February 2023 Cattle Connection

“Connecting Dairymen Coast to Coast”

Lifetime production

In October 2022 we made several interesting herd visits in the US, and one of them was special in an extra way. This was our visit to Synergy Holsteins in Wisconsin, where we got to meet owners Jay and Heather Jauquet, their fine Holstein herd and… Synergy Boliver Daffy. This hard working 16-yearold had just passed the incredible lifetime production of 440,000lb/200,000kg! This milestone is hard to reach, as is shown by the following facts: only 6 cows in US history have been able to reach this lifetime production; now Daffy is the 7th one. Interesting: when you are reading this, Daffy has probably calved again and will start her march to the highest US lifetime production ever, that is now held by Stone-Front Leader Hilda at 460,720lb/208,983. If Daffy wants to beat the world’s highest lifetime production, she has a long way to go, as this is held at 546,100lb/247,711kg by the Canadian cow Gillette Smurf.

Back to the very vital Daffy now, sired by millionaire sire Boliver. Bred, born and raised at Synergy Farms, Daffy started her milking career in 2009 at 2 years 2 months. At 2 years 9 months she was classified… 78 points! Almost 12 years later she got classified EX-90, and at 15 years 7 months EX-90 for the 2nd time. A true stayer in the Holstein breed – interesting how far she will reach in her now 13th lactation!

Jan Bierma

SIEMERS TICTOC: 97HO42628

CRV: Alphabet-Lionel-Delta

A combination of the Helix son Alphabet with Lionel spells milk, and indeed high production is exactly what you get with Tictoc. His proof shows 3020 gTPI with 1962lb milk +.16% fat +.02% protein and 1.23 type with 1.37 udders. ‘More than the production I just like the way he puts it all together with high production, balanced linear and good udders,’ comments Joe Stanek from CRV. Tictoc traces back to the Ronelee Outside Dabble family. Both his sire Alphabet and maternal grand-sire Lionel received limited use for sons initially but moved up once daughter-proven so Tictoc comes from a rare combination. Expect medium sized cows, angular and dairy, with some slope to the rump and nicely attached udders. Tictoc is a little below average on daughter fertility, as is often the case with high production bulls, and he could be protected for strength, straight leg-set and short teats. He scores 109 on CRV feed efficiency and +208 feed saved, and also excels for livability and heifer livability. Tictoc scores 4.3 for PL. He has been available through the CRV Create program being used as a sire of sons.

CROTEAU LESPERRO N UNIX: 777HO03913 Semex: Uno-Domain-Goldwyn

For anyone interested in the show-ring, Unix needs no introduction. In 2022 he was Premier Sire at the World Dairy Expo and the Royal, and in 2021 claimed the Premier Sire banners at the World Dairy Expo and the Canadian National Holstein Show. ‘We see great progeny all over the world from Unix and he has truly established himself as not just a sire of great barn cows but also the elite show cows too,’ comments Mike West from Semex. With their well-balanced frames and outstanding udders, the Unix daughters have dominated young milking classes in many countries. At the Royal his daughters claimed all 3 Intermediate Champion awards with Rosemary Unix Goldie (Champion), Glenirvine Unix Sally (Reserve) and Mosnang Unix Lipstick (Honorable Mention). And in a very popular Royal attraction for Holstein enthusiasts, Unix himself was on display! The Uno son comes from the Raven family, with his O-Man 3rd dam tracing through Durham Daisy and Luke Rapture to Markwell Bstar Raven EX-95. Unix now has over 12,000 daughters in Canada and 33,000 worldwide, with +9 conformation and 565kg milk in Canada, and 2.37 PTAT with 605lb milk in the US. Unix daughters are angular and dairy with outstanding udders and he will add set to the leg.

