here we discuss breeding in the robot world.

May 2019

Canada has two main total merit indexes. The Lifetime Performance Index (LPI) has been the recognized measure of Canadian genetics for decades, while the Pro$ was added as an alternative ranking commencing in August 2015. The Pro$ is targeted to meet the needs of producers who generate essentially all their revenue from milk sales, while the LPI is more suited for those who desire to market genetics, where the conformation and appearance of the animal provide added value.

May 2019

‘Rowdy is an exceptional production bull transmitting extreme milk and yet still with good components,’ comments Ryan Starkenburg from ABS. ‘Along with the extreme production he still does well on the health traits, which is often difficult to achieve with such high production bulls.’ Rowdy and his full brother Raiden (2745 TPI) are early products...

May 2019

No other evaluation period of the year routinely serves as many changes as the April evaluations. In addition to the base changes, tweaks to the evaluation formulas are another big reason why the numbers for certain bulls change a lot more than the average. April 2019 is no exception. Below we present the most conspicuous climbers for various count...

May 2019

What a perfectly chosen name! His DNA index of 2010 (2098 gTPI) is virtually exactly the same as his progeny proven index today: 2060 TPI. And now based on 16,698 daughters! Yes, Mountfield AltaExacter is by and large doing what he promised. He is not playing a big role as a sire of sons, but he is doing outstanding work in providing splendid cows....

April 2019

With bulls such as Leadman, Lord Lily and Novalis, the Lou Etta family has been a major influence on the bull breeding scene for decades. Now the family continues to impact modern breeding via the full sisters Passion and Piper, who stand behind such bulls as AltaParquet and Progenesis Pyramid.

April 2019

Penn-Gate Skychief Finesse was a strong, deep-bodied cow that became an exceptional transmitter, now with 26 EX daughters. She was also the dam of the successful Durham son Penn-Gate Finest. Here is a look back at one of the pure strength families of the breed and its remarkably consistent transmitting pattern.

April 2019

JK DG Esmeralda EX-90 is as special on paper as she is in real life. Firstly she is a product of the special Doorman-Goldwyn-Shottle cross, whilst on the maternal-side she is backed by the impressive family of the 2-time French Cow of the Year – Amaranthe. Her breeders Jan Kolff (JK Eder) and Diamond Genetics were impressed by Esmeralda’s dam, Carf...

April 2019

Does the Jonsson family in Stöde, Sweden have an international production champion with their Wilhelmine, who will turn nine years old next month? Possibly not. However, it is certain that her production achievements will be admired worldwide. In six production years, the almost entirely white daughter of the German bull Truman (Throne-Lee) produce...

April 2019

No less than seven representatives of Darnlaw Farm (prefix: Townlaw) – including six of them scoring EX – passed the milestone of 100,000 kg in 2018. In the modern free-stall barn of the Sloan family in Scotland, 180 beautiful Holsteins combine high average production with a low herd turnover, the result of years of selection for type and passionately working with strong breeding cow families. Proven breeding skill, for which father Bryce and son Robert receiving a well-deserved British Master Breeder title in 2018.

April 2019

The minute we stepped out of the car we knew it was going to be a good visit. Following a miserable, cold and wet morning, the rising spring sun was now beaming down. Later we would discover that this warm welcome was a reflection on the Patrick family’s kind-hearted personality and also their cows… which, for type enthusiasts, were hot property!

April 2019

Impressive. That is the right word – and certainly not an overstatement – to describe the entire herd of father Rolland and son Marc-André Dubois in Quebec. What powerful type, what a high production level and what a variety of talent in the herd. Both black and red & white. This top quality is also expressed in the statistics: an average production of 11,000 kg 4.2% 3.4%, a type summary of 40 EX (!) and 38 VG cows for the 78 milking cows, Right, at Rolandale we find nothing lower than VG. Do not miss this story about two very engaged breeding enthusiasts: father and son Dubois, the breeders at Rolandale.

April 2019

The results are complete: the top-25 most influential breeders of the past 25 years. But, as promised, the results will appear one month at a time. Appearing in HI’s previous issue was number 10 (Pine-Tree); now it is time for Number 9. And so we will proceed until December, when the number 1 will be presented. Then you will have the complete top-10. At the same, a HI book will appear in December with reports about all of the 25 most influential breeders! But… now time for number 9: Mil-R-Mor owned by Bob Miller in the US. As mentioned earlier: this article is written based on information already known by HI so that the surprise for Miller will also last until the publication of this issue! Next month, the Mil-R-Mor interview; this month an interview with number 10 Pine-Tree elsewhere in this issue.

April 2019

Highly remarkable: a herd of 150 Holstein cows with 25 daughters of Paclamar Astronaut, Paclamar Bootmaker and Round Oak Rag Apple Elevation! And: more of their daughters are on the way. In the meantime, the first two-year-olds by Pawnee Farm Arlinda Chief are coming into production; ‘Fantastic 2-year-olds,’ tells breeder Blake Hansen (40) from Hansen Dairy in Iowa, who is now using Blackstar and Sexation as well. Yes, we are writing in 2019, but these legends were born 45 years ago, or longer. Why is Blake using these sires?

April 2019

In HI’s February issue (pgs. 10-11) you became acquainted with the phenomenon Beef-on-Dairy: the breeding of dairy cows to beef bulls. As the result of extensive use of sexed semen in many prominent Holstein countries, this is a growing practice. In this article, we will consider a number of breeding programs which have been developed to select the best possible beef bulls to meet this end goal. And you receive an overview of the bulls from various beef breeds that are recommended by AIs for use on dairy cows. Also with Beef-on-Dairy, it is the case: do not use “just any bull”; also here, better bulls clearly lead to better results.

April 2019

Antibiotic resistance and reducing the amount of antibiotics used in livestock production – it’s a topic all livestock producers have heard over and over during the past decade. Of course from a genetic perspective, selection for health traits has arrested the downward trend in health trait performance of the dairy cow and we are now seeing general improvements in disease resistance... but what management options exist as an alternative to antibiotic use?

April 2019

Mayflower is a high-production Snowman son, now with +2591 of milk, -.14% fat and +.00% protein along with 0.93 type. His dam, Roylane Socra Mira EX-91, is the full sister to Robust. ‘­Mayflower has been a huge production sire since his early genomic days all the way through till his daughter-proven sire days, now with thousands of daughters in mul...

April 2019

The dam No-Pe Yoder Elena is a granddaughter to Morningview Super Ellie EX-90, whose dam of course is Shottle Madilyn EX-94. With that the pedigree meets some high international standards. La Axel, Elena’s Gymnast son, also has his own world-class numbers to throw in the ring. With his 2781 gTPI, the young sire from the Czech AI stud Zooservis is t...

April 2019

He is the highest available type transmitter of France: no less than +4.7! Plus… in the area of fitness, he is nearly faultless. Add to that his slightly positive figures for milk and components – which make Frenchman Mewald from Genes Diffusion into a very interesting type sire. He certainly did not simply fall out of the blue sky: his dam, Delabe...

March 2019

The European Holstein Show returns to Belgium! Fifteen years after the last of various editions in the Belgian capital of Brussels, on April 9 the most beautiful Holsteins from thirteen European countries will gather in Libramont. Visitors can count on a show of the very highest calibre with a visual décor never seen before. Libramont 2019 is especially geared towards the passion for the Holstein cow and her breeders. HI experienced this during a tour of the southern Belgian region of Wallonia and stops at the farms of four prominent breeders.

March 2019

In December 2012, he was America’s nr.1 DNA tested sire with 2530 gTPI. Six years later, in December 2018, he scores 2518 TPI based on 33,087 daughters. A dream score, right in the DNA bull’s eye. His name: Seagull-Bay Supersire. Bred by the Andersen family in Idaho, owned by Select Sires in Ohio, distributed in many countries by World Wide Sires in California. Supersire turned eight in December. And then already had substantially passed the milestone of one million doses. Is the sire of the nr.2 TPI and highest milk bull of the breed: Uecker JoSuper. Is the double great-grandsire of the gTPI nr.3 of the US: Hurtgenlea Richard Charl. Is the sire of the Dutch nr.1: Cogent Supershot. Is the grandsire of Mr Salvatore RC, one of the most successful Red Holstein sires of sons. Where do we stop? Because in the meantime, Supersire’s great-great-grandsons are already in AI service. It is impossible to imagine modern breeding without Supersire – reason for HI to shed light on the amazing career of the world’s 55th millionaire. Interspersed with short descriptions about all six top bulls that we find in his direct paternal line.

March 2019

With 32 excellent daughters in the US and Canada, in terms of conformation, Alicia is one of the elite transmitters of North America. As such, she provided added breeding value after completing a glamourous career of her own – Alicia classified the maximum EX-97, became Grand Champion in Toronto and… became World Champion! Here is an overview of excellent Alicia daughters, with one of them leading directly to a multiple National Champion in Europe.

March 2019

To keep his fairly large Tirsvad program successful, the Danish breeder Søren Ernst Madsen prefers to work with cow families that can generate high sires in various index systems. The Neblinas are definitely making good on this wish. This family portrait takes us to no less than nine European countries: And likely in the future to North America, given the high gTPIs within two family branches.

March 2019

Of course Miss Pottsdale DFI Tang-Red is one of the outstanding Red Holsteins in the barn of Golden Oaks Farms in Illinois. After her breeders Chris and Sarah Potts sold the Defiant daughter to Golden Oaks in 2016, Tang has put together a long list of accomplishments, which includes the Reserve Intermediate title at Madison in 2017. But Tang’s stor...

March 2019

The village of Pepin in central-western Wisconsin lies on the shores of Lake Pepin and the Mississippi River. It used to be very much a farming community, but today it’s a tourist village with fancy restaurants and a boating harbour. In the hills just outside of town the Raethke family has farmed for generations. You can actually see the mighty Mississippi from their R Green-Acres farm where they register their Holsteins using the “Pride” prefix.

March 2019

It’s hard to believe! Wescoast Holsteins was only formed in 2010 and yet it has already become a major force in the breed. They’ve paraded champions at North America’s major shows and they’ve also bred young bulls that rank near the top of the genomic sire lists. Here is a behind-the-scenes look at Westcoast Holsteins.

March 2019

To keep his fairly large Tirsvad program successful, the Danish breeder Søren Ernst Madsen prefers to work with cow families that can generate high sires in various index systems. The Neblinas are definitely making good on this wish. This family portrait takes us to no less than nine European countries: And likely in the future to North America, given the high gTPIs within two family branches.

March 2019

The votes have been counted. That took much longer than we had expected. Never before in HI’s 25 years of existence has a competition drawn so much participation. The steady stream of voting cards continued for a long time – and every card meant significant points, points for the 100 breeders who are candidates in HI’s unique competition: Who are the most influential breeders from the past 25 years? All 100 candidates were published in HI’s recent January issue – complete with a voting card. Subsequently a storm of enthusiastic responses and an unparalleled stream of voting cards followed, by mail and digitally. As mentioned: all of the votes have now been counted. The results are known. And now each month, we will feature one of the ten that ended up highest. Here we begin, with number ten: Pine-Tree!

March 2019

Theoretically, a breeding value for somatic cell score (SCS), as is routinely calculated in most countries around the world, could continue to serve as a genetic indicator for udder health well into the future. In countries where a breeding value for mastitis is calculated, the correlation between it and SCS can go from 0.6 to 0.9. that is very high. Nonetheless, more and more breeding indexes are directly incorporating breeding values for mastitis. Here we will explain why that is and how mastitis breeding values are obtained.

March 2019

He has no more than 350 milking daughters in North America – even so, one of them becamethe Intermediate Champion at the World Dairy Expo last year. One of his 1000 daughtersin Switzerland was Grand Champion during Junior Expo Bulle, and Reserve Intermediateduring the Swiss Expo. Exceptional success then, credited to GS Alliance O’Kaliber, the Swiss Acme son of European Champion and two-time World Champion O’Kalibra.

March 2019

As a DNA bull, he was already sky high in the index list and was thus popular. That popularity continues, because based on 1000 daughters, his qualities have been nicely confirmed: Rodanas is the absolute nr.1 of Italy. Here is the report about the very complete Doorman son from the successful Dutch branch of the Prudence family.

March 2019

He looks at you sternly. Maintains a steady gaze. Yes, indeed, so it was when Han Hopman photographed this bull 18 years ago. Because Jesther – that is who we are talking about – was certainly not a friendly bull. ‘You have to keep a very close eye on him,’ said the sire caretakers close to the French city of La Roche-sur-Yon. Right: Jesther. Do yo...

March 2019

Every top bull is unique. L-L-M-Dairy Pond Passat, a top-10 newcomer in America’s progeny proven list, especially stands out with his particularly rich profile for commercial farms. His pedigree, a combination of the fitness specialist Ponder and the balanced L-L-M-Dairy Procky family, nicely round out Passat’s special report.

March 2019

Sandy-Valley Eternity is without doubt a female breed phenomenon, that will sustainably leave her marks in the population. This attractive VG-88 (2yr) Rubicon, a great granddaughter of the not less talented Planet Sapphire, since August is the #1 CTPI cow. Out of her 35 daughters 2 exceed 2900 gTPI and 15 are testing above 2800 gTPI. At least as im...

March 2019

They are not the highest bulls, not necessarily successful sires of sons, and not the top genomic sires, but they are proven, have hundreds of daughters in milk and are the top-sellers for their companies. There are various reasons why certain sires are continually among the favourites for dairy farmers. Breeding values only play a secondary role,...

March 2019

It is still early in the morning, September 21, 2017. Nevertheless, it is warm already – a tropical day is in the works. But we are thinking of something entirely different though. From the barn of Select Sires in Ohio (US) steps a bull that we are very eager to see “live”: Melarry Josuper Frazzled. After all, he is the sire of a number of the very...

March 2019

Many bulls can be labelled as all-round: good production, solid type and positive fitness. Louxor, since April 2016 France’s Nr.1 for almost two years, gives the description all-round a whole new dimension thanks to excellent production, outstanding type and on top of that extremely good fitness. Since April, owner Evolution has been launching Louxor sons with – how could it be otherwise – qualities galore.

March 2019

Over the last decade, Supersire, Mogul and Balisto have been among the most influential sires of the breed – and they represent 3 different branches of the Rudy Missy family. However, perhaps the most consistent transmitter of the Rudy Missy’s turns out to be the Robust daughter Pine-Tree 2149Robst 4846 who now has 7 sons in the TPI top-100... including Missouri, whose story we now present.

March 2019

Cogent Supershot debuted in 2014 for the British breeding program Cogent as the Nr.1 bull for gTPI, gLPI and gPLI. His flamboyant debut coincided with a notable introduction campaign. For a year now, the Supersire son has a progeny proven index and high DNA-tested grandsons are emerging world-wide. All high expectations have been met, except for one trait.

March 2019

Once in a while a true outlier comes along who defies the odds and remains at the top of the list for an extended period of time. When it comes to type, Atwood has certainly been an outlier on the US charts for years. And one of his very best sons is Frist PJP, who dominates the type rankings in France.

