Spring 2021 Link by Ontario Holstein Branch

SPRING 2021 • Mistyglen Holsteins: Chasing a Dream • Emma & Kelly Stere: Learning from the Everyday • Master Breeder Spotlight • Eastern Ontario: A Proud History W W W. O N TA R I O. H O L ST E I N . C A

THE

Link

PM41994024 SPRING 2021

THE

Link

SPRING 2021

W W W. O N TA R I O. H O L ST E I N . C A

THE

Link

SPRING 2021

contents

spring

FEATURES

AGM Invitation Ontario Master Breeder Profiles Out-of-Province Master Breeders Cross-Canada Connections

9 10 18 20

Breeder Feature

Eastern Ontario: A Proud History Field Reps: Ask an Expert Combined Component Awards

31 38 41

Chris MacBeath

Mistyglen Holsteins

IN EVERY ISSUE Editor’s Note GM’s Message Linked In Sale Highlights Youth Feature Emma & Kelly Stere

36 46 THE

Link

6 6 8 28 36

Pursuit of Excellence 40 Best of the Breed 42 +125,000 Producers 42 Superior Production 43 Holstein Happenings 44 Branch News 45 Index of Advertisers 45 In Black and White 46 Kawartha Holsteins

official publication of The Holstein Ontario Branch

Ontario Holstein Branch Office 20 Corporate Place, Brantford, ON N3T 5R4 Phone: (519) 653-6180 Fax: (519) 756-9982 Email: branch@ontario.holstein.ca www.ontario.holstein.ca EDITOR, Andrea Emond aemond@ontario.holstein.ca (519) 209-5553 MAGAZINE DESIGN Laura Donkers AD DESIGN Colleen Halpenny, Jessica Willison, Leanna Lowry SECRETARY, Mary Poirier branch@ontario.holstein.ca CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Amanda Comfort, Bonnie Cooper, Jenna Hedden, Jordan Eastman CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Amanda Comfort, BoXphotography, Jodie Aldred Photography, Merina Johnston, Patty Jones, Melinda Buckley, Farm Boy Productions, Vicki Fletcher, Nation Valley News, The Bullvine GENERAL MANAGER & EAST-CENTRAL ONTARIO REP Merina Johnston merinajohnston@ontario.holstein.ca (613) 360-0641 EASTERN ONTARIO REP, Jenna Hedden jhedden@ontario.holstein.ca (613) 888-9250 WESTERN ONTARIO REP, Jordan Eastman jeastman@ontario.holstein.ca (519) 861-8235 WEST-CENTRAL ONTARIO REP, Amanda Comfort amandacomfort@ontario.holstein.ca (519) 865-3815 2020/2021 BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT, Tara Bullock PAST PRESIDENT, Brad Lowry VICE PRESIDENT, Wilf Strenzke NATIONAL DIRECTOR, Dennis Werry ADDITIONAL BOARD MEMBERS Cole Verburg, Kyle MacLeod, James Cranston, Tom Hawman, Alan Hawthorne Reproduction, in whole or in part, of the editorial or advertising content is forbidden without the written consent of the Ontario Holstein Branch. PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 41994024 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES VIA DATA FILE TO: THELINK@ONTARIO.HOLSTEIN.CA ON THE COVER: Millen Aleah Naughty Vixen is welcomed home to Mistyglen Holsteins after the rebuild by Kadie and Maddie Pettit. Vixen was Maddie’s 2019 4-H calf and was 1st Senior Calf at the Elgin County 4-H Show, 2nd Senior Calf (1st 4-H) at the Elgin County Open Show and Reserve Champion Calf at the Western Ontario Junior Show in 2019. PHOTO BY JODIE ALDRED PHOTOGRAPHY.

SPRING 2021

W W W. O N TA R I O. H O L ST E I N . C A

THE

Link

SPRING 2021

EDITOR’S NOTE

HOLDING IT ALL TOGETHER

Over a year into this pandemic and we’re still here, still holding on! We hope that in receiving your Spring issue of The Link, you feel a small sense of normalcy in what remains a very trying and chaotic time in our lives. Looking back to a year ago, at what moment in time did you know things were going to be different? For me, it was when I was visiting a farm for a feature story in our Spring 2020 issue. We were not quite in full-blown “fight or flight” mode yet, though the awkward elbow bumps were already replacing handshakes. On the way home, I turned on the radio to hear the NBA had suspended its season. The NHL followed later that day. Little did I know when I picked up my kids from school that afternoon, that it would be their second-to-last day there for almost six months. In the year that’s followed, I’ve made a point of looking for the silver lining. Finding it, some days, has been harder than others. In preparing for this issue, I’ve found strength in hearing how so many of you have come out on top while facing adversity. I was filled with hope and inspiration after hearing how the Pettit family of Mistyglen Holsteins lived through not one, but two tornadoes during the pandemic, and still managed to bring a long-held dream to fruition on top of it all. Read more about them on page 24. Another “good news” story came from a visit to Perrinridge Holsteins in Ayr, Ont. to meet Emma and Kelly Stere. These sisters took advantage of their break from in-school learning and dedicated themselves to working alongside their parents and grandfather to design and build a new barn! It really doesn’t get more inspiring than that! Their story begins on page 36. The past year has been hard on us all; I hope this issue brings you a bit of optimism for brighter days ahead!

Andrea Emond, Link Editor thelink@ontario.holstein.ca • 519-209-5553

PHOTO BY BOX PHOTOGRAPHY.

GENERAL MANAGER’S MESSAGE OLYMPIANS IN THE MAKING

Typically, in this issue, we are gearing up for our 2021 show season, which includes a discussion around the future of the show industry. Personally, I am a big supporter of shows and believe this is an important discussion. While shows play a principal role in the improvement and promotion of the genetics of our Holstein breed, I would also argue they can play a much larger role if the industry is prepared to adapt and step up. Perhaps we need to ask: Could the show industry play an important role in promoting milk to the consumer? When at a show, could farms and cows promote the image of milk and dairy farming to the consumer, even though that day you’re thinking about winning a red ribbon? I’ve had the opportunity to get to know an Olympian recently and she has shared with me the standards expected from Canada’s Olympic athletes, in the role they play as figureheads. Our top animals in the show ring are the Olympians of dairy – they are viewed as such in the public eye. But along with Olympian-status comes the standards of respecting the people you are dealing with, the role you play, and the impact you have on how people view the milk industry. When we think of the Budweiser team of horses, we see another example of how shows can be a promotional tool for the overall industry. And so it raises the question, with a little bit of adaption and support, could the likes of Loyalyn Goldwyn June be the Budweiser horse or Olympian of the dairy industry and the image that consumers come to know, love, and appreciate while drinking a cold one?

Merina Johnston, General Manager merinajohnston@ontario.holstein.ca • 613-360-0641

THE

Link

SPRING 2021

W W W. O N TA R I O. H O L ST E I N . C A

Tech

i n n o v a t i o n s

i n c .

The prevention solution for your farm’s electrical network

Find out how prevtech can protect your farm prevtech.ca/advantages @prevtechinnovations

@prevtech_innov @prevtech_innov

Linked in

keeping you

LINKED IN IS YOUR PAGE – IT WAS CREATED FOR YOU TO SHARE YOUR FARM UPDATES, FAMILY MILESTONES, FUNNY STORIES, UNIQUE PHOTOS AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN WITH THE OVER 4,000 ONTARIO BREEDERS WHO READ THE LINK! WRITE US TODAY... WE’LL MAKE SURE YOU STAY “LINKED IN!”

ARBOR AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED

100 DAYS OF SCHOOL = 100 DAYS OF DAIRY Six-year-old Lena Older of Viewland Farms in Thamesford, Ont. had fun celebrating her 100th day of school this year while promoting dairy at the same time. When COVID-19 restrictions prevented her from bringing in 100 items from home this year to mark the occasion, Lena came up with the idea of writing 100 words that depict dairy on her shirt. “Manure,” “Family” and “Ice-cream” are among our favourites. “She loved it and was very proud and excited to show it off!” Lena’s mom, Angela, shares. PHOTOS SUBMITTED.

At its Virtual Volunteer Gala held on March 26, 4-H Ontario announced the 2021 recipients of its prestigious Arbor Award. To be eligible for the award, 4-H Ontario volunteers must be nominated by their local 4-H Association. Nominees must have shown significant leadership, initiative and made a positive impact on 4-H at various levels. Congratulations to this year’s winners: Carol Williams (Peel 4-H Association), Jean Morris (Perth 4-H Association) and Joe Krol (Stormont 4-H Association, in photo). Alongside his duties as a 4-H leader in Stormont County for the past 26 years, Joe has also served as the dedicated secretary of the Stormont Holstein Club since 2008. We have enjoyed working with him immensely. Each award winner will receive a hand-crafted metal sculpture of a tree and will have their names displayed on a specially designed plaque that hangs in the 4-H Ontario office. PHOTO BY NATION VALLEY NEWS.

BEDTIME STORIES FARM-KID-STYLE <<

Two-year-old Scarlett Fraser loves The Link! Her parents are Steve and Jackie Fraser of Fraeland Farms in Fergus.

A UNIQUE LEARNING OPPORTUNITY

PHOTO SUBMITTED.

Kayden Rae (6) at left, and his older brother, Owen (8) were all ears when Holstein Canada Classifier Chris DeKlein visited their farm in January. The boys – and their younger sister, Kalista (4) – love spending time in the barn helping their parents, Corey and Kim Rae at Unique Holsteins in Mount Forest, ON. PHOTO SUBMITTED.

“BEARDED DAIRY FARMER” STANDS IN AS ANNOUNCER John Werry of Loa-De-Mede Farms in Oshawa, Ont. was lucky enough to stand in as a guest announcer during the Leaf’s home opener in January. Along with several frontline workers who introduced the Leaf players that night, as well as his nephew, Jackson Forbes of Forbesvue Farms in Sarnia, Ont., John had the pleasure of introducing one of his favourite players in a video that was shared pre-game. “Announcing, from St. Thomas, Ontario, number 97...Joooooe Thornton!” John is a huge fan of “Jumbo Joe” and according to his wife, Heather, he has been growing an honourary beard since Thornton signed with the Leafs in October. “I’m afraid now,” says John, “I must continue until he raises the Cup!” PHOTO SUBMITTED.

THE

Link

SPRING 2021

CONGRATULATIONS! After many years of classifying cows, Diemertdale Acres recently bred their 100th Excellent Cow! Ron and Pauline Diemert’s first Excellent cow - Diemertdale Linjet Aurora - was made in 2008 by classifier Ralph DeJardine. “We could not believe it; we ran to the house to tell Ron’s parents right away!” says Pauline, looking back. Five of Aurora’s daughters contributed to these 100 Excellents. Now, nearly 13 years later, they have bred their 100th Excellent cow! This special 100th is a granddaughter to Aurora. Pictured above, Diemertdale Adele’s Solo scored EX-92 and that is not her only claim to fame. She is also a past 4-H calf of Ron and Pauline’s daughter, Billie, who works full-time at Diemertdale and is heavily involved in the day-to-day operation and breeding decisions. PHOTO BY AMANDA COMFORT. W W W. O N TA R I O. H O L ST E I N . C A

39th HOLSTEIN ONTARIO BRANCH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING GRAND RIVER RACEWAY 7445 WELLINGTON COUNTY RD 21, ELORA, ON NEARYBY HOTELS: Elora Mill Hotel & Spa, 77 Mill St. Elora · Village Inn, 66 Wellington Rd 7, Elora *All events listed below subject to COVID-19 Health Protocols.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 23, 2021

Photo by Josh Hild on Unsplash

Classification & Genotyping Forum Presented with Holstein Canada

Evening of Excellence Join us for an evening of cocktails, horse races and Master Breeder recognition!

THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2021

Hybrid Virtual/In-person Annual Meeting

We look forward to seeing you! STAY TUNED! Details for registering for the Classification and Genotyping Forum with Holstein Canada, the AGM, and ticket sales for the EastGen Evening of Excellence will all be available on our Website on MAY 15, 2021.

HOLSTEIN ONTARIO 20 Corporate Place, Brantford, ON N3T 5R4 • 519-653-6180 branch@ontario.holstein.ca www.ontario.holstein.ca

Join us for our Online Fun Auction! PROCEEDS GOING TO BENEFIT THE ONTARIO DAIRY YOUTH TRUST FUND View the exciting offerings online at www.uniquedesignsandmarketing.com Online services for this year’s Fun Auction is sponsored by Kim Rae - Unique Designs

W W W. O N TA R I O. H O L ST E I N . C A

THE

Link

SPRING 2021

AWARDS

CO N G R AT U L AT I O N S T O O N TA R I O ’ S

2020 Master Breeders REGISTRATIONS PER YEAR

ALTONA LEA

Glenn Barkey Blackstock

CLAYHAVEN

Melvin G. Martin Wallenstein

DREWHOLME

Andrew Dean Martin Gowanstown

DUALANE

William Kloepfer Ingersoll

KUIPERSCREST

Jasen Kuipers Bloomfield

MIRELLA

Guy & Carol Levac St-Bernardin

RONBETH

Dean Warner Hastings

POINT BREAKDOWN FOR 2020 SHIELD

CLASSIFICATION

•

PRODUCTION (BCA OR DEV

•

) (LIFETIME

•

)

LONGEVITY

•

25-29

20-24

7-14

60+

15-19

40-59

30-39

The Master Breeder Shield

is the most coveted award presented annually by Holstein Canada.

This year, 20 breeders from across Canada were designated with the honour, with seven of them coming from Ontario. Two of these received their fourth shield! Congratulations to the 2020 honourees! For full listing of winners across Canada, see page 18.

THE

Link

SPRING 2021

W W W. O N TA R I O. H O L ST E I N . C A

PHOTOS 1. Altona Lea Goldwyn Ainsley EX-93-5E 3*, 2. Altona Lea Goldwyn Galaxy EX-92-3E 2*, 3. The Barkey and Puterbough Families of Altona Lea, 4. Altona Lea Inquirer Aloe EX91-5YR 1*, 5. Altona Lea Fever Janelle EX-94-2E, 8th generation Excellent. PHOTOS 1, 2, 4 AND 5 BY PATTY JONES, PHOTO 3 BY FARM BOY PRODUCTIONS.

Altona Lea BLACKSTOCK | MILKING 55 COWS | 4X MASTER BREEDER HERD Donna Barkey, Glenn & Karen Barkey and family and Frazer & Carolyn Puterbough and family What is one thing that you would like people to know about your farm? Many years ago, Frank and Donna used the motto “Where families have a meaning” in their ads when promoting Altona Lea. Today, we continue to embrace the dual meaning of strong cow families and encouraging family involvement. Looking back, what are you most proud of? What has been the key to your success? We are proud to say we have earned four Master Breeder shields, starting with the first in 1978, and recognizing that it takes more than one generation of focused breeding to achieve quality, functional cows. Currently, we are standing on the shoulders of what Frank and Donna started and had a vision to achieve in the mid-1960s.

Who are your mentors? Dad saw potential in the high prices of purebred cows and switched from a small mixed farm to become a purebred Holstein breeder in the early 1960s. He aspired to be one of the best Holstein Breeders in the country and was deeply honoured to be here to receive the first three Master Breeder shields in 1978, 1994 and 2006. We are grateful that Donna is part of the fourth.

Our ‘Holstein community’ locally, provincially, and nationally, have all shared insights to help us get to where we are today. We have always appreciated how so many breeders have been willing to be open and honest about what has worked and what hasn’t to help guide our farm and the industry as a whole to improve. We strive to share our experiences to contribute to the same As a result of focused breeding and care, we have pool of knowledge as we are able. been able to create several long lines of ‘Excellent cow’ families. We currently have bred four What advice do you have for young producers individuals that have completed nine generations hoping to one day achieve a Master Breeder? of Excellent cows. One of our goals is to further Starting with good genetics will save a lot of time. develop this Excellent cow family tree to see how Make sure you have the cows in your herd that you want to breed from. Collect as much information long and wide it can become. as you can on your cows so you are in a position to make the best breeding and management What is one thing you would like to change? Housing for the cows. Our current 30 cow tie- decisions as possible. stall barn is at max capacity. We look forward to Who is the Heart of your Herd? facility upgrades. The Altona Lea Starlite Harriett (EX 9*) family continues to dominate our herd and is the founding cow of our ‘Generations of Excellents’.

Tell us about some of your most prolific/ prominent cow families. Four cows have achieved nine generations of Excellent: Altona Lea Album Jitterbug EX-912E; Altona Lea Atwood Jacinda EX; Altona Lea Windbrook Jezebelle EX-91; Altona Lea Fever Jelly EX. A current favourite is Altona Lea Fever Janelle. She recently scored EX-94-2E and was 6th 5-Yr-Old at the Fall Invitational show in Lindsay in 2020. Janelle is an 8th generation Excellent. Additional thoughts: Thanks to everyone who has purchased cows from us over the years. Those cows were a critical part of us being able to earn this Master Breeder Shield. An impressive 36 per cent of the points on this Shield earned points at their new homes. We are so happy to see the success our customers have had with Altona Lea animals. It is rewarding when another herd is able to use a cow purchased from Altona Lea to contribute to their operation. When looking up each of the cows who contributed to this fourth shield, we found that 59 EX cows qualified for points. Of those, 13 cows were sold and achieved their Excellent score in other herds. The thrill of a new Excellent never gets old; we are happy that our customers have been able to share that excitement!

“I always seem to find that the harder I work, the luckier I get. ” W W W. O N TA R I O. H O L ST E I N . C A

- FRANK BARKEY

THE

Link

SPRING 2021

PHOTOS 1. Melvin and his son, Dennis, 2. Dennis working in the tie-stall barn, 3. Clayhaven Solomon Lucy VG-88, 4. A new red calf keeps warm, 5. The heifer barn, 6. The barns at Clayhaven. PHOTO 3 BY AMANDA COMFORT. ALL OTHERS SUBMITTED.

Clayhaven WALLENSTEIN | MILKING 57 COWS Melvin & Shirley, Willis, Marilyn, Dennis, Rossane Martin What is one thing that you would like people to know about your farm? My parents started farming on this farm in 1951. I was the youngest son and took over in 1989. We have 125 acres of corn, wheat and hay. When we started, we were milking 40 cows. That number has increased to where we are today. We built a few silos and a heifer barn and have tiled the farm over the years.

Who are your mentors? When I was younger, I bought my grass seed from Paul Ekstein. He would come to the farm and we would always talk bulls and cows for a while. I would always watch which bulls guys like Walkerbrae, Doug Gregson and Gary Oxby were using.

Tell us about some of your most prolific/ prominent cow families.

