December 2022 / January 2023 Cattle Connection

Historical

Is this really true? Now I had to double-check what I just read. On Thursday I had seen the results of Toronto’s Red-Holstein show, and read that the impressive red-andwhite cow Blondin RD Unstopabull Maple-Red had become Grand Champion. Then on Friday I was looking for the results of the Black-and-White Holstein show… and once again I found the name of Maple-Red as Grand Champion! The same cow twice? Indeed: this was true! The cow that won the Red-Holstein show at Canada’s Royal Winter Fair also won the Holstein show! (And claimed Supreme Champion too.) A historical result!

Was it the first time a Red-Holstein cow became victorious at Canada’s National Show? No, then we have to go back 40 years in history, to 1982, when the famous Continental Scarlet-Red became Grand Champion of the Holstein show at Canada’s Royal Winter Fair. Yet, there is a difference between Scarlet and Maple. In 1982, there was no official Red-Holstein show at Canada’s Royal yet – just the Holstein show. So now, in 2022, Maple-Red had to give her very best two days in a row: on Thursday in the Red-Holstein arena, on Friday in the Holstein arena. Winning in both arenas! A fantastic and historical result, that is a symbol of the improving quality of the Global Red-Holstein population.

Jan Bierma

EDITORIAL

siemers@excel.net • Newton, WI • siemersholsteins.com

WHAT’S the most expensive birthday ever? In 1996, the Sultan of Brunei who had just eclipsed his 50th birthday. The cost? A mere $27.2 million. All in attendance were given a gold medal. In the scope of the best and most influential birthdays however, who can match the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ? Forever His life is marked in history and on the calendar.

HIS BIRTH: Christmas. In humble Bethlehem stable in Israel. Celebrated worldwide. HIS DEATH: Good Friday. HIS death on the cross for all humanity’s sins. HIS RESURRECTION: EASTER from the tombs he arose 3 days later, ALIVE from the DEAD. Is celebrated around the world. Many wealthy and famous people have come and gone in history. Yet, JESUS as GOD THE SON had the best birthday ever, for every person. “For GOD so loved the World HE gave HIS only begotten SON that whoever believeth in HIM should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 Is HE (JESUS CHRIST) yours only by faith alone? A JOYOUS CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR to all our greatly appreciated customer family everywhere and all others around the world.

AGATERIDGE-W

MAGI C-RED P: 54HO00945

Hawkeye Breeders: Jacot-Awesome-Colt P

Magic is a red Jacot son that is polled and is backed by a family that includes 4 generations of All-Americans. The European-proven bull Jacot-Red is a Sympatico son out of Blondin Lauthority Libye EX-92 with the next dam being Rockymountain Talent Licorice EX-95. The maternal line behind Magic runs through an 88 Awesome-Colt-P-EX Sanchez. Behind that is the well-known All-American Ky Blue Rubens Marla-Red EX-94, Bar-Lee Storm Maggi EX-93, Bar-Lee Marker Mandy-Red EX-94 and Bar-Lee MS Marcy-Red EX-92. ‘Jacot-Red semen had only just become available when we used it on our red-carrier Awesome daughter,’ explains the breeder David Kasprick. ‘When she calved she was out on pasture and when we saw this beautiful red and polled calf from a black-and-white cow we thought it was quite magical so that’s how he got his name.’ The dam’s latest record as a 4-year-old: 28,565lb 3.8% fat 3.2% protein at 300 days. With Magic developing into an impressive yearling, he was taken to Hawkeye Breeders where he was qualified for export markets including Canada, Mexico, Australia and South America. His oldest heifers will be bred in November. ‘The temperament is one of the best things about them, very calm like the bull himself.’ PEAK MAIN STAGE: 734HO00118

