COW FAMILY CORNER

BLONDIN SKYCHIEF SUPRA EX-93-3E-CAN 35*

It’s a tale as old as time in the purebred cattle business - the parents are milking a nice herd of grade cattle when one of their kids gets hooked on the dream of registered cattle. In 1984, Louis Lalande purchased a yearling heifer in the Holstein Canada Centennial Sale for his son, Simon. While everyone who buys a heifer on a sale is optimistic, the cow family stemming from Diamond Hill Warden Lass succeeded beyond their wildest expectations. To think that she would be the foundation for not only one, but two, EX-97 cows truly beggars belief!

Like so many good Canadian cow families, the Supras find their start in the Maritimes. Bred by Hollis Newson in Prince Edward Island from his Master Breeder Diamond Hill herd, Warden Lass would score VG-87 as a 3-yearold. Her pedigree at time was solid, if not famous: a VG 2* Roybrook Tempo dam, a VG Flemingdale Perseus Mark granddam, and then an Ontario-bred EX 2* Vinedale Perseus Angelo from the William Broughton herd. Like many teenagers, Simon loved showing and the hottest type bull at the time was Hanoverhill Starbuck. The third calf from Warden Lass was born in March, 1988 and Blondin Starbuck Superlass was the gateway to the family becoming known worldwide. Eventually scoring VG87 and racking up 17* on the brood cow front, Superlass had 17 out of 19 daughters from ten different sires score VG or EX. She also had four lactations well over 30,000M on her way to producing more than 250,000 pounds of milk lifetime. Foremost among her daughters is our subject cow - Blondin Skychief Supra EX-93-3E-CAN 35*. Born in March of 1995, Supra had a modest start to her milking career scoring GP-82 fresh just three months. She was raised to VG later in her first lactation with a VG mammary, but her highest breakdown score, as it would be throughout her life, was her VG-88 in dairy strength. That dairy strength would be a highly consistent trait transmitted through generations of Supras even looking at the family today. She eventually would mature into her EX-93 score and had success at a number of local Quebec shows, being named

Grand Champion at Papineau in 2000 and at Berthier in 2001. Like her dam, she also had several lactations over 30,000M and her lifetime milk production totals over 260,000M

Blondin Skychief Supra (EX-93-3E -CAN 35*) is the dam of numerous outstanding descendants, including 2 EX-97 cows! with a 3.9% and 3.4p. She had a long career at Blondin and lived to over 17 years of age, passing away in 2012. Pierre Boulet bought into her in 2002 and from that point forward, Supra’s progeny carried either the Blondin or Pierstein prefixes. Supra was flushed extensively and produced 42 VG or EX daughters, many of whom were merchandised and found their homes in herds across Canada. Supra was flushed to most of the top type sires over a decade, and a bull that nicked especially well with Supra and her offspring was Indianhead Red-Marker EX-CAN. Blondin R Marker Supra VG-89-CAN 12*, born in March 2001, became a nice local show cow like her mother, but most importantly, she was a red carrier and her genetics would create history in the Red & Whites. R Marker Supra entered the flush program at Blondin and a mating to Valleyriver Ruben Redman EXCAN would produce one of the most famous Red & White cows in the world - Blondin Redman Seisme, the first Red & White cow to score EX-97. Seisme dominated the Red & White show ring for several years for her owners Milksource Jim Ostrom of Milk Source leads Blondin Redman Seisme (EX-97) during the 2012 Supreme parade at World Dairy Expo. Genetics of Kaukauna, WI. She is a three-time Grand Champion Seisme’s Ladd daughter, Milksource LD Shania-Red-ET (EX-92), has been a prolific brood cow and had numerous offspring in Europoe.

of the Red & White Show at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, where she was named Supreme Champion in 2010. She’s twice been Grand Champion of the International Red & White Show at Madison, and twice was named International Red & White Cow of the Year. Now at EX-97 2E 4*, Seisme now has 18 daughters scored VG & EX across North America, with the highest scored EX94.