‘He’s the most highly sought-after young bull at Select for some time,’ comments Jeff Ziegler from Select Sires. ‘The pedigree alone makes him a must-use bull. His King Doc dam is writing breed history with her combination of production, type, show winnings, and high genetic offspring.’ Sired by the very popular Parfect, he is the first available son from SSI Doc Have Not 8784 EX-94 who last summer sold for the world record price of $1.925 million!! The famous King Doc daughter traces through Jedi-Massey to Halo, who comes from a branch of the Delia family. ‘Expect silky, black, quality-hided Has It All calves that will excel in length, width of rump and have ideal udders,’ continues Jeff. ‘We would watch rump angle in a mating.’ Has It All transmits 1689lb milk with +.00% fat and +.01% protein, and he is A2A2 beta-casein. Udder ratings are outstanding and he will add length of teat. ‘Has It All looks like an exact replica of his mother,’ adds Jeff. ‘His balance of dairy strength, overall width and great mobility have nothing but success written all over him. We have used him as a sire father for both the elite type and the elite index markets.’

GARDEN-STATE FE ATURE-P: 25HO00146

Triple Hil: Atlanta-Addiction-Absolute

Feature-P is a new release sire from Triple Hil Sires who has all the extras being polled and red carrier along with being A2A2 and BB for casein. Feature-P was bred by Kevin Beiler at Elmer in New Jersey and has a powerful pedigree background. ‘About 3 years ago we visited Garden-State in New Jersey and found a beautiful red Addiction daughter from the Penn-Gate Skychief Finesse family that caught our eye,’ explains Jared Martin from Triple Hil. ‘She brought many great qualities together in one package including a solid transmitting maternal line, extreme protein yields, and she was polled! She is still in the herd with 5 calves under her belt, and is proving to be a cow that causes little trouble and churns out profits with her high-testing milk.’ A mutually agreed mating to Luck-E Ladd Atlanta-P was made, with the fancy black bull Feature-P being the result. The VG-88 Addiction-P dam with 118,000lb 4.3% 3.6% traces back through a 94-point Absolute with 213,000 4.5% 3.5%, then a 90-point Advent, a 93 Red Marker, then Skycief Finesse EX-95, followed by a 94 Starbuck and 94 Elevation. Feature-P has aAa numbers of 432.

Moderate frame size, high, wide rear udders, solid production combined with outstanding longevity and mastitis resistance: Van Gogh sires the profitable kind, and he’s backed by a somewhat different pedigree too. His sire Bomaz Top Dog is by the Frazzled son Rome and out of an Outsiders from a Delta. On the maternal side, Van Gogh’s dam is by the Achiever son Acura and out of an Achiever daughter, with the third dam being a Delta. Van Gogh daughters should have average size and frame, and be open ribbed with some slope to the rump. An area to protect would be the somewhat posty leg-set, while he is also a little below average on udder cleft. His proof shows 3069 gTPI and 1195 NM, 1513lb milk +.25% fat +.04% protein and he is A2A2 with an exceptional 2.56 SCS and 3.9 mastitis. He is also outstanding for livability at 4.0 and heifer livability 1.1 contributing to his outstanding 7.0 productive life. ‘The moderate frame with good mobility, fantastic rear udders and ideal teat size provides a linear that makes him an easy bull to use,’ comments Jeff Ziegler. ‘Van Gogh has been used heavily as a sire father.’

Cattle Connection is published 10 times a year by Holstein International, 740 Yahara Street, DEFOREST WI 53532, US. Periodicals postage pending at DeForest, WI 53532-0672 and additional mailing offices.

Cattle CONNECTION • Issue 1, February 2023 (USPS Permit account nr.: 3458050)

Postmaster: Send address changes to Holstein International, PO Box 672, DeForest, WI 53532-0672

DUCKETT PRFT HA S IT ALL: 7HO16295

Select Sires: Parfect-Doc-Jedi

Level-Plain TDG Van Gogh

Garden-State Feature-P

Duckett Prft Has It All

Siemers Tictoc

CHRISTINE MASSFFELLER

Croteau Lesperron Unix

Udder Comfort™ has been in the show box and cow care at home from the start at Duckett Holsteins, Rudolph, Wisconsin. “We do use a lot of it. Udder Comfort is great for increasing circulation on fresh cows and keeping quality on cows while showing,” says Mike Duckett. “The everyday routine care they get is so important. We are fortunate to have some very talented people working for us.

“Frosty was the cow to put us on the map, the rst bigtime cow to have done really well for us. This time, with Footloose, the most special part is we were able to have our two kids with us. They had a blast,” he says. Frosty and Footloose are the only granddam and granddaughter to both be World Dairy Expo Supreme champions.