Jetstream Genetics: Timberlake-Jedi-Bombero

Peak Main Stage has been a high demand bull at Jetstream since his release in April 2020, and the upward movement in his numbers this last proof round has only strengthened his popularity. Main Stage is a high milk bull with solid type and has good daughter fertility for such a high production sire. The Silverridge-V Timberlake son (<Imax) is out of a Jedi that traces through Bombero and Mayfield to Aurora Iota 11727 VG-88, who is also the foundation dam behind the proven sire Aurora Mitchell. Indeed, Mitchell is out of a full sister to the Bombero 2nd dam of Main Stage. At 1.50 PTAT and 1.89 UDC, Main Stage combines solid type numbers with 2352lb milk and yet is still +0.7 fertility index or -0.1 DPR. He is also positive for livability, heifer livability and mastitis resistance giving him a solid health trait profile. He could be protected for locomotion as rear legs hock in, and teat length is somewhat short. Main Stage is 2969 gTPI and over 1000 NM. ‘The main markets for this high Timberlake son have been Australia, China, Europe, USA, Mexico and Brazil,’ comments Roger Turner. ‘He’s available worldwide in conventional and sexed semen.’

SANDY-VAL LEY EQ: 515HO00386 AI Total: Renegade-Frazzled-Modesty

Renegade son EQ is a very complete, allround bull who boasts one of those hard to find aAa codes of 516. Daughters should be moderately tall with good width and strength throughout, correct leg structure and shallow, well-attached udders. ‘EQ sires optimum teat placement, will add length of teat (+.73) and is 105 on milking speed so is a Robot + sire,’ points out Jennifer Dingbaum. His proof of 2927 gTPI includes solid production at 1196lb milk +.15% fat +.06% protein along with 1.50 PTAT and 1.55 UDC. EQ also shines for the health traits with 4.4 PL, 0.9 fertility index and 0.2 DPR, 2.87 SCS and 2.0 mastitis, and 1.2 heifer livability. EQ comes from the heart of the Sapphire family which has produced such noted sires as Rubicon, Saloon and Sterling. The dam of EQ is the Frazzled daughter Sandy-Valley Ecstasy VG-87 who made a record of 1.10 365 32,780lb/14,869kg 4.3% fat 3.2% protein. Behind that is a Modesty out of the famous Sandy-Valley Eternity EX-92, who carried two crosses of Sapphire blood as she is a daughter of Rubicon that traces through Morgan and Robust to Sapphire.

HAH A LLGAUD: 200HO07972

Semex: Alligator-Gymnast-1stClass

Alligator has been one of the leading type bulls in Canada for some time now, and unlike many other high type bulls he also transmits milk… a lot of milk. His son Allgaud follows the same pattern. Allgaud’s numbers stand at 3447 gLPI with 1912kg milk +14 conformation with +12 mammary and +13 feet & legs, and he’s solid for most of the functional traits including 106 SCS and 105 herd life. As his name may suggest, HAH Allgaud has an international twist to his story too: Born in Germany, housed in Hungary and available in North America. He is bred from a prominent German cow family that traces back to the famous French Ugela Bell daughter Gourmette EX-92, a family that has produced such bulls as Gunnar (<Goldwyn) and Biathlon (<Beacon). Expect Allgaud daughters to be moderately tall and have angular, dairy frames with average width and depth. They should be wide in the rump with impressive width of rear udder, and have excellent feet and legs. The udders will have superb texture with outstanding center ligament and ideal teat placement and length. Like Alligator, Allgaud should transmit exceptional feet and legs with clean quality bone, correct set, steep heel and great locomotion. Protect for components (-.13% fat -.09% protein) and he is average for daughter fertility and milking speed but is positive for everything else.

Kevin Jorgensen. ‘Blakely is 2.62 SCS, 3.3 CDCB MAST and 106 Zoetis Mastitis, earning him the Mastitis Resistance Pro designation in our lineup. He excels for rear udder height and width and is A2A2 as well.’ Blakely is backed by a maternal line that traces to another branch of the Clear-Echo Ramo 1200 line that produced such bulls as Bookem and Racer. ‘I had the chance to see his dam recently and she is an exceptional young cow already scored VG in Canada as a young cow. She is due back and has the makings of an extremely high scoring older cow with a terrific udder and a nice combination of dairy strength,’ adds Jorgensen. Blakely’s proof of 3034 gTPI includes 575lb milk +.27% fat +.08% protein with 2.78 PTAT and 2.38 UDC. Daughters should be moderately tall, open ribbed cows with some slope to the rump and have shallow, well-attached udders with good cleft and correct teat placement. ‘He’s very well balanced with no knock-out traits,’ concludes Jorgensen. ‘We have used him as a mating sire.’

