April 2021

‘Both of these cows are very valuable to me. They differ in colour, but otherwise, they are virtually the same. They have both calved three times, both expect their fourth calf in June, both are pregnant to Reeve-Red, bo...

Strong cow families, consistent type and profitable longevity sum up the Northern Irish Ards herd… and it is the reason why it has built great repute and adoration amongst breeders in the UK. Here HI talks to breeder Wil...

The southern Belgian Wallonia is home to a lot of type splendor. This is demonstrated, for example, at “Nuit de la Holstein”. One of the most remarkable winners of this high caliber show in Libramont is Qottage d’Horimet...

‘Bad was already very popular as a young sire,’ explains Marc-Henri Guillaume from Swissgenetics about the RC bull that in April 2020 received his first progeny proven index. ‘With 202 daughters, he has increased for mil...

When the Planet son Bookem delivered two extreme type young bulls McCutchen and Doorman it came as something of a surprise; after-all, Planet was a production maestro not a type star. Now Doorman and McCutchen have gone...

The family that earlier provided the respected sires of sons Mr Salvatore-RC and Swingman-Red, has provided yet another talent: Gen-NH Spirit-Red: Good for 2778 gTPI/+2.03 gPTAT as well as 3411 gLPI/+11 type. Spirit-Red...

One can argue about many things: Is conformation important for sire selection? Is a deep pedigree important? If a sire should be polled or a red carrier? Is a specific aAa code or a particular casein profile the deciding...

Why write a three-part series about the bull Pine-Tree AltaOak? Because Oak, with his outcross pedigree, was still able to reach the highest realms of the index lists, and thus received opportunities at numerous AI compa...

Ronelee Dabble, Whittier-Farms Roz, Stadacona Abel, Juniper Wish, Vieuxsaule Mary Sol, Windy-Knoll-View Pledge; the Holstein world has several famous bull dams by Comestar Outside. In this article, you will become acquai...

The 2020 Australian Cow of the Year is… Page-House Shottle Noni. A fan favourite during her highly successful show career that included DairyWeek Intermediate Champion 2010 and Grand Champion 2012, Noni has also been a t...

In December 2020, HI published a breeders report about Ferme Mystique in Quebec. A proven sire from their Mystique Integrity Amilie family that traces back to Roycedale Sheik Adrienne is Mystique Acrobat (McCutchen-Gerar...

This month our regular guest-writer – An American Dairyman – is wondering how to make outcross work: And how to get value from outcross. Levels of inbreeding percentage are increasing worldwide, warnings for inbreeding a...

What follows is a special story: About a special breeder: One who is not concerned in the least with the aspect of “inbreeding”. Armed with a tremendous treasure of pedigree knowledge, he makes deliberate matings like th...

There is a wealth of information available to help select the right bulls to use in your herd: Total merit rankings, genomics, linear traits, pedigree and cow family information… the list goes on. Once you have selected...

It may well seem like your cows are becoming less able to deal with the stress of a hot summer’s day – feed intake drops, respiration rates go up, and production goes down. Higher producing cows have to metabolize greate...

For years, live streaming and online bidding have been standard practice for auctions worldwide. The current Coronavirus pandemic has made the trend even more popular. And the experiences have largely been positive. A we...

The surge in use of beef bulls on lower genetic merit dairy cows continues to grow, and part of the evolution in this market is the use of male sexed beef semen. This month we introduce Evolution from France, and Genetic...

In recent years, there has been necessary attention for the increasingly straighter rear leg position in Holsteins. Too often we see young animals that have much straighter rear legs than optimal from side view, often re...

In our recent March issue, HI’s tournament of the world’s most influential cow families commenced with preliminary round 1, in which 50 promising cow families from continents other than North America were presented. Now...