March 2019

With sons like Hayes-P and Hologram-P or grandsons like Pontiac-P, Paiton-PP and Mystic-PP, Bomaz Uno 5904 (Uno-Lawn Boy-Laudan-Garter) has established herself as a productive wellspring in the polled segment. With almost every evaluation there are new polled talents coming into focus and almost none of them have blatant faults in individual traits...

March 2019

In the English language, the name “Iznogoud” might seem to be a peculiar choice. After all, it sounds like “Is no good” and that would sell the bull short. Way too short, because Iznogoud is turning out to be the best of all French progeny proven sires so far! But: in France, the name “Iznogoud” has an entirely different connotation: a popular comedy series. In Holstein breeding, Iznogoud is certainly no joke: the French progeny proven nr.1 is also the sire of the French DNA tested nr.1. Get to know this unique transmitter.

March 2019

To find an answer as to which sons of the exceptional Mogul are having the largest influence on the breed is not an easy task. Many of them convince with great daughters. But which Mogul son is having the most impact through sons and grandsons? Montross, the sire of Jedi, is surely a good candidate. Or Pety, the sire of Modesty. But what about Yoder? Initially it was his daughters the exceeded expectations, and now it is sons like Achiever or Bandares that are creating excitement. Yoder’s influence is hardly less than that of his half-brothers.

March 2019

During the first edition of the breeding event Holstein Vision, RinderAllianz displayed an appealing daughter group from Snake-Red and the rumour mill had it already – the Snow son could possibly become the new nr.1 in his country.… Confirmation came one week later: Snake-Red is Germany’s new red & white nr.1!

March 2019

A high PTAT (America’s index for type) traditionally generates a lot of attention. This is underscored by the American Kingboy. From the outset, breeders and commercial dairy farmers have embraced the complete and especially high-type McCutchen son. During the past four years, owner Select Sires has sold 400,000 doses of semen. Kingboy’s popularity is radiating through to his sons. Among them are various significant sires of sons. HI introduces them to you.

March 2019

High Octane, Capital Gain, Gold Chip, Brokaw, Braxton, Baltimore, Brady, Bankroll: The Barbies are world-renowned for being one of the best breeding type families. And here they are with another breed leader, Byway.

March 2019

The Lead Mae family has produced a number of high-ranking bulls around the world with two of the most notable being Kingboy in the US and the highly influential Canadian bred Epic. The big, white, 94-point Epic leaves robust, high producing cows that maintain good body condition throughout their lactations. Here is a look at the influence of Epic.

February 2019

‘Of course, it is too early to say it with certainty, but he will likely become one of the most popular polled sires world-wide,’ says Rick VerBeek from Select Sires about the high newcomer from the American April release, Drastic-P. The Bandares son transmits almost 1000 lb. milk, +.13% fat and +.08% protein, and all-round good fitness figures: 5....

February 2019

For many years the international icon for the Ri-Val-Re herd in Michigan has been the bull Ri-Val-Re Niagra. Now he is being superseded by the highly popular Ri-Val-Re Rager-Red. After more than a decade of prominence on red female index lists, the Jorgensen’s Redwing family is now excelling on the male side too producing such stars as Rager-Red and Zimmerview Lucky PP-Red.

February 2019

‘Her older offspring in our herd are not quitting and in the meantime, new and talented young generations are emerging.’ Cindy Wikkerink identifies the source of this luxury problem: Willswikk Outside Della EX-95, the first British Columbian-bred finalist for Holstein Canada’s Cow of the Year competition.

February 2019

The career of the Diablesse family is quite unusual. This bloodline was completely unknown some years ago, but now it is a popular source for bull dams and young AI bulls. How that could happen? Find the answer in the following lines of this article!

February 2019

Bulls such as Atwood, Atlantic, Aftershock, Golden Dreams and Archrival rank among the great type transmitters of the past decade, and all trace back through their maternal line to Adeen. However, on the female side Adeen has been a great transmitter too, now with 51 daughters classified EX worldwide, ranking her second only to Ashlyn when it comes to the most EX daughters all-time.

February 2019

AI companies like Inseme, Intermizoo, ABS and Semex keep a close eye on this Italian farm: Cristella, owned by the Marchi-Balestreri family. That is not surprising, because for a number of years already, Cristella has been making steady progress, with high DNA indexes achieved with their own cow families. In the meantime, they have eight females >2700 gTPI and eleven >4000 gPFT. The foundation for this was laid more than 50 years ago, when grandfather Franco brought the imposing bull Hanoverhill Rocky to this impressive herd. This is the Cristella story.

February 2019

The achievements of the thirteen-year-old Feizor Shottle Delia speak volumes. Just starting her 11th lactation and well on her way to 140,000 kg lifetime production, in December she received the score of EX-96-9E from the classifier. ‘She is a cow that you only breed once in a lifetime. Recently she gave birth to a Unix heifer calf; we are really t...

February 2019

The cows at Lisduff Farms in Ireland live entirely off of grass for eight months of the year, walking a significant distance daily to and from the parlour, have a seasonal calving pattern, and produce primarily for the export market: Unique circumstances that require specific breeding choices. Protein component and especially fertility always receive full attention, but type is certainly not forgotten – the current herd has 74 EX cows.

February 2019

The three main rules of marketing are location, location, location... and in that regard, Luck-E Holsteins fulfills them all. Located just 10 minutes off the main interstate highway that runs between the O’Hara International Airport in Chicago and the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Luck-E recieves hundreds of international visitors each year, especially at Expo time. And what a tremendous herd of cows waits to greet them!

February 2019

In December 2017, he debuted in the top position of the prestigious top-200 for DNA bulls in the US. In the meantime, he has remained stable in the top-3. We are talking about Hurtgenlea Richard Charl, who combines 2920 gTPI with 1075 gNM$. He is a son of DG Charley from the powerful 4-year-old Hurtgenlea Yoder Modesto VG-86, who became a “Dam of Merit” at a young age. Yes, with Charl and Modesto, we are considering two jewels from the modern Hurtgenlea herd owned by the Hurtgen family from Elkhorn, Wisconsin. Are they surprising, Charl and Modesto? Absolutely not, so read along to discover the quality demonstrated by both Hurtgenlea and the Marissa family for generations already.

February 2019

‘We do not have the best land, or the best buildings, or the best cows, and yet, in one way or another, it works.’ He would never admit it himself, but his wife Gea de Vries nods in agreement: the high average production at Hemrik Holsteins, located in the similarly named town in the northern Dutch province of Friesland, is in no small measure due to Brand Jan de Haan. Breeding, nutrition, management; in every possible area, year after year, De Haan puts a lot of energy into the production potential of his herd.

February 2019

In HI, we seldom or never write an article about the beef breeds. Nevertheless, there is a good reason to do that now, because the use of beef bulls on Holstein cows is becoming commonplace. In most Holstein countries, the number of inseminations with so-called “beef on dairy” sires has increased tremendously in recent years, in some cases even to nearly 50%. HI spoke with specialists about the phenomenon “Beef on Dairy”. Which breeds are being used for this? And: what is the emphasis in sire selection?

February 2019

Use of genomics in official genetic evaluations has transformed the dairy cattle breeding industry over the past decade. Now genomics is being used to offer breeders new options when it comes to selecting healthier animals: the wellness traits.

February 2019

The most photographed bull?

February 2019

With eleven sons in the TPI top-50, the consistent breeding qualities of Miss OCD Delicious are being clearly underscored. This consistency turns out to be epitomized by Delicious’ Mogul son Delta, who stands out with nearly 4,000 daughters in America’s top-5, and appeals to both breeders and commercial dairy farmers with his modern breeding pattern.

February 2019

We gave you a tip about him earlier already, the successful sire of sons for Red Holsteins: Mr Salvatore. In Canada, Germany and the US, we find numerous attractive sons. But: also in the Czech Republic. There the red & white Salvatore son Agras Zuma-Red (2614 gTPI; 8/2018) is flourishing with nearly faultless type, lots of milk and favourable figu...

February 2019

It was the first 24 daughters with production data and 46 daughters with classification data that lifted the Balisto son Barcley to Nr.2 on the German top-list. The December debut for the former Nr.1 genomic young sire in Germany had been announced by already having sold over 50,000 doses. He has been among the top-sellers for his owner Qnetics for...

February 2019

The year 2019 is still young and just the right time to present Canada’s leading genomic young bull to the Holstein world. We are talking about Horizon, a Fortune testing 3590 gLPI and 2789 gTPI, a sire of sons with strong type (14), terrific udders (12), plenty of chest width (9), a solid proof for milk and sky high components (.35%F; +.31%E). The...

February 2019

Anyone who breeds Holsteins will always have the traits milk production and fertility integrated in his philosophy in some way. And this exactly is a matter of two of the biggest contrasts the breed has to offer. If you breed intensely on production, then you make a compromise when it comes to fertility. That’s at least what history has been teachi...

February 2019

‘Tarrino is currently Modesty’s highest available son, and his numbers have continued to climb,’ comments Rick VerBeek from Select Sires. ‘He comes from the Colby Taya family that is extreme for production and produces trouble-free cows. Tarrino’s pedigree combines Bolton Money and Colby Taya, the two great cow families at Welcome Stock Farm.’ Taya...

January 2019

A rare double dominated the show results from the year 2001: Grand Champion at both the World Dairy Expo and the Royal went to the 4-year-old Encore daughter Tri-Day Ashlyn. She also became World Champion that year too, though her greatest achievement would not really emerge till almost two decades later. Ashlyn currently has 72 daughters classified EX... and that number will continue to grow!

January 2019

The purchase of a lifetime. Jeff Hendrickson made it in 1982, when he bought Inwood Taffy Apollo. ‘I had been a herdsman at Inwood for three years. When he held a sale a few years later, I decided to purchase Taffy, who was in her 2nd lactation at the time,’ explains Jeff about his purchase of this remarkable foundation cow. Taffy – a daughter of t...

January 2019

The primarily red & white herd of Jacob Werler in the Netherlands, with 11 AI sires launched, is not among the most dominant. Nevertheless, results are impressive. For the past three years, Julandy has ranked high on the German progeny-proven list. In the Netherlands, during the past year, Jotani and Red Cliff have profiled themselves as the most sold progeny-proven Red Holstein bulls. The secret to their success? The splendidly breeding Julia family!

January 2019

Admittedly, we could write this article more critically, as the summit of polled breeding, which is by now much more than just a niche, is dominated by so few bull mothers. One would wish for more variance among the most influential donors, but on the other hand one could and has to see it above all as a positive. The quality of the polled sires worldwide is developing with such a brisk tempo precisely because of these outstanding bull mothers. The reality is that the work horses of polled breeding are real superstars, and we are presenting them here.

January 2019

During the mid-1980s, David Peterson from Majestic-Manor Dairy in Iowa had an internationally popular embryo donor in the form of Oak-Krest Bretta EX-90. It was the interest in this Arlinda Chief daughter that gave way to a unique breeding strategy that Peterson has used consistently for 30 years. A current result of this breeding program is the yo...

January 2019

The likelihood is great that she is the world’s most influential Holstein cow of all time: Wesswood-HC Rudy Missy. In 2014, she was selected as the Global Cow in HI, after ending up in second place in 2012 and 2013. In their evaluation as judges, Ryan Starkenburg (ABS) and Hartwig Meinikmann (RUW) were very impressed with Missy. We will name just four of the numerous bulls that were mentioned at the time in praise of Missy’s influence: Mogul, Supersire, Silver and Balisto. In the meantime, of course, that group has grown exponentially, which justifies the following question: has any other cow family provided more influential bulls? Rudy Missy may then be called the most powerful cow of the Holstein breed. And while we have had regular contact with her owners, the Steiner family from Pine-Tree, Missy’s breeders never came on the radar. Now we are changing that. After all, their contribution to the Holstein breed in the year 2019 is immense!

January 2019

Martintown is a quiet village in the very east of Ontario halfway between Ottawa and Montreal. It is here amongst gently rolling farmland at the end of a long lane that we find Cherry Crest. Over the years a number of big-name cows have been at home in this barn and members of some impressive cow families are now on display.

January 2019

Bingo! That may certainly be said about the young bull Eildon-Tweed Sam British, as he now scores 2961 gTPI. His arrival is a new highlight in the rich career of David Wood, on whose enterprise, Eildon Tweed Farm in the American state of New York, business economics is the standard and where the high-protein Chapter family is flourishing.

January 2019

Davide Errera has two big hobbies: soccer – FC Internationale Milano (Inter) – and show cows. With the latter, he experienced a splendid highlight this past October: Jamagro Goldwyn Jasmin was victorious at Italy’s National Championship. But those who think that all of Errera’s attention is focused on show animals, is mistaken. With consistent breeding, strict management and balanced nutrition, the 120 commercial dairy cows in his herd average 12,500 kg with 3.47% protein. This high quality milk provides the foundation for the regional cheese specialty Grana Padano.

January 2019

Impressive! Our visit to Warnelview Holsteins in the far northwest of England can be summarized with just one word. Impressive, due to top-notch management and the well-kept appearance of the farm: Impressive, due to the uniformity of the herd and the high level of production and type: And impressive due to the tremendous individual quality. With 123 EX cows, Warnelview is among the top-5 in the world, and with the exemplary Warnelview Cut Nita, they have one of two still living British EX-97 Holsteins in their barn.

January 2019

The breeding of tall, impressive looking cows has been the goal for many a breeder down through the years. Now, slowly the tide of opinion is changing and many believe the stature of Holsteins is already tall enough. However, the selection for increased stature appears to be built into our breeding systems at various levels. How do we slow the rate of increase in stature of our cows?

January 2019

With US Holstein genetics playing a major role on the international scene, the TPI is widely recognized and has become a common language understood in many different countries around the world. However, do you know exactly what traits are included in the TPI? Here you can learn in 2 pages about the many valuable traits included!

January 2019

He is now more than 6 years old but continues to work hard. ‘He is still the most sold bull at Select,’ says Jeff Ziegler from owner Select Sires. ‘Bacon-Hill Montross is an outstanding semen producer and all of the semen that he produces is still being sold. He continues to be a hit for top production, without sacrificing fertility. His lifetime t...

January 2019

Have you ever tried to find a sire of sons that has a high overall breeding value with below average inheritance for frame size? We admit that the search is tedious. While dairy farmers and breeders or sire analysts agree that the breed does not need more frame, sires with below average frame size in the important group of sires of sons are the exc...

December 2018

Our-Favorite Undenied is on the sire list of many type enthusiasts world-wide. The American Solomon son scores no less than 4.16 gPTAT, and with that, is certainly not an exception in the large brood of his dam Unlimited. The splendid result of an intentional change of course in the Stanek family’s breeding strategy.

December 2018

Bomaz, the farm owned by the Zwald and Schalla families in Wisconsin, with Skywalker and AltaDelson-P, bred two young sires that are remarkable right now. Both descend from the family of Dalse Bomaz 1551, who was featured earlier in HI. This year, as a successful sire of sons, AltaRobson focused attention on another foundation dam: Bomaz Elevation Dawn. Her achievements are defining the success of Bomaz’s progressive breeding program.