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

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

Westcoast Gd Blakely

Hah Allgaud

Agateridge-W Magic-Red P

Sandy-Valley EQ

Fun In The City ~ Christmastime Edition

Danhof Renegade Dora-ET

(EX-90)

2-00 302d 33,530 3.8 1273

Kenyon-Hill Gameday Onia-ET

Selling a guaranteed IVF Session from the #6 GTPI Gameday that ranks in top 50 GTPI of the breed w/GTPI +3162 +1072NM$ +1015M +121F +56P +5.6PL +.2DPR +2.66T & A1/A2! Dam is GP-82 2yr old w/ VG-MS by Pursuit x EX-90 Kingroyal w/1422F!

Kenyon-Hill Farm 518-222-5692

Plain-Knoll Resolve 1893-ET (EX-90-DOM)

1-11 365d 38,550 3.7 1409 3.4 1313

Guaranteed IVF Session sells from her A2/A2, AB Kashton Grdtr that ranks in top 125 NM$ of the breed w/GTPI +3110 +1212NM$ +1443M +107F +62P +8.1PL +.85T +1.44UDC! Her dam is GP-82 2yr old Acura then Resolve above!

Buschur Dairy Farms 419-336-8812

Cherrypencol Lee-ET (EX-91)

2-04 365d 26,797 4.6 1222 3.6 965

Offering a Guaranteed IVF Session from her A1/A2 Kaston Grdtr w/ GTPI +3106 +1186NM$

Ladys-Manor Huey Oohm-ET (VG-87)

2-02 365d 28,070 4.6 1279 3.5 981

Her early Frostbite grdtr sells w/GTPI +3100 +1117NM$ +1075M +118F +56P +5.5PL +.7DPR +1.35T, A1/A2!

Dam of Frostbite by Lucia Faneca x VG-87 dam above x the #1 GTPI cow of the breed “Granite Oohm”.

Lady’s Manor 443-417-5900. This family is chugging out bigtime sons!

Macland HF Yoder Rachel-ET (2E-95-DOM)

Scenery-View Crystal-ET RC (VG-87)

2-00 299d 20,997 5.2 1098 3.8 792

IVF Session sells from The #2 GTPI heifer of the breed over +3.75T sired by Hanans w/GTPI +2961 +3.77T, A1,A2, BB +1490M +88F +54P +724NM$!

Her dam by Helix x King Doc x Crystal above x EX-91 x VG-88 x EX-92!

Full sister to the 1.9 million dollar 8784, we are offering buyers choice of her 2 smashing Homecoming dtrs! Both will have huge type proof in early December! One of the hottest families in the world!

Ernest Kueffner 301-639-2924

Winstar Genetics

Casey Jones 570-744-2595

Cookiecutter Supr Hazajo-ET (EX-92-DOM) 2-04 365d 41,650 3.4 1397 3.0 1250 3rd dam of the #3 GTPI & NM$ Moonshiner that we are selling guaranteed IVF Session from w/ GTPI +3092 +1184NM$ +1521M +110F +62P +5.9PL +.5DPR +1.73UDC, A2/A2, AB! Her dam is GP-83 Acura w/1533F 1235P @ 1-10yrs x VG-88-GMD w/1560F x Hazajo above! World famous “Halo family”!

Cookiecutter Holsteins 518-428-5880

Cookiecutter Slm Hoplite-ET (VG-88)

3-11 3x 301d 32,920 4.2 1375 3.4 1126

Buyers choice of her 2 Holysmoke grdtrs! One w/GTPI +3154 +1151NM$, A1/A2, BB & Ranks in top 70 GTPI heifers & the #8 Holysmokes & the other w/GTPI +3170 +1109NM$, A1/A1, BB & in top 30 GTPI heifers & the #4 GTPI Holysmokes! Their dam is GP-83 Biggelo 2yr old x the Slamdunk above x EX-91 Rubicon!

Cookiecutter Holsteins 518-428-5880

+2.91UDC, A1/A2, BB & she has exported embryos already!

Tim & Tammy Van Haitsma 616-795-2256!