Tracing all the way back to the first purebred cow we owned, Clayhaven Lee Mary VG-87 2* is part of our “M” family and gave us three Excellent maternal sisters. One of these is Clayhaven Missy EX-93-4E-CAN, who is owned with Andrew Den Haan. Missy was 1st Sr 3-year-old at DufferinWhat advice do you have for young producers Wellington in 2013 and 3rd Mature Cow in 2018. hoping to one day achieve a Master Breeder? What has been the key to your success? Make the best of the facilities you have and stay Our “S” family started from an unscored Redesign daughter we bought that ended up going EX-91. My parents gave me the opportunity to farm focused on your goals. She left us with 2 EX and 1 VG-87 daughter, with and the AI units provided bulls for us to use. My offspring in the herd. family was interested in picking bulls and getting Who is the Heart of your Herd? the cows ready for the Classifier. It’s also been a Today I would say Clayhaven Lauthority Mobey Our “K” family started from a Rudolf from lot of luck. EX-91-4E-CAN. She is from our “M” family and Gary Oxby. We have a 3rd generation homebred has five daughters, the oldest of which was our Excellent from this family. What is one thing you would like to change? first 3rd generation homebred Excellent. The purchase of Havenvalley RampagEZmint I would like to make the transition a little VG-86 started our “Z” family. Her Excellent smoother when the hutch calves are weaned and Culminart granddaughter has progeny by Sidekick possibly change to super hutches. that we are very excited about.

“Your name goes a lot further than your feet. ” - MELVIN MARTIN

THE

Link

SPRING 2021

W W W. O N TA R I O. H O L ST E I N . C A

PHOTOS 1. Drewholme Zipit Leysure Polled VG-87-3YR out of Supershot Leisure, 2. Drewholme Lambda Leysure Polled 3400 LPI out of Zipit Leysure, 3. The Martin family, Andrew and Gwen Martin with (l to r) Colin, Kinsey,Trenton, Tiana and Brooklyn, 4. A nice lineup, with Drewholme Supershot Leisure at left, 5. Drewholme Lamda Dina VG-86-2YR, 6. Drewholme Delta Avery, just fresh, out of the Shoremar Alicia family. PHOTOS SUBMITTED.

Drewholme GOWANSTOWN | MILKING 20 COWS Andrew & Gwen and Colin Martin, Daryl & Lianna Martin and Eli Martin What is one thing that you would like people to know about your farm? The God in Heaven has blessed us.

herd. If it wouldn’t have been for him, this shield that was 4th at Madison. The Idee Lustre family wouldn’t have happened. mentioned above contributed quite a bit and I still have family members of all those in my herd. An early mentor was Brian Coughlin. I always enjoyed his input in my life. What advice do you have for young producers

What has been the key to your success? God’s blessing and enjoying what I do and the Who is the Heart of your Herd? Holstein Breed. Drewholme Supershot Leisure EX-90-2E 1*. She’s a unique cow that came along in my path that goes What is one thing you would like to change? back to the Idee Lustre family. From Leisure, we We would like to get cows to last longer. We’ve have two polled Zipit daughters, one VG-85 and been focusing on getting cows to the more one VG-87, and a polled Delta granddaughter functional type size-wise, which helps. We started now owned by Vogue Cattle Co. We also have a working on that a few years ago. polled Lambda granddaughter at 3400 LPI and a polled Aristocrat granddaughter at 3284 LPI. No Who are your mentors? doubt it’s the polled that has people’s interest. My dad gave us an opportunity to farm; he gave us an opportunity to be part of the operation. Tell us about some of your most prolific/ prominent cow families. My brother Daryl is a good person to bounce ideas off of and takes very good care of the cows. Daryl A branch of the Shoremar Alicia family has done does a lot of the day-to-day management of my well for us. We sold a cow out of that family

hoping to one day achieve a Master Breeder? Breed a balanced cow instead of an extreme cow. Which individual cows directly contributed the most points to your Master Breeder Shield? Drewholme Gold Lust EX-90-3E contributed the most points with a total of 13. She earned points in the classification, production and longevity categories. Next were Drewholme Brawler Celeste EX-91-3E and Drewholme Carisma Maude EX-91-3E, with 12 and 11 points contributed respectively.

“Praise the Lord for his goodness to me.” - PSALM 107:31

W W W. O N TA R I O. H O L ST E I N . C A

THE

Link

SPRING 2021

PHOTOS 1. The Kloepfer family of Ingersoll, ON. From l to r, Dale, Dwayne, Dan, Darrell, Linda and Bill, 2. The heifer barn, 3. Brothers Darrell and Dale, 4. Heart of the Herd Dualane Outside Cleo EX-90-4E 5*, 5. The sprawling red barns at Dual Lane Farms. PHOTO 4 BY PATTY JONES, OTHERS SUBMITTED.

Dualane INGERSOLL | MILKING 175 COWS Bill & Linda, Darrell, Dwayne, Dan and Dale Kloepfer business but as a family. We have been dedicated that we wanted to breed from. This guidance no to improving our dairy herd and making it a doubt contributed to our Master Breeder win. profitable herd of cows that we enjoy working with. What advice do you have for young producers What is one thing you would like to change? hoping to one day achieve a Master Breeder? We realize that success comes not only from our Perseverance and determination to achieve your hard work and dedication but from the strength goals will pay off. Have a good work ethic and of the organizations that offer assistance to us. don’t be afraid to take risks. It is always important It is our hope that these organizations remain in to listen to others and to take advice when given. place to work for us and to think of the needs of the farmers first and foremost. Who is the Heart of your Herd? Dualane Outside Cleo EX-90-4E 5* Who are your mentors? We are extremely grateful to our father and Tell us about some of your most prolific/ grandfather for their foresight and determination prominent cow families. to grow our operation with a future for their We have enjoyed working with all of our cows and family always at the forefront. Their example are proud to say that they need to earn their spot is what continues to motivate and drive us to in our herd. We have had numerous animals that Looking back, what are you most proud of? strive for excellence in our business. We were have scored well and produced great volumes of What has been the key to your success? also fortunate to have had a family friend and milk with high components, but apart from our We are extremely proud of our family dynamics and EastGen Rep Dick Huntley to advise us along the favourite cow Cleo, there are none that have been the ability to work together and grow not only as a way and offer guidance for the type of genetics more prominent than others. What is one thing that you would like people to know about your farm? Our farm is very family-oriented, and all family members share a part in the operation, with all four brothers sharing ownership with our parents. We have been very fortunate to build on the foundation that our father and grandfather have given us and have been able to diversify the operation to include not only a thriving dairy operation, but a 4,000 head beef operation and a cash cropping and grain elevator business as well. This diversification will allow our families to expand into the sector of agriculture that they are most interested in and allow for the next generation to remain in agriculture if they so desire.

“No Risk, No Reward!” - DUAL LANE FARMS

THE

Link

SPRING 2021

W W W. O N TA R I O. H O L ST E I N . C A

PHOTOS 1. Cows on pasture at Kuiperscrest, 2. Heart of the Herd Gillette Goldwyn Sizzle EX-91-3E 5*, 3. Kuiperscrest Defender Spice EX-90-6YR, 4. The family enjoys showing their cows each year at the Prince Edward County Show, 5. The Kuipers family, from l to r (back): Meghan, Doreen, Jasen. In front, l to r, Jayden and Courtney. PHOTOS 2 AND 3 BY PATTY JONES, OTHERS SUBMITTED.

Kuiperscrest BLOOMFIELD | MILKING 54 COWS Jasen & Doreen, Meghan, Courtney and Jayden Kuipers

What is one thing that you would like people to know about your farm? One thing we’d like people to know about our farm is that we are a 3rd generation dairy farm. We like to breed good genetic cows and sell embryos and are always looking to improve.

been to purchase our own farm sooner. And we’d love to have a robot barn someday. Who are your mentors? We’ve found inspiration, encouragement, and advice through reading articles about other Master Breeders and learning from their stories.

Looking back, what are you most proud of? What has been the key to your success? A highlight was when we were featured on the cover of The Link with Gillette Goldwyn Sizzle at the Wellington Beach in the Winter of 2016.

What advice do you have for young producers hoping to one day achieve a Master Breeder? This is a bit hard, seeing as we’re still pretty young ourselves at 37 and 36, but our advice for young farmers would be “follow your dream”. Probably the biggest key to our success was that Sometimes the going gets tough, but there’s we just kept on doing what we love! We’ve bought always an answer or solution, and at times, you a few good cows and it’s paid off and we’ve just have to dig to find it. “Anything worth reaped the reward! having, is worth working hard for”. What is one thing you would like to change? Who is the Heart of your Herd? One thing I think we’d like to change would’ve The “Heart of our Herd” was easily Sizzle and

not just because she was an exceptional cow, but also because our kids loved her. She was the “pet” of the barn and they were comfortable leading her around at a young age. Although she’s no longer with us, her daughters, grandaughters, and great-grandaughters just keep on bringing us pride and joy. Tell us about some of your most prolific/ prominent cow families. It’s hard to choose just one cow family as there have been many over the years which have contributed points to our Shield. The three cows that directly contributed the most points to our shield are Kuiperscrest Denison Trixy EX-90-3E, Kuiperscrest Bookman Justine EX-90, and Kuiperscrest Bookman Kastin EX90-3E.

“Passion, Production, Pedigree.” - KUIPERSCREST HOLSTEINS W W W. O N TA R I O. H O L ST E I N . C A

THE

Link

SPRING 2021

PHOTOS 1. The Levac family, from l to r (back): Patrick, Robert, Marie-Josée and Marco. In front is Carol and Guy, 2. An aerial view of the farm, 3. Longtime employee Alvin Alexander has worked alongside three generations on the farm, 4. Cows are clean and comfortable in the tie-stall, 5. Mirella Juror Destiny EX-90-6E 15*, 6. The farm’s cows have earned them lots of awards over the years. PHOTO 5 BY PAB, OTHERS SUBMITTED.

Mirella

ST-BERNARDIN | MILKING 125 COWS Guy & Carol, Patrick, Marco, Robert and Marie-Josée Levac What is one thing that you would like people to know about your farm? The original farm was purchased in 1956 by Guy’s grandfather, Eugène Levac, to settle his son Gaston Levac (Guy’s father). The farm started with a few cows and some pigs and gradually was transitioned to a full dairy farm over the years. Guy became part of the operation upon graduation from Kemptville College in 1980. The operation increased in size and Guy took on the improvement of the dairy herd. Over the years the herd increased in size and improved in production and conformation.

Looking back, what are you most proud of? What has been the key to your success? Looking back, we are very proud of the work we have done, building the herd from its humble beginnings into what it is today. Hard work and attention to detail helped bring us where we are today. Cows that are profitable and pretty have always been the goal and this demands constant attention, and for that, you have to be present in the barn.

Who are your mentors? Carol: my father, John Versteeg, was a mentor to me and taught me to love cows the way that he did. Guy remembers the years of doing ET Who is involved? Over the years there have been many employees work with Dr. Roger Sauvé, who was always very that have helped achieve this distinction. Alvin encouraging. If we were having some bad luck he Alexander has been one that stayed the longest, would say, “Don’t get discouraged; keep on going working alongside three different generations in and you will get over this hurdle.” his 30 years as a full-time employee. He now helps part-time and has been a very valued employee. What advice do you have for young producers We also really appreciate the help we get from our hoping to one day achieve a Master Breeder? employees who work for us: Jason Hoddenbagh, Master Breeders are not achieved overnight! For Laura Barton and Jamie Demers. We must also many years we thought it would never become a thank the people who are there to support us with reality, but then in the last few years, it seemed answers in nutrition, veterinary and also field like it might be possible. Keep on working at crops. it. And always remember: a shield is a beautiful dream, but cows still have to be profitable and you still have to pay the bills.

Who is the Heart of your Herd? Though she has been gone for a few years now, Mirella Juror Destiny will always be the Heart of our Herd. She has been the first at everything: First VG-2-YR, first EX, first to produce over 130,000 kgs. No cow has produced more milk and more stars than her; she is the cow featured on our herd sign and she will always be THE cow for us. Tell us about some of your most prolific/ prominent cow families. The herd developed slowly in the beginning, and in the early 1980s, many cows were lost to a bout with Nocardia Mastitis. Guy went to some prominent herd dispersals and from those purchased cows, animals were developed and proved to be good brood cows. Mirella Juror Destiny EX 6E 15* and over 147,000 kgs of milk in nine lactations and Mirella Rudolph Enid VG-85 10* and over 102,000 kgs of milk in seven lactations are two prolific cows. With the help of some ET work, they helped develop close to 75 per cent of the herd today. Many generations of VG or EX, Superior Production, Lifetime Production and Star Brood awards date back to them.

“Don’t give up! Keep Trying!”

THE

Link

SPRING 2021

- FERME MIRELLA

W W W. O N TA R I O. H O L ST E I N . C A

PHOTOS 1. Ronbeth’s heifer barn, 2. Ronbeth Stormatic Doll EX-92-8E 2* at 15 years old, 3. Ronbeth Dempsey Nay EX-91-2E, 15th gen homebred VG or EX, 4. Ronbeth was All-Ontario Junior Breeders’ Herd at the Royal in 2017, 5. The team at Ronbeth: (l to r) Cam, Carol, Steph, Lacey and Dean, 6. An aerial view of Ronbeth Farms, 7. An impressive line-up in the tie-stall. PHOTO 3 BY PATTY JONES, PHOTO 4 BY THE BULLVINE, OTHERS SUBMITTED.

Ronbeth

HASTINGS | MILKING 50 COWS | 4X MASTER BREEDER HERD Dean & Carol and Lacey Warner, Cam & Steph Murphy What is one thing that you would like people to know about your farm? We are a 6th generation farm, 4th generation dairy farm and family run. Looking back, what are you most proud of? What has been the key to your success? We’re proud of being able to consistently breed top type cows for generations who have longevity and production. We feel focusing on what works best for our cows has made this possible. Who are your mentors? We have all had many mentors over the years that we have looked up to. For myself (Steph) I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for my parents and grandparents and I am very grateful for all that they have done.

to ask questions; there is no such thing as a silly question and that is the best way to learn. Respect those around you and before you - we are all in this industry together. And lastly, utilize the team around you (vets, nutritionists, Holstein Canada, AI companies). Tell us about some of your most prolific/ prominent cow families. Achieving our 4th shield traces back to the three original cow families: the Bertha’s, Burke’s and Bonnie’s. A few examples of cows from these families are:

Ronbeth Damion Sandra EX 94 8E* • 1 of 5 EX sisters & her dam is 1 of 5 EX sisters • 8/9 gen VG or EX • Still in the herd at 13 years old • This family has produced many animals that have done well in the showring and been nominated All-American, All-Canadian, All-Ontario Ronbeth Windbrook Elisha EX 94 5E • 10/11 gen VG or EX • This family is an example of high type & production that we strive to breed Ronbeth Alexander Pearl EX 94 2E USA • An example of the kind we sell • 5th gen VG or EX, back to Ronbeth VT Paulette EX 6E 4*, 4X Champion Peterborough Holstein Show

Ronbeth Stormatic Doll EX 92 8E 2* • Nominated Cow of the Year ‘17 • First 5th Generation EX all over 100,000 kgs of milk in Canada Additional Thoughts: • Lifetime production over 120,000 kgs • 8th gen VG or EX with 3 EX & 3 VG daughters We would like to thank everyone who has What advice do you have for young producers • Embryos exported internationally invested in our genetics, many animals we sold hoping to one day achieve a Master Breeder? attained points towards this master breeder Don’t let anyone ever tell you can’t do Ronbeth Dempsey Nay EX 91 2E shield. We appreciate fellow producers believing something. Set goals and stay determined, • 15th gen homebred VG or EX in our genetics and love seeing animals sold do honest and committed to them. Never hesitate • Lautrust daughter now VG-87-2YR well for their new owners. Thank you.

“Honesty, Integrity, Passion.” W W W. O N TA R I O. H O L ST E I N . C A

- STEPH MURPHY

THE

Link

SPRING 2021

BRITISH COLUMBIA

Lavender

HONOURING OU T OF PROVINCE

ALBERTA

Thornspyc

MANITOBA

Donfield

QUEBEC

Boulet, Duhibou, Flechedor, Macpes, Raypel, Robel, Royolait

2020 Master Breeders

NOVA SCOTIA

Lellavan

PEI

Birkentree, Valleyville

Birkentree DAVID & DR. HEATHER AYLES DICKIESON AND EMILY MCKENNA WAYNE & FLORA DICKIESON 2X Master Breeder (2006, 2020) North Rustico, PEI Milking 70 | Pack barn | Step-up Parlour

In photo: Birkentree Allen Katrina” Ex-94 4E 6*. She was named the Atlantic Impact Cow of the Year in 2017 and is the head of one of our top cow families. Don’t be afraid to sell a good one; with a higher price they usually go to someone who will make points for her. Most of our points came from seven different cow families, one third came from females sold to other breeders, and in the last 14 years, we bred 72 Excellent cows. “The Kind of Cows You Would Like”

Boulet MARIETTE GAGNON, SIMON AND KEVIN BOULET 3X Master Breeder (1998, 2005, 2020) Saint-François-de-la-Rivière-duSud, QC Milking 160 cows | Tie-stall

“Team work makes the dream work”

THE

Link

SPRING 2021

Donfield

GARRY & GARDA AND JAMES DONOHOE 3X Master Breeder (1991, 2006, 2020) Brandon, MB Milking 70 | Free-stall | Parlour

Donfield Rosie Avalanche VG-89 Advice: Breed the kind of cows you want to milk everyday and don’t be afraid to ask questions. People in this industry are always willing to share info.

Duhibou NATHALIE BILODEAU & YVES LABBÉ, MAUDE, ALEXANDRA, XAVIER AND AUDREY Saint-Lambert-de-Lauzon, QC Milking 80 | Tie-stall

Advice: Give cows the maximum comfort AND work on the genetic conformation first. The production will follow.

Flechedor ANNIE LECOURS, LUC, STEVEN AND BRYAN BOISVERT Princeville, QC Milking 70 | Tie-stall

In photo from l to r: Bryan, Luc, Annie and Steven. “Our career has been based on a passion for cows. The cows are always top of mind.”

W W W. O N TA R I O. H O L ST E I N . C A

Lavender

Robel

D.R. & ANGELA VAANDRAGER Abbotsford, BC Milking 140 | Free-stall | Robot

DANIEL BLACKBURN & MONIQUE NÉRON AND JEANMICHEL BLACKBURN Jonquière, Quebec Milking 80 | Tie-stall

In photo from l to r: Kyle, Janessa, D.R., Angela, Cody and Celina Vaandrager. Lavender Farms is a 3rd generation farm with one full-time employee, Robert Waugh. Want to thank my parents Gerrit and Jan Vaandrager for giving us the opportunity to take over the farm and God for all of His blessings.

Lellavan

“Distinguish oneself, while remaining balanced”. Meaning there is life beyond cows. We have a cottage that we like to spend time at, and we enjoy other things than just dairy farming.

