Breeder Profile
District 6: Flannery-Vu Holsteins by Brittany Olson What began as the opportunity of a The herd dines on a TMR with lifetime snowballed into a waking dream baleage, corn silage, high moisture for Brandon Flannery of Green County. corn, and a protein mix with a small “I began a partnership with my uncle amount of dry hay that is side dressed – Marco in August of 2012. Marco was and they enjoy it to the tune of a 26,129 looking to phase out of the milking aspect pound herd average with 3.9 percent fat while still being able to keep ‘the’ dairy and 3.1 percent protein. Flannery-Vu going. I bought 50 cows and 10 bred also boasts a BAA of 110.6 – a statistic heifers to get started,” Brandon says. “I Brandon wants to keep improving knew they weren’t exactly ‘my’ kind of upon. cows, but I knew it wasn’t an opportunity “My goal this year was to get my BAA that I was going to pass up. I had been over 110,” Brandon says. “[When] 10 trying to get started milking on my own of the 24 Excellent cows are in their for a while and this was the ‘right’ fit.” second lactation I feel like I’m heading Nine years later, the partnership is in the right direction.” still going strong at Flannery-Vu. Today, Herd favorites include Anglewood the Flannerys’ herd includes 120 cows, B&B Doorman EX-91, a secondmilking and dry. lactation cow that earned third place Marco owns the farm and the land senior three-year-old at the Midwest while growing the feed for all the cows Spring National Show and made and heifers, while Brandon owns all the 42,000 pounds of milk this lactation; cattle and supplies everything else that Sherona-Hill Jct Annie-Red EX-90, isn’t grown right on the farm. Flannerya second lactation granddaughter of Brandon and his wife Amy with children Harvey, Gracie and Jay. Vu also has one full-time employee whose KHW Regiment Apple-Red EX-96 that main responsibilities include milking and other chores. In addition came in second place in the senior three-year-old class at this year’s to 250 acres for feeding the cows, the Flannerys run an additional District 6 show and won fourth place at state show; and Flannery1,200 acres for cash crops and heifer feed. Vu Doorman Ardy EX-91, a second lactation granddaughter of Tri“The farm has seen some major changes. In 2019 we moved cows Day Ashlyn EX-96 by way of an EX-91 Durham. into an 80 stall 3-row freestall barn. My cow numbers had went from “Ardy’s Undenied summer junior two-year-old is just fresh a 50 to 90 and we could not accommodate them in just the tiestall barn month and may be the best young cow I have bred to date,” Brandon and the pasture. The cow comfort in the freestall barn exceeded my says. expectations and cows are certainly doing better than ever from Brandon’s first brush with Registered Holsteins, despite growing production, lameness, growth, and just the overall look and feel to up on a dairy farm, didn’t happen until he was 18. the cows,” Brandon says. “Erik Gilbertson had me help him at district show that year – my The cows are housed in a sand-bedded freestall first ever show. I knew nothing about showing or breeding. I barn and milked in a tiestall barn. During the didn’t even know how to read a pedigree or a bull’s linear,” winter, a group of cows reside in the tiestall barn he says. “When I took over my uncle’s herd in 2012, while part of the freestall is used for dry cows I was still very ‘green’ and have learned a lot about and bred heifers. In addition to the milking herd, cows since then thanks to some great mentors and most of the youngstock breeding age and older friends helping me along the way.” are kept at a nearby farm where Brandon utilizes Brandon’s achievements with Registered a combination of bedded pack housing, headlocks, Holsteins are rooted in two solid purchases: Larlee and pasture. Talent Ember and Vale-O-Skene Atwood Stars. While Brandon added, “In 2021 we completed a new heifer Ember was not his first registered animal, she was the Argyle shed for weaned calves on up to pre-breeding age. I have only first one to turn out well for him – and did she ever. been in it for a few months, but the growth of my heifers has “Ember was purchased from my neighbor Larry been much [better] than in the past. Heifers have been overcrowded Hendrickson as a yearling, her dam was an Advent that went on to the last couple years and I felt like I either needed to build something be a 93-point cow. Her impact on the herd is probably stronger today or cut down on my heifer numbers.” than ever,” he says. Copyright © Free Vector Maps.com
8 – Wisconsin Holstein News – December 2021