Pine-Tree 7831 Lion 598-ET (VG-85)

By Lionel, we are selling her Monteverdi dtr w/GTPI +3051 +1039NM$ +2019M +128F +69P +3.3PL +1.40T, ready to IVF immediately! 2nd dam Prop 7831 w/1516F & 3rd dam VG-85 w/1539F!

Jason & Sheri Danhof 715-305-0522

Sandy-Valley YDR Cayenne-ET (VG-85)

2-05 365d 37,690 4.2 1592 3.3 1250

Jalapeno dtr from family sells w/GTPI +3078 +1147NM$ +1798M +133F +82P (+215CFP) +3.0PL +1.43T! Dam by Parfect x GP-82 2yr old Frazzled x VG Modesty x Yoder above x 8 more VG or EX dams from Cosmopolitan family!

Terra Linda 559-358-5345

Riverdown: Birthplace of Unstopabull, the Sire of Champions

On the biggest stage of all – the World Dairy Expo – Riverdown Unstopabull certainly made his mark. He sired the Grand Champion red & white, Ms Ransom-Rail Beth-Red EX-94, while another daughter Blondin RD Unstopabull Maple-Red, last year’s World Champion Red-Holstein, claimed the Reserve Grand title of the Holstein show. At the Royal, Maple’s performance was truly historic, claiming Grand Champion honors in both the Red-Holstein and Holstein shows. Here is a look at Riverdown, the home of this sire of champions.

JText: Doug Savage Photos: Christine Massfeller

Just outside of Canada’s national capital of Ottawa, at Metcalfe in eastern Ontario, is Riverdown Holsteins, milking 115 cows through two Lely robots in a modern dairy barn built 5 years ago. John and Karen Velthuis and their son Justin, together with Karen’s father Ron Eastman, crop 700 acres and have a total of 320 dairy animals. The impressive herd has been built on a base of solid cow families that have been carefully bred on this farm since the 1960s. However, Unstopabull is from a family line that is a much more recent addition to the herd.

FIRST PURCHASE

The background story of Unstopabull belongs to John and Karen’s son Justin. ‘The mother of Unstopabull is the cow Cherry Crest That’s Neat who was the very first purchase I made back when I was just 16,’ explains Justin. ‘At the time I was working at the Kingsway Tag Sale and there were some impressive show heifers available but they were going to bring way more money than I had to spend. That’s when I noticed That’s Neat standing in the line. She was

just a 3-month-old calf and was quite correct but she was certainly not a show heifer. She was sired by Applejack so she was a red carrier, and the dam was a Niagra heifer that was just fresh and looked pretty special. We live fairly close to Cherry Crest so I was familiar with the rest of the Roz family behind her. I phoned home to get my parents to be partners with me and that’s how she became my very first purchase.’ The Roz family at Cherry Crest was built from an Elegant daughter directly from Whittier-Farms Outside Roz EX-95. The Niagra

dam of That’s Neat was out of a Final Cut from the Elegant. Another daughter of the Elegant, Cherry Crest Manoman Roz, had sold as a high indexing heifer to Siemers in Wisconsin and proceeded to develop a powerful transmitting line in that herd. Cows such as Siemers Windbrook Rozanne EX-93, Siemers McCutchen Roz EX-94 and Siemers Bookem Roz EX-94 all come from the family, as do numerous young AI bulls including Rozline, Rockwell, Roadshow and many more….all from the same family as Unstopabull.

UNSTOPABULL

The first calf from That’s Neat was a red bull sired by the red-carrier McCutchen son Dresser: His name was Incredibull-Red and he went to Semex. Her second natural calf was another red bull, this time sired by Avalanche: This was Unstopabull-Red who went to Blondin Sires. Both proved out to be high type bulls, with Unstopabull in particular impacting the show ring. ‘We flushed That’s Neat extensively later in life, and her daughters include an EX Olympian, a couple of VG-87 2nd calf Denver’s, as well as some King Doc heifers, and some red Warrior calves that could be special,’ explains Justin.

The modern, wellventilated robot barn houses the 115-cow herd plus dry cows and heifers.