Royolait

JEANNIE VAN DYK & JOHN MCLELLAN, LUKE, CONNIE, CASEY MCLELLAN & ROBYN THOMPSON Noel Shore, Nova Scotia Milking 125 | Free-stall | Parlour

YVES, MAXIME AND ALEXANDRE ROY Ange-Gardien, Quebec Milking 95 | Tie-stall

In photo from l to r: Luke McLellan, Jeannie van Dyk, John McLellan, Casey McLellan and Connie McLellan. We would like to thank the many people in the dairy industry who have encouraged, supported and taught us so much over the years.

Macpes LUC MARTIN AND ISABELLE TREMBLAY 2X Master Breeder (2004, 2020)

In photo top row l to r: Jérémie, Joannie, Jean-Michel, Sébastien, and Monique and Daniel in front.

Advice: Work for pleasure and never stop; it’s a daily challenge and we must be very specific on each point of the production.

Thornspyc WIM & HENNIE, JAN & MONICA, WILLIAM & MARINA VAN DE BRAKE Lacombe, Alberta Milking 300 | 2 Free-stalls | Parlours

Saint-Narcisse, Quebec Milking 55 | Tie-stall

In photo from l to r: Isabelle, Gabriel, Luc, Tristan and Zachary.

In photo from l to r: Jan and Monica, Wim and Hennie, Marina and William van de Brake. Advice: Do what you enjoy doing and never lose sight of your goal. Surround yourself with positive people and don’t be afraid to make a mistake.

“There is no magic to achievement. It’s really about hard work, choices, and persistence.” – Michelle Obama

Raypel DANIEL & DENISE PELLETIER, DAVID PELLETIER & EDITH GENDRON-CLOUTIER, SYLVAIN PELLETIER & VÉRONIQUE LECLERC

Valleyville 2X Master Breeder (2003, 2020) Saint-Simon-de-Bagot, Quebec Milking 125 | Free-stall | Robot

In photo from l to r: Véronique Leclerc, Sylvain Pelletier, Denise Pelletier, Daniel Pelletier, David Pelletier et Edith Gendron-Cloutier. “Keep looking ahead, but don’t forget where you’ve come from.” W W W. O N TA R I O. H O L ST E I N . C A

GARTH & CYNTHIA, CHRIS & RAYANNE, AND ALAN FRIZZELL 2X Master Breeder (2006, 2020) Hunter River, PEI Milking 245 | Free-stall | Robot

A huge ‘Thank You’ to all purchasers of Valleyville animals over the years, our farm vendors, and our staff. We are proud of our team who consistently go above and beyond to ensure the best for our cows - this award reflects our team’s dedication. Congratulations to the 2020 Master Breeders! THE

Link

SPRING 2021

INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS MACBEATH

HOLSTEIN BREEDERS AND ENTHUSIASTS ARE ACHIEVING GREAT THINGS ALL ACROSS OUR COUNTRY! We are pleased to showcase the best and brightest here in our Cross-Canada Connections feature. Our goal is to bring you relevant coverage from across the country. We hope you find these connections interesting and encourage you to submit any of your own to the magazine for our next issue! MACBEATH FARMS (GOLDENFLO HOLSTEINS) CHRIS MACBEATH HERD SIZE: MILKING 100 OPERATION TYPE: TIE-STALL LOCATION: MARSHFIELD, PEI

3. How do you stay connected to your local dairy industry? And to the Canadian industry?

CM Our family has been very involved in the industry for a long time. Gordon is currently the chairman of Dairy Farmers of PEI and he represents the province on the Dairy Farmers of Canada board.

Maureen was one of the founding members of the original Young Leaders Conference held in conjunction with the Holstein Canada 1. What is your family’s history with Holsteins? National Convention. She was subsequently the first to represent CHRIS MACBEATH (CM) My grandfather, Athol MacBeath, Western Canada on the inaugural Young Leaders Committee. transitioned a traditional mixed family farm that specialized in potatoes and Beef Shorthorn cattle into Holsteins and dairy farming in the late I have served the industry in many capacities as well. I was Secretary/ 1960s. With a strong breeding foundation in place, my father, Gordon, Treasurer for our Eastern PEI Holstein Club and am a Past President joined the farm in the late 1970s as the herd and farm continued to grow. of the PEI Holstein Branch. I am also extremely honoured to have been His youngest brother, Malcolm came on board in the early 1990s while Chairman of the 2019 National Holstein Convention. We continue to the farm grew larger. In 2008, two Holstein families came together as I be active on the Atlantic show circuit and with 4-H. married my wife Maureen, who grew up at Standean Holsteins in New Norway, AB. Since that time, Maureen and I have purchased Malcolm’s 4. What are your breeding goals? CM Our mantra has always been, ‘If you have to milk twice a day, shares. Day-to-day, the farm is run by my father and myself. seven days a week and 365 days a year, you might as well milk a 2. What makes dairy farming in your province so unique? What are good one!’ We have always strived to breed a herd of long-lasting, profitable cows that score Excellent. We focus on udder and rump some of the challenges? CM One of the most unique things about farming in Prince Edward traits, while being mindful of feet, legs, width and capacity. Positive Island is the small size of the industry; there are 163 producers on fat deviations, positive production and mastitis-resistance are PEI. All producers on PEI are member/owners of Amalgamated essential traits as the herd moves forward. Dairy Limited (ADL), the primary processor in PEI. Like other parts of the country, weather can be challenging. Being an island on the 5. What genetic tools are most important in your breeding program? Atlantic Ocean, we can be prone to fast-shifting weather patterns and CM We use all tools available to us as we move the herd forward: high humidity. Soil on PEI is typically acidic and requires frequent classification, milk recording, pedigrees and genomics. As daughters applications of lime to maintain moderately neutral pH levels to grow of new bulls hit the ground, we do our best to talk with other breeders, as well. forages. And, of course, our iron rich, rust red soil!!!!

THE

Link

SPRING 2021

W W W. O N TA R I O. H O L ST E I N . C A

GOLDENFLO HOLSTEINS

MARSHFIELD, PEI

PHOTOS 1. Farm sign at Goldenflo, 2. The show string relaxing, 3. Clean and comfy in the tie-stall, 4. The MacBeath family at the Atlantic Summer Classic in 2019, Chris & Maureen with daughters (l to r) Emily, Anna, Julia and Sarah. PHOTOS SUBMITTED.

6. Which cow in your barn is currently the “Heart of the Herd”?

10. Being in the breeding business, what traits do you find sell the

CM Our current pair of favourites are a grandmother/granddaughter best? How do you market your farm’s genetics to the North American/

pair! Goldenflo Blitz Funnybone EX-93-9E and Goldenflo Sidekick Silly VG-88-2yr. Funnybone recently calved for the 11th time, just before her 13th birthday. She now has over 135,000 kgs of milk lifetime and looks as good as ever. Sidekick Silly is the future of our herd! Silly calved at 22 months old and is now projected to over 12,000 kgs at 4.25% fat and 3.47% protein and a BCA of 334-414-344. Silly was also 2nd at the 2020 Atlantic Dairy Championship Show. 7. What are you most proud of in your herd/operation?

CM From a herd perspective, hands down we are most proud of our two Master Breeder shields. We feel these are the summation of the years of hard work and dedication to breeding and animal husbandry. From an operational perspective, we are most proud of how the farm continues to grow and remain relevant in an everchanging environment. It’s satisfying to see the farm succeed as it transfers to each subsequent generation.

global market?

CM Visually appealing type!!! Our experience is that no matter what people tell you they are looking to buy, they are always drawn to the most well-made and stylish cows. We have always felt that high and wide rear udders and square rumps make for an appealing looking line-up of cows in our tie-stall. 11. Which bulls do you feel have had the most impact on your herd over the years and today?

CM We are very fortunate that generations before us placed a high value on using the best available genetics. As such, this laid a strong foundation built on bulls like Rudolph, Windbrook, Lee, and Dempsey. In the barn today, we are most excited about our young cows by Chief, Devour and Sidekick. Calves by Bardo, Altitude, and Mirand stand out in the heifer barn.

8. If you could improve one thing in your herd/operation, what would 12. What are the management practices in place on your farm that you it be? feel contribute the most to the success of your operation? Why?

CM Like any dairy farmer who milks in an older facility, we look CM We have always felt that success is a function of time spent in forward to one day building a new facility to ease labour inputs and the barn. There is no shortcut to success and doing something ‘just improve cow comfort. good enough’ is cutting corners. Consistently providing the absolute 9. How do you use genomic information in your herd and what are your best care and feed to the herd is essential! We focus extra attention to three key areas: forage production, transitioning cows and getting thoughts on the future of genomics? CM We are currently only testing potentially high calves and cows pregnant. Success in these three areas makes everything else potential red carriers. We always test all potential flush cows for easier! A2, colour coat and Immunity Plus as we strive to make the most marketable mating possible. W W W. O N TA R I O. H O L ST E I N . C A

THE

Link

SPRING 2021

Bright when you stay Focused, Optimistic & Confident! Your future will always be

Ronbeth Jett Air Nalie EX-92 3E 5th Gen EX 4yr: 12728M 529F 4.2% 381P 3.0% (243-271-225) EX 93 4E Fever, EX 3*, EX-91 2E*, EX 3E 3*, VG 4*, VG, VG 2*, EX 5E 3*, EX 3E 9*, VG 2*, EX 3*, VG 4* Nalie has a VG-87 Solomon, GP-84 Solomon, Aug. '19 Impression & Sept. '20 Doorman.

Design

Unique Designs Photos

Patty Jones

Ronbeth Lautrust Nifty VG-87 2yr 16th Gen Homebred VG or EX 2yr Proj: 10722M 473F 4.4% 339P 3.2% (257-301-253) EX-91 2E Dempsey, VG, VG*, VG, EX 3*, EX-91 2E*, EX 3E 3*, VG 4*, VG, VG 2*, EX 5E 3*, EX 3E 9*, VG 2*, EX 3*, VG 4* She has an Oct. ’20 Jacoby heifer.

Current Herd Classification: 23 ME, 9 EX, 23 VG, 3 GP

Ronbeth High OctaneLaveena VG-88 From the “Loveable” family back to the “Lydias” 2yr: 10194M 433F 4.3% 330P 3.2% (256-295-262) EX* Windbrook, EX-92 6E 4*, GP-84 3*, EX-94 2E 3*, VG 9*, EX 19*, VG, VG 2*, VG 3*, EX 8*, VG 5* Laveena has a Feb. ’20 Doorman & Feb. ’21 Alleyoop daughter.

DUAL LANE FARMS

W W W. O N TA R I O. H O L ST E I N . C A

THE

Link

SPRING 2021

MISTYGLEN HOLSTEINS Chasing a Dream

or Mistyglen Holsteins, 2020 will always be remembered as a whirlwind year, in every sense of the word. On June 10, the Pettits watched an EF-1 tornado dust up the fields of their Belmont-based dairy and tear up the entire end of their eight-yearold barn. Then, just over a month later, a second cyclone swept through on July 19, making quick work of destroying what was spared in the first storm. While few among us will ever live to tell the tale of one tornado, let alone two, the Pettits have taken it all in stride and come out on the other side, more excited than ever about the future.

STORY BY ANDREA EMOND

his stories about that time: how a neighbour he had worked for growing up helped make the purchase possible; how he used to work his land with a team of horses; and how putting in 18–20-hour days was common during those early years - both because there was so much work to do and because he needed to prove wrong all the nay-sayers who said he’d go broke! “He was stubborn like me!” says Tom with a laugh.

Murray married Betty in 1977 and together they raised their two children on the farm, born two years apart. Originally, the farm was home to Jerseys, but pigs were also raised at a rented barn nearby. By the time Murray and Betty were married, they had stopped raising Tom and Suzanne Pettit are the brother-sister duo behind Mistyglen pigs, purchased an additional 50 acres of land and made the switch Holsteins. They grew up at the 100-acre farm their dad, Murray, to Holsteins. Tom admits that while his dad, now 82, continues to purchased back in 1957 when he was just 19 years old. They remember enjoy the farm to this day, he was never as interested in the cows as

THE

Link

SPRING 2021

W W W. O N TA R I O. H O L ST E I N . C A

he and Suzanne were. “At one point he was going to get rid of them,” Tom says, “but we made a deal.” That arrangement entailed Tom and Suzanne going to Ridgetown for two years, and then coming home to take over the milking in the summer of 1999. “The day we came home from our final exam was the last day dad milked a cow,” Tom says. Field work and the day-to-day upkeep of the farm were more his dad’s style and that blended seamlessly with Tom and Suzanne’s desire to work with the cows and their mom’s role as bookkeeper. The original tie-stall barn would serve its purpose for the coming 12 years, and the Pettits continued to fill it with quality animals, bred primarily from their own stock. By 2011, they knew it was time to expand; the question was, what would that expansion look like? Tom’s wife Kris – who also worked off-farm as a nurse – was part of the team, as were their daughters, Maddie and Kadie, who were seven and five at the time. They needed something that would fit their family’s increasingly busy lifestyle while providing the best cow comfort they could get.

A TALE OF TWO TORNADOES

2 PHOTOS 1. The Pettit family pose for a shot the day their cows came home. From l to r, Kris, Kadie, Tom and Maddie, 2. Mistyglen Holsteins has garnered a loyal following on social media. In this post from February, they share photos from around the farm in celebration of Canadian Agriculture Day, 3. A view of the barn built in 2012. Though this photo was captured pre-tornado, the front of it is essentially the same. PHOTO 1 BY JODIE ALDRED PHOTOGRAPHY, PHOTOS 2 AND 3 SUBMITTED.

“When the idea of robots was floated, all I could think was ‘Ew!’” says Suzanne, who along with her brother, had always enjoyed milking cows. Their opinions shifted, however, after touring several robot barns filled with ordinary barn cows who were outmilking their herd by leaps and bounds. “All we could think, was ‘If it can milk theirs, it can milk ours!’” says Tom.

ROBOTS, IT IS! After some extensive research, paired with visits from various local robot dealers, the Pettits went ahead with the purchase of a secondhand DeLaval robot. It arrived at the farm in August of 2011 and lived in their shop over the winter while their new barn was being built. On May 15, 2012, after a few months of ideal spring building weather, the new barn was ready: they opted for a three-row freestall, with the milking cows at one end and housing for dry heifers and sick or calving cows at the other. “The cows adjusted better than we did,” says Tom, citing some hiccups early on involving draining issues. “Our milk pick-up two days after move-in was lower, but two days after that we were higher than what we had ever been. We never went back after that.”

It was a typical summer evening, following what had been a beautiful day. Kris was on a call with one of the many farm organizations she volunteers with, Kadie was up in her room and Tom and Maddie were in the kitchen. Out of nowhere, the sky grew dark and it started raining like crazy. “We’re talking, buckets of water!” says Tom. Maddie looked out the window, pointed toward the neighbours’ house and said the words every farmer dreads: “That’s a tornado!!!” Tom, thinking his daughter who was terrified of storms was exaggerating, went to see for himself. “As I looked out, I saw the tornado hitting the neighbours’ house.” Trying to remain as calm as possible, he signalled to Kris to get off the phone and called up to Kadie to come downstairs. By the time he managed to get everyone safely to the basement (including the family’s three dogs) it was all over. “I never got to the basement!” he says, chuckling at the irony looking back. Suzanne was at her house across the road watching TV upstairs. She knew it was storming but didn’t realize a tornado had gone through until Tom texted her. The family’s initial concern was their elderly neighbours. In the pouring rain, they jumped in their truck, but before pulling out of the driveway, Tom jumped back out to quickly check on the barn. “Not good,” was the short text he sent to a friend in nearby Belmont, who was already on his way to help.

“Calf hutches were everywhere and the back of our barn was gone,” he recounts. While they had originally instructed the girls to stay inside where it was safe, they now needed all the help they could get. “Get your shoes on, we need you NOW!” was all it took, says Kris, for the girls - 12 and 14 - to spring into action in the middle of the storm and get to work. Hours later, the girls were soaked, muddy and exhausted, but the animals were safe. “They knew what to do and they just did it. It was a pretty proud moment,” says Kris. 3

Having quelled the worst of their troubles at home, Tom and Kris made their way to the neighbours. Despite being a little shaken up, they were thankfully ok. Back at the farm, friends and neighbours continued to turn up. Many had seen the tornado touch down and rushed to offer their help. While snapping collars and ensuring the With everyone settled into their new routines by the fall, the family calves were ok was the first order of business, rounding up the fifty enjoyed several years of what Tom refers to as “regular farming heifers that were out on pasture and spooked when the tornado hit fun.” In addition to helping in the barn, Maddie and Kadie were able was high on the list, too. to get involved in piano, swimming and 4-H, and Tom was often It was midnight by the time the most pressing of issues were dealt available to take them. Life was good, until one day last summer with and everyone headed back to the house, exhausted. Then, at 1 when suddenly, it wasn’t. am, the alarm on the robot went off signalling an issue. Once Tom

W W W. O N TA R I O. H O L ST E I N . C A

THE

Link

SPRING 2021

believed he had fixed the problem, he crawled back into bed only to awake an hour later, unsure of what the day ahead would bring. If the Pettits thought the damage they had witnessed the night before was bad, it was even more jolting the next day. “It was just surreal,” says Suzanne, describing how the back end of their barn was just gone. At the advice of their builder – who arrived within an hour of the tornado touching down – a tractor was propped up against the tilting side of the structure to prevent a total collapse until crews could arrive the next morning to install further bracing. By this time, the Pettits had also clued into what was causing the robot issues the night before: the shift in the barn had caused the milk lines to separate, and milk was now making its way down into the “brains” of the system. With their barn all but ready to topple over, and their robot malfunctioning as a result, they knew the next order of business was moving the cows to safety.

Offers came quickly from neighbours willing to take as many cows they could: five here, ten there. While grateful for the generosity of their tight-knit farming community, the Pettits felt the herd would be better off if the cows could stay together. By 10 a.m., the herd was transferred to their temporary home at Verhoef’s Dairy, a short drive down the road. “They were noisy and mad!” Kris says, remembering the difficult adjustment period their cows endured. Going from ondemand milking to a structured 3X milking schedule at Verhoefs took its toll on the animals, but within a week, they had settled in as part of the herd.

BUILDING ON A SOLID FOUNDATION With the cows being well cared for at Verhoefs, the Pettits focused their attention to the necessary rebuild at home. In mid-July, the A-framed wooden trusses - still mercifully intact - were lifted from the barn with the intention of using them in the rebuild. Plans began to take shape and the Pettits were excited about the construction due to begin the following week. Mother nature, however, had other plans. On July 19, a second twister touched down on the farm and somehow managed to destroy every last one of the saved trusses. “I’m going to stop answering your calls!” was the first thing their builder said when he found out what had happened. Plans were reworked once again, but this time, the Pettits pledged to go all-in. They decided to switch to sand-bedding, which required some reworking of the barn, and of course, had to order all new trusses – a difficult task during a pandemic with hard-to-come-by lumber at a premium. A new DeLaval robot was put on order and Tom pushed hard to stay on top of the building schedule. No matter what, he told the crew, the cows were going to be back in the barn by December 1. With everyone’s hard work and determination, the cows came home on November 30. It was a day none of them will soon forget.