- Cary Moser 608-632-1401

• 9/22 Avalanche x EX-95 3E GMD Advent Anna sells, last chance for this cross at public auction! - Hilrose 920-205-4976

• 9/22 RED Latenite x 88 2Y Warrior x EX Crush x EX-92 Olympian, from the Apples. - Sugar Creek 262-374-0793

•

- Second-Look

• 6/22 RED Luxor x EX-92 Saphire, All-American R&W fall calf! - Kress HIll Dairy 920-207-6523

• 6/22 RED Warrior x EX-94 Redburst x EX Reality x

EX Advent x 5 more EX or Nominated dams!

- Tim Ziemba 315-730-3312

• 6/22 Diamondback x EX Iota x EX-92 Shottle x EX-92 Best x

EX DOM Durham Annabell!

- Daniel Bohn & John Buske 920-988-0575

• 6/22 Sidekick x EX-93 Goldwyn Freaky Girl!

- Red Carpet 814-979-5314

• 6/22 RED Warrior x VG-88 Absolute x VG-88 Advent x VG-88 Sept. Storm x EX-94 Red Marker. - Schultz 920-528-8562 & Preder 920 918 1948

• 6/22 Latenite x EX-91 Doorman x Apple! - Ben Kinnard 920-493-0380

• 4/22 RED Warrior x EX-93 Diamondback Nom. Jr. All-Am. 2020 x EX-91 Armani x VG-88 Redlou x VG Advent x VG-87 Sept. Storm.

- Schaefer Jackson & Waldoch 320-339-5684

• 3/22 RED Bailey x Armani x EX-94 2E Dundee, 1st Aged Cow Mid-E Fall Nat’l 2014. - Josh Obert 262-707-0366

• 3/22 RED Journey x EX-91 Attitude, same family as EX-94 Jordan-Red. - Eric Wachtendonk 715-568-4133

• 1/22 RED Warrior x VG-88 Unstopabull x VG-88 Awesome x EX-93 Advent Wine.

- Wayne & Samantha Giese 715-352-2972

• 12/21 RED Diamondback x Apprentice x VG-86 Redburst x VG-88 Landslide. - Hanna Hensel 715-896-5124

• 12/21 RED Warrior x EX-92, 2x Unan. All-American R&W Redhot! - Siemers Holsteins 920-946-2164

• 12/21 Doorman x EX-93 Bradnick x EX-92 GMD Atwood x

EX Outside Thriller. - Holle-Oak Dairy 715-491-4020

• 9/21 RED Lotto bred 12/6 to McDonald-P-Red x EX Heztry Nom. All-Am. x EX-91 Resurrect x VG-86 Advent x VG-88 Ranger. - RK Genetics 608-220-2781

• 9/21 Thunder Struck x EX Raptor x VG-87 Archrival x E X-96 All-American Goldwyn Katrysha. - Roy, Bue & Kietzman 715-299-4651

• 6/21 Doc due 4/23 to Willows x EX High Octane x EX-96 2E Gold Sara x more high EX dams. - Trish

From Frosty to Footloose...

Stone- Front in Wisconsin: Home of America’s Highest Lifetime Milk Producer.

TThe rolling farmland surrounding Lancaster, Wisconsin, 1½ hours southwest of Madison, has been the home to Stone-Front since 1997. Prior to that, Stone-Front had been located at Waterford, south of Milwaukee, in eastern Wisconsin. The Buttles family settled there back in the 1840’s, before Wisconsin had even been declared as a state in 1848! In 1913, Andy’s great grand-father Elam sold the grade herd and replaced them with registered Holsteins: The Buttles family has been part of the Holstein breeding scene for the 110 years since then. ‘By the mid-90s our 41-cow tie-stall barn at Waterford was getting old and in need of replacing,’ explains Andy. ‘The urban spread meant that farm expansion was almost impossible in that area so the decision was made to move here to Lancaster.’ In addition to the 60 cows the Buttles brought with them they purchased a group of 22 cows that helped form the basis of the new herd. The herd has been in a constant state of expansion ever since with almost all that growth fueled from those original cows. However, the current herd of 1,400 herd-book registered cows includes 60 Jerseys and 12 Brown Swiss.