December 2018

The opportunistic purchase of a 10-year-old dry cow resulted in an abundantly successful cow family at the world-famous Gillette herd in Canada. Read on to discover how this spontaneous acquisition created a solid foundation at Gillette.

December 2018

Apple. The name has a magical ring in breeding. Certainly within the Red Holstein world, but also beyond, all over they speak with deep respect about the American Regiment daughter, who during her long career emerged as a true all-rounder. From a breath-taking show star – Apple became World Champion twice – to an unparalleled breeding icon. With a phenomenal number of excellent daughters, and sons like Absolute and Armani, who have been successful world-wide in the show circuit. An ode to Apple.

December 2018

‘Udder quality is certainly a family strength, as are the high productions.’ Lysanne Pelletier legitimately speaks about the qualities of the La Presentation Daurel dynasty. No less than 131 of the 410 milking Holsteins at Ferme Pellerat (Quebec) have Daurel, who is crowned with 64 breeding stars, as their foundation dam. A blessing in disguise. Sh...

December 2018

Classified EX-96, this sublime transmitter has 13 EX daughters! Hendercroft Lheros Gumball was also Grand Champion at the East Ontario Championship Show 2008, while her 96-point daughter Bazooka was Champion at the same show in 2017 as well as being Reserve in 2016 and 2018! Time for a closer look at the stellar career of Gumball.

December 2018

The Trio Group of Companies was working with Simmentals but shifted to Holstein cows shortly after it got acquainted with this breed. Today Trio is increasing its business, working hard to achieve milk yields that can be groundbreaking for the Russian dairy industry. Russian reporter Vladislav Vorotnikov talked to Evgenia Uvarkina, chairman of the board at Trio, and wrote this Russian herd report for HI.

December 2018

At 13,951kg, the 50-cow herd that Christoph and Wilhelm Eberhard milk at their meticulously cared for farm in the west German municipality of Kalkar had the highest milk production of all herds in Germany for 2017. This year their average has increased to over 14,000kg which will make it hard to push the Eberhards out of top spot. More interesting than the production of the powerful herd are the reasons for its performance. The vision and viewpoints that Christoph Eberhard represents are as simple as they are logical. And they are relatively successful. It is something worth reading about.

December 2018

On the cover of this HI edition, you already became acquainted with this farm: Kiko Holsteins from the American state of Ohio. On the cover picture is Elisabeth Kiko with herd favourite Kiko Gold Chip Maddie, who is also featured on the accompanying main picture. With them, we come across a true family enterprise, because the Kikos not only have a large family, but at the same time display an extensive, shared passion for their Holsteins. They know how to perform well on every front – read all about it in this report.

December 2018

‘We use bulls that tick every box.’ With this statement, Chris Durrer gives a clear indication of the goal he has in mind. For years already, Lorita Holsteins has pursued type, but traits like production, fitness and fertility are certainly not being forgotten. With the result that cows last longer and produce more. In the meantime, the type level is reaching great heights. At least 120 animals score above 3.00 gPTAT and the highest, Lorita Doc Leah, is even at 4.36 gPTAT.

December 2018

France has two large breeding companies: Evolution and Gènes Diffusion. At the latter, Frédéric Lepoint has already been employed for 28 years and thus is both a genetic manager and an ambassador. HI spoke with Lepoint about developments at Gènes Diffusion, cooperative efforts and the potential of genomics. Lepoint calls himself “pro-genomics” but places significant conditions on that. Something needs to change, according to this expert.

December 2018

Improved cow comfort is often listed as a major contributor to increased milk production. Improved barn design, increased air flow and ventilation, better access to the feed bunk, and more spacious stalls all help to make for a more efficient operation. This month we discuss the various choices when it comes to another significant contributor to cow comfort, bedding material.

December 2018

Those who thought that genomics would eliminate them… are mistaken! They still exist, the tenacious super-millionaires. In October, we reported that the 15-year-old Planet passed the milestone of 1.5 million doses. A sire that had already done so in 2016 was Mainstream Manifold. And you know what? This 14-year-old O-Man son is still producing and h...

December 2018

Since his start a good year ago, Stone-Front Artist has been one of the best-liked sires in the program of St Jacobs ABC. And now, with his first calves impressing at their farms, the run on Artist semen has continued unabated. ‘Yes, he is just keeping up with the high demand,’ says Brian Behnke. The business director of St Jacobs is starting to ge...

December 2018

In contrast to beta casein, whose ideal form is A2A2, the kappa casein variant has real economic meaning. Milk from cows with the ideal genotype of BB can give a 1.5% increase in cheese yield at the same protein concentration compared to the AA or AE genotypes. Especially in regions with strong concentration on cheese production, sires with the BB variant play an important role. Today we are presenting 4 special talents.

December 2018

At the end of this month, on December 28, 2018, he will turn 8 years old – and by then will have substantially exceeded one million doses produced. In early November, the millionth dose of Supersire semen was namely sold by World-Wide Sires, as reported Scott Ruby from WWS. This makes Seagull-Bay Supersire the 55th bull in the world to pass this ph...

November 2018

Nestled in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains at Hudson Falls, New York, is Ideal Dairy Farms. Ideal has been operated by the same family since 1908 and today milks 2,400 cows with an impressive average of over 30,000lb. (13,600kg) of milk. If you have not heard of Ideal Dairy Farms then perhaps you would be more familiar with name they use when registering their cattle... Cookiecutter!

November 2018

We are notably impressed in the beautiful new barn of Ve-Tech Holsteins in the Scottish county of Ayrshire, which makes use of all available automation, and where our very special picture cow hides among the herd of more than 200-head. Herdsman Tom Struthers lovingly brushes her deep flanks one more time, before we head outside. Forte CS Elegance....

November 2018

The powerful, spotted Shottle daughter Larcrest Cosmopolitan captured worldwide attention when she became the Nr.1 GTPI cow of the US. Today the very vital 13-year-old continues to watch over the global dynasty she founded from her home at Larcrest in Minnesota.

November 2018

Partly because of the success of the German Bookem son Big Point, in January 2017 HI wrote about the comeback of the Tidy-Brook Elton Steph family. The final stop on the extensive tour along various remarkable European Elton Steph descendants was Kærgaarden Holsteins in Denmark. Two years later, the equally milky and type-rich offspring of the Steph descendant CAS Mascol Jelli, owned by the Hammershøj family, are solidly positioned in the European index top.

November 2018

At Mosnang Holsteins in the Canadian province of Alberta, 95 cows are being milked, and the highest producing cow family (L family) also provided the Grand Champion at the Alberta Dairy Congress. She is Mosnang Saloon Liquor, who half a year after her 3rd calving is still producing 60 kg per day. The EX-93 Saloon daughter is joined in her home herd...

November 2018

Brandon and Lisa Weaver from Misty-Moor Holsteins in Pennsylvania had it right. During their visit to the dispersal of All-Riehl Holsteins in 2010, they purchased the favourably priced and uniquely bred All-Riehl Perfume (Massey-Throne), a granddaughter of Brookburn Rudolph Pansy EX-93. The very milky Perfume classified VG-86, and thanks to ET, pro...

November 2018

Numerous northern Italian Holstein farms – located at the base of the powerful Alps – have a background as Brown Swiss herds: Or the “bruna”, the original brown cattle from the Alps. Many of them later transitioned to Holsteins. That is also true for the Ceresio herd owned by the Martinellis. Their transition worked out splendidly because the Ceresio prefix is now widely known within and beyond Italy, thanks to a continual stream of elite genetics. Join HI as we travel to this attractive breeder’s herd close to Varese.

November 2018

The modern, picturesque farmstead overlooks the Trent River near Hastings, Ontario, an hour east of Toronto. Inside the state-of-the-art barns a high-type herd including numerous show winners help to make Crovalley a true showcase for Canadian Holsteins.

November 2018

Last year she completed her lactation with the highest milk figures ever recorded: Selz-Pralle Aftershock 3918 VG-88 produced 5.11 3x 365 78,170lb (35,457kg) 4.0% fat 3.3% protein. We visited the Wisconsin home of this world record holder to discover all that goes into developing a production champion.

November 2018

Timely pregnancy of heifers and cows is critical to the economics of dairy farms. That is the reason why during the past number of years, fertility has received increased attention within breeding programs. It is no longer possible to imagine indexes for daughter fertility being omitted in the sire selection process. But also bull fertility – no matter how small the contribution may be in the total spectrum – is also carefully considered by many farmers. The figure can even be crucial for the career of a bull.

November 2018

In early October, at Character Holsteins in Canada, the Marius daughter Peaches was celebrated as the first female Holstein above 3000 gTPI for the Progenesis breeding program. A special detail: Peaches’ maternal grandsire Progenesis Fortune was selected by HI in the same month as Outcross Sire 2018. Thanks to granddaughter Peaches and especially numerous high-testing sons, Fortune stands out as an outcross bull with enormous potential.

November 2018

At the start of this career he was the German Nr.1 among the red young sires. Then came his sons and Schreur Apoll, the Aikman son of the famous Verhages Bos Candlelight-Red-P, dominated Germany’s toplists for reds on a genomic basis, particularly the list for polled sires. His talent as a sire of sons also produced some noteworthy sons internationally. Now, three and a half years after his debut, the first daughters of the German production machine are milking. And as was expected, Apoll takes the pole position on a daughter basis. Apoll-P-Red is certainly not a sire without flaws but nonetheless is one of the most influential red polled sires ever. <br>

November 2018

He is one of the top-5 highest gTPI Red Holstein bulls and is widely available: Rhala-Re Blues-Red. Good for 2664 gTPI, owned by AI Total, a son of Salvatore (see elsewhere on this page) and good for all-round type. All-round actually describes the entire profile of Blues-Red, because there are no faults to be found. Sure, the components are neutra...

November 2018

Since April, Neutron has been in the Italian top-3 and is thus the most significant new name behind the reigning leader, Sound System. ‘Neutron is not only our second highest tested genomic bull behind the phenomenal Sound System, but is also in the top-10 IES, an index which compared to the PFT is even more geared to the economic traits and has re...

November 2018

For commercial dairy farmers, it likely does not make a difference if a sire was born via ET/IVF or via more natural means. But for organic farms it does matter. The selection of naturally bred sires among the best bulls in the breed is extremely small and is well below 10%. We will present a few here that belong among the best of the breed even wi...

November 2018

After the Mogul Memorandum in HI June 2018, we are now publishing the Doorman Dossier. It is a unique and extensive article about the background and achievements of a special transmitter, who especially on the type front is moving boundaries. He is a bull that has all it takes to be one of the greatest sires in the show ring for several years. And who also knows how to regularly provide elite type animals – both in the male and female lines – for the index front. Here is the story of the multi-talented bull from Quebec: Val-Bisson Doorman.

November 2018

With an increase of 5 points for his overall breeding value to 135 RZG and an impressive 8-point gain for conformation to a strong value of 134 RZE, Garant was one of the most conspicuous newcomers in Germany following the August evaluations. With that, the OHG sire, who is no longer alive but from whom there is a sufficient reserve of semen, the N...

October 2018

Holstein International regularly receives tips from readers, from all over the world. We are always pleased because the tips are frequently valuable. And so at the beginning of this year, we received an almost secretive tip from Switzerland. ‘Our brother will stop milking at the end of the year. You will certainly find it special to visit him while the cows are still in the barn, before he sells,’ is a summary of the text. Today, we say: Irene and Markus Schmid, thank you so much for that tip because it allowed us to arrive in time at what turned out to be Switzerland’s highest production herd: Emil’s Ranch, managed by Emil Schmid in the municipality of Baar.

October 2018

The ultimate goal for many high-ranking index families is the breeding of numerous popular sires. This task can be confidently entrusted to the family of Freurehaven Shottle Lautella. Her descendant Peak AltaLawson, good for the American top-3 with 2929 gTPI, is just the tip of the iceberg. Read all about the rapidly growing empire of the fascinating Lautella line from the Laurie Sheik family.

October 2018

The Kings-Ransom herd at Schuylerville, New York, is especially dazzling at present, home to the EX-95 full sisters Cleavage and Cleo, and also the 94-point dam-daughter pair of Dextra and Diva. It is the family of this latter pair that we focus on here, a cow family noted for exceptional udders and outstanding functional traits.

October 2018

Progress for longevity in the Holstein world is clearly visible. So much so, that it is sometimes invisible. That may sound contradictory, but this is what we mean: in HI’s August edition, we featured Heinz Meyer’s Buckeye daughter Editha (pages 44-45), and indicated that we could hardly believe that she was 11 years old. The accompanying picture i...

October 2018

In the Netherlands and Flanders, Etazon Renate is a household name. Thanks to the combination of a superior NVI and abundant embryo production, the O-Man daughter with French roots has become the most influential foundation dam in the Low Countries by way of CRV’s Delta nucleus breeding program.

October 2018

‘We do not breed a cow like her every day!’ These are the opening words of Sylvain Pioud from Ferme du Moulin Gallet in eastern France, about Laitwis Dorothee. This strong EX-92 Roumare daughter is no longer on the farm, but left an impressive legacy. There are eight daughters in production, by Millennium, Silver, Benjamin, Wild Beast, Eraser and F...

October 2018

40 minutes west of Quebec City and within 20 km of the south shore of the St. Lawrence River is one of Quebec’s largest dairy operations, Ferme Drapeau. The farm is run by Dominic Drapeau and his wife Celia Neault, together with Dominic’s parents Michel Drapeau and Sylvie Belanger. They milk 750 cows and crop 4,500 acres (1822 ha) of land.

October 2018

Roylane Robust: Roylane Jordan: Roylane Mindy: Three giants in Holstein breeding. And in their wake are strong transmitters like Roylane Bob and Roylane Punch, all originating from the Roylane herd. However, you hardly read about this successful herd. The reason for that is two-fold. First of all, the farm is situated in a remote part of the American state of Washington, which is already remote. And secondly, the Roylane breeders are modest and prefer to remain in the shadows. But: thanks to the assistance of Dan Reynolds (from Monument Holsteins), the farm manager at Roylane for years, HI received the opportunity to get an impression of Roylane. Here is the Roylane story!

October 2018

‘Stress reduces the resistance of cows, causing the likelihood of infections to increase. And the number of stress moments is quite high actually; cows are like people with autism, they do not handle changes well.’ Speaking is Arnout Dekker, a practicing veterinarian with years of experience who now works at Phibro, the supplier of OmniGen, the product that offers proven support to the immune system of, among others, dairy cows, and thus maintains a high resistance level. In turn this results in fewer cases of disease and reduced use of antibiotics.

October 2018

It has happened! Eight giants have preceded him. One of these weeks, Ensenada Taboo Planet, more than 15 years old, will become the world’s ninth bull to reach the gigantic milestone of 1.5 million doses of semen sold. And it must be said: in the DNA era, this is an even more remarkable feat. After all, the first seven bulls to surpass 1.5 million...