Suzanne, who is the creative force behind the farm’s engaging bulls like Lambda, Chief, Denver, Mirand-PP, Phantom and presence on social media, captured the moment on video. Watching Firecracker. Bradnick has also worked well for them in the past. the cows run off the trailer and explore their new and improved home Herd favourites include Mistyglen JibberJabber Kingboy, who was made everything the family had endured in the last year worth it. Kadie’s 4-H calf in 2018, Mistyglen Cutie Benefit VG-88-3yr and Though she prefers to stay behind the camera most days, Suzanne Mistyglen Sugarbear Bradnick EX-91. Others like Mistyglen Jetta is an integral part of Mistyglen’s success and has been interested in Blockbuster (their first EX-92 4E cow); Mistyglen Kweens Throne orchestrating the perfect cow matings even before she was a teenager. EX-5E (their first 100,000 kg cow) and Mistyglen Chico Merchant “I made my own bull index when I was 11,” she says with a laugh, EX-91-4E 2* (Elgin’s 2019 Heart of the Herd and over 125,00 KG looking back to her early interest in genomics. The problem however, producer) have also made their mark. was “we were never allowed to buy anything more than $20!” Since 2012, the Pettits have made a point of purchasing a heifer Things have changed since those days and today the farm is using or two each year from prolific herds like Ebyholme, Cityview,

THE

Link

SPRING 2021

W W W. O N TA R I O. H O L ST E I N . C A

“Our vision was always to create something unique to us.” - KRIS PETTIT

PHOTOS 1. The back of the barn the day after the first tornado hit. A tractor helped hold it up until further bracing could be put in place, 2. Kadie (l) and Maddie (r) enjoyed visiting their cows while they stayed at Verhoefs and helping to milk in the parlour alongside their friend, Kendra Cornelissen, 3. After the first tornado, the trusses were carefully lifted from the barn and stored for use in the rebuild. Unfortunately, a second tornado touched down just over a month after the first one and destroyed these trusses, 4. Mistyglen is home to numerous awards, ribbons and memorabilia. As Suzanne jokes, while other farms fill their shelves with trophies, farm hats fill the space here, 5. The Pettits are proud of their strong commitment to producing quality milk. Their soon-to-be-built Creamery stands as yet another testament to that, 6. Herd favourite, Mistyglen Sugarbear Bradnick EX-91, with a new MacNut heifer born last month, 7. After the tornado, calf hutches were strewn everywhere across the Pettit’s property. One that was lifted and carried 100 ft away landed in an upright position with a calf - shaken up but otherwise perfectly fine - still inside, 8. Kadie and Maddie love their cows - here they are welcoming Millen Aleah Naughty Vixen (Maddie’s 2019 4-H calf) back into the barn. PHOTOS 4 AND 5 BY ANDREA EMOND, PHOTO 8 BY JODIE ALDRED PHOTOGRAPHY, ALL OTHERS SUBMITTED.

employee. “It was too risky,” Kris says. “We decided to let it rest.” 4

Then came 2020, with its lockdown restrictions and endless pockets of time to think, dream and wonder, ‘What if?’. The family dusted off their business plan, researched new product lines and developed a cashflow projection they felt would work. Representatives from OMAFRA came to survey their farm shortly after the application was submitted, which also happened to be two days after the first tornado. “Don’t mind the mess!” Suzanne remembers thinking. On January 1, 2021, Kris, Tom, Maddie and Kadie went live on social media to announce the launch of Mistyglen Creamery. The family is beyond excited about this next chapter and hopes to offer up their farm as an “agricultural destination,” with plans of welcoming visitors to an on-farm store and proudly showcasing a “start-to-end” process. The Pettits intend to offer fluid milk, cheese curds and small-batch, vat-pasteurized yogurt to promote good digestibility and strong gut health. In true Mistyglen style, there will be a live-feed from the barn to the store and an opportunity for both of their girls to become involved. While they won’t be welcoming visitors to the shipping container turned on-farm-style-store they had initially envisioned (it doesn’t meet minimum height requirements) they plan to break ground this spring to construct a separate building adjacent to the barn.

“Our vision was always to create something unique to us,” says Kris, whose role will be to head up the on-farm piece of things. “At the Craigcrest, Kingsway and Quality to improve their genetic base, and end of the day, the passion comes from being able to show people in more recent years, to serve as 4-H calves for the girls. One of last the beginning to the end piece. It’s what seems natural to us.” year’s purchases - Duckett GW Silver-TW - was Jr. Champion of Mistyglen has been through more than most of us ever care to Elgin County’s small but determined 4-H club. imagine in the span of just a few months and the Pettit family stands 8

as a shining example of the good that can come out of a bad situation. With a fresh logo in hand, and blueprints for the store stamped and With a true appreciation for just how precarious life can be, in 2020 ready to go, all that was missing was a tag line. Drawing inspiration the Pettits decided to pursue an idea first conceived five years prior. from their very real experiences over the last year, Suzanne had that Around that time, Kris had contemplated shifting her focus away one covered, too. Mistyglen Creamery: Homespun milk. from her full-time job as a Geriatric Resource Nurse to come home to the farm. However, their new barn was less than five years old “We’re so proud of what we do,” says Kris. “We want to be able to at the time and the farm just wasn’t big enough to support another share that with people.”

A SECOND KICK AT THE CAN

W W W. O N TA R I O. H O L ST E I N . C A

THE

Link

SPRING 2021

Highlights

sale

FROZEN GENETICS ONLINE SALE FEBRUARY 19-20, 2021, ONLINE @ UNIQUEDESIGNSANDMARKETING.COM

TOP SELLERS

5 - F. AWESOME X WILLOWHAVEN GOLDWYN BLISS.. .$1,200 Buyer: Luck-E Holsteins

5- UNSTOPABULL X IDEE GOLDWYN LUCIA....................... $975 Buyer: Dennis Brubacher

4 - VELOCITY X RAPID BAY GORGEOUS GIFT .....................$925 Buyer: Fricosons Holsteins

CALVES FOR A CAUSE ONLINE SALE PROCEEDS TO CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL OF LONDON MARCH 26-27, 2021, ONLINE @CATTLECLUB.COM

TOP SELLERS BESLEA KINGSDALE VIP DATSUN-ET ............................... $9,000

Consignor: Beslea Farms Ltd & Kingsdale Jersey Farm Buyer: Street Spoonamore

HIRD’S M VICTORIOUS........................................................... $8,200

Consignor: Nathan Wade Buyer: Emily Unger

KNONAUDALE LITE THE WAY.............................................. $5,800

Consignor: Knonaudale Farms Buyer: Winright Holsteins & Jaquemet Holsteins

CDX-ROSZELL M&M................................................................. $5,100

Consignor: Jordan Underhill Buyer: Bally Bright Farms

FRAELAND ATOMIC SPICE RED.......................................... $5,000

TOTAL SEMEN LOTS SOLD........................................................ 29 TOTAL EMBRYO LOTS SOLD.......................................................27

Consignor: Fraeland Farms Buyer: London Dairy

8 LOT EMBRYO AVG.................................................................$631 19 LOT SEXED EMBRYO AVG................................................ $608

62 LOT AVG............................................................................ $2,535 TOTAL RAISED.....................................................................$75,000

QUARANTINE AT QUALITY SALE FEBRUARY 20-21, 2021, ONLINE @ UNIQUEDESIGNSANDMARKETING.COM

TOP SELLERS QUALITY UNIX FRAN................................................................ $7,500

Buyer: Ferme Blondin

QUALITY CHIEF LACIE............................................................. $7,200

Buyer: Lilyking Farm

QUALITY LUSTER LOLLIPOP................................................ $6,200

Buyer: Goldline Genetics

QUALITY SOLOMON APPLE................................................. $6,200

UPCOMING SALES hosted by www.uniquedesignsandmarketing.com APRIL 29-30: Get In The Pictures with Gleann Online Sale APRIL 29-30: Westcoast Classic Online Sale MAY 6-7: Frozen Genetics Online Sale Spring Edition MAY 21-22: Rapid Bay’s “Hello Gorgeous” Online Sale JUNE 23: Holstein Ontario AGM Online Fun Auction JUNE 30-JULY 1: From Far & Wide Online Sale for Trinal Holsteins SEPT 2-3: Explore...Discover...Marfloacres Online Sale NOVEMBER 9-11: Designer Genes Online Sale

Buyer: Moreview Farms

21 LOT AVG............................................................................. $4,876

PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE

MARCH 4-5 , 2021, HOSTED BY LEGEND-MAKER HOLSTEINS, MT. HOPE. ONLINE @CATTLECLUB.COM

TOP COW DON-MAIR CHIEF DESERAY.................................................. $8,700

Buyer: Corey Feltman

TOP HEIFER DON-MAIR SIDEKICK CHICAGO......................................... $4,800

Buyers: David Dyment, Jack Melia, Kathleen O’Keefe

TOP CONSIGNMENT AVANTE GARDE MIRAND LYRIC P.................................... $10,000

Buyer: Steven Summer

32 LOT AVG........................................................................... $2,900

TOMALYNN FARMS COMPLETE DISPERSAL MARCH 23, 2021, AT THE FARM, OMEMEE

TOP SELLERS TOMALYNN SIDEKICK DABBLE..........................................$10,200

Buyer: Ferme Stanhow

TOMALYNN UNIX DAKOTA.....................................................$9,200

Buyer: Ron Grandy

TOMALYNN DENVER DARCY............................................... $8,300

Buyer: George Liberty

W.B. WHITE INSURANCE & FINANCIAL LTD. 16 Russell Street West, Lindsay ON Julie Famme julie@wbwhite.com • 705.340.5752 Dan Werry 705.340.5400 x324 dwerry@wbwhite.com

Dan McMorrow 705.340.5400 x322 mcmorrow@wbwhite.com

97 LOT AVG............................................................................. $3,097

THE

Link

SPRING 2021

W W W. O N TA R I O. H O L ST E I N . C A

DeLaval VMS milking system V300 TM

Up to

3500 kgs milk per day

Up to

Higher capacity

Up to

99.8% Attachment rate

Up to

50%

Teatspray up to

faster attachment time

hit rate

Contact your local DeLaval dealer to talk about how the DeLaval VMS V300 can work for you. www.delaval.com is a registered trademark of Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance S.A. and “DeLaval” is a registered trade/ servicemark of DeLaval Holding AB. © 2021 DeLaval Inc. DeLaval, P.O. Box 4600 Peterborough, Ontario K9J 7B7. www.delaval.com All facts and figures are the result of more than two years of data collection from more than 20 test and pilot farms, actual results may vary and are not guaranteed.

W W W. O N TA R I O. H O L ST E I N . C A

THE

Link

SPRING 2021

THE

Link

SPRING 2021

W W W. O N TA R I O. H O L ST E I N . C A

Eastern Ontario

STORY BY BONNIE COOPER

A PROUD HISTORY

EASTERN ONTARIO HAS BEEN THE BIRTHPLACE OF SOME OF CANADA’S MOST IMPACTFUL HOLSTEIN BREEDERS, ANIMALS AND EVENTS. WITH A HYBRID VERSION OF HOLSTEIN CANADA’S NATIONAL CONVENTION SET TO TAKE PLACE IN OTTAWA IN JULY, LET’S REFLECT ON JUST A FEW OF THE VAST ACHIEVEMENTS AND SIGNIFICANT ANIMALS THAT ORIGINATE IN EASTERN ONTARIO (EO).

While there is some debate whether the first Holsteins were imported into Canada via Ontario or Manitoba, Stormont County’s Michael Cook and son Minard of Aultsville are Ontario’s original Holstein source. Advertised as “The Pioneer Herd of Canada”, the Cooks claimed to have made their historic importation in 1881, though the transfers were not recorded until 1882. In 1883, the Cooks and B.B. Lord of New York imported 100 Holsteins directly into Canada from Holland. The Posch-Tidy Abbekerk bloodline, which can be found in most Canadian pedigrees, traces to that importation. Nineteen of those imported animals were displayed and sold to other breeders at the Toronto Industrial Exhibition that year. It was here that a group of breeders formulated the idea of starting a National Holstein Association. The first Holstein-Friesian Association of Canada Annual Meeting was held in 1884 and Michael Cook was elected President, a role he held until 1887. Canada’s longest running Holstein Championship Show is the Eastern Ontario/Western Quebec Championship Show (EO/WQ). Established in 1941, it was the first regional Championship Show held in Ontario. While the show’s venue has changed a few times (Kemptville from 1941-46 and then 1987-2013; Ottawa from 194786; and Metcalfe from 2014 to the present), it has remained a popular, competitive event thanks to the efforts of many like R. Grant Smith, EO’s longest serving Holstein Representative (1944-83).

son, David, whose Coachside prefixed animals are housed in the same barn as Fawcettdale, also won a Shield in 2009, making them the first father-son to win Master Breeder in the same year. In 2018, the Fawcett family achieved a “Century of Holstein” award for 100 continuous years of Holstein Canada membership. Horace Nixon, the two-time Master Breeder from Burnacres Farms, L’Orignal (Prescott), is the only breeder to have bred and owned the Grand Champion cow four times at the EO/WQ Show, two of those coming on Burnacres Terri EX (1981-82). Three-time Master Breeders, Bill Carss and son Don of Sandy Crest Holsteins, Arnprior (Carleton), have been Premier Breeder there 17 times. The Carss bred Sandy Crest Rag Apple Anne EX 3*, the first high profile Holstein to be successfully super-ovulated in Canada in 1974. Her son, Ultra Western Matt ET EX-ST, was the first Embryo Transfer (ET) bull in A.I. in Canada and the first ET to be nominated for All-Canadian.

One of the best known EO/WQ Grand Champions is Briarwood Melissa EX 6*. This Telstar daughter was first 2-year-old and Grand Champion in 1968 for breeder and first-time exhibitor C.M. Charland, Elgin (Leeds-Grenville), who brought just one animal to the show. A month later, Melissa won her class at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair and sold for the top price of $7000 in the Sale of Stars to Roybrook Farms, Brooklin. Melissa went on to be Royal Grand Champion in 1971, All-Canadian three times and the Allison Fawcett, Winchester (Dundas), led the Championship dam of Roybrook Tempo EX-Extra. Show’s first Grand Champion cow, Willola Car Born Bell, for his Another Telstar bred in EO, Green Elms Echo Christina EX 18*, father, W.J. Fawcett, who was Dundas County’s first Master Breeder was Royal Grand Champion in 1972 and All-Canadian Mature Cow in 1946. Allison, 1983 Holstein Canada President, won Master in 1972-73 for Browndale Farm, Paris. Bred by W. Palmer Wilson, Breeder shields for his own Fawcettdale herd in 1974 and 2009. His PHOTOS 1. Two-time Master Breeder Allison Fawcett of Fawcettdale Holsteins, Winchester, was Holstein Canada President in 1983, 2. Bred by W. Palmer Wilson, Pakenham, Green Elms Echo Christina Ex-18* was Royal Grand Champion and a two-time All-Canadian for Browndale Farm where she became a noted brood cow, 3. The aged cow class at the 1942 Eastern Ontario/Western Quebec Championship Show is judged in Kemptville, 4. “Cow of the Year” in 1998, Sunnylodge Prelude Spotty VG-87 18* was a highly regarded brood cow at Sunnylodge Farms, Chesterville, and is the dam of Sunnylodge Linjet Ex-ST, Premier Sire at World Dairy Expo in 2002, 5. Bred by David Merkley, Morewood, Merkley Starbuck Whitney EX-96-USA 3* was Supreme Champion at World Dairy Expo in 1992-93 and Grand Champion at the Royal Winter Fair in 1992 and 1994. PHOTOS SUBMITTED. W W W. O N TA R I O. H O L ST E I N . C A

THE

Link

SPRING 2021

Pakenham (Carleton), Christina was a superb brood cow having 14 EX progeny including Browndale Fury Echo Christie EX 3*, 1978 World Dairy Expo Supreme Champion, and sons Browndale Sir Christopher EX-Extra and Browndale Commissioner EX-ST. Two more EO bred cows have been Grand Champion at the Royal. Bridge Lea Reflection Idena EX, bred by Edgar Craig, Metcalfe (Carleton), helped put Oak Ridges Farms, Oak Ridges, on the road to fame when they acquired her in the 1960 National Sale and she became Royal Grand and All-Canadian Mature Cow later that year. Merkley Starbuck Whitney EX-96-USA 3*, bred by David Merkley, Morewood (Dundas), was Grand at the Royal in 1992 and 1994 for Tokachi Livestock Management of Japan and their partners. This silky, black Starbuck daughter was Supreme Champion at World Dairy Expo in 1992-93 and All-Canadian and All-American three times. Another EO cow, Boalcrest Sterling Silver EX 2*, was Supreme Champion at World Dairy Expo in 1997. Bred by Elmer Boal, Pakenham (Lanark), this two-time All-Canadian and All-American rose to the top at Dupasquier Holsteins, Guelph. Five EO bred cows have been Holstein Canada “Cow of the Year”. The first was Sunnylodge Prelude Spottie VG-87 18* in 1998. This first-crop Prelude daughter was one of the most popular brood cows at Sunnylodge Farms, Chesterville (Dundas), the three-time Master Breeder herd of Carl Smith and family. Spottie had 1 EX and 17 VG daughters, over 225 embryos exported overseas, and 14 sons in A.I., including Sunnylodge Linjet EX-ST, Premier Sire at World Dairy Expo in 2002. Three more “Cow of the Year” winners from EO trace to Sunnylodge bloodlines. Among them are Canada’s only dam and daughter “Cow of the Year”, Braedale Gypsy Grand VG-88 37* in 2003, and her daughter, Braedale Baler Twine VG-86 34* in 2007. Both were bred by Terry and Mark Beaton, Braedale Holsteins, Cumberland (Russell), with Baler Twine owned by Syndicat Gen-I-Beq, Saint-Patrice, QC, at

the time of her award. Gypsy Grand’s grandam was Sunnylodge Chief Vick ET VG-86 31*, a Chief Mark daughter of Sunnylodge Elevation Jan VG-87 13*, an Elevation that the Beatons bought for the top price of $32,500 in the 1985 Sunnylodge Top 40 Sale, with Sunnylodge retaining an interest. Gypsy Grand was a big, dairy cow with a nearly perfect udder and great components. She sparked A.I. interest early and was on an extensive flushing program. One of the breed’s most influential brood cows, Gypsy Grand had 2 EX and 18 VG daughters and five Class Extra sons. Her family was a fixture on LPI/GLPI Cow lists for years, with several members topping those lists. Gypsy Grand’s Storm daughter, Baler Twine, was contracted as a heifer by Semex. That mating to Shoremar James produced Braedale Goldwyn GP-Extra-GM, the legendary bull who has been Premier Sire 11 times at World Dairy Expo and eight times at the Royal and Leading Sire of All-Canadians nine times. His offspring have won 67 All-Canadian and 58 All-American titles, plus five Royal and seven World Dairy Expo Grand Championships. Goldwyn has sired 3636 Excellent daughters in this country, the most Excellent daughters of any bull in Canada. Baler Twine’s genetically identical full sister (the result of a split embryo) was Braedale Second Cut VG-86 23*. She was purchased as a 5-month-old calf in 1998 by Dr. Gilles Patenaude and family of Ferme Gillette Inc., Embrun (Russell). Second Cut was Canada’s #1 indexing cow for fat five times. Her daughter, Gillette Blitz 2nd Wind VG88 74*, is Canada’s highest Star Brood cow of all-time. In 2004, 2nd Wind sold for the $30,000 top price in the Triple Crown Fall Edition Sale to T-Wave Holsteins of Japan, with the Patenaudes remaining a partner. The #1 LPI Cow six times, 2nd Wind was “Cow of the Year” in 2011 and Holstein International’s “Global Cow of the Year” in 2012. She had five Class Extra sons of which two, Windhammer and Windbrook, were Excellent-97 and a third, Stanleycup, was 95 points.