STAFF

Cows are milked 3x through a double-16 rapid exit parlor. As is evident from a herd average of over 30,000lb, this is a well-managed, high-performance herd. High components are a focus of the breeding program. ‘Wisconsin is a cheese making state and we are paid for our

The high-type bull Stone-Front Artist: At 2.75 PTAT he is a source of size, stature and frame with wide rumps and shallow udders.

milk accordingly with ours being processed into Brie or Fetta cheese,’ explains Andy. In addition to the Holstein enthusiasts who visit each year, Stone-Front also hosts numerous school and university groups. There is an observation deck over the milking parlor from where visitors can view many of the herd management activities. ‘Cow comfort is the focus of our facilities. We use sand bedding in the free-stalls, and we have larger stalls with greater bunk space for our dry and pre-fresh cow,’ explains Andy. ‘Cows stay together in groups of 5 throughout the transition phase to minimize stress.’ He gives much of the credit for the smooth running of the operation to the staff. ‘Key to any success we have here is that we work as a team. We have 26 people who work here - from milking, to calf raising, to field work - and to us they are part of the family,’ explains Andy. ‘Levi Martin is our herd manager and he is keenly involved in all the genetic work. He helps me select the matings and he is a driving force behind any showing that we do and

Stone-Front Iron Pasta EX-96 was Reserve Grand Champion at the 2010 World Dairy Expo behind Harvue Roy Frosty. At the 2022 Expo, Frosty’s grand-daughter Oakfield Solom Footloose was Grand Champion after winning the 5-year-old class ahead of Stone-Front Union Imelda EX-96. And in 2020, Stone-Front Leader Hilda EX-90 completed her career with figures of 460,720lb/208,979kg to become the highest milk producing US cow ever. Time for a closer look at the 1,400-cow Stone-Front herd owned by Andy and Lyn Buttles.

Text: Doug Savage

Photos: Han Hopman

keeps our ET and IVF work running smoothly.

For some farming operations there are 4 or 5 brothers involved, but here it is really our crew of workers that deserve a lot of credit for the way the farm runs.’

COVER CROPS

At Stone-Front they maintain a strong environmental focus in their cropping and field work. Due to the rolling landscape, contour strips are used to help control water runoff and limit soil erosion. Cover crops are a regular feature of the cropping program. ‘We try to have something green and growing in the soil at all times to reduce water and wind erosion and help remove carbon from the atmosphere. We usually use triticale or oats and radishes,’ explains Andy. Key to success with cover crops is getting them planted early enough in the season that they are well established ahead of winter. ‘Most years are okay but this year harvest was late. We are now

looking at sowing the cover crop between the rows while the corn is still growing so that the plants are already established ahead of harvest,’ comments Andy. ‘We may have to use drones to spread the seed.’ Liquid manure is injected into the soil and they follow a good nutrient management plan aimed at minimizing nutrient loss but still obtaining top yields.

QUIET ACHIEVER

Stone-Front was also home to America’s highest lifetime milk producer, Stone-Front Leader Hilda EX, who produced figures of 460,720lb/208,979kg. ‘For much of her life she lived in the same pen as Pasta who always got most of the attention when we had visitors,’ remarks Andy. ‘Hilda was 16 when we lost her last February.’ Hilda calved regularly throughout her career and produced for 12 lactations. Remarkably, for the first half of her life she was only on 2x milking. Sired by Comestar Leader, her grandmother was a Winken that was one of 22 heifers

Stone-Front in Wisconsin

• Located at Lancaster, Wisconsin, 1½ hours southwest of Madison

• Owned by Andy & Lyn Buttles

2,200 acres growing corn, alfalfa and cover crops

• 1,400 cows with 2,800 head in total Holsteins average 30,078lb/13,643kg 4.46%f 3.06%p

Ration: 60-70lb corn silage, 20 haylage, corn and purchased protein

• Current sires: Pazzle, Parfect, Figaro, Dynasty, Thunderstorm, Has It All and Eye Candy.