Riverdown in Ontario

Located at Metcalfe, just south of Ottawa Owned by John & Karen Velthuis and son Justin

• 600 acres plus 100 rented: Growing corn, alfalfa, triticale & grass hay 115 cows with 320 head total

Average production:12,000kg/26,455lb 4.2% fat 3.2% protein

• 32 EX, 70 VG, 30 GP

• Ration: TMR of corn silage, haylage, hay, high-moisture corn, roasted soybeans, vitamins & minerals

• Current Sires: Delta-Lambda, Unstopabull, Bullseye, Alpha, Destination & King Doc

EXTRA SPECIAL

Riverdown is also co-breeder of the new national champion, Maple-Red. Her prefix of Blondin RD tells the story: RD being for Riverdown. ‘I was at the Ontario Summer Show in 2017 when the nice 2-year-old Kawartha Armani Memory caught my eye so I asked a price on her,’ explains Justin. ‘Her mother was a Shaquille that was Honorable Mention Intermediate Champion at the Royal, and behind that is a Redman. Simon Lalande from Blondin was also interested in her so we ended up buying her in partnership, along with the Blondin herdsman at the time, Richard Villeneuve. She scored 87 as a 2-year-old and was third at the Royal. Then Richard moved on from Blondin and we wanted to dissolve the partnership so we sold Memory through the sale. She was pregnant to Unstopabull and sold to Hodglynn and partners. It’s pretty cool to breed a national champion, and to have her by our own bull makes it extra special.’

ADMIRE

The herd has been built on a base of solid, home-bred cow families that in the ‘90s earned Riverdown a Master Breeder shield. However, a major contributor to the current herd is the Adeen family which today makes up approximately 50% of all animals. A star of that line is the picture cow, Riverdown Atwood Admire EX-93, who traces back through a 91 Sanchez and 91 Dundee to Adeen. She has an extensive group of heifers sired by such bulls as Lambda, Doorman and Dropkick. ‘The family breeds so consistently, and they have nice temperament and nice udders,’ comments Justin. A bull they continue to use is King Doc. They already have 4 EX daughters in the herd, two of which were the first King Doc’s to score EX in Canada.

‘They are hard topped cows with high, wide rear udders, not quite as open in the rib as you might like so you have to protect him in that regard,’ remarks Justin.

HEALTH MONITOR

The herd is milked through two Lely robots and on average cows are milked 2.7 times per day.

‘That’s down a little from about 2.8 in the past. As the herd gets a little larger the cows have to wait longer to get milked. I think if we were to go beyond 120 cows we would consider a third robot,’ explains Justin. Milking speed and the time for the robot to attach the milkers get special consideration. ‘Teat length and teat placement don’t seem to be a major problem. Reverse tilt to the udder is a bigger issue, and sometimes you get a 2-year-old that is a bit skittish and dances around making it hard for the robot to attach.’ Justin is especially pleased with the data generated on the cows, especially the monitoring for health. ‘I was away at the Royal last week but on the app on my phone I could watch for any cows with indications of health problems.’

TRITICALE

An improvement to the cropping program over recent years has been the growing of triticale.

‘We’ve found the key is to get the corn chopped early, say by the end of September, so that you can get the triticale in and well established before winter; then it will really do well for you in the spring,’ Justin explains. ‘If it is into October before it gets planted it doesn’t seem to do as well in the spring. We like to chop the triticale in early May if we can before it gets coarse. Then we follow that with soybeans, and we’ve had beans do just as well in double-cropped ground as with our other beans.’ l

The 8-year-old Riverdown Atwood Admire EX-93: A solid representative of the Adeen family at Riverdown.

John and Karen Velthuis with son Justin.

ROLLING SPRING

Premier x Deluxe Lyric-ET EX-92

• Nom. ABA AA 5-Year-Old 2022

• 6th, 1st Jr., Int. Jr. Jersey Show 2022

• Sr. Champion, Int. Jr. Jersey Show 2021

• Reserve Jr. All-American 4-Year-Old 2021

• Reserve Sr. & Reserve Grand Champion, WI Championship Jr. Jersey Show 2022 Daughters will sell!

Premier Breeder, 2021 WI Championship R&W Show Premier Breeder, District 7 Holstein Show 2019-2022

Girlpower! Girlpower!

Photos: Han Hopman