THE

Link 7

5 SPRING 2021

6 W W W. O N TA R I O. H O L ST E I N . C A

Among her 5 EX and 39 VG daughters is Gillette Bolton 2nd Sleep lived to be over 16 years old and made 92,098 kg milk lifetime. VG-89 11*, a former #1 LPI cow, Honor List producer and Reserve “Evelyn has had a tremendous influence in our herd with about Grand Champion at the 2011 EO/WQ Championship Show. 30% of our current herd tracing to her, including many of our most Another significant purchase that reaped rewards for Ferme successful show contenders of late,” says Hugh Hunter. Gillette occurred in 1986 when they acquired 4-year-old Montmaple Christina EX 6*, bred by Oran Montgomery, Avonmore (Stormont), for $10,500 in the Maeford Dispersal of Allan Baker, Inkerman (Dundas). She was carrying a Starbuck heifer, Maeford Starbuck Chrissy EX 17*, who became Grand Champion at the 1990 EO/ WQ Championship Show and had 10 sons in A.I., including Gillette Carlton EX-Extra. Chrissy’s great-granddaughter, Gillette E Smurf EX-91-2E, is Canada’s and the world’s reigning lifetime production champion with 247,711 kg milk, 8877 kg fat, 7762 kg protein. “Smurf established herself as a Guinness World Record holder which makes her unique,” points out Louis Patenaude of this longtime producer who died in 2015 at 18 years old. “She was my pride and joy,” he says. Chrissy’s sister, Gillette Blackstar Christiane VG-88 17*, was the “miracle cow” who survived the 1994 Gillette barn fire and in 2000 was named “Cow of the Year”. Christiane produced over 350 embryos and had more than a dozen sons in A.I. including Renaissance Triumphant GP-ST, #1 type bull in 2000.

The first cow in Ontario to ever reach 50 Star Brood cow status is EO’s Brabantdale Triumphant Spooky EX-2E who reached that milestone in September 2013. Now at 54 Stars, Spooky (born in 1997) was bred and owned by the Nooyen family of Brabantdale Farms Ltd., Ottawa (Russell). This three-time Master Breeder herd (twice for Brabantdale and once for Daisycrest) was the Holstein Journal’s leading Honor List herd many times. Backed by a maternal line that came up through Holstein Canada’s Grading-Up program, Spooky was the Nooyens’ first Excellent cow, a two-time Honor List producer, and mother of 10 EX and 30 VG daughters. Three generations of this family appeared on the Honor List. The Spooky family has generated many show winners as well with some of the best show type coming through Spooky’s daughter, Brabantdale Jasper Spades VG-88 19*, who sold to Ferme Petitclerc, Saint-Basile, QC. Spades’ daughters and granddaughters have earned 16 All-Canadian and All-American nominations to date, among them Petitclerc Gold Saltalamacchia VG-89, 2014 All-Canadian Milking Yearling.

These two cow families, and others, helped the Patenaudes to become Master Breeder in 2005 and realize a long list of achievements that includes breeding 14 Class Extra bulls, and being the home of many Honor List and Champion producers, top sellers, and high indexing animals.

EO bred Penlow Georgette Outside EX-96-2E 15* captured many show ribbons in her day and today her family continues to leave its mark in the showring. The Lowry family of Penlow Farms, Almonte (Lanark), sold Georgette as a senior 2-year-old in 2003, while continuing to work with various family members including her dam, Penlow Georgie Dragoon EX-3E 8*, who had 5 EX and 4 VG daughters. Georgette campaigned for various owners while becoming All-Canadian in 2004 and 2007 and Reserve All-Canadian in 2003-05-06. In 2006, she sold for $510,000 in the Hanoverhill Legacy Sale and became Outside’s highest selling daughter in Canada.

The first 10E cow in Canada, Maple-Ain Mattador Evelyn EX10E 4*, was bred and owned by the Hunter family of Maple-Ain Holsteins, a three-time Master Breeder herd at Smiths Falls (LeedsGrenville). This Mattador daughter, who became 10E in 2000, was first mature cow at the 1996 EO/WQ Championship Show,

PHOTOS 1. Louis and Dr. Gilles Patenaude of Ferme Gillette, Embrun, with Gillette Windbrook EX-97-Extra and his sire, Gillette Brilea F B I EX-94-Extra, 2. Gillette E Smurf EX-91-2E, bred and owned by Ferme Gillette, Embrun, is Canada’s and the World’s reigning lifetime production champion, 3. Canada’s highest Star Brood cow of alltime, Gillette Blitz 2nd Wind VG-88 74* was “Cow of the Year” in 2011 for Ferme Gillette and T-Wave Holsteins and is the mother of five Class Extra sons, 4. Mark Smith of Sunnylodge won the Junior Calf class at the Contact Hays Classic (now the TD Classic) with his calf, Sunnylodge Velvet, while Lisa Burnett was second with Belgrove Prestar Flora. Also appearing in the photo is Halton’s 1979-80 Dairy Princess, Cathy Rich, and a sponsor from Co-op presenting the award. Eugene Nelson from Wisconsin judged Conformation that year and eventually went on to make Velvet Grand Champion, 5. 1942, the only time that Eastern Ontario won State Herd at the Royal. From l to r, bulls Glenafton Alert owned by Rolford McIroy, and Below the Bell Ringer owned by W.J. Fawcett, two cows owned by the experimental farm in Ottawa, 2 year old and yearling heifer owned by Jim Henderson of Kingston, Ontario, 6. Yesteryear to Yesterday: Jasmine Uhr of Stormont with her Grand Champion calf, Duckett Sidekick Ollie at the 2019 Classic. Mark Smith, who had Grand Champion at the 1980 Contact Hays Classic 40 years earlier, was honoured to present the award, 7. Known as the “miracle cow” who survived a terrible barn fire at Ferme Gillette, Gillette Blackstar Christiana VG-88 17* became Holstein Canada “Cow of the Year” in 2000. PHOTOS SUBMITTED.

4-H CLASSIC CHAMPS from Eastern Ontario

7 “COW OF THE YEAR” WINNERS from Eastern Ontario 2011

2007

GILLETTE BLITZ 2ND WIND VG-88 74* b – Ferme Gillette Inc., Embrun, ON o – Ferme Gillette Inc., Embrun, ON, & T-Wave Holsteins, Hokkaido, Japan BRAEDALE BALER TWINE VG-86 34* b – Braedale Holsteins, Cumberland, ON o – Syndicat Gen-I-Beq, Saint-Patrice, QC

CONFORMATION: 2019

JASMINE UHR Stormont

2018

JUSTIN VELTHUIS Carleton

2015

JESSICA BROWN Frontenac

2014

ALEX CHABOT Russell

2001

TODD EDWARDS Dundas

1992

ADAM MCDONALD Carleton

1980

MARK SMITH Dundas

SHOWMANSHIP:

2003

BRAEDALE GYPSY GRAND VG-88 37* b & o – Braedale Holsteins, Cumberland, ON

2017

RACHEL CLOW Frontenac

2000

GILLETTE BLACKSTAR CHRISTIANE VG-88 17* b & o – Ferme Gillette Inc., Embrun, ON

2016

ARIANE FRANCE Prescott

1998

SUNNYLODGE PRELUDE SPOTTIE VG-87 18* b & o – Sunnylodge Farms Inc., Chesterville, ON

2014

KENNY MCRAE Frontenac

W W W. O N TA R I O. H O L ST E I N . C A

HOLSTEIN CANADA NATIONAL PRESIDENTS from Eastern Ontario

HOLSTEIN ONTARIO PRESIDENTS from Eastern Ontario

2008

BRIAN LEACH Cobden (Renfrew)

2019

BRAD LOWRY Almonte (Lanark)

1990

MURRAY HOWES Dalkeith (Glengarry)

2015

IAN FRASER Dalkeith (Glengarry)

1983

ALLISON FAWCETT Winchester (Dundas)

2012

RON GREAVES North Augusta (Leeds/Grenville)

1978

HOWARD DODGE Cardinal (Leeds/Grenville)

2006

RUSSELL BENNETT Spencerville (Leeds/Grenville)

1969

MARLAND MURRAY Martintown (Stormont)

2003

RON SLEETH Battersea (Frontenac)

1956

F.C. ELIGH Finch (Stormont)

1999

JOHN FRASER Richmond (Carleton-Russell)

1949

W. RAY WILSON Kenmore (Carleton-Russell)

1997

JOHN HESS Kemptville (Leeds/Grenville)

1942

JAMES R. HENDERSON Kingston (Frontenac)

1994

KEN ALLEN Vankleek Hill (Prescott)

1933

D.A. MCPHEE Vankleek Hill (Prescott)

1990

GORDON DODGE Cardinal (Leeds/Grenville)

1985

CAMPBELL MURRAY Martintown (Stormont)

1901 & 1908 G.A. GILROY Glen Bueil (Leeds/Grenville) 1884-87 MICHAEL COOK Aultsville (Stormont)

THE

Link

SPRING 2021

Other Influential Bulls from Eastern Ontario Two bulls bred in the 1930s by James R. Henderson, Strathaven Farm, Kingston (Frontenac), had an enormous influence on the breed. Strathaven Top Grade VG was the sire of Glenvue Nettie Jemima EX13*, mother of Rosafe Citation R, Centurion, Magician, Signet and Magic, while Inka Supreme Reflection EX sired many noted females including A.B.C. Inka May EX, dam of A.B.C. Reflection Sovereign EX-Extra. James Henderson was a Master Breeder in 1941, Holstein Canada President in 1942, and received Holstein Canada’s Certificate of Superior Accomplishment in 1965. Henderson hosted the first Twilight Meeting in EO in 1951. He also owned the first cow in Canada to make over 200,000 lbs. milk lifetime on 2X, Supreme Ruby Echo, one of many Hays Supreme daughters in his herd.

GEORGETTE

Rockdale President VG-ST, advertised by Eastern Breeders Inc. as “The Idol of Eastern Ontario Bloodlines”, was bred by Sam Rathwell, Navan (Russell). Born in 1955, President sired the first Holstein to produce over a ton of fat in 1973, Ingholm Rag Apple President EX 5*. President was a son of Ottawa Dijax Dude VG-ST who traces to Lady Meg Posch, a cornerstone female at Mount Victoria Farms in Quebec and head of their Posch family. Meg was bred by Hopkins Bros., Gloucester (Carleton), and first 3-year-old at the 1926 Royal Winter Fair. No-Na-Me Fond Matt EX-GM, the American bred Fond Hope son born in 1960, has his maternal roots in EO. He is a grandson of Maxview Rag Apple Martha VG-USA, a cow who carries 11 crosses to Johanna Rag Apple Pabst and was bred by C.G. McKillican of Maxview Holsteins, Maxville (Glengarry). Many top bulls like Sheik, Mattador, Pete, Chief Mark and Blackstar trace to Fond Matt dams.

JASMINE

Georgette has 10 EX and 17 VG daughters, with the highest scored being Penlow Geo Integrity EX-95-2E 16*, a two-time Atlantic Dairy Championship Show Grand Champion. A Goldwyn sister to Georgette, Penlow Geography Goldwyn Ex-94-USA 8*, has had four daughters nominated for All-Canadian including Miss OCD Doormn Georgette-ET VG-88-USA, All-Canadian and Supreme Junior Champion at the Royal in 2018-19, and Phoenix Sanchez Geo VG-89, 2013 All-Canadian Junior 3-Year-Old. One of the exciting families to emerge from EO recently is the Knonaudale Jasmine EX-96-4E 7* family. In 2017, three generations of Jasmines bred by Chris Uhr and family, Knonaudale Farms, Crysler (Stormont), earned a nomination for All-Canadian Breeder’s Herd after finishing third at the Royal. Anchoring that group was Jasmine, a Goldwyn who was joined by her Sid daughter, Knonaudale Mudpie EX-94-USA, Reserve All-American and Honourable Mention All-Canadian Junior 3-Year-Old in 2015, and Mudpie’s Reginald daughter, Knonaudale Orangecrush EX-93-USA 1*, nominated All-Canadian and All-American Junior 3-Year-Old in 2017. Jasmine, who has 5 EX and 6 VG daughters, was Reserve All-Canadian Longtime Production Cow in 2017 and is also in the running for 2020 Cow of the Year. She traces to one of the first purebreds bought by Chris Uhr’s parents. The Uhrs sold an interest in Jasmine as a 2-year-old in 2011 to Kingsway Farms, Hastings, with Kingsway later buying all of her, along with Mudpie, in the 12 O’clock at Knonaudale Sale in 2015. Mudpie later sold to MilkSource Genetics and Orangecrush to Duckett Holsteins, both of Wisconsin. Another Jasmine daughter, Kingsway Windbrook Jazz EX-95-2E, was part of Kingsway’s Reserve All-Canadian Breeder’s Herd in 2017. Jasmine, now 12, is still being flushed and has made over 250 sexed embryos. In 2019, Duckett Sidekick Ollie (a daughter of Orangecrush) became the fourth generation of Jasmines to be nominated for All-Canadian after she was Champion at the TD Canadian 4-H Dairy Classic and voted All-Canadian 4-H

THE

Link

SPRING 2021

One of the all-time greats, Madawaska Aerostar EXExtra-GM, was bred by two-time Master Breeder Allan Boese, Madawaska Holsteins, Arnprior (Renfrew). Born in 1985, Aerostar was the first Starbuck son to be proven in A.I. A popular “Millionaire” sire at BCAI Centre, he was a #1 LPI and protein bull many times. Aerostar sired such highly acclaimed Class Extra sons as Rudolph, Aeroline and Storm. Maple-Downs-I G W Atwood EX-90-USA-ST was born at Velthuis Farms Ltd., Osgoode (Carleton), in 2007 along with full brothers Attic, Atticus, Atlantic and Arden. All became Superior Type bulls. Sired by Goldwyn and from Md-Delight Durham Atlee-ET EX92-USA-DOM-GMD-10*, these five bulls were the result of a purchase of embryos made by brothers Steve and Paul Velthuis. Atwood was a #1 bull for conformation in Canada and the U.S., Junior Premier Sire at the Royal in 2015, and his offspring have won 10 All-Canadian and eight All-American awards.

GUMBALL

BAZOOKA

Intermediate Calf. Other family winners include Jacoby full sisters, Knonaudale Ohyah VG-86, 2019 All-Canadian Junior Yearling and Royal Reserve Junior Champion, and Knonaudale Sunnylodge Jasmine VG-86, 2018 Reserve All-Canadian and Reserve AllAmerican Senior Calf and Honourable Mention Junior Champion at World Dairy Expo. Great udders, youthfulness and dairyness are trademarks of this family. “There are many third, fourth and fifth generation family members at Knonaudale that are performing well and they make up about 60% of our herd,” reports Chris Uhr. Canada’s first homebred Excellent-96 dam and daughter occurred in EO’s Hendercroft herd of Herb Henderson and family, Ashton (Carleton). Hendercroft Lheros Gumball EX-96-6E 31* classified 96 points in August 2010 and in October 2018 her daughter, Hendercroft Fever Bazooka EX-96-4E 3*, joined that elite group. Both cows have been Grand Champion at the EO/WQ Championship Show, Gumball in 2008 and Bazooka in 2017, and have been instrumental in Hendercroft being Premier Breeder 13 times at that show. In 2018, Bazooka was part of Hendercroft’s Reserve All-Canadian Breeder’s Herd and Grand Champion for the fourth time at the CarletonRussell Club Show. Gumball, who died last summer at 16 years old, was a “Cow of the Year” finalist in 2018 and Bazooka is now a finalist for 2020. Gumball made 81,082 kg of 4.7% milk lifetime. To date, she has 17 EX (12 ME) daughters and eight daughters with over 60,000 kg milk lifetime. The main cow family currently at Hendercroft, Chad Henderson says, “The Gumball/Bazooka family has certainly elevated our farm in every aspect. The family’s strong points of dairy strength, fore udders and rumps makes mating them to modern bulls easy. They are consistently our highest fat producers too!” These remarkable achievements and more are part of the great legacy Eastern Ontario has made to the Holstein breed in Canada. As further generations of Eastern Ontario Holstein breeders and animals attain their own success and write their own exciting chapters, this area’s amazing Holstein story will only continue to flourish. W W W. O N TA R I O. H O L ST E I N . C A

W W W. O N TA R I O. H O L ST E I N . C A

THE

Link

SPRING 2021

HOLSTEIN YOUTH

Emma and Kelly Stere: Learning from the Everyday STORY AND PHOTOS BY ANDREA EMOND

“As soon as you walk off the farm and say anything about cows, people want to know.” - EMMA STERE

The girls spent their days gaining more responsibility and experience on the farm. That included working in the field, feeding calves, milking cows, and perhaps most importantly, researching design plans for a new barn. “It was a great opportunity for us to be a part of the new barn build,” says Kelly. “We went to look at barns and all different kinds of robots,” Emma adds. “We talked to lots of farmers about their operations of things that they liked and things that they would do differently.” Along with their parents (Jeff and Vicky Stere) and Grandpa Ted, they toured barns across southwestern Ontario The past year has been a year of adjustments for the girls, but also and evaluated three different types of robots. In the end, they went exciting and different. Their online 4-H meetings - though every with two Lely A5’s and a perimeter dairy facility, with everything bit as interesting - have just not been the same without their friends from babies to mature cows all to be housed under the same roof. beside them. Not being able to show their calves last year created a real void. In the fall, they had to make the difficult decision to modify The design plans were a combined effort, right up until the final their plans for returning to the classroom. Instead of attending drawings, and Emma and Kelly feel fortunate to have been taken Guelph or Ridgetown as originally planned, Emma decided to avoid seriously and asked for input right from the start. In August of 2020 all the uncertainty with covid and take a year off to stay home to construction began, and with no physical classroom to return to, help on the farm. Kelly, who is in grade 10 at Southwood Secondary the girls were on hand to witness each milestone. The new barn is School in Cambridge, opted to shift her studies online. Though it’s scheduled to be ready this month and Emma and Kelly are already not exactly what either of the girls had in mind, the chance to be setting goals. “How we manage the cows is going to be different, home on the farm has provided more learning opportunities than but similar,” says Emma. “We still plan to classify our herd and record production. Keeping clean, tidy cows will still be important any classroom or lecture hall could have offered. to us, but should be a little easier in the new barn.” They are both FOR SISTERS EMMA AND KELLY STERE OF AYR, ONTARIO, TAKING EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO INFUSE THEIR DEEP-SEATED KNOWLEDGE OF DAIRY INTO ALL THEY DO COMES NATURALLY. AT 18 AND 16-YEARS-OLD RESPECTIVELY, EMMA AND KELLY APPRECIATE THE UNIQUE UPBRINGING THEY HAVE HAD AT PERRINRIDGE FARMS. THEY ARE EXCITED ABOUT WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS FOR THEM ON THEIR FAMILY’S DAIRY FARM AND CHICKEN OPERATION.