that were added to the herd when Stone-Front made the move to Lancaster in 1997. Of course Pasta requires very little introduction as the star of the showring had established a worldwide reputation, and also lived to a ripe old age. The EX-96 Boss Iron daughter was backed by a 92 Jed and was Reserve Grand in Madison in 2010 for Mike and Julie Duckett. ‘We usually sell our best show cows,’ comments Andy. ‘People who specialize in showing cattle can get them to the next level.’ A current star carrying the prefix is another 96-point cow Stone-Front Union Imelda, who is sired by the Doorman son Union and out of a Chelios. Imelda is owned by a syndicate and is housed at Maple-Leigh. At Madison last fall she was second in the 5-year-old class behind the eventual Grand Champion, Footloose. ‘Imelda comes from a family line tracing to Odyssey Mark Ina and we have her VG Silver daughter here in the herd,’ says Andy. ‘That family has flushed well for us and we would have 100 family members here now.’

ARTIST

Andy & Lyn’s daughters Christina & Kayla won the Summer Yearling class at the State Show with Stone-Front Doc Amberly, who is out of a full sister to the bull Stone-Front Artist, the high-type Crush son at St Jacobs-ABC. The daughter-proven Artist is 2.75 PTAT, and traces through McCutchen and MOM to Ariel, the full sister to Atwood. ‘We’ve calved in a number of Artist daughters, and they are developing into long, framey cows,’ comments Andy. Mr StoneFront Reeve-Red at Select Sires is another bull in AI. Sired by Salvatore, he is out of a Silver from the Uno daughter of Morningview Super Roxy. ‘We own our Roxy family in partnership with the ET vet Dr John Schneller,’ comments Andy. ‘That family keeps doing well on indexes and we have a few more bulls from that line going to AI too.’ l

At Stone-Front the 1,400 registered cows are predominantly Holsteins but include 60 Jerseys and 12 Brown Swiss. Pictured is Stone-Front McCutchen Pepsi EX-90 who traces through Goldsun-SeptemberOutside to Windy-Knoll-View Promise.

Andy Buttles with Becky, Levi, Aaron and Dana while Kayla, Lyn and Christina are in the front row.

The Value of Looking at the Actual Production Averages for Daughters of Bulls

Insiders will never forget her name: Tri-Day Ashlyn EX-96, winner in both Madison and Toronto in 2001, and World Champion 2001. Likely her most powerful contribution: more than 70 EX daughters! HI recently met one of them in Edgar in central Wisconsin, in the Sam-Way herd of Wayne and Samantha Giese: Siemers Wood Ashlynn EX-94. She is one of the youngest and one of eleven Ashlyn daughters with EX-94 or higher in the US. (Yes, you read that correctly. Ashlyn has eleven daughters already with EX-94 or higher!). Our encounter with the “young” Ashlynn (born 12/2013) was like a reunion with the “old” Ashlyn (born 9/1996), as the similarities were so phenomenal!

MORE HEADLINERS!

Aaron Ray Tompkins 336-363-4639 atompkin@vt.edu

HAN HOPMAN

High Components: Is it in the Genetics or is it in the Management?

The importance of maintaining a high level of components in milk varies depending on where you live and the processor you supply. In Canada, milk quota is based on fat, while across the US processors have differing milk pricing structures, often dependent on the products they manufacture. A common question in the industry is therefore how do we achieve good components? We asked two highly respected herd nutritionists for their thoughts – genetics or management?

T‘There are three aspects to the component question – there’s genetics, there’s management and there is feed – and there is no single cookie-cutter approach that’s going to fit all farm situations,’ comments David King, an independent nutrition adviser from New York State who is best known in Holstein circles for the prefix Midas-Touch and as one of the partners behind the very successful AOT Genetics. ‘Probably the first thing to establish is the milk market, as to how you are being paid. Are you being paid on a lb. fat or a % fat basis? There are a number of different things you can do to improve components but it has to be economical; if it’s going to cost you more than what the market is paying then there is no point in doing it.’