October 2018

Despite his age of three years, he still possesses outstanding numbers with 3315 gLPI and 2734 gTPI. His owner Semex alone has 12 sons with over 2850 gTPI and 17 sons with over 3500 gLPI in their lineup. His influence will certainly be felt worldwide. The fact that Progenesis Fortune become the new titleholder for Outcross Sire of the Year has a different reason, being the combination of his genetic potential with an out of the ordinary pedigree. While he doesn’t get away from Shottle, Goldwyn, or O-Man, with Octoberfest-Tango-Epic he has an unusual background behind his sire. As such, there are enough strengths for Fortune, the Outcross Sire of the Year 2018.

October 2018

Mogul sons abound among the top ranks on daughter-proven sire lists around the globe. Which one is the best? A strong contender for that title now would be the bull that currently sits at Nr.1 on the TPI charts, EDG Rubicon. Here is a glimpse at the life of Rubicon and his growing impact on the breed.

October 2018

In 2012, Muri Popsy created a stir as the nr.1 gTPI cow of Europe. Now, six years later, the Planet daughter from the deep Italian cow family is in the limelights again. Her Doorman son Poison – never in the top as a DNA bull – is the highest progeny proven bull in the country and is praised for his uniform and balanced offspring.

October 2018

From time to time a generational sire appears that is a cut above the rest. In the world of red & whites, Westcoast Swingman appears to be such a bull. He is currently being heavily used as a sire of sons by owners Semex, and will have semen widely available in the coming months. Here is the background on the latest “hot thing” in Canadian red & whites.

October 2018

Two years ago, his debut created quite the stir. Westcoast Styx-Red broke through with strong DNA total indexes in various countries; in his homeland of Canada, he was nr.1. That led to immediate action, especially in Germany, where he provided a flood of red & white sons in the recent August release. No less than four sons in the top list, of whic...

October 2018

‘Even though it is still early in his career, Luster has rapidly risen to become one of the most popular polled sires in our program,’ says Rick VerBeek from Select Sires, who indicates that the nearly two-year-old son of OCD Eraser Zipit out of Kingboy daughter Cherry-Lor Loma (from the family of Tiger-Lilly Lawnboy Lulu) is being heavily sold in...

October 2018

For anybody studying the current bull catalogues will notice a severe lack of sires that inherit a high overall genetic level while also correcting for the increasingly short teat length in the Holstein population. Here are four examples of young sires that are exceptions to the trend and have high overall breeding values along with significantly p...

September 2018

In January 2008, DT Spottie adorned the cover of HI’s “Excellency Issue”. More than ten years later, the EX-93 Derry from the Prelude Spottie family is still alive and well on the Hahn/Radke farm, where she provided four EX daughters. The powerful quartet includes the 12-year-old Shottle daughter Fux Spotlight EX-95 and Fux Seattle EX-92 – a daughter of Hahn/Radke’s favourite bull Gold Chip and the picture cow for this report. It is precisely the Spottie family that forms the heart of this downright impressive herd – both for type and production – in the southern part of the German state of Saxony.

September 2018

A short 3-mile, north-easterly drive out of Portadown town in Northern Ireland lies an industrious Holstein hub. Breed-leading type is what you will find in this impressive herd, which has collected a number of the world’s greatest type pedigrees. Join us as we investigate Glasson Holsteins!

September 2018

The “Legend Dairy” prefix has been a household name for decades in American Holstein breeding. The Californian herd of Ron Pietersma has turned out to be an unprecedented breeding pond of numerous strong cow families who stand out for production, longevity and type. In terms of excellent cows, Legend Dairy is currently even in the American top-5. HI travelled to Chino and spoke with one of the seniors in Holstein breeding, who deems the “magic cross” to be a significant key to success.

September 2018

‘Our breeding goal? True type, preferably with the red colour. True type, because in terms of type, the most correct cow lasts the longest. And then I am not talking about the modern true type, no, the classic. With deep ribs, wide front ends and strength. Then we get the cows that we want, cows that provide us every day with the special spark to e...

September 2018

Morningview Converse Judy EX-93 contributed a lot to putting the Morningview herd from Iowa on the international Holstein map. Key bulls from this family around the globe include the Canadian bull Morningview Ashlar, the German red sire Dertour-Red, and the top Italian transmitter All.Nure Secretariat. Here is an outline of the various branches of the Converse Judy family that produced these impact sires.

September 2018

She is world famous: Krull Broker Elegance, the formidable brood cow from Wisconsin. But in the meantime, her reputation is receiving competition, because since her granddaughter Cradenhill Elegance made the move from Ireland to France in 2006, she has provided an avalanche of top genetics, in the heart of Europe. Read about the rise of the European Elegances.

September 2018

It is a secret of the trade why the Pledge family, developed at Windy-Knoll-View in the USA and with many successful individuals around the world, is suddenly able to translate its high conformation potential into outstanding gPTAT values in Australia of all places. The Pledges have produced great cows and time and again impressive conformation sir...

September 2018

Pierre Oberson is a familiar face in Switzerland. Those who have visited the large shows in the land of the Alps, will certainly have seen this extremely focused French-speaking Swiss in the ring – he understands his profession there splendidly. But… also as a breeder, Pierre understands his line of business well. The national champions Lotanie and Lavande are eminent examples of that. Those taking a look in the new barn back home in Maules will only become more convinced.

September 2018

‘Right now, we have 850 ET pregnancies.’ Not only is the size of Leaninghouse Holsteins, as described by manager Les Terpstra, impressive. The relatively new elite breeding program at Rock Hill Dairy in New Mexico especially stands out for its achievements, evident recently with DNA tested top bulls like Big Bubba and House. Behind the quickly moving success is a modern and methodically executed breeding program and rock-solid confidence in the strength of cow families and proven pedigrees.

September 2018

It had never been achieved before: Five full sisters all made the CTPI top-100 list at thesame time! That magical moment belonged to 5 young Goldwyn daughters, all scored VG-87 or 88, and bred in the Nova herd belonging to brothers Lance and Ryan Kamm. Here is the background story on the Nova herd based in north-west Wisconsin.

September 2018

As a young DNA bull, Weigeline Tabasco expressly remained off the gTPI radar. With an average of 2515 gTPI, he did not stand out in 2014 and 2015; at the time, Rubicon and Delta reigned with about 2710 gTPI. But today, with 630 daughters in production, Tabasco has made a tremendous move and scores 2731 TPI – good for the Nr.5 TPI position! An enorm...

September 2018

He’s the Nr.1 RZG bull in Germany at 165 and he is also a red carrier! Gywer is sired by the Doorsopen son Boldi Gymnast and backed by a Lobach (<Lexor) and then a Snow, the source of the red factor. Gywer was bred by Heino Ahrens, of Walsrode. ‘At over 2200kg he is one of the top milk bulls in Germany and combines it with 73kg of protein,’ comment...

September 2018

‘If polled, then homozygous polled!’ – This is the declaration of many dairy farmer that are playing with the thought of breeding their herd to polled bulls. However, the selection of highly-desired PP sires is still limited. In “focus on…” we will present 5 sires who inherit both PP as well as RC and all count among the best in the world for these...

August 2018

Durham daughter Scientific Debutante Rae gave owners Matt and Mandy Nunes the Reserve Grand Champion title at the 2005 World Dairy Expo. A 7th generation EX from the great Roxy family, she became the cornerstone of their Scientific herd at Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, producing 20 EX daughters including the Goldwyn, Scientific Gold Dana Rae EX-95, Shottle daughter Scientific Darla Rae EX-94 and Stormatic daughter Scientific Alexas Rae EX-94. Her sons included the red-carrier Goldwyn, Scientific Destry, whose legacy to the red breed includes such sons as Ladd-P, Alchemy and Heztry. Here is an update on some of the modern branches of this extensive family.

August 2018

It achieved all of its goals and more – and realising the Lesperron herd’s breed-leading accomplishments was no easy feat. Read about how Lesperron shot to fame with the intelligent purchase of some special embryos… and how at the end of the year its story will take a new path.

August 2018

Located right in the heart of Wisconsin, L-L-M Dairy has been increasingly gaining attention over recent years with sale-topping consignments and bulls in AI. This month we put the focus on a herd that has consistently ranked among the top progressive genetics herds in the nation.

August 2018

It is now almost 10 years since the arrival of the genomics. In that time it has evolved into the biggest revolution the cattle breeding industry has seen. To look at some of the developments as genomics has been implemented over those 10 years we spoke to Dr Paul VanRaden, a research geneticist with the USDA Agriculture Research Service Animal Genomics and Improvement Laboratory in Maryland.

August 2018

A common sight on many farms around the world is the arrivial of the AI technician to breed cows. Now the number of farmers with their own tanks and doing their own inseminations is steadily climbing.

August 2018

From the outset, a question for all HI readers world-wide: do you know a cow with at least eight daughters that all score 93 points or more? A question that is difficult to answer as editors – but at any rate, the British cow Stannock Formation Ricki, accomplished this feat: among her 28 beautiful daughters are eight with EX-93 or higher. Here is her story!

August 2018

‘We are pleased to see several of her granddaughters coming up with impressive numbers – several of them have tested nearly 4 points on type. We really believe she will have a huge impact before she is done!’ Strong words from the well-respected Tim Abbott about the All-American, All-Canadian Dubeau Dundee Hezbollah. Find out more about this unique individual here!

August 2018

In June, HI published part II of a unique overview of farms with the most living excellent cows. Appearing in fourth place on the Irish list was Lisnalty Holsteins with 52 excellents. A special number, especially considering the additional data that the Hannan family in the Irish county of Limerick milks 150 Holsteins. A cow family that has perform...

August 2018

What do you know about Barbie’s older full-sister Rgncrst-Rh Durham Bianca EX-92? Perhaps you didn’t even know she existed? To us, this line of this world-renowned family has been in the shadows for too long. So here we take the opportunity to highlight Bianca’s Outside-daughter Nors Bianca Brita EX-90. Whilst Brita had bulls leave for AI and bred...

August 2018

The name Cosmopolitan brings instant name recognition throughout the Holstein world. This month we take you for a visit to her home in Minnesota, Larcrest, owned by Jon and Ann Larson and their son Tyler.

August 2018

We could not believe our eyes. The Swiss breeder Heinz Meier showed us his cow Editha, which he had made ready for a picture. For a moment, we think: why this cow? Then immediately it becomes clear: Editha is already 11 years old! Has produced more than 100,000 kg milk! So we conclude: not surprising that Heinz chose this particular cow! Such a sol...

August 2018

A note from the outset: this is not a Holstein bull! But: he is black & white and so special that he deserves his own place as a British-Friesian. Catlane Chad was the most used bull at Genus/ABS in Great Britain in 2016 and 2017. As such, Chad is probably the most used British black & white bull for all breeds – also for Holsteins. That means that...

August 2018

Bulls with a profile that offers more strength than size are few and far between. While hardly any breeder or sire analyst wants to bring more size into their herd of the population at large, there are few bulls that inherit such a profile. This month in our “Focus On…” segment we will present four sires who do fit the bill. They are a rare species...

July 2018

Owen Sound, a city in the northern area of southwestern Ontario, Canada, is located at the mouths of the Pottawatomi and Sydenham rivers. Dairy farming in this area is particularly challenging due to rocky land and a limited amount of workable acres. However a herd not deterred by this difficult environment is Loyalyn Holsteins where its “Royal” family is going from strength to strength.

July 2018

A much talked about article was HI’s recent worldwide investigation to find the herds with the highest number of EX cows worldwide. The results showed a clear winner: The 1,600-cow Brynhyfryd herd with a massive 233 EXs. HI travelled to the UK to investigate this Welsh herd that had been forcibly kept under the radar for over a decade.

July 2018

During a 5-day trip around the Maryland area in the US, an outstanding stop was with the Schwartzbeck family. Aggressive, strong, high-type cows with liveability are what you will see in their Peace & Plenty herd. Find out more – here!

July 2018

Selecting consistently for type, balanced nutrition and a French American cow family. Those are the three most prominent ingredients that make the Riedill herd in eastern France more than noteworthy. And popular with many. With the name of one cow clearly standing out: Tempête. Read her tempestuous story.

July 2018

A daily production of 40 kg/cow; Pieter Karst Bouma wants to reach this goal within two years. ‘After raising the roof on the old barn, that is certainly realistic,’ says the farmer from the Dutch province of Friesland. Bouma is in tune with all aspects of his farm and is trying to get the most out of his herd: With the assistance of information from the milking robots and surrounded by the right specialists.

July 2018

With maximum votes from judges, the American KHW Super Aderyn RC EX-90 from Nova Holsteins was selected in HI 06/2018 as Red Impact Cow 2018. Her dam KHW Goldwyn Aiko RC EX-91 won in 2015 and her grand-dam Kamps-Hollow Altitude RC EX-95 in 2009. That a fourth generation winner is certainly a possibility becomes evident during a conversation with Bi...

July 2018

Fradon Rudolph Jodie EX 22*: The global success of this family needs no introduction. Numerous intriguing lines can be found in many different countries worldwide, however today we investigate the legacy of her British descendent Sterndale Sterling Jodie-Red VG-87-2yr. A great-grand-daughter of Rudolph Jodie via an EX-93 Talent and VG-88 Redman, St...

July 2018

With 3293 gLPI, he is the highest Red Holstein bull in Canada. With 2676 gTPI, he is the highest Red Holstein bull in the US. And with 154 gRZG he is one of the top-5 Red Holsteins in Germany! And hence, a genuine red & white globetrotter and a popular sire of sons. ‘Westcoast Swingman-Red is a very nice young bull and fortunately Semex has already...

July 2018

Bluebill has become the leading contender in the race to catch the long-time Italian Nr.1, Sound System... and he’s a rare Gatedancer (Alta1stClass-Supersire) son in the top ranks. Bred by Schulz GbR in Germany, Bluebill is out of a Commander from a Bookem and then a Man-O-Man that was imported to Germany as an embryo from the long-time Nr.1 index...

July 2018

In all of the breeding evaluations he has gone through in his young career he has placed in the German top-10, although he had never reached Nr.1...until April 2018 anyway. The latest evaluation, which used a new formula for longevity and with the yearly base adjustment thoroughly changed the German toplists, and it was the catapult to Nr.1 for the...

July 2018

In the aAa system used by many dairy farmers, the “6” is the for the base type “style.” It describes a centrally placed thurl, durable bones, a long rump and is associated with fewer feet problems and longevity. However, the number “6” in the codes for the global Holstein breed is dramatically decreasing. It is ever harder to find a sire with a “6” in one of the first three positions of the code. As such, today we are presenting four young sires in our new section “Focus On…” who have a “6” in one of the first two positions of their aAa code.

June 2018

June 2015 HI wrote about an up and coming brood cow. Exactly 3 years later we revisit this interesting individual, who is no longer an emerging talent but an outright breeding phenomenon. The family has developed so much in such a short space of time – yes: we’re talking about Misty Springs Lavanguard Sue VG-89.

June 2018

This chapter plays out in the splendid landscape around West Charlton, a very small town in the far eastern part of the American state of New York. It is a gorgeous, warm summer morning, when via a long driveway, we arrive at the farm on the hill that we are seeking: Eildon-Tweed Farms. Owner David Wood is quickly found, he is working in a warm off...