THE

Link

SPRING 2021

W W W. O N TA R I O. H O L ST E I N . C A

so much of what they know on the farm. “She’s always getting me to help on the farm and she encourages me along the way,” says Kelly. “She’s a big influence.” Emma agrees, adding that while their mom is happy to provide them with input, she also feels it is important for them to make some decisions around the farm as well.

PHOTOS 1. (Previous page) Sisters Emma (l) and Kelly Stere make up the 3rd generation at Perrinridge Farms in Ayr, Ont. They are passionate about dairy farming and love to learn, 2. COVID-19 may have cancelled their plans for a show in 2020, but the girls still had fun dressing up their calves, 3. Heifers enjoy the bright, spacious pack in the new barn, 4. Emma loves her calves and goes to great lengths to make sure all the animals in the barn are well cared for, 5. Kelly with her golden show cow, Perrinridge Armani Curlie VG-87. Curlie has dams from well-known herds such as Fradon and Bridon on her pedigree.

4-H clubs – especially those involving dairy - have been a big part of the girls’ lives, and they’re grateful to all the leaders from whom they have learned so much over the years. Long-time Waterloo 4-H leaders, Don Eby and John Drummond have played a key role in Emma and Kelly’s learning. The girls love how Don is always there to support them and teach them about dairy. They also appreciate how hard John has worked to make their online meetings interesting, bringing in a dairy farmer from Holland to give them a tour of his barn during one meeting, and always creating opportunities for them to learn and grow in general. The girls look up to several people in the dairy industry, including Jamie Howard, Rob Eby and Greg McLean, to name a few. “These guys are always supporting and teaching us about our calves, whether it is picking the right calf, feeding or clipping,” Kelly says. “It is also amazing to watch them in the show ring leading tremendous cows.” Kenny Lisso is another person who deserves a mention; he got the girls into clipping cows and taught them how to take care of their clippers properly. They consider themselves lucky to have been surrounded by so many influential people.

At the high school the girls attended before the pandemic hit, only a handful of kids out of the 400 or so that attended were from a farm. Most didn’t know a PHOTOS 2 AND 5 SUBMITTED. thing about agriculture. Emma and Kelly worked hard to change that. Emma, for example, has done speeches 5 on how to show a calf, while her sister has written persuasive essays on the merits of drinking Canadian milk. “It’s just stuff we know really well.” excited to see the cows moving around in the free-stall and being able to walk amongst them will be an added benefit. “We both love learning and love the farm,” adds Kelly. “If there Two qualities Emma believes are important in achieving success on was such a thing as farm school, where you could learn English and a dairy farm include strong organization and excellent cow care. “If Math, but have it all tying back to cow stuff, we’d love that!” your cows aren’t happy, you aren’t going to be happy either. You need to be calm and cool and go with the flow to make happy productive cows.” Kelly agrees, adding that a neat and tidy barn goes a long way and knowing your cows well helps, too. To this end, the sisters don’t want to grow the operation too big; they still want to be able to provide the same level of care their herd has been accustomed to. Getting up to 100 seems like a stretch, but only time will tell.

Though they are hard-pressed to name a favourite cow in the herd, the Steres love cows with lots of personality. “Our cows are like our pets!” says Kelly. “We’re always clipping and brushing them, and we like to have the tails washed.” While Kelly is content with Black and White Holsteins, Emma has a thing for the red ones. “They’re in the barn because of me!” she says. “If I can show a red one, that’s my first pick!”

“At school, we both try to think of things and relate it back to the farm,” Emma adds. They carried the same sentiment with them while visiting their Granny in a nearby senior’s home, pre-pandemic. The girls enjoyed sharing stories of the farm with the residents, almost as much as they enjoyed seeing their Granny. “It was kind of cool watching their reactions,” says Kelly. “They were like, wowed.” “They were even surprised to hear we name our cows; people just don’t realize things like that,” Emma says.

Whether talking to a group of kids from Toronto at the Classic, hosting visitors to the farm or talking to friends at school, Emma and Kelly have always found a way to share their first-hand experience When it comes to picking 4-H calves, their first choice is always a and an audience willing to listen. “As soon as you walk off the farm Perrinridge calf. They have, however, purchased in the past if they and say anything about cows, people want to know,” the former says. don’t have the right fit at home. Both girls know their way around a Thankfully for our industry, people like Emma and Kelly Stere will bull proof, thanks to their mom, who has had a hand in teaching them be there to tell them. W W W. O N TA R I O. H O L ST E I N . C A

THE

Link

SPRING 2021

ASK US ANYTHING:

THE FIELD REPS WEIGH IN HOLSTEIN ONTARIO FIELD REPRESENTATIVES ARE HERE TO SERVE YOU! Whether working with you on your breeding strategy and herd goals, providing info on Holstein Canada’s services and programs or assisting with record-keeping, a herd catch-up or registration issue, our reps are ready and willing to help you reach your herd goals!

HOW HAVE YOU MANAGED TO BRING VALUE TO YOUR CUSTOMERS DURING THE CHALLENGES OF THE PAST YEAR? Jenna Hedden jhedden@ontario.holstein.ca | (613) 888-9250

Throughout the pandemic when we have not been able to be on farm, TeamViewer has helped me to conduct appointments virtually. It’s an easy-to-use online tool that allows us to view and interact with our customers’ screen and train them on various pieces of registration software remotely. I’ve had quite a few customers transition to registering their animals through T4C as it makes for a quicker process of just pulling two reports. The TeamViewer tool has helped with efficiencies, as I can have appointments back-to-back with no travel time in between! If you have herd management software that you’d like to use to register your animals, let us know and we would be happy to set up a virtual appointment.

As helpful as seeing everyone virtually has been, being back on farm is one of the best ways to connect with our customers! I was at a herd a couple of weeks ago going through Compass together. Before we started, my customer gave me a quick summary of what her herds’ strengths and weaknesses were, and where she wanted her herd to be, genetically, in 10 years. We then used the Compass tool to determine which cow families would give her progeny in line with accomplishing those long-term goals. Compass is an incredible tool to help determine which animals possess the genetic traits you are wanting to pass on to future generations. If you’d like some help in determining these families, let us know!

Jordan Eastman jeastman@ontario.holstein.ca | (519) 861-8235

This year has certainly seen its challenges, but one of my favourite things was how all of us were able to find ways to still be effective and relevant on farm. We managed to be especially creative in some of the digital content released. Between the online show and the judging classes, I feel we were still able to provide a bit of digital spin on some of the events and programming we typically are able to run or assist with.

able to spend a good portion of the day with a longtime member who had got a little behind on registrations and was interested in some of the other programs we deal with on farm. It started with setting up a web account and going over the possibilities it has to offer, including the registrations. We then went over Classification and how to better interpret and use the information from that. We looked over the herd trends and finished up the day with a deeper dive into the herd metrics and some breeding strategy through a new Compass account. While there were some follow up visits and calls to better understand the newly accessed information, it was great to My favourite on-farm experience came last summer when we were be able to help unlock the tools the member had available to make able to get back on farm after the first wave of the pandemic. I was better informed decisions on farm.

THE

Link

SPRING 2021

W W W. O N TA R I O. H O L ST E I N . C A

DO YOU WANT TO REGISTER YOUR CALVES MORE QUICKLY? Learn how to leverage your current on-farm software and streamline your registration process. We can show you how to register through Delpro, Dairyplan C21, T4C and more.

LELY T4C

WOULD YOU LIKE TO MAKE FASTER GENETIC PROGRESS? Let us guide you through your herd reports, show you the Compass® platform and equip you with the tools to create and execute a breeding strategy unique to your herd.

CONTACT AMANDA, JENNA OR JORDAN TO GET STARTED!

Amanda Comfort amandacomfort@ontario.holstein.ca | (519) 865-3815

The pandemic has certainly given us some interesting challenges some great working relationships with our to overcome! One of the biggest was our ability to make face-to- members and even bringing on some new face connections with members and non-members without being ones to Holstein Canada! on farm. Every day I can get on farm is a great day The blessing in disguise was that we had to sharpen our skills from for me! I have so enjoyed connecting with our cold-call approach of driving into laneways (something we no customers, seeing their barns, their cows and longer take for granted) to becoming more effective at using other discovering the tips and tricks they have learned as methods of communication. By taking the time to make even 20 managers. Of course, the best part is being able to provide phone calls in a day and send out frequent email updates to members, value in the form of teaching customers how to register their calves it set the stage for scheduling future on-farm appointments. Before using software such as T4C, Delpro and DairyPlan C21, or giving the pandemic, making calls to people I had never met before was a Compass® demo to discuss the various strategies available to help something I struggled with. Now, over a year later, I have learned them to achieve their goals within a measurable amount of time. to embrace it. This constant connection has led to me developing W W W. O N TA R I O. H O L ST E I N . C A

THE

Link

SPRING 2021

Excellence

pursuit of

A NEW EXCELLENT COW OR A VERY GOOD TWO-YEAR-OLD IS A BREEDING ACCOMPLISHMENT. These cows are the highlight of any herd visit and a source of pride for their breeders and owners. From December 2020 through to the end of February 2021, there were 711 1st time Excellent cows and 944 Very Good 2-year-olds classified in Ontario. Those classifying EX-91 and above and VG-87 and above are listed here - a complete list can be found under the Awards-Lists tab at www.holstein.ca. Congratulations to the owners and breeders of these fine animals! DEC - FEB EX’S BROWNDALE ACROBAT LETA EX-93 Browndale Farm, Paris DUTCHDALE WICKHAM NATE EX-93 Perry J. Van Osch, Lucknow JACKSONVIEW DEMPSEY HYCLASS EX-93 Rodney Shantz, Gorrie KNONAUDALE KING CARMEN EX-93 Knonaudale Farms Inc, Crysler MARFLOACRES H OCTANE LOTTO EX-93 Wayne & Karen Martin, Mount Forest QUALITY BRADY APRICOT EX-93 Quality Holsteins, Vaughan REDLODGE CHIP ANALIA EX-93 Redlodge Farms Inc, Finch ROYAL LYNN WINDBROOK JENNA EX-93 Royal Lynn Holsteins, Cayuga BECKRIDGE BEEMER LILY EX-92 Agriber Societa Agricola Srl, It Beckridge Holsteins, Keswick Quality Holsteins, Vaughan BECKRIDGE DOORMAN FRAZZLE EX-92 Beckridge Holsteins, Keswick BREEZY SPEEDUP TWIX EX-92 Haag Farms Inc, Brussels BRIDGEVIEW HIGH OCTANE SKOR EX-92 Bridgeview Farms, Brantford BROWNDALE ACROBAT LADY EX-92 BROWNDALE ACROBAT TAFFY EX-92 Browndale Farm, Paris Ferme Filiale St. Ludger Inc, St. Ludger BROWNDALE ACROBAT MITT EX-92 Browndale Farm, Paris C V F BARTENDER EX-92 Clearview Farm, Clarence Creek CAVANALECK GARAN ENDURE EX-92 Cavanaleck Farms Ltd, Belmont CLARKVALLEY SHOT JUMPER EX-92 Clarkvalley Holsteins, Woodville DELCREEK SCREENSHOT EX-92 Jonathan Rylaarsdam, Winchester DIEMERTDALE ADELES SOLO EX-92 Diemertdale Acres Ltd, Ayton DUTCHDALE UNO WINTER EX-92 Perry J. Van Osch, Lucknow

HODGLYNN BEEM ME UP EX-92 Gerardo & Jose Gonzalez, MX Hodglynn Holsteins, Kincardine Little Star Holsteins, Watford Select Farm & Export Services Inc, Hanover KINGSWAY DOORMAN WANDA EX-92 Velthuis Farms Ltd, Osgoode LOYALYN MCCUTCHEN DYNAMITE EX-92 Rob & Alice Bumstead, Owen Sound

JEFFREHOLME SHERIF DOUBLE JINX EX-91 Jeffreholme Farms Ltd, Thorndale

CENTERFLOS MCCUTCHEN MADDIE EX-91 CENTERFLOS MILLENIUM SHARON EX-91 Centerflos Holsteins, Elmvale

MAIFIELD GOLDEN DREAMS HIPPIE EX-92 Almet Farms Ltd, Haydon

CHERRY CREST DARTMOUTH EX-91 Cherry Crest Holsteins, Martintown

MARTIN-PLACE ALONZO TRIUMPH EX-92 Rock-A-Berry Holsteins, Seeleys Bay

COMRIE UNO URUBARB EX-91 Comrie Farms Ltd, London

MASKITA DOORMAN ROXY EX-92 Crackholm Holsteins, Richmond Dany Germain, Ste. Thecle Hodglynn Holsteins, Kincardine

DELCREEK WHOS THAT CHICK EX-91 Jonathan Rylaarsdam, Winchester

OAKSTONE HIGH OCTANE DISCO EX-92 Oakstone Farm, Kinburn OGALEA SMOKIN 1172 EX-92 O’Neil Farms, Thorndale POPLARVALE BREWMASTER TRACY EX-92 Monoak Farms, Belmont PROGENESIS DETOUR GLASGOW EX-92 Character Holsteins, Mildmay QUALITY SEAVER FLUFFY EX-92 Quality Holsteins, Vaughan RIVERBACK 238 ATWD DAMARA EX-92 Riverback Holsteins, Gorrie RIVERDOWN ATWOOD ADORN EX-92 Riverdown Holsteins, Metcalfe TOMALYNN AFTERSHOCK DANDY EX-92 TOMALYNN BEEMER SUBZERO EX-92 TOMALYNN GOLD CHIP MARY-JO EX-92 TOMALYNN TONKA MABELINE EX-92 Tomalynn Farms, Omemee WINDCROFT SOUTHERN COMFORT EX-92 Windcroft Farm, Gananoque ALMIRDALE C GAIN PAULA EX-91 Alvin & Miriam M. Wideman, Listowel ARDROSS WINDBROOK CHERYL EX-91 Ardross Holsteins, Caledonia BASETTA DORETTA SEAVER EX-91 Christopher T. Chambers, Chesterville

ERROLEA AVALANCHE BRAZIL EX-92 Errolea Holsteins, Camlachie

BENRISE BLISTER JULIET EX-91 Benschop Farms, Bowmanville

FEEDERLANE SOLOMAN JUSTINE EX-92 Feederlane Farms, Wainfleet

BRASHOME SHOW CASE CHEIF EX-91 Brashome Farms, Gananoque

FLORBIL GOLDWYN PENNY MAE EX-92 Florbil Farms Ltd, Mildmay

BREEZY EPIC RAVIOLI EX-91 Haag Farms Inc, Brussels

GLENGARRY ENDURE ANNE EX-92 Glengarry Stock Farms Inc, Apple Hill

BREEZY SHOTTLE RAE EX-91 Haag Farms Inc, Brussels

GLENNHOLME ARMANI BLING EX-92 Glennholme Holsteins, Carp

BRIDGEVIEW HIGH OCTANE DICE EX-91 Bridgeview Farms, Brantford

HENDERCROFT ATWOOD CHEER EX-92 Herbert Henderson, Ashton

BROWNDALE EXACT CAELAN EX-91 Browndale Farm, Paris

HENDERCROFT ATWOOD YING EX-92 Kaymanor Holsteins, Stratford

BURNACRES RECEIVE REMARK EX-91 Burnacres Farms, L’Orignal

HICKLEE GOLDCHIP GWYN EX-92 Cameron Hickling, Hanover

CANTARIO SIDS DALMOOTIAN EX-91 Alexandria J Woosey, Dalkeith Remi Leroux, Ste. Anne De Prescott

SPRING 2021

CATALYST PULSAR HOOLA EX-91 Catalyst Holsteins, Sydenham Orserdale Farms, Sydenham

CHAKELBURG COLLATERAL MARTINA EX-91 CHAKELBURG SOLOMAN LASTCALL EX-91 Chakelburg Holsteins, Mildmay

BELMORAL BRADNICK AVA EX-91 BELMORAL DEMPSEY ILLUSION EX-91 BELMORAL DEMPSEY PRESENCE EX-91 Belmoral Farms Ltd, Teeswater