Seisme’s Ladd-P daughter, Milksource LD Shania-Red-ET EX-92, owned by Jason & Sheri Danhof of Waukon, IA has also been a prolific brood cow and has exported plenty of embryos that have influenced the red breed in Europe. Her VG-89 Awesome daughter was the German National R&W Junior Champion in 2019 and is the dam of Hoven Holsteins Avatar Red, is a popular Red show type sire in Germany, ranking #8 on the Red Type list there. Just recently, her Rubels granddaughter, Logan Rubels Seisme ET (out of a VG-88 Jordy) was named Reserve Champion Super Heifer at the 2022 AgriScot Show for B G Yates & Son of Castle Douglas, Scotland. A full sister to Seisme, while not achieving the same high individual score, has also been a notable red brood cow from the family - Blondin Redman Sesame VG-85-CAN 4*. Mother to ten VG & EX daughters, her VG-86-CAN Redliner is the dam of Redtag Destry Sneezy EX-94 1*, the Grand Champion of the International Red & White Junior Show in 2017 and several times nominated AllAmerican Red & White. Her Diamondback daughter, Savage-Leigh Selser-Red VG-89, was crowned Grand Champion of the 2022 Canadian National Convention Red & White Show for her owners Westcoast Holsteins of Chilliwack, BC. A red Talent daughter out of R Marker Supra - Blondin Talent Salena EX-93-2ECAN 4* - produced a Destry daughter that has captured plenty of rosettes for her breeder. Blondin Destry Sally EX-93 3* was Grand Champion at the Royal Red & White Show in 2014 and at the Quebec Spring Red & White Show in 2015. She’s continued the family tradition of making red winners in the show ring, with Blondin Absolute Nohl Salya EX-91 being a regular campaigner in Switzerland and Blondin Armani Stella Artois-Red EX-94 claiming several Red & White show titles in Wisconsin and the Midwest.

Now that we’ve explored some of the Red & White females in the family, we can look at a few prolific black & white branches of the Supra tree. One of the Supra daughters to make her own mark in the show ring was Blondin James Supra EX-90 9*, who was the Reserve All-Canadian 4-Year-Old in 2004, and a regular class winner at Eastern Ontario and Quebec shows. Today, she is probably best known as the dam of Blondin R Marker Sublime EX-93-CAN 21*. With 34 daughters scored VG & EX, Sublime writes her own brood cow chapter in the Supra book, but her matings to Braedale Goldwyn are what really jump off the page with 19 of those being VG & EX in the US and Canada. Here’s where we come to the second EX-97 cow in the direct line from Supra - Blondin Goldwyn Subliminale.

In the US, we know her as Subliminal (her name shortened to meet Holstein USA standards after she was purchased by Budjon Farms and Peter & Lyn Vail). All-Canadian Mature Cow in 2016 and All-American Lifetime Production Cow in 2017, Subliminal scored EX-97 in May 2021 along with a 4E designation. A cow that produced more and more milk with each lactation, her top record of 44,740 4.3% 1921 3.2p 1451 contributes to her lifetime totals over 310,000M 12,360F and 10,456P. With 35 VG & EX daughters to date and with daughters still being born, she also excels on the reproductive front. With all of those boxes ticked, she was a natural to win the Holstein USA Star of the Breed award in 2021. Retired after the 2021 show season and Reserve All-American Lifetime Production Cow title, her embryos and family members continue to be in demand around the globe. In addition to Subliminal, Sublime’s influence continues through several other daughters.

Sally’s daughter, Blondin Armani Stella Artois-Red (EX-94) has earned several awards around Wisconsin & the Midwest.

Blondin Destry Sally EX-93 was Grand Champion at the Royal Red & White Show in 2014 and is a granddaughter of Supra. She has daughters around the world that have continued the family’s winning ways in the showring.

Redtag Destry Sneezy (EX-94 1*) hails from the Supra family and was Grand Champion of the International Red & White Junior Show in 2017. Savage-Leigh Selser-Red VG-89, a daughter of Sneezy, was Grand Champion of the Canadian National Convention Red & White Show in 2022.

Blondin Goldwyn Sunsation EX-903E-CAN has a daughter, Blondin Avalanche Sunburst VG-87-CAN that was nominated All-Canadian Intermediate Yearling in 2020 for Kingway and Colin Meulendyk. A notable headliner in 2021 was Blondin Denver Svalantini, now a VG-87 2-year-old. Sold through the Blondin 2020 sale, Svalantini won the winter yearling class and was tapped the Reserve Junior Champion at the 2021 International Holstein Show for her then owners, Quality Holsteins, Brian Enright, and Ferme Jacobs (she is now owned by Quality Holsteins, Beckridge Holsteins, and Agriber Societa Agricola SRL). She was named AllAmerican Winter Yearling at the end of the show season, racking up another title for the family. Red Marker Supra also had a nice nick with Goldwyn that produced Pierstein Goldwyn Sunshine EX-96-3E, who was the Reserve Intermediate Champion at the Royal and HM All-Canadian Senior 3-Year-Old for Pierre Boulet in 2010. She’s another cow in the family with over