June 2018

The US cow Seagull-Bay Oman Mirror is one of the legendary brood cows of the breed: Dam of Robust and foundation behind such bulls as Jedi and Biggie. A more distant German branch of this same family produced the bull AltaSpring. However, Mirror had a litter-mate, Oman Mirna, who spent much of her life lost in the shadows of her famous sister... though it didn’t start out that way!

June 2018

Elevated somatic cell counts not only cause production losses, but also increase the likelihood of mastitis, with all the associated problems and costs. To prevent financial damage and animal losses, it is important to decrease, or maintain the somatic cell count on the farm at a low level. Easily said, but what does this look like in practice? Which factors play a big role in this? HI spoke with an independent milking expert and two dairy farmers that have an average somatic cell count of 100,000 or lower.

June 2018

Cows in their 7th, 8th, 10th and even 15th lactation. Protein figures of close to 4%, and even above. Impossible? Certainly not! Within the 90-head Radney dairy herd of Henry and Liam O’Keeffe, the proof is clearly provided. And it is especially one cow family that is responsible: the Odettas. This past April, O’Keeffe was recognized in Dublin with the “RDS Champion of Champions Award” for his successful Odetta family. HI travelled to Radney Holsteins to get better acquainted.

June 2018

In Stuhr, close to the northern German city of Bremen, GHH Talent Marie owned by Frank and Frederike Kastens recently became the first German Red Holstein to score EX-95. It was another milestone for the nine-year-old, who in 2013 became Junior Champion during the German National Show in Oldenburg, and two years later won the national title in the...

June 2018

US Route 20 is one of the longest highways in the entire US, which stretches from Oregon at the Pacific Ocean to Massachusetts at the Atlantic. We find ourselves on Route 20 in the state of New York, which leads us through significant mountains. And since we are looking for Mountfield Holsteins, we expect to find the farm on the next top. We are excited and curious at the same time, because we know we will get to meet the Marshfield family and… Maxine, the dam of Mogul, 12 years old. Upon arrival, all expectations are met. And we hear the miraculous story of Maxine.

June 2018

In terms of milk production, California is still America’s nr.1 state, and within California the most milk is produced in Tulare county. HI’s destination in the walhalla of American dairy farming is Terra Linda Dairy, where besides an annual milk volume of about 50 million lb. (22.7 million kg), there is also a commitment to elite breeding. Since 2014, they have DNA tested all of their female Holsteins and every two weeks, 20 IVF sessions and 4-8 ETs are conducted. With the primary goal of increasing herd production and profitability still further.

June 2018

There are not many barns in Germany that enjoy a comparable international reputation. Martin Ruebesam, the breeder behind the Wiesenfeld prefix, was possessed by breeding. His first imports from the USA and the branches that developed from them revolutionized the type of cow as it was known in Germany. The Wiesenfeld prefix dominated Europe’s show scene around the turn of the millennium like hardly anybody else. Then things calmed some, but Ruebesam remained a possessed breeder: And one who tackled the present, with the same families as earlier but also several new additions. And of course, his unique style and philosophy, which has already brought so much success is still quite special.

June 2018

“The Program for Healthy Cows”: That is how the ProFitPlus program is described on the websites of the German AIs RinderAllianz (RA) and Rinderzucht Berlin Brandenburg (RBB). For more specific background, experiences and results on this unique project, HI spoke with Jan Körte, Head of Breeding at RA. In his working region, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, in the far northeastern part of Germany, already since 2005, standardized field data from thousands of cows has been compiled in the areas of mastitis, hoof health and calving, among others. This resulted three years ago in indexes that are much appreciated in the field.

June 2018

DG Charley, the production and somatic cell specialist from the esteemed Crimson family, is distinguishing himself with high sons in Germany, Italy and the US. There he provided Charl, who has been sky high on the gTPI list since December. With sons in so many countries, Charley differs from many current sires of sons, who normally speaking receive more limited use.

June 2018

Owner RUW is very clear about their Epochal: ‘A type transmitter with superior quality.’ The German breeding company does not say this easily. The linear profile of this Epic son is truly remarkable: 1894 classified daughters provide him with a splendid type index of 131, complete with a sloped rump and slightly longer teats; nowhere does Epochal s...

June 2018

Apart from his sky-high genomic values and the fact that he is the Nr.2 gTPI and Nr.1 NM$ sire ($1074), what else do you know about the bull whose name index-fans have been following – Hurtgenlea Richard Charl? At Hurtgenlea in Wisconsin the Hurtgen family milk 150 cows at an average of 27,000lb (12,246kg), 4.1%, 3.2%. Charl’s family is the stronge...

June 2018

Due to a gain of no less than nine points, Hurion Isy (184 ISU) is reigning supreme on the French index ranking since April. Lots of milk and high components make him an unparalleled production specialist. In the areas of type, fitness and bloodlines, the figurehead from the Olivia family owned by Earl Gallais which has been used in breeding for several generations, also has much to offer.

May 2018

With 32,937 first services, WEH Beatstick was Germany’s most used sire in 2017. In December, the equally intensively used Acapulco led the list of Atwood sons for conformation. At the same evaluation, HFP Finder Quimera and HFP Finder Quintsia were in the German female top-10 and three daughters of the current Nr.1 index cow in Switzerland, HFP 1st Class Quella, had the complete top-3 in Switzerland. And that is certainly not all. High offspring from this family can also be found in the Netherlands and Denmark. Behind all these results hides and Italian, whose star rose in Germany and shines brightly today: Bersaglio Oman Qualsiasi.

May 2018

First Valsie, then Vedette and the great Valana… Ferme Jacobs’ “V” family has produced many show-ring headliners. But do you know about the family’s deep history? All the details here!

May 2018

This story could have gone differently. And maybe we would not have heard about it if Kirsten and Heike Kemmerling had actually given up their dairy operation completely 5 years ago. But the breeding enthused sisters, who earn their money outside agriculture, decided differently. They kept several of their older cows and kept the farm taken over by their father going. Among the older cows was SBH Indian Snowred, the first 6th generation EX in Germany and the starting point for a story that is long from over.

May 2018

Washington State on the the US Pacific coast is the Nr.10 dairy state of the US and the Nr.4 for average cow production. It’s a state of contrasts with the lush green pastures of the coastal strip quickly giving way to the rugged mountain ranges that rise up forming a barrier to the much dryer inland regions. Feedlot style dairy operations have turned such dryer areas as the Yakima Valley into one of the most productive dairy regions in the country. However, it is on the coastal belt that we find Portmann Dairy and their impressive Hol-Star herd.

May 2018

Ralma Juror Faith – the name certainly has a magical ring. Faith is undoubtedly one of the most famous brood cows in the Holstein breed. Her genes are spread all over the world and in numerous countries account for high sale prices, high indexing cows and bulls, and especially, tremendous type. HI visited the source of this powerful cow family, situated in the heart of the American state of Minnesota. Ralma Farm, owned by the Schmitt family, where the impressive 250-head herd descends entirely from this one special Juror daughter.

May 2018

Nestled alongside the River Torrent in the south-east of County Tyrone in Northern Ireland, 5km (3 miles) northwest of Dungannon, lies Donaghmore. With a population of just over 1,000, this small, quiet village is quite inconspicuous – but in UK Holstein breeding it is a place of excellence, thanks to the McLean family’s Relough herd.

May 2018

Sunnyside has been a prominent name in Holstein breeding in Wisconsin for almost 100 years. Their deep, home-bred cow families have contributed a solid foundation to many a herd down through the years. Well over 100 Sunnyside bulls have gone to AI, with Sunnyside Standout being one of the iconic sires that has left his mark on the breed. This month we put the focus on the management practices of this highly regarded Holstein breeding operation.

May 2018

Average daily milk production per robot for all Lely milking robots world-wide reaches 1628 kg, while the top farm is now above 3000 kg! ‘The robots are the same everywhere, the difference lies in management,’ state Lely representatives Frank van der Staak and Rutger van de Streek, who present lots of remarkable data and share engaging stories about the developments of the automatic milking systems, and especially about the growing stream of information from numerous sensors that offer farmers management support. They provide insight about goals, and how to realize those goals with the proper application of modern technology.

May 2018

In August 2011, the Nordic Total Merit (NTM) index – used in Denmark, Sweden and Finland – became the first total index worldwide to include the trait Hoof Health as one its components. ‘Now farmers can see the result for themselves through better longevity and fewer cases of lameness,’ comments Lars Nielsen from Viking Genetics. ‘Hoof health has a correlation of .40 with longevity, while feet & legs have a correlation of just .15/.20 with longevity. Our best bull for Hoof Health reduces the cases of lameness by 50%.’

May 2018

Every Canadian Holstein with 20 stars to her name has attained a formidable breeding achievement. That is certainly the case for Hendercroft Lheros Gumball EX-96. So far, she has earned 22 stars via solely female descendants, nearly all of them among the 55 milking cows at Hendercroft Holsteins in Ashton, Ontario. In seven lactations, the All-Canad...

May 2018

In 2011, HI started its annual publication of notable outcross bulls. In October 2011, Va-Early-Dawn Sudan became HI’s first “Outcross Sire of the Year”. Today Sudan is celebrating some nice triumphs: in Canada, his son Comestar Lautrust is the nr.1 progeny proven bull, in France, his son Hurion Isy is the nr.1 progeny proven sire. Two nr.1 sires o...

April 2018

Rarely do cow families compete at the top level in the show ring for more than a generation or two. However, this past show season four generations of the Knonaudale Jasmine family made their mark at the big-time shows. Here is a look at one of the hottest cow families of the Canadian show scene at present.

April 2018

It was the largest investment that Florian Grosse Honebrink ever made in a calf. It was not an easy decision for the young breeder, but the purchase turned out to be a stroke of good luck. Mabelle developed into a VG-88 cow and an unforeseen breeding well. The Snowflake calf became the dam of the widely used Milton, the Nr.6 of all Missouri sons in Germany. Even better were the grandsons. Three of them, Royce, First, and Kent, occupied spots 3, 10, and 30 in Germany for March. They are currently the highest three bulls on offer from the German OHG. What a story.

April 2018

And who do we find here at the top? At the peak of this Swiss mountain, between Neuchatel and the border with France? Here we see the dam of Basist, TGD-Holstein Seven Basilea-Red, nearly six years old and owned by Denis and his son Jeremy Huguenin in La Brévine. Note: neither Basilea nor her son Basist were bred by the Huguenins; their breeder is...

April 2018

She was four years old, the white Tommily du Tombuy, when we paid a visit 11 years ago to the French Tombuy herd. Not only was she a beautiful and solid cow to behold, but also a strong producer: And even then she was already the dam of a Swiss Expo champion. (With a very special story, which will follow shortly.) Who would have thought at the time that Tommily would continue unabated until her current age of 15 years? And she is adorned with two national French titles, a score of EX-95, a splendid lifetime production of 107,285 kg (236,027 lb) 4.20% 3.51% and numerous descendants. ‘But above all else, Tommily has always been a real work cow – she is the cow that every dairy farmer would like to have,’ says breeder Jean-Baptise Decheppe: The career of an exceptional French cow.

April 2018

High production, sale topping prices and a long list of breed leading AI sires… The accomplishments of Unique-Style Bolton Money make extremely impressive reading. Read all about how this money-maker with a different pedigree took the industry by storm.

April 2018

Located around 120 miles (200km) north of Halifax in Nova Scotia and 370 miles (600km) east of Quebec City lies the Canadian province, Prince Edward Island. Often noted as a top holiday destination, underneath its tranquil mask is a Holstein industry bursting with talent. Here we bring you the story of one of the island’s headline herds, Weeksdale Holsteins.

April 2018

Cees de Jong, the breeder at VOF Jongsteins in the Netherlands, has a passion for Holsteins. He likes to praise the progress made by the breed in recent decades. The same is no less true for representatives in his herd. Together with the unique contributions of partner Barbara, a veterinarian by trade, employee Johan Zwijnenburg and father Goof, he is directing his stylish herd to marvellous achievements. After 13,268 kg in 2017, average production is higher again this year.

April 2018

Several months ago, when the Swiss herdbook held its SwissCow Convention at the farm of Alex Gobeli, it was a sign. The event, at which the best breeders in the country are recognized, is a real family affair. And Alex Gobeli, who is a successful building contractor and does not necessarily need to earn his living from his cows, is a part of this large, enthusiastic breeding family. And by now, he is much more. The passion and excitement of Alex and his whole family for pretty cows shows itself in names like Pagewire Delicieuse, Goldywn Ronja, Incas Flavia, or Doorman Jolie. They are names known around the world: Perfect representatives of a herd that by now is known by almost everyone worldwide.

April 2018

Grand Champion at the Royal last fall and Intermediate Champion in 2015, Co-Vale Dempsy Dina is one of the superstars of the show scene in North America. Dina spent her formative years as a young cow at Ransom-Rail, an 1100-cow operation in north-western New York, and they contine to be part owners. Here is a look at Ransom-Rail Farm, owned by the Dueppengiesser family.

April 2018

‘I saw a photo of Crescentmead Shottle Empress VG-86 in a herd dispersal advert. She was my kind of cow: tall, wide, long from end to end, and she milked hard. As soon as I saw the photo I made up my mind to own something out of her. I bought embryos from the herd dispersal which resulted in 1 bull and 2 heifers, including Alexander Queen EX-92,’ e...

April 2018

In the long list of Monterey sons, Vogue Leap Year stands out for type: +3.35 on the American base, +11 on the Canadian base. Not surprisingly, as his dam is the splendid Doorman daughter Belfast Doorman Lovestruck VG-88-3yr. That back has a streak of excellent dams: EX-93 Goldwyn, EX-92 Durham, EX-91 Cousteau and then the legendary Thiersant Lili...

April 2018

Will the McCutchen-sons be better than their sire for type? To help you decide, here we bring you details of McCutchen’s highest ranking daughter-proven son: Beemer.

April 2018

When Boldi-V Gymnast, the Doorsopen son from the Albany branch of the Atlees, got his first genomic breeding values at the end of 2016, he presented himself at a good level on both LPI and TPI basis. However, it was not enough for a top position in Canada or the USA. But in Germany the situation was different. With 167 gRZG and outstanding conformation, he took over the top spot there in December 2016. And Germany’s breeders were the first to intensively use Gymnast on their best heifers and cows. Ever since the first Gymnast calves have arrived with their genomic numbers, the results have been overwhelming.

April 2018

Tim Abbott, the former owner of St. Jacobs ABC, preferred to use bull dams that were tremendous individuals from families with several generations of proven breeding talent. Such as Starmark Ad Hotstuff-Red EX-94, the All-American Red Holstein 5-yr-old 2012, a direct descendant from the prominent Tony Rae line of the Roxys. For example, Hotstuff is...

March 2018

From 2003 to 2007, Regancrest Elton Durham was Premier Sire at the World Dairy Expo for five successive years. One of his daughters that successfully entered the Madison show ring at the time was Stone-Rise Durham Lizzy from New York. A Holstein with show allure and breeding power. Her descendants draw attention at shows, but also from commercial dairy farmers and from the highest gTPI realms.