Link

IVANDALE CAPITAL GAIN TOPAZ EX-91 Ivandale Farm, Edwards

LUXURY SOLOMON HOPE EX-92 Luxury Holsteins, Wellandport

EMILANE ARMANI GRACE EX-92 Emilane Holsteins, Oromocto Loka Holsteins, Lindsay

THE

CARLDOT WINDBROOK CINNABON EX-91 Carldot Farms, Stratford

DELHOME SMOKIN 1332 EX-91 Delhome Holsteins, Milverton DIEMERTDALE BIG KUHANA SECRET EX-91 Diemertdale Acres Ltd, Ayton DON-MAIR HIGH OCTANE BERNICE EX-91 Don-Mair Farms, Mt. Hope Legend-Maker Holsteins, Mt. Hope DON-MAIR SOLOMON KELTY EX-91 Don-Mair Farms, Mt. Hope DREWHOLME MONTEREY AVERY EX-91 Drewholme Holsteins, Gowanstown DUTCHDALE SUPERPOWER KELSIE EX-91 Perry J. Van Osch, Lucknow EARINCLIFFE AFTERSHOCK DOMINGA EX-91 Orrlea Farm, Bradford Scott Brethet, Tottenham ELLIOTTDALE WINDBROOK ERICA EX-91 Elliottdale Holsteins, Thorndale FEATURING INDIANA SOPRANO EX-91 Karine Poirier & Jean-Jacques Pilon, St. Isadore FLORBIL AFTERSHOCK SHAKE EX-91 Florbil Farms Ltd, Mildmay FRANKSTYLE BARBWIRE LUCKYROSE EX-91 Cherryridge Farms, Brantford GERANN EL BOMBERO WALNUT EX-91 Gerann Holsteins, Cardinal GILLETTE CARRY DUKE EX-91 Ferme Gillette Inc, Embrun GILLETTE DUKE MERIKA EX-91 Ferme Gillette Inc, Embrun Silvercap Holsteins, Puslinch GLENGARRY SW ASHLYNS FANTASY EX-91 Glengarry Stock Farms Inc, Apple Hill HAMILDALE STARGAZE SUZY EX-91 Robert Hamilton, Russell HEATHER HOLME SID MOUNTAIN EX-91 Glen & Curtis Mcneil, Goderich HENDERCROFT GOLD CHIP ROSETTA EX-91 Herbert Henderson, Ashton HICKLEE GOLD CHIP GWENDOL EX-91 Cameron Hickling, Hanover HILL VIEW KIAN ARLEY EX-91 Dwyre Farms Ltd, Elgin

JOYROD KINGPIN KATHY EX-91 JOYROD SPUR JANEVA EX-91 Rodney Shantz, Gorrie JR GOLDCHIP SASSY EX-91 Jr Holsteins, Dorchester Katie Savage, Dorchester KAWAYA ALONZO ACADIA EX-91 Wayne Gayman & Kate Whale, Mildmay LAURLEE REDHOT ELIZA EX-91 Laurlee Farm, Fordwich LOCKMAR DOORMAN RHUBARB EX-91 Lockmar Holsteins, Sutton West MAIFIELD JACOBY CHERRY EX-91 Almet Farms Ltd, Haydon MAITLAND VALLEY MASSEY SHARON EX-91 Maitland Valley Holsteins, Seaforth MAPLE-AIN SID OHNO EX-91 Maple-Ain Holsteins, Smiths Falls MAPLELEY SEAVER STAMPEDE EX-91 Mapleley Holsteins, Winchester MARFLOACRES APPLEBOY MIRANDA EX-91 MARFLOACRES SANCHEZ KATELYN EX-91 Wayne & Karen Martin, Mount Forest MARSHVILLE WINDBROOK MARIA EX-91 Feederlane Farms, Wainfleet MEADOWBLOOM MOGUL PEACHES EX-91 Paul Leis, Elmwood MEADOWLANE DEMPSEY LIBERTY EX-91 Pierre Moss, Russell MELISTAR MILLENIUM VERONIC EX-91 Melistar Holstein, Vars MILLEN MERIDIAN JOEY EX-91 MILLEN SID JELLY EX-91 Millen Farms, Omemee NARWOOD MC EVENING ROSEMARIE EX-91 Don & Diane Catt, St. Thomas OCONNORS PEPPER LOVE EX-91 O’Connor Land & Cattle Co, Ajax OLORTINE WINDBROOK JOLENE EX-91 Dennis E. Martin, Palmerston Hodglynn Holsteins, Kincardine Select Farm & Export Services Inc, Hanover ORSERDALE JETT AIR MIRANDA EX-91 Orserdale Farms, Sydenham OVERDALE DOORMAN WHISKEY EX-91 Overdale Farms Ltd, L’Orignal PIERSTEIN DOORMAN ALANIS EX-91 Almet Farms Ltd, Haydon QUINNDALE SUPERPOWERS SNUGGLES EX-91 Quinndale Holsteins, Greely RIVERDOWN BEEMER ASHEEBA EX-91 Riverdown Holsteins, Metcalfe RNC MERI MONTABELLO EX-91 Redstone Holsteins, Kirkton RODRICK ELSIE TEMPEST EX-91 Barr Farms, Godfrey

HOLMDALE LINEMAN TEE OFF 1326 EX-91 Holmdale Holsteins, Elmwood

RONBETH SOLOMON DREAM EX-91 Allarway Holsteins, Brantford Sunny Terrace Holsteins, Brantford

HOLTBYHOLME MANDY MICKELOB EX-91 Holtbyholme Holsteins, Port Perry

ROSEVINE GOLD CHIP KENDALL EX-91 Rosevine Farms, Berwick

INTERFLAME BRADY RIOT EX-91 Two-To-Tango Farms Inc, Spencerville

SAHARA OCTANE WILLY EX-91 Sahara Holsteins, Schomberg

W W W. O N TA R I O. H O L ST E I N . C A

REPORTS SCHOTHORST CAESAR 1869 EX-91 Schothorst Farms Ltd, Mildmay

TOMALYNN GOLD CHIP SUGAR EX-91 Tomalynn Farms, Omemee

SEELBY ENVIOUS VIVIEN EX-91 Seelby Holsteins Ltd, Seeleys Bay

URBANEDGE JETT AIR 1216 EX-91 Wayne S. Edwards, Navan

SILVERRIDGE GOLDCHIP LOGAN EX-91 Silverridge Farms Ltd, Springfield

VALKEN SUPERSONIC AUDI EX-91 Haspengouw Farm Inc, Casselman

SKIPWELL DEMPSEY GINGER EX-91 Skipwell Farms Inc, Aylmer

VELLHAVEN ALI DEMPSEY RASBERRY EX-91 Vellhaven Farms Inc, Smithville

SKYLINE MCDOUGAL LIBERTY EX-91 Skyline Holsteins, Caledon

VERNLEA CHELIOS PATRICA EX-91 Vernlea Farms, Winchester

SLEEGERDALE SPRING DARLENE EX-91 Sleegerdale Farms Ltd, Belmont

VINTAGE SUPERPOWER RAE EX-91 Vintage Land And Cattle Ltd, Blackstock

STMALO ENVIOUS LONIA EX-91 STMALO TEMPEST TOALIE EX-91 Ferme St Malo Inc, St. Pascal

WATDALE ATWOOD BELOVED LOU EX-91 Dale Watke, Hanover

STONEBED S CUP ROCKETTE EX-91 Athlone Farms, Tavistock STONE-FRONT DIAMNDBCK NIKON EX-91 Unique Holsteins, Mt. Forest SUNNYBLOOM CAPITAL GAIN LIZZY EX-91 Bloomfield Farms Ltd, Ilderton SUNSPARK INTEGRAL SNAPPLE EX-91 Sunspark Farms Inc, South Bruce Peninsula TEDLIZ BRADNICK GOLDY EX-91 Tedliz Holsteins, Poole TEMPLEVIEW CHELIOS CAPSPACE EX-91 TEMPLEVIEW CHELIOS CEE LO EX-91 Templeview Holsteins, Kemptville THOMSVUE BREWED RIGHT EX-91 Faircrest Farms, Brantford

WELOVALE SMOKIN KITKAT EX-91 Welovale Farms, Port Hope WENALLT LUMINEER MISCHIEF EX-91 Wenallt Holsteins Inc, Crysler WILHOME WICKHAM KYRA EX-91 Wilhome Farms, Picton WILLSWIKK DOORMAN CARLY EX-91 Breeze Hill Holsteins, QC Jaquemet Holsteins, Winchester Riverdown Holsteins, Metcalfe

DEC - FEB VG’S AIJA AVALANCHE KALA VG-88 Quality Holsteins, Vaughan BLONDIN UNSTOPABULL MAPLE VG-88 Gerardo & Jose Gonzalez, MX Hodglynn Holsteins, Kincardine Little Star Holsteins, Watford Select Farm & Export Services Inc, Hanover BONACCUEIL ELIA APPLE-CRISP VG-87 Clarkvalley Holsteins, Woodville London Dairy Farms, London BURNACRES SHIRLEY VG-87 Burnacres Farms, L’Orignal CHUBANNA LUCKY DUCK VG-87 Quality Holsteins, Vaughan ECHO GLEN DOORMAN ALOUETTE VG-87 Andrew Den Haan, Fergus Echo Glen Farm, Dorchester ELM BEND GO CUCKOO VG-87 Elm Bend Holsteins, Brantford ERBCREST DOC MARILOU VG-87 Erbcrest Farm, Milverton ERROLEA JACOT BELLE VG-87 Errolea Holsteins, Camlachie

YORELLEA SUPERPOWER PRETTYLADY EX-91 Yorellea Farms, St. Eugene

FLORBIL OCTANE SPARROW VG-87 Florbil Farms Ltd, Mildmay

YUKONJAK’S MCCUTCHEN ELIZA EX-91 YUKONJAK’S MCCUTCHEN EVELIA EX-91 Yukonjak’s Place, Embrun

GLENGARRY LAMBDA ANNADALE VG-87 Glengarry Stock Farms Inc, Apple Hill

MILK&HONEY DM MADISON VG-87 Clarkvalley Holsteins, Woodville Hullcrest Holsteins, NL London Dairy Farms, London Pat Conroy, US MONTDALE DENVER DAISYDUKES VG-87 Montdale Holsteins, Russell PEAK SABOT-ET VG-87 Riverdown Holsteins, Metcalfe QUALITY AVALANCHE RAELYNN VG-87 Agriber Societa Agricola Srl, IT Quality Holsteins, Vaughan SMYGWATYS UNIX DINA RAE VG-87 Star & D Farms Inc, Russell SUN-MADE CRAVE DRN DIANE-ET VG-87 Jaquemet Holsteins, Winchester Jr Mcdonald, Metcalfe Riverdown Holsteins, Metcalfe SUNNY PLAINS IMPRESSION FAY VG-87 Sunny Plains Farms, Joyceville TOMALYNN UNIX DAKOTA VG-87 Tomalynn Farms, Omemee VALE-O-SKENE SID STELLA VG-87 Vale-O-Skene Holsteins, Little Britain

KNONAUDALE SATURN VG-87 Knonaudale Farms Inc, Crysler MAPLEKEYS CHILL OSMOSIS VG-87 Maplekeys Farms, Aylmer

THOMSVUE TOPSY RYLEE EX-91 Thomsvue Farms, Granton

Combined Component Awards 2020 For Highest Fat & Protein Total Kgs. in Ontario

PETITCLERC CONTROL ARIANNA, owned by Gouldhaven Farms, Foresters Falls Produced as 1 Year Old in 305 days 15,950 kg. Milk 802 kg. Fat 513 kg. Protein CompositeFP 1,315 BCA (Deviation) 427 (+117) Milk 577 (+241) Fat 431 (+114) Protein RITZEMA HOTROD 2399, owned by New Morning Holsteins, Monkton Produced as a 2 Year Old in 305 days 16,328 kg. Milk 894 kg. Fat 560 kg. Protein CompositeFP 1,454 BCA (Deviation) 384 (+125) Milk 562 (+265) Fat 409 (+130) Protein ALBADON LOPTIMUM LANA, owned by Albadon Farms Ltd, Teeswater Produced as a 3 Year Old in 305 days 21,523 kg. Milk 876 kg. Fat 653 kg. Protein CompositeFP 1,529 BCA (Deviation) 426 (+104) Milk 466 (+116) Fat 406 (+73) Protein PETITCLERC DOORMAN ALPINE, owned by Gouldhaven Farms, Foresters Falls Produced as a 4 Year Old in 305 days 18,853 kg. Milk 1,058 kg. Fat 589 kg. Protein CompositeFP 1,647 BCA (Deviation) 366 (+51) Milk 560 (+209) Fat 366 (+43) Protein FIELDHOUSE AIKMAN ARDELIA, owned by Cnossome Holsteins, Brunner Produced as a 5 Year Old in 305 days 20,885 kg. Milk 827 kg. Fat 668 kg. Protein CompositeFP 1,495 BCA (Deviation) 407 (+117) Milk 438 (+132) Fat 418 (+126) Protein JOALFARMS G W ATWOOD PLAYFULL, owned by Allan & Lorne Vis, Murillo Produced as a Mature Cow in 305 days 22,875 kg. Milk 1,081 kg. Fat 807 kg. Protein CompositeFP 1,888 BCA (Deviation) 457 (+197) Milk 584 (+285) Fat 508 (+229) Protein

W W W. O N TA R I O. H O L ST E I N . C A

Congratulations THE

Link

SPRING 2021

Best of the Breed Over 125,000 kilograms of Milk (Milk Per day of Life)

EX-94 & Higher / VG-88 2-Year-Old & Higher

LOCHDALE FRIO SEAN VG-85-3YR..................................................... 157,137 KGS (30.85) Lochdale Holsteins, Alexandria

MS DANA EPIC DOT-ET EX-95 3E Owned by Star & D Farms Inc, Russell and Breeze Hill Holsteins, QC

ALEXERIN SHABOYGON 888 G-76-2YR............................................... 151,168 KGS (30.1) Alexerin Dairy Inc, Manotick

DANDYLAND DUDE KATIE EX-94 5E Bred and owned by Dandyland Farm, Schomberg

GLENERIC LIGHTNING SHIMMER VG-88-8YR-CAN 7*..............147,165 KGS (26.49) Overdale Farms Ltd, L’Orignal

VALE-O-SKENE LAUTHORITY SCOTTY EX-94 4E Bred and owned by Vale-O-Skene Holsteins, Little Britain

RICHLAND OUTSIDE 287 EX-91-8E-CAN 5*.................................. 146,696 KGS (24.58) Richland Holsteins, Stirling

HICKLEE WINDBROOK SPRING EX-94 3E Bred and owned by Cameron Hickling, Hanover

GLENWIN MILKSTAR LEAH VG-88-10YR-CAN 2*...................... 144,946 KGS (29.54) Patti Alsop, Singhampton

MEADOWBLOOM BELJAN APPLE EX-94 3E Bred and owned by Paul Leis, Elmwood

HEEGDALE OMAN 386 549 GP-80-2YR............................................143,654 KGS (30.27) Heeg Dale Company Limited, Dunnville

ALTONA LEA FEVER JANELLE EX-94 2E Bred and owned by Frank Barkey & Family, Blackstock

GERLEID DENZEL TAFFY VG-87-3YR.................................................. 143,117 KGS (35.48) Hoftyzer Farms Ltd, Frankford

DANDYLAND GRACES GIRL EX-94 2E Bred and owned by Dandyland Farm, Schomberg

BRIHILL OUTSIDE ZORRO VG-88-6YR............................................... 141,786 KGS (31.51) Sunny Meadows Holsteins, Stayner

ELMCROFT ACROBAT CHESS EX-94 2E Bred and owned by Elmcroft Holsteins, Sunderland

ROSENHILL JET RED SYLVIA EX-90-7YR......................................... 139,638 KGS (33.18) Rosenhill Holsteins, St. Albert

HIGH POINT LISA AMARYLLIS EX-94 2E Bred and owned by High Point Farms, Port Perry

BIRDOLM CHESTER BETSY EX-92-4E...............................................138,885 KGS (29.41) Birdolm Holsteins, Rockwood

LEGEND-MAKER YORICK CHANCEY EX-94 2E Bred and owned by Legend-Maker Holsteins and Don-Mair Farms, Mt. Hope

SUMMITHOLM MANIFOLD JOANNA EX-90-7YR.......................... 138,280 KGS (36.28) Joe Loewith & Sons Ltd, Lynden

ENGLIDALE ALONZO VANISH EX-94 Bred by Englidale Farms, Lindsay; Owned by Clarkvalley Holsteins, Woodville

KRUL GOLDWYN PETINY VG-88-5YR...............................................138,238 KGS (31.53) Krul Holsteins Ltd, Arthur

KNONAUDALE MUDBABY EX-94 Bred and owned by Knonaudale Farms Inc, Crysler

GLENWIN TITANIC NIBBLES GP-81-3YR-CAN 1*......................... 136,992 KGS (27.99) Patti Alsop, Singhampton

PIERSTEIN DOORMAN ALAYNA EX-94 Owned by Dalton J. Faris, East Gwillimbury

WILMARLEA SEPTEMBER SKYLIGHT VG-85-6YR......................... 134,564 KGS (27.33) Wilmarlea Farm, Embro

QUALITY SOLOMON LOVELY EX-94 Bred by Quality Holsteins, Vaughan; Oscar Dupasquier, Guelph; Agriber Societa Agricola Srl, IT; Beckridge Holsteins, Keswick; Owned by Quality Holsteins, Vaughan, Agriber Societa Agricola Srl, IT, Beckridge Holsteins, Keswick

JOHNS 3RD SHOTT VG-87-10YR.........................................................134,158 KGS (34.35) Lochdale Holsteins, Alexandria SHYLANE SHOTTLE PATRICIA EX-90-7E..........................................133,355 KGS (29.83) John Mccallum, Stratford SPENCROFT BOLTON IRYS EX-92-5E................................................ 131,699 KGS (31.24) Roger Spence, Elmvale MAPLEMAR GOLDWYN DARLA EX-91-6E-CAN 3*......................130,815 KGS (30.62) Edgar B. Martin, St. Clements

AIJA AVALANCHE KALA VG-88 Bred by Jaquemet Holsteins, Winchester; Owned by Quality Holsteins, Vaughan BLONDIN UNSTOPABULL MAPLE VG-88 Bred by Gerardo & Jose Gonzalez, MX; Hodglynn Holsteins, Kincardine; Crackholm Holsteins, QC; Select Farm & Export Services Inc, Hanover; Owned by Gerardo & Jose Gonzalez, MX; Hodglynn Holsteins, Kincardine; Little Star Holsteins, Watford; Select Farm & Export Services Inc, Hanover

SUMMITHOLM KRAMER SERENDIPITY VG-86-3YR.................... 130,001 KGS (35.00) Joe Loewith & Sons Ltd, Lynden RYBEEBAR FLOE REGGIE EX-91-8E-CAN 2*.................................129,699 KGS (23.41) Millbrook Farms, Paisley SUMMITHOLM KRAMER LICORICE EX-90-6YR..............................128,871 KGS (35.07) Joe Loewith & Sons Ltd, Lynden

first-time

Breeders of Excellents

CONGRATULATIONS to the breeders listed here who bred their first Excellent cow between December 2020 and February 2021. May there be many more Excellent cows in your future! Thank you to Holstein Canada for making the information available. SAHARA OCTANE WILLY EX-91 Sahara Holsteins, Schomberg