Text: Doug Savage • Photo: Han Hopman

DIGESTIBLE FIBRE

‘For a start, the genetic thing is real. If you use bulls with negative deviations for fat and protein, than in time that shows up in the herd. And if you consistently use plus deviation sires, your percents will be higher, it’s that simple. The only thing is the time-lag between when you use a bull and when the daughters appear in the milking herd. If you are looking for more of a short term response then there are other things you can do. The first would be to look at the management; the timing of feeding, the timing of milking, and how often you feed. Digestible fibre and the quality of the forage are important here. You need to look at the delivery of the forage, as to how well it was pro -

cessed and stored and the stage at which it was cut. There’s quite a lot that you can do on the management side that is more about timing than anything else.’

QUICK FIX

‘And then there is feeding, as to what you can add to the feed that might make a difference, the amino acids and the fatty acids. Of course balancing the amino acids has been around for a long time with lysine and methionine being the two in shortest supply. For fatty acids, the omega-3 and omega-6 levels might not impact production a lot but they make a difference to the health of the cow. And there is using the likes of palm oil or C16 fat, which is something of a short term fix. It helps manipulate your per-

cents but the cheese processors may not be as happy because the C16 fats yield a softer quality curd, so you hear talk that there might be some push-back from the cheese processors.’

HEALTHY COW

Another perspective on the genetics or management debate comes from Stephanie Murphy, a Dairy Specialist with Grand Valley Fortifiers in Ontario. Steph is also a partner in the renowned Ronbeth Holsteins. ‘High components start with the genetic potential of the animal, but maximizing that potential is achieved through feeding a balanced ration and with great herd management. Having consistent strong components is also an indicator of a healthy cow.’

CALVING PATTERN

Steph continues: ‘Days-in-Milk has an influence on components, so managing a consistent flow of animals calving for your herd size will help. Cows will have their highest fat and protein right at freshening, then components will drop around 30-70 days in milk, and then will peak later in lactation around 250 days. During the summer months, trying to eliminate heat stress on the cow is very important to prevent drops in components: Manage air flow in a barn, rinsing animals with cold water in extreme heat, ensuring that there is extra potassium in the cows diet to offset the extra sweating they do, making sure there is a plentiful supply of clean cold drinking water, are a few ways to help combat heat stress. Cow comfort is very important too so ensure the cows have a well bedded clean place to lie down and comfortably ruminate. And in loose housing, do not overcrowd animals.’

INTAKE

‘Feed management is extremely important. Ensure the animal is consuming the highest level of dry matter intake, for example 26-28kg (57-62lb)/head/day, and ideally achieving a minimum 60% of the dry matter from forages. Feeding multiple times a day will encourage the cows to eat more. If you are unable to feed multiple times a day then extra feed push ups become even more critical to achieve high dry-matter intake. Pushing feed in 15 minutes after it is delivered, then 30mins later, then again an hour later, all increase feed intakes. Throughout the day, feed should be pushed in 8-9 times. A cow should never have an empty feed bunk in front of her as this potentially could result in slug feeding when the next meal is fed. Feeding for 4% refusal is a good number to work from. With TMR feeding, ensuring that the animals are not sorting the mix is important. You can check particle length with a Penn State shaker box: 10% on the top shelf is ideal. Feeding a dry hay 1st cut feeding outside the TMR first thing in the morning will also help to mat the rumen if it went empty over night. When component feeding, always feed a forage in the morning before grain, and feeding grain 3-5 times/day will help to prevent slug feeding and a reduction in components. Making great forages to feed on farm will allow less concentrates to be used in a ration, and will help drive components as more effective fibre can be fed. Keep in mind that components come from healthy rumens so well mixed feed and properly fermented feed is really important. Feed coming off at the appropriate moisture will help fermentation, as will allowing any forage to ferment for 3 weeks before starting to feed it. In any feed program, free choice sodium bicarbonate should always be offered,’ says Steph.

BODY CONDITION

‘A healthy body-condition-score of 2.75 to 3 throughout the lactation will help maintain high components. If a late lactation cow is over or underweight their milk fat can be depressed. In a fresh cow, being over or underweight can depress protein. High components start with the genetic potential of the animal and management will allow that to be fully expressed,’ concludes Steph. l

Nathan Thomas; 937-537-0805 Jenny Thomas; 614-395-9823; jennythomas614@yahoo.com Michael Heath; 443-375-8048; heath32464@icloud.com