200,000M and a number of VG & EX daughters. The continual blending of strength and udder bulls in the Supra family pedigree seems to guarantee a future filled with high-scoring, high-producing cows. It’s that cow family and that dedication to constructive matings that made the Supra Blondin Goldwyn Subliminal is the black & white EX-97 descendant from the family highly-influential Supra family, claiming several All-American nominations and Holstein USA in the Blondin herd Star of the Breed in 2021. winning two Master Breeder shields. Skychief Supra herself was Holstein Canada’s Cow of the Year in 2009. When different branches of the family total up 30, 40 or 50 brood cow stars, the space limitations of a magazine article can never tell the full story - but two EX-97 cows, one red & white and one black & white, but closely related makes for a pretty good headline! So the next time you’re at a sale and a stylish yearling heifer catches your eye, bid last - you never know where she might take you! By Kathleen O’Keefe

Pierstein Goldwyn Sunshine (EX-96-3E) was Reserve Intermediate Champion at the Royal in 2010 and continued her show career into the Lifetime Production Class.

October 15-16, 2022 · Turlock, CA · Judge Brady Core, KY

SUPREME CHAMPION

T&R Azevedo Moovin 13390, Holstein, Aidan Azevedo, CA

SUPREME CHAMPION HEIFER

Hightide King Doc Lizzie, Holstein, Fernandes, Airosa, & Zonneveld, CA

HOLSTEIN

101 Head

SENIOR & RESERVE GRAND CHAMPION

T&R Azevedo Awsme Rosie-Red (Awesome), 1st 4-Year-Old, Aidan Azevedo, CA

RESERVE SENIOR CHAMPION

Kimball-Way Kd Natalie-ET (Doc), 1st Senior 3-Year-Old, Logan Silveira, CA

INTERMEDIATE & GRAND CHAMPION

T&R Azevedo Moovin 13390 (Moovin), 1st Summer Junior 2-Year-Old, Aidan Azevedo, CA

RESERVE INTERMEDIATE CHAMPION

Creamchese Rpm Cheesecake (Upgrade), 1st Milking Yearling, Madilyn Parson, CA

JUNIOR CHAMPION

Hightide King Doc Lizzie (Doc), 1st Summer Yearling, Fernandes, Airosa, & Zonneveld, CA

RESERVE JUNIOR CHAMPION

Silver-Elite Warr Roxy-Red (Warrior), 2nd Summer Yearling, Logan Silveira, CA

JERSEY

51 Head

SENIOR & GRAND CHAMPION

Fire-Lake VIP Apple Fritter-ET (VIP), 1st 4-YearOld, Joshua Sanders, CA

RESERVE SENIOR CHAMPION

Fire-Lake Top Gadget (Topeka), 1st 5-Year-Old, Joshua Sanders, CA

INTERMEDIATE & RESERVE GRAND CHAMPION

Lady Lane Impression Josephine (Impression), 1st Junior 3-Year-Old, Finley Rosa, CA Intermediate & Grand Champion T&R Azevedo Moovin 13390, Aidan Azevedo, CA. Senior & Reserve Grand Champion T&R Azevedo Awsme RosieRed, Aidan Azevedo, CA.

Junior Champion Hightide King Doc Lizzie, Fernandes, Airosa, & Zonneveld, CA. Junior Champion DKG Gentry Heidi, Brody Rosa, CA.

Senior & Grand Champion Fire-Lake VIP Apple Fritter-ET, Joshua Sanders, CA. Intermediate & Reserve Grand Champion Lady Lane Impression Josephine, Finley Rosa, CA.

RESERVE INTERMEDIATE CHAMPION

Kilgus Colton Diana (Colton), 1st Summer Junior 2-Year-Old, Tyler Miranda, CA

JUNIOR CHAMPION

DKG Gentry Heidi (Gentry), 1st Spring Yearling, Brody Rosa, CA

RESERVE JUNIOR CHAMPION

Buddvu Magician Nadia (Magician), 1st Summer Yearling, Finley Rosa, CA