PRISON FARM BARBIE EX-90 Prison Farm Herd Co-Op, Inverary

CEDARHILL HARMONIC HARMONY EX-90 Trevor Nyenkamp, Crysler

REGALCREST BENJI CATNESS EX-90 Nicole Watson Holsteins, Ailsa Craig

DEKWAY IMPRESSION MADISEN EX-90 Deklerk Farm, Dunnville

SLEEPY HOLLOW CHRISTINA EX-90 Brett Alders, Wainfleet

DUNMATT SUPERSONIC SHERRY EX-90 Dunmatt Farm, Dunvegan

STARHILL IMPRESSION STAMKOS EX-90 Starhill Holsteins Inc, Milverton

LOOSER IMPRESSION 116 EX-90 Looser Holsteins, Milverton

STELBRO PENNY MOSES EX-90 Stelbro Holsteins, Thamesford

MAITLAND VIEW MANIFOLD Q319 EX-90 Westbrook Dairy Farms Ltd, Clinton

WILCREST IMPRESSION TORINO EX-90 Wilcrest Holsteins, Bradford

MOLEN LEON INES EX-90 Van Der Molen Farms Inc, Jarvis

WINMAPLE SIGNAL BELLE EX-90 Den Hertog Dairy Farms Ltd, Dublin

P-A EPRICIA EX-90 Ferme P-A Inc, Alfred

THE

Link

SPRING 2021

W W W. O N TA R I O. H O L ST E I N . C A

Production

superior

REPORTS

PRODUCTION = PROFIT. JUST AS WITH THE TYPE CLASSIFICATION, IT IS IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE THE COWS THAT “GET THE JOB DONE.” Congratulations to all of the breeders and owners of the top five superior production records in each age division for December 2020 through the end of February 2021! ANIMAL NAME

CLASS

AGE

BCA COMP M

DEV COMP

G-76

01-10

400

512

410

1,322

(105)

(203)

(109)

(417)

GP-82

01-11

352

495

398

1,245

(78)

(210)

(113)

(401)

GLENNHOLME UNIX RENEGADE VG-86 01-10 377 428 371 Glennholme Holsteins, Carp; Todd Edwards, Morrisburg; Signature Holsteins, Morrisburg; Emma Farlinger, Morrisburg

1,176

(127)

(148)

(111)

(386)

FRIESIANA GENIUS MISTY Friesiana Holsteins Ltd, Tillsonburg

G-78

01-10

392

363

383

1,138

(148)

(106)

(126)

(380)

RITZEMA KERMIT 2654 New Morning Holsteins, Monkton

GP-81

01-11

332

568

339

1,239

(72)

(241)

(60)

(373)

G-77

02-10

392

448

416

1,256

(100)

(136)

(116)

(352)

GP-80

02-11

303

409

327

1,039

(82)

(167)

(92)

(341)

CAPLAND LAUREL Capland Farms Inc, Williamsburg

G-74

02-10

352

355

385

1,092

(109)

(98)

(128)

(335)

DANDYLAND VINIGARS VANESSA Sprucetone Holsteins, Bradford

VG-85

02-10

351

490

388

1,229

(83)

(146)

(102)

(331)

CEDARMARSH SANTANA LETTUCE Cedarmarsh Farm, Elmira

GP-83

02-09

355

384

350

1,089

(112)

(120)

(98)

(330)

SILDAJAK FACEBOOK ANINA Sildajak Holstein, Winchester

VG-85

03-01

355

358

367

1,080

(135)

(133)

(132)

(400)

GHF MCCALL CINDY Glen Haven Farms, Crysler

VG-86

03-03

418

538

439

1,395

(87)

(194)

(100)

(381)

NEWMORNING BOOKEM ELERIE 1971 New Morning Holsteins, Monkton

GP-83

03-09

385

451

377

1,213

(126)

(154)

(98)

(378)

MARFLOACRES DOORMAN ASHLYN Quality Holsteins, Vaughan

VG-89

03-08

394

408

376

1,178

(124)

(148)

(105)

(377)

GILLETTE JEDI CLEVERSADY Ferme Gillette Inc, Embrunar Olds

VG-85

03-06

369

398

397

1,164

(115)

(118)

(136)

(369)

JOALFARMS SAVIOR RATCHET Allan & Lorne Vis, Murillo

EX-92

04-07

389

467

384

1,240

(136)

(164)

(107)

(407)

CROVALLEY DOORMAN AMBUSH Crovalley Holsteins, Hastings

EX-91

04-05

368

382

409

1,159

(107)

(106)

(125)

(338)

FREUREHAVEN MONTEREY LAVENDER Trevor Willows, St. Pauls; Terrylea Holsteins, St. Pauls

EX-91

04-08

350

428

310

1,088

(98)

(161)

(55)

(314)

MERDELL STOIC JUBILEE Merdell Dairy Farms Inc, Newton

VG-85

04-02

329

403

357

1,089

(77)

(128)

(101)

(306)

NEW GALMA MCCUTCHEN LEILANI New Galma Dairy, Mt. Elgin

EX-90

04-09

338

312

367

1,017

(109)

(72)

(124)

(305)

KENTVILLE WINDBROOK BLISS Kentville Holsteins, Melancthon

EX-91

05-07

321

385

351

1,057

(104)

(145)

(124)

(373)

JOYVIN DOORMAN LOVEY Shady Haven Holsteins, Alma

VG-86

05-01

370

412

362

1,144

(110)

(136)

(106)

(352)

WILKESVIEW DOORMAN BROOKE Murray Wilken, Ripley

VG-87

05-03

397

378

390

1,165

(124)

(101)

(117)

(342)

CHAKELBURG BRADNICK MILKYWAY Chakelburg Holsteins, Mildmay

EX-91

05-04

405

402

367

1,174

(134)

(104)

(91)

(329)

GILLETTE GREENWAY SERENA Ferme Gillette Inc, Embrun

VG-85

05-05

355

389

388

1,132

(98)

(107)

(123)

(328)

EX-91

07-05

401

426

386

1,213

(132)

(106)

(117)

(355)

HARVDALE LAUTHORITY PEANUT EX-95 Harvdale Holsteins, Stayner; Dr. Tim Henshaw, Minesing

07-07

294

403

286

983

(84)

(175)

(79)

(338)

EMBRDALE CHANEL FEVER Embrdale Farm, Asphodel-Norwood

EX-92

07-04

341

412

350

1,103

(64)

(122)

(73)

(259)

DENLEE WINDBROOK FOLLY Den-Lee Farms Ltd, New Hamburg

EX-91

06-07

305

357

329

991

(70)

(100)

(85)

(255)

EX-92-2E

06-00

310

388

341

1,039

(44)

(116)

(71)

(231)

YEARLINGS DUALANE SALOON JENSEN Kloepfer Holdings Ltd, Ingersoll HYLAND GALORE WESTERN 1139 Hyland Holsteins, Kippen

2 YEAR OLDS ALEXERIN DUKE 1749 Alexerin Dairy Inc, Manotick STRAATHOF CONTR COLUMBINE 1684 Straathof Farms, Arnprior

3 YEAR OLDS

4 YEAR OLDS

5 YEAR OLDS

MATURE COWS BESLEA PATRICK HOOLAHOOP Wardway Farms Ltd, Woodstock

MARFLOACRES MASCAL LANA Wayne & Karen Martin, Mount Forest

W W W. O N TA R I O. H O L ST E I N . C A

THE

Link

SPRING 2021

ontario APRIL 2021

Holstein Happenings June 23 Holstein Ontario Annual General Meeting Classification & Genotyping Forum Presented in part with Holstein Canada Grand River Raceway, Elora

AUGUST 2021

June 23 Holstein Ontario Annual General Meeting EastGen’s Evening of Excellence Tickets available as of May 15 www.ontario.holstein.ca Grand River Raceway, Elora

SEPTEMBER 2021

September 2-3 Explore...Discover...Online Sale for Marfloacres Holsteins, Mt. Forest www.uniquedesignsandmarketing.com

MAY 2021

June 24 Holstein Ontario Annual General Meeting Hybrid Virtual/In-Person Meeting Registration Required at www.ontario.holstein.ca Grand River Raceway, Elora

May 6-7 Frozen Genetics Online Sale – Spring Edition, an elite embryo/semen www.uniquedesignsandmarketing.com

June 30 - July 1 From Far & Wide Online Sale for Trinal Holsteins, Teeswater www.uniquedesignsandmarketing.com

April 22-23 Selections of Skycrest Online Sale for the Crest Family of Athabasca, Alta. www.uniquedesignsandmarketing.com April 27-29 Virtual Dairy Sen$e For youth ages 18-25; cost: $50 Register by April 13 www.4-hontario.ca/dairysense2021 April 29-30 Get In The Pictures with Gleann Online Sale, Antigonish, N.S. www.uniquedesignsandmarketing.com

May 21-22 Rapid Bay’s “Hello, Gorgeous!” Online Sale, Omstown, QC www.uniquedesignsandmarketing.com

JUNE 2021 June 23-24 Holstein Ontario Annual General Meeting - hosted by Wellington County Holstein Club Grand River Raceway, Elora

August 19 Eastern Ontario Invitational, Spencerville Fairgrounds

September 2 Brant-Wentworth Holstein Show Paris Fairgrounds, 6:15 pm Judge: Adam Hunt

September 28 - October 2 World Dairy Expo Alliant Energy Center, Madison, WI Stay tuned for details of the 2021 All-Ontario Awards and the 2021 Junior All-Ontario Program!

JULY 2021

Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, many Holstein events are being cancelled, postponed or changed on short notice. Please check with event organizers or refer to our our calendar at www.ontario.holstein.ca before attending event. All COVID-19 protocols must be followed when attending events.

July 7-10 National Holstein Convention July 8 Holstein Canada Annual General Meeting, Delta Hotels by Marriott Ottawa City Centre, Ottawa

DAVID CARSON FARMS & AUCTION SERVICES Ltd. Perth Line

, RR##, Listowel, ONT. NNW GG

* Dairy Cattle Sales * Beef Cattle Sales * Machinery Sales * Farm Sales * Horse Sales * Specialty Sales * Complete Dispersals & Sale Preparation * Sales at our New Facility or On Location LIVESTOCK FOR SALE PRIVATELY AT ALL TIMES.

Phone: Fax:

www.davidcarson.on.ca David Carson: Donnie Robertson:

E-mail: info@davidcarson.on.ca

Shelby Carson:

VanGo Enterprises NON-SLIP FLOORING Reduce Cull Maximize Safety Increase Production

http://barngirls.smugmug.com hamilton.jeannine@gmail.com | melcurtis08@gmail.com

THE

Untitled-1 1

Link

SPRING 2021

EPOXY COATINGS

2014-10-10 10:45 AM

Alleys Parlours Tank Rooms

1-855-826-4600 W W W. O N TA R I O. H O L ST E I N . C A

BRANCH NEWS

BILL GRIEVE 1931-2021

PHOTOS 1. The 1981 Board, with Bill as President. He is seated fourth from left, 2. Bill at his farm in Dorchester in 2017. PHOTOS SUBMITTED.

We were saddened by the news of Bill Grieve’s passing. Bill was the first President of this Branch back in 1981 and cared so deeply about our organization. He shared some of his fondest memories of that time back when Holstein Ontario celebrated its 35th Anniversary: “I guess it’s the people that you work with – you make lasting friendships. Over the years I’ve gotten to meet and know most of the ones that have become President. I still try to attend the annual meetings, depending on where they are and what the weather is like, to catch up with old friends.” We will miss seeing Bill at our Annual Meeting this year. Our thoughts are with his family.

2021

Advertising Rates

OFFICE HOURS

BREEDER RATES - FULL COLOUR ADS WITH DESIGN

AD SIZE

1 TIME

2 TIMES

4 TIMES

Back Cover

$1,400

$2,660

$4,760

Two-Page Spread

$1,600

$3,120

$6,160

Full Page

$850

$1,660

$3,275

1/2 Page

$550

$1,075

$2,120

1/4 Page

$350

$685

$1,350

Business Card

$75

$140

$200

Please note, our office in Brantford remains closed. However, we are open for business via telephone and email. Phone: (519) 653-6180 Email: branch@ontario.holstein.ca

index of

Advertisers

ALTONA LEA FARMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 BARN GIRLS PHOTOGRAPHY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 CANADIAN LIVESTOCK PHOTOGRAPHY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 CLAYHAVEN HOLSTEINS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 DAVID CARSON FARMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 DELAVAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 DUAL LANE FARMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 EASTGEN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 GRAND VALLEY FORTIFIERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 LEGEND-MAKER HOLSTEINS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 ONTARIO DAIRY YOUTH TRUST FUND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 PREVTECH INNOVATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 RONBETH HOLSTEINS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 SELECT SIRES GENERVATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 UNIQUE DESIGNS & MARKETING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 VAN GO ENTERPRISES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 VICKI FLETCHER PHOTOGRAPHY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 WB WHITE INSURANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Be part of our exciting Summer 2021 Issue! To book your ad, call or text Andrea at (519) 209-5553, or email thelink@ontario.holstein.ca DEADLINE: JUNE 11, 2021

W W W. O N TA R I O. H O L ST E I N . C A

THE

Link

SPRING 2021

IN BLACK & WHITE

Kawartha Holsteins NAMES: DAVE MCMORROW HERD SIZE: 55 MILKING (150 TOTAL) OPERATION TYPE: TIE-STALL LOCATION: LINDSAY

1. Describe your family’s history with Holsteins.

The McGriskin family started in 1922 or 23, my grandmother was a McGriskin and married Jim McMorrow and together they started Kawartha Holsteins in 1954. The original herd was sold in 1989 and won a Master Breeder Shield in 1991. The prefix has been used by various family members in years past, with some tracing to 4-H calf purchases at the 1989 dispersal. In 2001, I took over the prefix and bought a herd of 25 milk cows and quota in Saskatchewan, eventually growing it to 50 cows. In 2011, the quota was sold and the cows were relocated back to Lindsay. My main cow family, the “Dixies” can be traced back 25 generations, to a cow my great-great grandfather purchased in 1921. There are currently nine Master Breeder descendants of William McGriskin Jr, including myself in 2012. 2. What are your breeding goals?

I like a balanced cow with both type and production. She should be low-maintenance, good-uddered, with good feet and legs and hopefully be an Excellent cow someday that is easy to get back in calf. When looking at production, fat percentage has become more important to me over the last number of years. I still hope to breed a show winner one day.

Kawartha Holsteins winning Premier Breeder and Premier Exhibitor at the 2017 Lindsay Exhibition. Dave is pictured at right, with the Premier Exhibitor banner. PHOTO BY MELINDA BUCKLEY.

8. If you could have ANY cow standing in your barn, who would it be and why?

There are so many cows that have had an impact on me growing up, from show cows to bull mothers, and index cows, so it would be difficult to pick just one. Two cows I’ve had in my barn that I wish I still had would be Kawartha Misty Dixie and Kawartha Armani Memory. 9. What is one thing you would tell a young farmer starting out that you wish you had been told?

I would tell them a couple things I was told when I was first starting: 1. Always buy the best cows you can afford; 2. Don’t cheap out on semen, it’s your future; 3. You own the cows, they don’t own you. And 4. If you take care of your cows, they will take care of you. To me, these four things have all been true and valuable. 10. How do you use genomic information in your herd and what are your thoughts on the future of genomics?

I have been slow to adapt to the genomic era. I use young genomic bulls on occasion, but usually only from a proven family. I have tested a few animals more for curiosity than anything. 11. How many cows do you flush each year? How do you market your embryos that are for sale?

Over the last few years our flushing has slowed down. We only flush I use them all; to me they are all equally important. Classification and a couple each year for our own use. DHI are the main ones, with minimal use of genomics at this point. 12. Being in the breeding business, what traits do you find sell the 3. What genetic tools are most important in your breeding program?

4. Describe the ultimate/ideal cow for your operation:

best? What trait do you value most?

Udders and feet and legs. Every dairyman appreciates a good udder The ultimate cow for my operation is a balanced cow with enough that is easy to work with and nice to look at. Feet and legs and rib to eat large amounts of forage, a cow with a good udder and low mobility are important in any housing system. somatic cell count, good feet and legs and easy to breed back. 5. What cow in your barn is currently the “Heart of the Herd”?

I have a few favourites! Kawartha Logan Dahlia is a 4th generation homebred EX that traces back to my great-great grandfather, she has 1 EX and 1 VG daughter. Kawartha Gold Chip Venezeula is a 6th generation EX that we enjoy showing. Poplarvale Dempsey Retta is a 17th generation EX we are excited to have in the barn. Tomalynn Gold Chip Delila was just purchased and is quickly becoming a favourite. 6. What are you most proud of in your herd/operation?

13. Which bulls do you feel has had the most impact on your herd over the years and today?

Lee, Goldwyn, Hi Metro and Gold Chip are a few in the past that kind of stand out. Currently, I like my Doormans, Controls, Unix, Impressions and Solomans. I’m using Unstoppable, Ashby, Ateam, Bardo, Sidekick and still a bit of Unix and Doorman currently. Having said that, I hold more value in the maternal side of pedigrees than some people; good families continue to breed well with a lot of bulls. 14. What are the management practices in place on your farm that you feel contribute the most to the success of your operation? Why?

I love deep pedigrees and good udders. I tend to focus on that and One thing I added was Semex’s ai24™ system for heat detection and have been lucky to have success breeding or purchasing multiple it has been a great addition. Reproduction has improved as a result, generations of VG or EX cows. but even more than that, it can pick up a cow that’s not feeling well before she knows she isn’t feeling well! Attention to detail and the 7. If you could improve one thing in your herd/operation, what would small things are so important and sometimes overlooked. A past it be? employer of mine would always say the calves and heifers need to be More room for young stock. I’m very thankful for a neighbour who bedded before they need to be bedded; if you fall behind on a job, it does a great job feeding my bred heifers. becomes a bigger job to catch back up and that applies to all aspects of farming.

THE

Link

SPRING 2021

W W W. O N TA R I O. H O L ST E I N . C A

DELIVERING BEAUTIFUL COWS WITH PROFITABLE PRODUCTION • COMBINES OUTSTANDING TYPE WITH HIGH FAT AND PROTEIN • GREAT UDDER QUALITY WITH EXTREMELY HIGH AND WIDE REAR ATTACHMENTS • EXCEPTIONAL FEET AND LEGS

Doc daughters at Luck-E Holsteins

Product of the USA

W W W. O N TA R I O. H O L ST E I N . C A

THE

Link

SPRING 2021

Photo | Holly McFarlane

Don-Mair Victor Lovely n/c

Victor

Legend-Maker 0200HO10890

KINGPIN X LIQUID GOLD X SHOTTLE

+3259 GLPI $2083 PRO$ +115 MILK +35 FAT +.26%

Early Legend-Maker VICTOR daughters are making waves with the new April proof release. The Robot ReadyTM designated VICTOR offers solid Milk, is a

+54 PROTEIN +.41%

Fat & Protein improver with a Type profile

+13 CONFORMATION

that is made for today’s modern dairy

+13 FEET & LEGS

operations.

GEBV 21* APR

THE

Link

SPRING 2021

W W W. O N TA R I O. H O L ST E I N . C A