March 2018

The huge French Gold Chip daughter Hermine Tual is not only well-known for being a show cow, she also comes from a strong family with high proofs for French index and gTPI. The strength of this bloodline is making it an emerging source for bulls, while females are in high demand.

March 2018

There are a large number of farms in Germany that could be put into the same category as Grunewald-Olbing GbR. High-value herds that don’t enjoy any time in the spotlight but still shine through top production from excellent animals: Breeders who have clear philosophies and have a lot to say. Hermann Olbing, who leads Grunewald-Olbing GbR with his wife Anne, is one such breeder. His 115 cows are the highest-producing herd in the category for farms with 100-200 cows in Germany. And they are remarkably pretty and long-lasting.

March 2018

Against recommendations, the new dairy barn at Alfalawn Farm is furnished with large fans on the south side and is fully open on the north end (road side), giving commuters on Wisconsin Highway 72 a clear view inside. This describes the situation at the dairy enterprise of the Styer family, where they do everything in their power to make cows as comfortable as possible, and with outstanding results. And these results are allowed to be shared, is the conviction. The spacious visitors’ area, with a clear view of the 60-stall rotary parlour, is then also filled regularly.

March 2018

Leading Canadian herds host many visitors, especially international tour groups attending the Royal each fall. One stop that creates a sparkling impression is the brand new facilities at Markvale Holsteins, close to the main highway just west of Woodstock in western Ontario and owned by Clarence and Wendy Markus.

March 2018

$1.15 million… Sure, Lylehaven Lila Z was a huge investment. But as our global overview highlights here, her impact on the breed is as big as her price tag. Learn all about Lila Z’s influence here!

March 2018

For more than 25 years the Southwind Saturday family has been sending bulls to AI. Even today, a Canadian branch of the family, head-quartered at Stantons in Ontario, continues to supply elite genetic-merit animals and high-indexing young sires. This branch is built around the maternal sisters Sher-Est Rudolph Stress and Sher-Est Mtoto Sharon: Here is their story.

March 2018

If you haven’t heard of the 3-time Global Cow of the Year nominee, Miss OCD Rbst Delicious… Frankly, where have you been? A cow that could potentially go down in the history books as a game-changer of the modern-day genomic era. Here we bring you her story so far.

March 2018

The Northern Irish Hilltara herd first became famous thanks to Medway Supreme Maude EX-97. The herd owned by the McCormick family contains more remarkable families though, including the Echos, who were put on the map in 2017 by Hilltara Lauthory Echo 2 EX-93 as Diageo Baileys Irish Champion and winner of the Winter Fair in Ulster. ‘The Echos are ou...

March 2018

There are currently four heifer calves dominating the top-list in the USA with official breeding values of more than 3000 gTPI. In order, they are Rosylane-LLC Frzzle11270 (3017 gTPI), Peak Elevate (3014 gTPI), Sandy-Valley Highlight (3013 gTPI), and Pine-Tree 5976 Prop 7829 (3003 gTPI), who made it to the top in February. With the exception of Ele...

March 2018

It is not surprising that the influence of the milky Bacon-Hill Montross continues to increase. Elsewhere on this page we highlight his Italian son VanHalen, but his American son Cookiecutter Hang-Time (2754 gTPI) also deserves full attention. Of course, he also stood in the shadow of their powerful half-brother Jedi, but Hang-Time (just 56 GTPI po...

March 2018

‘Maybe,’ explains Rick VerBeek of Select Sires, ‘one should consider his good but not overwhelming production numbers when pairing him, but otherwise we are talking about one of the best and most well-rounded bulls currently in the breed: A true allrounder with high values for conformation, fitness, calving and impressive PTA’s for udder and fertil...

March 2018

Based on his attractive DNA figures and pedigree, at a young age already, Inseme sold 50,000 doses of Chapeau semen. The high Italian Mogul son has not betrayed that early confidence. Stronger yet, Chapeau made a dazzling debut last December on the progeny proven ranking. With 3014 PFT, he is the proud Nr.1 of his country.

February 2018

Just less than two years ago, full brothers Gandy Valverde and Warren broke through on the Italian progeny proven top list. Sons of Goldday out of a Jardin dam. From a global perspective, they carry “alternative” blood and as such, Valverde ended up high in HI’s 2016 Outcross Sire Competition. Today, Valverde stands unchanged in Italy’s top-10. HI travelled to his birth barn close to the Italian city of Mantova and spoke with breeders Luciano and Claudio Gandolfi about their special cow families, their farm and their philosophy.

February 2018

At the beginning of the decade, GBM Annabell, a granddaughter of GBM Blackstar Jean, made headlines in North America with unbelievable results from flushing and several well-placed offspring. Then it was quieter for the Durham daughter, but that changed in the fall of 2017. The World Classic record of Mr Aristrocrat, the Frazzled son from the hih-index branch of Annabells’s Shottle daughter GBM America, was a thunderbolt. As such, it is quickly forgotten that a very special branch of the Jean family has also bloomed in Europe over the last few years, with partly eye-watering genomic results.

February 2018

Over the last 30 years, 10 generations of the Ladys-Manor Jem family have sent bulls to AI. Such family products as Winchester, Wildman, Marbach, Shamrock, Grafeeti, Olympian and Octoberfest have become prominent names throughout the industry. Along with this review of the highly influential Jem family we introduce some of the leading sires it has produced.

February 2018

‘The changes adopted by Holstein USA to reduce the prejudice against small cows has been received by us with applause.’ Dan Weigel, who together with partner Ron Franck determines the direction of Weigeline Holsteins, is crystal clear about his vision. The breeding partners from Iowa have been committed for years to average sized, healthy commercial dairy cows. And, from three carefully constructed cow families they regularly provide sires for AI.

February 2018

Just any three cows on pasture in the north German region of Oost-Friesland? Thrice no! These three cows are clearly super-producers, all three are members of the extensive D family from the Grünefeld herd and… together good for more than 477,000 kg (1,049,500 lb)! From left to right, you see the 16-year-old Dosta (147,000 kg), the 19-year-old Dori...

February 2018

When the December HI was sent to thousands of breeders around the world two months ago with the World Champion Poster 2017, there were likely more than a few readers who were disappointed. After all, one special Holstein was not represented. We were also unhappy that a top show-cow like Wiesenfeld Artes Regale would not fit on the poster for lack of space. Austria’s current National Champion would surely have shown several more qualities. Nonetheless, we do not want to withhold Regale from you. So, here is the story behind this exceptional cow, her many outstanding barn mates and the enthusiastic breeders responsible for her.

February 2018

When the Holstein Association recently announced the winners of its Progressive Genetics Herd awards for 2017, the herd with the highest average TPI in the US (at 2450) was Sandy-Valley. Over the last 3 decades, numerous breed-improving sires have been products of the Bauer family’s 450-cow herd based at Scandinavia, Wisconsin. In this article we focus on some of the key management practices of the highest indexing herd in the US.

February 2018

Whether or not to use dry cow treatment, housing in one or two groups, a dry period of six weeks or is eight weeks better? Experts think differently about the ideal dry period. What all experts do agree on, though, is that without a good dry period, milking cows will not get old. HI spoke with Boclair Holsteins in Scotland, the Dijk-de Bruin partnership in the Netherlands and Hendel Farms in the US; three enterprises with high-producing and long-lasting herds that have proven to have good dry cow management.

February 2018

Several of his daughters and granddaughters are among the most distinguished brood cows in Canada. In addition, his name shines in the pedigrees of world champion Toc-Farm Allen Amyly and the world record holder for kg milk, Gillette Smurf. Over the years Kingstead Valiant Tab has emerged as a remarkable transmitter. HI looks back on his career and returns via owner CIAQ in Quebec to his special birth barn, Kingstead Farms in Maryland.

February 2018

No, the Nr.1 female in Australia is not a young calf by a hot genomic sire. It is 3rd lactation Glomar Lucky 4319 VG-87 (394 BPI; photo) who is sired by the 99% reliable Goldwyn. Lucky, who has held the Nr.1 BPI position for the last 3 years, is not the only Glomar animal in the top rankings – she is joined by 5 other family members in the top-10!...

February 2018

One can still find them, those genomic outliers from unfamiliar herds, unfamiliar families and unusual sire stacks. Eleven-month-old Bertoni Holsteins Grana is exactly such an individual. Bred in the commercial Bertoni herd in Italy, Grana is at 2837 gTPI the Nr.2 Montross worldwide, while her 1005 points for gNM make her the Nr.1 in Europe. Howeve...

February 2018

He is Nr.2 among the highest available black & white Dutch sires for type (see table): Lowlands Debark, owned by CRV. The DNA tested Danno son combines his 114 type with a total index of 334 gNVI, along with nice scores for the majority of fitness traits. Particularly special about Debark’s pedigree is that Etazon Renate is a double great grand-dam...

February 2018

Usually in today’s genomic world, as a female ages the attention of her breeding potential is refocussed to the next generation. Luckily for Canada’s new Nr.1 Biggie, the attention on his breed-leading transmitting dam S-S-I Suprsire Miri VG-89 (photo) was not wavered as she progressed into her milking career. Biggie was born nearly 2 years after M...

January 2018

Strong cow families are the basis behind the success of many top breeders around the world. Working with maternal lines that transmit with a high degree of consistency and predictability makes for success in breeding. And this isn’t limited to top indexing families either. Here we highlight a high type family that is part of the Beckridge herd in Canada, the Liza family.

January 2018

The Dutch Froukje family – synonymous with high components and type – is recognised worldwide. Whilst it is still an integral part of the Essen family’s Mars herd in the Netherlands, who have developed the family for over 40 years, it is also making headlines in other parts of the world – like Northern Ireland.

January 2018

Maryland, USA: Since the 1950s it’s been home to the Savage-Leigh herd’s “Licorice” family. First making major headlines in the 1990s with the Gold Medal Dam and Dam of Merit Savage-Leigh Bellwood Linda EX-92 – here we provide an update on this world-famous female line.

January 2018

Clear-Echo Ramo 1200 EX-94 has been a finalist in the Global Cow competition, and she is the icon of a family that is making its presence felt around the globe. The Clear-Echo prefix also continues to appear on young bulls entering AI programs every year. This month we take you to an influential New York herd, Clear-Echo, owned by the Peck family.

January 2018

In late 2017, the German RBB Show was won by Manchester, a Holstein cow in her 10th lactation with 100,000 kg to her credit. In itself, that is already quite remarkable. But Manchester’s story becomes even more special due to her home base, Fehrower Agrar in the Spreewald. On this dairy farm with 400 head, farming is done very unconventionally; following strict organic methods, with the assistance of homebred bulls and an internally developed 3-way cross.

January 2018

After her unexpected victory at Madison 2016 she became the Holstein talk of the day, world-wide: Sheeknoll Durham Arrow, alias “Thomas”. But the EX-96 Durham and her descendants are not the only eye-catchers in the herd of Robert and Jeannette Sheehan. The family of Sheeknoll Bolton Ariana includes various beautiful milking cows and on top of that provided the Jacoby son Blondin Thunder Storm, at 4.46 gPTAT.

January 2018

ZAO Niva is taking advantage of the highly-productive Holstein cows at its farm in Samara Oblast, Russia. Now there are plans for a major business expansion in the future to come. Russian reporter Vladislav Vorotnikov talked to Inna Uskova, the company’s manager, and wrote this Russian herd report for HI.

January 2018

‘During daily tasks, she never stands out, then you don’t notice her. But if you walk through the barn, or look through the list of production figures, then she really stands out! Evelin is a very powerful cow with a tremendous amount of milk,’ explains Dieter Schlunke from the German Diera dairy enterprise as he talks about the special Headliner daughter Evelin EX-90. And that is not all: Evelin is the dam of one of Europe’s highest gTPI sires plus a series of very attractive daughters. Meet one of Europe’s most extraordinary young brood cows out of a remarkable American family.

January 2018

When he was just starting out as a dairy farmer, Marcel Heylen, in Geel, Belgium, had a number of wishes. One of them was breeding an excellent cow. This long-held desire was realized in October 2017 with Keur Quase RC. Shortly before that, the 12-year-old Talent daughter passed the milestone of 10,000 kg fat and protein. Heylen showed his excellen...

January 2018

As the sire of the new world champion for production, MS Atlees Aftershock continues to be in the spotlights. But also without the world record of Selz-Pralle Aftershock 3918, the St. Jacobs-ABS bull would never have to complain about lack of interest. The Shottle son of type phenomenon MD-Delight Durham Atlee consistently breeds well-functioning daughters. A quality which, as evident from the constant demand for his semen, is appreciated by dairy farmers world-wide.

January 2018

For enthusiasts of race horses, the name “Chip” is world famous. At one point, Pine Chip was the world’s fastest trotter. He celebrated tremendous successes in North America and Europe. Later, he was also used for breeding, and became even more famous, with numerous fast descendants. First he bred for years in North America, and then moved to Europ...

January 2018

Goldwyn was one of those “once in a lifetime” type of bulls in the way that he dominated show-rings around the world like no other sire. His many high-type sons – including Atwood, Fever, Dempsey, Gold Chip, Reginald, Lauthority, Golden Dreams and many more – have impacted the show scene too. Another Goldwyn who has had a little less of the limelight is R-E-W Seaver. Here is his story.

January 2018

Are you looking for outcross? Sires from deep cow families with several lactations, longevity and proven type? And DNA figures are less important to you? Then 2-year-old Spell It is an interesting choice. He is a son of Big Spell out of a VG-87 fourth lactation daughter of the appreciated Italian longevity specialist Prince. The grand-dam is a VG-8...

January 2018

‘Lightstar made a fantastic debut in December by jumping straight to Nr.2 for our total index with 163 gRZG,’ explains Torsten Lenk from Masterrind. ‘He is Nr.1 for daughter fertility among the German top-100 genomic sires with a score of 130 RZR. In addition to the impressive fitness traits, he is a great production bull with high fat yield, and h...

January 2018

Besides Julandy in Germany, the Julia family from the Dutch Werler breeding herd also has an extremely popular transmitter in its home country, namely Jotani. The more than 5-year-old Jotan son out of a Konvoy daughter of foundation cow Julia 382 EX-92 now has 461 daughters in his production index and with 118 overall type is an absolute topper on...

December 2017

You’ve probably already heard the name of this Meridian daughter. She is famous for her show results and her fantastic udder. But do you know that she is also a wonderful bull dam and an incredible production cow? Yes, in this story you will discover a very surprising cow!

December 2017

Breeders regularly combine their best Holsteins with RC and Red Holstein sires in the hope of creating attractive breeding material for red & whites. However, the start of the red Coba line at Oelhorst Holsteins in Ambt Delden, the Netherlands, transpired very differently. Unplanned, the Red Holstein millionaire Kian introduced the red gene. Four generations later, the Coba family provides one of the most popular young Red Holstein donors.

