STORY AND PHOTOS BY ANDREA EMOND
Beyond the Numbers
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WALNUTLAWN FARMS
ne would be hard-pressed these days to claim they haven’t heard the name Walnutlawn or the storied tale of the Zehr family’s leap of faith into the genomics game. This 70-cow herd from Tavistock, Ontario has turned out a surprising number of high genomic animals in the past eight years since purchasing gamechanger Misty Springs Lavanguard Sue VG-89-4YR-CAN 12* in 2011 from Dominique and Kathy Merminod of Misty Springs Holsteins in Little Britain, Ontario. The Zehr family achieved fame and fulfilled a lifetime goal when they put several of Sue’s offspring into A.I., including big-time names like Solomon and Sidekick. But perhaps most importantly, they’ve remained grounded, have held true to their values and continue to enjoy what they’re doing at every step along the way. Adam Zehr is the first to admit he was a skeptic when it came to genomics. “I thought it was just a big scam; it seemed ridiculous!” says the 35-year-old who represents the third generation at Walnutlawn Farms in Tavistock, Ontario. Then, in 2010, letting his curiosity get the best of him and having nothing to lose, he decided to genomic test six young Goldwyn daughters from one of the farm’s best cows and 2014 Cow of the Year finalist, Walnutlawn Gibson Jessica EX94-4E-CAN 9*.
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SPRING 2019
“We tested all six of Jessica’s Goldwyn daughters to compare how they ranked compared to each other,” he says. When they calved in as 2-year-olds, the one that had tested highest for conformation was indeed the highest-scoring cow of the bunch at VG-88 2yr. The other five cows fell right where their genomic tests indicated they would, including one at the bottom of the group that ended up being really low for fat. “At that point, we thought, ‘there’s something to these genomic numbers,’” says Adam. “‘Maybe we should do some more testing!’” Adam and his late father, Burnell, became quick converts to the genomics game, and it wasn’t long before they were on the hunt for a deep-pedigreed, high-tested cow that would yield them the type of offspring any great cow person would be proud to have in their barn. Being able to get a bull or two out of the deal to put into A.I. would make things that much sweeter. After some careful research – and a series of events that worked in their favour – the Zehrs found their front-runner in Misty Springs Lavanguard Sue VG-89-4YR-CAN 12*, a fresh 2-year-old they were serious about purchasing at the 2011 Sale of Stars. Sue was slated to be part of the highly anticipated sale, but was pulled by her owners who feared she wouldn’t be quite ready come sale time. Instead, the Zehrs ended up purchasing her privately from Misty Springs. W W W. O N TA R I O. H O L ST E I N . C A