December 2017

Finley was the biggest name to come from the Fiona family – he was the bull that put the Opsal herd on the international Holstein map more than a decade ago. Later the cow Opsal Planet Fame spent three years ranked as the Nr.1 female for protein in the breed. Here we trace the history of the Fiona family, possibly the most successful of the lines descending from the famous Rotate daughter Ebony.

December 2017

The Debutante Raes, Lana Raes, Perk Raes and Cinderellas; all these successful breeding lines have proceeded from Hanoverhill Tony Rae EX-96. Right now, a prominent new Rae line is emerging in the US, this time based on Golden-Oaks Champ Rae EX-93. After a difficult start, she too is now developing into a sensational brood cow. The harvest thus far: an impressive list of daughters and granddaughters. And partly due to two promising bulls, the Champ Rae line is now spreading internationally.

December 2017

In France, hardly any prefixes are used. That is unfortunate, because while in North America successful breeders can be identified via their prefixes, in France you have to dig much deeper for the breeder’s name. This is true for example of the French breeding herd, Bodier. For years they have successfully provided bulls for AIs. However, in the absence of a prefix, the name “Bodier” is certainly not known world-wide. Lots of reason then for this report in which we place the limelights on Gaec Bodier.

December 2017

Last April, HI published an article about the deep F family at Melarry, and now – eight months later – the breeding enterprise from Minnesota has its own report. Rightfully so, because besides the F branch, the milking herd of 175 head also has 2 other strong breeding families. In addition, last year the Hacketts sold no less than 17 sires to AIs. And 13 the previous year, including the popular sire of sons Melarry Josuper Frazzled.

December 2017

We apologise! 11 generations of family farming, a large herd, breed-leading genomics and top type animals… There’s simply too much to write about Oakfield Corners Dairy in 2 pages – but we will give it our best shot! Here is the story of this dominating herd.

December 2017

Whether you are thinking about enhancing your existing barn or building a new one –integrating milk-boosting tools will most likely be an advantageous goal. Here we investigate some possibilities.

December 2017

There are 17 star-brood cows from the Dolly family in the British Kirkblythe herd. Born in 1991, the greatest is its founding member Kirkblythe Leadman Dolly EX-90 31*. Here we report on today’s impact left by this top UK star-brood cow.

December 2017

Ideal Dairy Farms (1,900 cows) in New York is the home of several excellent cow families. Well-known examples are the EX-94 Bookem daughter Quiet-Brook-D Babybrook and particularly the Cookiecutter Halo family, started by Denise Dickinson and Kyle Getty. Another family, which is not yet as famous but has lots of potential, is one that came into the...

December 2017

His full-sister SPH Yelena VG-89, about whom you can read more in this issue, is the topic of conversation in the German breeding scene this year. Hardly any other Holstein in the country can bring together exciting show-type with such high genomic potential. Indeed, Yelena is the perfect ambassador for the quality of her brother Mercury. Germany’s highest Mogul son Germany’s most-famous Mogul daughter advertise for one another. Quite successfully, as the demand for Mercury has increased dramatically since his debut in August. A sire with an outcross dam line and a noteworthy, well-balanced profile.

December 2017

Do you know who is among the most sold sires at World-Wide Sires? Mapel Wood Brewmaster! The now 7-year-old Canadian is very popular world-wide, explains Scott Ruby from WWS. As a young sire, Garrett son Brewmaster was certainly not in the top DNA lists, but now, progeny proven, the Genervations graduate is among the toppers in both Canada (Nr.4, 3...

December 2017

With Montross, the American brood cow Unique-Style Bolton Money EX-93 provided the most influential Mogul son. In combination with Mogul, Money also provided a second successful transmitter: Monty, whose semen is being sold by Accelerated Genetics, the company that was taken over by Select Sires on July 1. Monty currently has 116 daughters in his p...

December 2017

In HI’s November issue, you could read about the selection of Marathon as the 2017 Outcross Sire. Notable: his half-brother Moyrath also ended up deservingly in the top-5. Both young French bulls combine very high indexes with uncommon pedigrees. This turns out not to be coincidental; in its breeding program, owner Evolution purposefully strives for necessary pedigree variation. A goal that the Mack daughter BZH Joycie, as evident from her sons Marathon and Moyrath, has helped them realize like no other.

November 2017

Olmar has been one of the top breeder herds of Minnesota for almost 60 years. For most of that time, different branches of the one cow family have fought for dominance in the herd. At present it is the descendants of Olmar Lynch Baby Bumble EX-93 that are having the greatest influence on the breed.

November 2017

With 130 RZG based on nearly 28,000 daughters, Guarini is the very highest of several dozens of German Goldwyn sons. Thanks to the strong maternal line from which he originates. In recent years, this R family is increasingly making news, especially in the Netherlands. At Double W Holsteins, the Rickys are clearly proving themselves, and various bulls have now left for AIs. Two of them even arrived in the Dutch top-10.

November 2017

In June 2003 HI reported about the Hidden-View Lead Becca cow family and in October 2003 we wrote about a headline daughter-proven sire that had just emerged from the bloodline, Hidden-View Best. Prompted by another interesting sire, today we visit this cow family again.

November 2017

Five years ago the arrival of the high-type red bull Tiger-Lily Ladd-P focused attention on the Lulu family at Marshman Farms in New York. Via his sire Destry, Ladd-P offered Goldwyn style in a red package. However, his mother also provided a strong type background along with the polled gene. The polled and red market sectors are now the focus of this special cow family from New York.

November 2017

With 3 sons on the TPI and LPI top-lists, along with 5 grand-sons and great grand-sons on the genomic top-lists in the US and Germany, Coyne-Farms Mass Jill is having a solid impact on elite breeding... at least on the male side of the population. Here is her story.

November 2017

The highest DNA bull with an AI code (Bomaz Skywalker, 2961 gTPI) and 14 female Holsteins in the top-200 for Net Merit; the Bomaz prefix is very strongly woven with current elite breeding in the US. HI travelled to Hammond in the far western part of Wisconsin, where via top management and consistent breeding, the Zwald family attains outstanding results with the “Bomaz index”: With leading roles for the strong transmitting Bomaz 1551 and Bomaz D family. Travel along to Bomaz Farms.

November 2017

The San Joaquin Valley in California is 300 miles long and 100 miles wide and is one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world. A combination of rich soils, irrigation water from the mountains, and a warm, desert-like climate make it suitable for hundreds of different crops. This valley also supports the majority of California’s 1.8 million dairy cattle which are located on 2,000 farms and produce 22% of the US national milk supply – that’s more than the national production of such countries as Italy, Canada, the UK, Australia or the Netherlands. Two of those farms are RuAnn Dairy and Maddox Dairy, based at Riverdale and owned by the Maddox family.

November 2017

A passion for deep pedigrees and good cows has driven the Hazeleger family to create an interesting operational strategy. A number of the world’s finest pedigrees can be found in their Hanalee herd – find out more here!

November 2017

No, Clemens Eilmans is not a star of the scene. He is not a celebrated exhibitor at shows, not a successful seller at one of the many top-auctions and not a breeder of the best genomic animals. However, Eilmans should be well-known nonetheless. His herd is the highest producing in all of Germany, and the lifetime production of cows leaving the herd, as well as the lifetime production live herd, is breathtaking. The conformation that accompanies this production is something to behold. Eilmans has dominated the German production lists for years, yet is still unfamiliar. But we will change that now!

November 2017

Germany’s highest indexing Holstein calf – no less than 169 gRZM – is owned by the Giesmann family and is a daughter of the cow Balisto Jolene and the sire Superhero. As such, the spotlights are being placed once again on the Supershot son Endco Superhero, owned by Jetstream Genetics. Superhero has been available since early 2016 (HI reported about...

November 2017

He is still young, only born at the end of June 2016. Furthermore, he is the Nr.6 of all French sires on the overall gISU index and the Nr.2 among the top 50 for conformation. But above all, he is an exception on the international top-lists because of his sire stack with Anamur, Mack Coyne and Zelgadis. Broadly speaking, his influence will not be insignifigant: Not as a sire of sons, as he already is, and not as a desired sire when he becomes available as of December. High breeding potential, influence, and an alternative pedigree: As such, Marathon has all the qualifications required to be the Outcross Sire of the Year 2017. And that he is, as the first French bull to receive this distinction.

November 2017

With 13 sons in the top 20 on the current TPI list in the US, Mogul is the dominant force in the breed right now. A Mogul son who distinguished himself by debuting on the top charts in both the US and Canada this round was Larcrest Commander, who lands at Nr.2 LPI in Canada and Nr.31 TPI in the US.

November 2017

‘Achiever offers a wonderful combination of traits that are interesting today: medium stature (-0.24 stature), high components (952lb milk, +.30%F, +.06%P), great fitness (2.4 DPR, 2.77 SCS, 6.2 calving ease, 8.7 PL) and liveability (3.0). He also offers an alternative pedigree to the many Modesty and Jedi sons, without sacrificing genetic potentia...

November 2017

Whoever has followed Holstein history over the last 40 years knows that the requirements of modern sires changes with time. Certain traits become more important relative to older traits, or less important relative to newer traits. Recent years have not been an exception to these changes. Today, fitness values carry more weight. Framesize, teat length, and functional feet and legs are gaining importance. And not to be forgotten is the increasing value of fat production. The modern sires of today are able to bring together exactly these characteristics. And Masato, Germany’s highest Mogul son, is of that caliber. He is perfect for his time.

November 2017

Since his debut in the French DNA top-3 – in April 2014 – Hammig Isy has been among the most used bulls at the French breeding company Evolution. Hammig has made good on his tremendous popularity. Stronger yet, since the recent August release, he is the Nr.1 progeny proven bull in his homeland.

October 2017

The well-managed 425-cow operation at Selz-Pralle Dairy in Wisconsin achieves extreme production from high-type cows with well-attached udders that are built to last. A branch of the Saber Pansy family has developed into the key bloodline, with Joliam Dundee 3035 being the superstar brood-cow of the herd.

October 2017

Widely regarded as one of the best Outside daughters, Ronelee Outside Dabble EX-91 had 17 sons go to AI in North America with the two most heavily used being Ronelee Domain, by Toystory, and Ronelee Durable RC, by September. But: since then, much more has happened, reaching to gTPI’s as high as 2907! Here we bring you an update on new, successful Dabble lines.

October 2017

During the height of her show career Silvermaple Damion Camomile commanded a 6-figure price tag at public auction. Was she worth the investment? Find out here!

October 2017

Do you like stories about very special cows? The ones that have something different than their paternal sisters? If you do, you should enjoy the BTS-Swann story! This French cow comes from the deep Splendor family and she is really uncommon.

October 2017

She is the first cow in Quebec’s history to complete 3 generations of 94/95 dams and is regarded as the best cow the Master Breeder Vieuxsaule herd has bred… What an introduction for Vieuxsaule Seaver Calina EX-94 (95 udder)! And, unsurprisingly as she’s from the Vieuxsaule herd, she’s a daughter of their impressive 39 brood-star cow Dragonfly EX-9...

October 2017

For more than 100 years, the Baker family has been farming at Star-Summit, a property located on the highest point of Kent County in south-western Michigan. On a clear day you can see for miles in any direction. And on most days in the spring, summer and fall you can see the great type Star-Summit Holsteins going to pasture. Here we bring you an overview of that Star-Summit herd.

October 2017

Although they share the same island, the “Republic of Ireland” and “Northern Ireland” are separate countries. Northern Ireland links with England, Scotland and Wales to form the “UK”. There are over 900 pedigree “Holstein UK members” in Northern Ireland, making it the UK’s largest Holstein region. The Simlahill herd is one of its highlights.

October 2017

Exactly 10 years ago, HI published a farm report about Big Holsteins. At the time, the herd owned by the Knoef family had provided thirty 100,000 kg cows. One decade later, Big Holsteins remains, unabated, the leading Dutch lifetime-production herd. This year, for example, the Cash daughter Big Boukje 192 EX-90 set the national record with 208,163 kg 4.64% 3.86%. Breeding is just as important: since 2007, Big Holsteins has provided three popular sires.

October 2017

This will be the 4th time HI has focused on 3-year-old Battlecry, the last time was in March earlier this year when he was featured in “BullTalk”. In that article, the final sentence about Battlecry stated: ‘Battlecry’s period as a sire of sons has begun’ – and already, just 7 months later, here we provide his highlights from 7 different countries.

October 2017

Jameson ranks at Nr.4 on the list in Germany, and is one of 7 in the top-10 that are out of Balisto dams. His mother Veenhuizer K&L Nelize is owned by Jannes Uineken and Gen-Hotel, the breeders of the bull, and is from the Tui Onyx Nick family. BW Marshall embryos out of the Lord Lily daughter of Onyx Nick were imported by RUW, with the result bein...

October 2017

The wait is finally over! Seagull-Bay Silver, the former gTPI headliner, has made his greatly anticipated daughter-proven debut. How did he fare? Find out here!

October 2017

He remains in the news, Garioni VanHalen, and there are many reasons. His career began in April 2016 when he immediately captured third place in Italy with 3691 gPFT. And while the company around him continually changes, VanHalen has remained stable in the Italian top-ranks and in the meantime has added 170 points, ending up with 3861 today! Yes, t...

October 2017

At first it was his many good daughters, that fresh in milk, gave high expectations. Then in April followed his debut on daughter-proven basis and with little surprise Secretariat emerged as Italy’s Nr.1 for conformation and as a true allrounder in all other important breeding characteristics. But his more that 600 milking daughters seem to be more than simply pretty and functional. With an increase of over 200kg milk they are proving to have potential for further development. That is why Secretariat, after a strong debut, still counts as one of the most outstanding sires on Italy’s top-list after the August evaluations. There are many reasons for this sire profile!

October 2017

Bubba proves that we can’t always predict where the next breed-leading sire will be. Although the Jedi-son has 74 maternal siblings, with his score of 2875 gTPI, he is highest by quite a margin (119 gTPI points). While Bubba ranks at Nr.5 gTPI, he is the highest sire with semen available to purchase and currently is only available sexed. Bubba’s da...

October 2017

Mogul now has 8 sons in the top-10 on the official TPI daughter-proven sire list. Sitting at Nr.4 with 2723 TPI – and the leader for fat yield at 107 lb. – is Rubicon, a Mogul out of an EX Robust sister to former Nr.1 Sandy-Valley Saloon: The Sapphire family strikes again!

September 2017

Seldom is a Holstein buried on a farm. An exception is Havenvalley Zweetie. Even more remarkable: Larry Dykstra buried the Gibson daughter on his property when he was not even her owner. For years, Zweetie was a guest at Dyk-Vue Holsteins in Iowa as a donor cow. That Dykstra buried her at home says everything about his appreciation for this remarkable brood cow whose daughters especially dazzle in Canada.

September 2017

The Princess family, belonging to Hilrose Holsteins in America, has been in this award-winning herd for nearly 30 years. Much of the herd’s success can be owed to this productive family, as this story discovers…

September 2017

Developed in the western US, discovered in France and now successful in the far northern part of Germany. In short, this is the story of the pedigree behind THH Orlean VG-87, a Beacon daughter owned by Frank Thomsen from Sleeswijk-Holstein. Orlean, the dam of the bulls Bolaro (Boss) and Shipman (Shandro), descends via daughters of Goldwyn and Mains...

September 2017

Do you know the story behind the semen millionaire Roylane Jordan? Or that of the genomic superstar Roylane Socra Robust? Or the story behind the extremely intensively used outcross sire Monument Impression? Or that of the River Gorge herd, which was dispersed in 2005 with several intensively used bull dams? If so, then your understanding of an important part of the breeding scene in the US state of Washington is already quite impressive. If you do not already know all about it and would like to know about the man and his herd, where these storylines cross one another, then this is the place to read about Monument Farms. This is the story of Dan Reynolds.

September 2017

With the name Ptit Coeur, you likely think of the magnificent Red Holstein cow Kalinka: Tremendous in the show ring, but also tremendous for longevity. Or of the victory of DH Gold Chip Darling at the recent Swiss Expo. Or of the title “Suprême Éleveur” (Premier Breeder) at the Swiss National Show 2016. Or of the other star: Iron daughter Ptit Coeur Dirona. However, Ptit Coeur’s story is very different than you would expect. Behind all these successes is the story of the young breeder Roger Frossard, who in 2002 at 22 years of age, suddenly had to take over the farm from his dad. And then immediately decided to change the strategy. Here is the background of Ptit Coeur.

September 2017

Undoubtedly you read about it in HI’s July issue: at Siemers Holsteins in Wisconsin, no less than 390 cows have passed the milestone of 100,000kg milk (220,462lb). As such, Siemers is almost certainly the world record holder for high lifetime producers. But Siemers is more than that: at the same time the farm was recognized as a “Herd of Excellence 2017” and is the birth place of Siemers Pety, sire of the superior transmitter Modesty!

September 2017

The name Pine-Tree is synonymous with the Rudolph Missy family. Bulls such as Supersire, Mogul, Balisto – the most dominant bulls of the genomic era – all stem from the Missy family that was developed at Pine-Tree. However, this month we are not focusing on the Rudy Missy family but instead on the management practices of this world-renowned Ohio dairy operation.

September 2017

With the latest proof round, Josuper added milking daughters pushing up his production numbers by over 500lb. of milk, making him the most extreme production sire in the breed. Even more remarkable is the fact that in spite of such extreme production he continues to show a positive fitness trait profile for all traits including daughter fertility.

September 2017

Nightsky is the highest son available so far from the former Nr.1 gTPI female, Nightout. Nightout is one of the Uno daughters of Miss OCD Robust Delicious, and is therefore a maternal sister to the current Nr.1 daughter-proven bull of the breed, Delta, and his full brother Denver, also a top-5 TPI bull. Behind Delicious is the EX-93 OCD Planet Dani...

August 2017

Tricia is a Rudolph daughter whose descendants have put the Lars-Acres prefix on the map when it comes to successful bulls in AI. They were already a fitness family before the era of fitness selection came along. It’s not surprising then that the Tricia family is prospering in the genomic era.

August 2017

Since the beginning of this century, longevity is playing a more prominent role in Holstein breeding. In the Ronbeth herd of the Warner family in Ontario, high lifetime production has received full attention for decades already: With the amazing result of Ronbeth Stormatic Doll, Canada’s first 5th successive generation with at least 100,000 kg milk.

August 2017

With the May release, Weelder Esmonique 38, a G-Force daughter owned by the Dutch Van de Kamp family provided 2 sons in the Dutch gNVI top-3, including the leader Esperanto. Force, the full brother of Esmonique 38, is performing very well in Germany based on his first 1500 daughters. Read all about an illustrious Lou Etta branch that is humming along again.

August 2017

Clearly, it was a special picture with a special cow that lured us to the farm of Clemens Eilmans in the town of Kevelaer in western Germany. The 56 Holsteins in Eilman’s barn count among the best in the country in every aspect. The average production in the past year was 14,229kg (31,370lbs) 4.14% 3.45%. Lifetime production of the current herd is...

August 2017

On the Gandy dairy farm owned by the Gandolfi family in the northern Italian province of Mantova, the percentages of fat and protein, as well as protein quality, are prominent breeding traits. The fact that their selection strategy is bearing fruit is proven by Gandy Valverde. The Goldday son of Gandy Ermione VG-89 (Jardin-Murphy), partly due to +....

August 2017

We last reported on the Dragonfly family in April 2012. Since then the family has been spreading its wings and is now supplying some exciting young bulls in different parts of the world. Here is an update on the Dragonfly’s.

August 2017

The Nooyen family’s stringent breeding strategy has elevated their herd to a breed-leading level. Reason why their accomplishments and statistics are extremely impressive. Find out what exciting plans are in store for this family-run farm, here!

August 2017

That attention to the individual and personalized matings can coexist well with a large herd is clearly affirmed by Green Meadow Farms in Michigan. On the farm where management, nutrition and daily care is top notch, breeding also receives lots of attention. In addition to careful sire selections for breeding cows and heifers, they regularly make use of ET and IVP. With cows that have proven themselves in practice.

August 2017

Beautiful cows with beautiful pedigrees: That’s what you will find in the Liddleholme barn in New York. There’s a sense of discovery as you wait to hear which of the renowned cows of the breed each animal in the herd traces back to. Come for a visit to Liddleholme.

August 2017

To be honest, this report is long overdue. However, we now have the perfect reason to present Loh-An Holsteins to you, which is Loh Lilli Brax, the newly crowned German National Champion of the 2-year-old Holsteins. However, the real point is that the farm of Andreas Lohmöller is something special from every perspective. There is the outstanding type and milk production. There is the very special breeding philosophy. There is the long and successful history of the farm, and then of course there is the Lohmöller family itself. A passion for Holsteins: A passion for balanced breeding.

August 2017

One of these busy mornings when you are lamenting the fact that you have so many calves to feed, spare a thought for Ty Fullmer and his team at Fullmer Cattle Company in Kansas – they raise 35,000 calves per year! We talked with Ty to discover what it takes to have success in calf raising.

August 2017

Selection emphasis on fitness traits over the last 15 years has arrested the declining genetic merit for health in the dairy cow that had developed as an unwanted side-effect of many years of intensive selection for production. While progress in breeding a healthier cow has been slow, we now have some proprietary indexes to help select for improved health. Here we highlight the TransitionRight program from ABS.

August 2017

Recently, Holstein International reported about the top management of three herds that reached record numbers of 100,000kg-220,000lb cows (HI 06/2017: Sandisfarne, Kellercrest & Iden). But: there are more striking herds with remarkable records! Here we present 3 new herds that reached record numbers of high lifetime producers: Rosy-Lane in Wisconsin, Big in The Netherlands and Summitholm in Canada. Read on to see how they achieved these impressive performances!

August 2017

With 2494 TPI, Mogul is still nr.26 in the US. His index is now based on more than 17,000 daughters, with 72% of them on American soil. At the same time, the majority of Mogul sons are of American origin. But, in other countries, high-ranking half-brothers can also be found. This HI guide includes no less than 30 highly appreciated progeny proven Mogul sons world-wide.

August 2017

The full brothers Topsy and Balisto now sit at Nr.12 and Nr.19 on the daughter-proven TPI top-100 in the US. However, Topsy had no sons sampled in AI while his brother Balisto has become a genetic power-house with his sons and grandsons totally dominating the lists in Germany in particular. Here is how that story unfolded.

August 2017

Last month we wrote about the “comeback” of progeny proven sires; in more and more countries, they are able to get closer to the DNA top. This is also the case in Scandinavia, where the impressive Booth with 32 NTM is situated 9 points away from the DNA top. Beacon son Booth (from VikingGenetics) combines high production with favourable somatic cel...

August 2017

Lencome is a “talk of the town” sire in France, combining high index, type and a top-class pedigree. Since the Capital Gain-son became available in May 2016, almost every straw of semen he has made has been sold immediately. Several European countries have been interested in Lencome, but as his sales have been very high in France, his owners have n...

August 2017

Want to know more about the top conformation Uno-son who carries his sire’s key qualities, but unlike Uno, he transmits ample milk? Read all about Unix, the new breed-leader, here!

July 2017

“New Italian Bertaiola Family Accelerates in the Netherlands”: In January 2013, that was the title of HI’s article about 2 full sisters of the Italian Bolton son Bertaiola Mincio that had been sold to the Netherlands. Since then, the Bertaiola family has continued at full speed, partly due to fitting combinations with Tango and Charley.

July 2017

It’s hard to ignore that kind of consistent transmitting power – 7 generations of Gold Medal Dams. ‘This family makes cows that show up to work everyday – no fuss, no drama – hitting the top of the list on test day, classification day and the genomic list. They make up a growing percentage of our 500-cow herd and we couldn’t be prouder of the impact both here and across the breed,’ comments Betsy Bullard from Brigeen Farms in Maine. Here is the story.

July 2017

Younger HI-readers may not remember the 2005 Madison Grand Champion, Budjon Redmarker Desire EX-96. However her achievements out of the show-ring will certainly earn her a new wave of fans.

July 2017

Many national Herd-Book organizations award the “Cow of the Year” title to the most accomplished cow in their country. In New Zealand that award is the Valden Trophy, which is presented annually at the national convention, and for 4 of the past 5 years it has gone to cows from the Wattle family from the Muritai herd.

July 2017

He was in the right place and the right time. The black, silky-hided Goldwyn yearling that walked into the sale ring at the 2008 Maryland State sale will be the bargain Nick Raggi will never forget. Here is the ATM story.

July 2017

A powerful cow that ranked among the highest Massey daughters worldwide, Pompey has gone on to make her mark in two different sectors of the market – polled and red. Here is an update on the career of Richmond-FD Pompey.

July 2017

When the two friends and neighbours David McAfee (Glamour) and Morell McCollum (Boghill) started their partnership 5 years ago, the goal was to build one of the best PLI herds in Great Britain. The duo never took their eyes off that ambitious goal. Now they have come a whole lot closer to achieving it. Boghill & Glamour first invested in embryos fr...

July 2017

Bosdale is highly regarded on the international scene as one of the high type herds of Canada, but did you know that as of their latest classification they now have 61 cows scored EX! That means that every third cow you come to in Bosdale’s modern tie-stall barn has EX after her name. It’s time for a closer look.

July 2017

Dueholm, the family farm of Martin and Ann Rasmussen in the northern Danish Skive, has developed since 2004 into the home of international cow families. Unabated, they continually invest in new purchases; based on profit expectations, more and more often oriented to top type. Besides the marketing of genetics, Dueholm is geared to milk production. And thanks to team work, they have surpassed 13,000 kg.

July 2017

Do you still remember him: Willow-Marsh Gabor, the powerful milk, fitness and width bull that was extremely popular for years? Sales of his semen exceeded 900,000 doses and today he has almost 55,000 daughters world-wide. The highest indexing of all his daughters is… Webb-Vue Mycala EX-91. That says everything about the quality of this breeding product of Robert and Peggy Webb from Webb-Vue Holsteins in Wisconsin. Three of her sons were sampled as DNA sires and a granddaughter is among the top-15 for gTPI. But… Mycala is not the only interesting news at Webb’s Summit Farm – read along.

July 2017

It is amazing how breeding and trait selection can transform and alter a breed.In Holsteins, over the decades we have seen alterations in size, fertility, milk output – to name just a few. A trait that was starting to raise concerns for producers a few years ago was teat length: Teats were becoming too small. Here we investigate the current situation regarding the trait.

July 2017

‘Nothing is worse than waking up to an ugly cow.’ Those were the words of Jack Miller in 1991, when he shared his breeding goals. Why did Miller become world famous? Because the breeding enterprise where he was the manager, Rothrock Golden Holsteins in the American state of Pennsylvania, was the birth barn of Rothrock Tradition Leadman. He was the top bull in the early 1990s. Today we find Leadman in numerous strong pedigrees, and even three times in that of the extremely influential Mogul. Here follows HI’s Leadman adventure.

June 2017

Extreme 5-figure prices and show wins across North America have boosted the profile of Wendon’s Divine family this spring. And with many intriguing offspring coming through the ranks, much more is yet to come. The Divine family offers a little solace in a time of unjust adversity.

June 2017

Keylas Sid Roxanna EX-93 recently won the Ontario Spring Show. The daughter of Keylas Roxanne VG-85 (Atlas-Aeroline-Lindy-Starbuck) was discovered by Rob Eby (Pleasant Nook Farm). For the past 2 years she has been owned by Quality Holsteins, Beckridge Holsteins and Agriber. Ari Ekstein (Quality Holsteins): ‘The first time I saw Roxanna was at the A...

June 2017

Their history as an independent breed is relatively short, and for a long-time Holsteins had little chance in Austria against the dominance of Fleckvieh and Braunvieh breeds. However, since the beginning of the new millennium, Holsteins have enjoyed ever-increasing momentum, and with over 50, 000 cows on milk test it is now the second strongest breed behind Fleckvieh. Holsteins can cow be found across Austria, from east to west, from the valleys to the mountains. And there are farms that do not need to shy away from the international spotlight. One of those is certainly that of Ulrich Kopf and his family.

June 2017

He stood patiently waiting for the train as it entered the station in Pine Island. His son Lloyd was returning home from University… bringing with him on the train a cow he had purchased from the University herd! The year was 1919 and this was the first registered Holstein owned by the Alberts family. Lloyd bought more cows from the University, and eventually 4 of them had heifer calves. Today the 550 cows at Pine Shelter can all be traced back 98 years to those 4 heifer calves.

June 2017

You may have seen the “Vogue” name before… You may even know some of the animals in their eclectic portfolio – but do you know the people behind the prefix? Time to explore Vogue Cattle Co.

June 2017

The combination of good genetics and good feed should lead to a high producing herd. However, seeing to all the smaller details that create an environment for healthy, contented cows is just as important. This month in our management series we take a look at udder health.

May 2017

At the 2016 US National Holstein Convention, Joe Loehr was honoured as the National Distinguished Young Breeder of the Year. Some months later he received the equivalent award from the Brown Swiss Association. To receive such acknowledgement at a national level from two different breed associations suggests Joe must be doing something right! This month we take you to Mt Calvary in Wisconsin where we visit Holyland Genetics, owned by Joe, Mark and Dan Loehr.

March 2017

Can fertility be improved through breeding? Or is it simply down to management? Here we investigate the impact you can make by selecting for fertility.

January 2017

Did you know that 20% of semen sold in Norway is in the form of SpermVital? It’s a technology that prolongs the life of sperm after insemination into the uterus from the usual 24 hours to 48 hours. This makes the exact timing of insemination less critical, allowing farmers to take a day off for Sundays or holidays, or to use the product on problem cows that have uncertain signs of heat. Here is the background.

December 2016

Heat detection is an important aspect of fertility management. In the past, it primarily involved visual observations, whether or not supported by tail chalking. In recent decades, more and more smart technology has developed. A sampling of well-known developers: Afikim, Dairymaster, Nedap, SCR and Agis. Their technology is also used by a number of dairy equipment companies. Interesting is the development that some AIs offer heat detection systems to customers to support fertility results.