ASTOUND Is he the greatest Type and Production Sire the Jersey breed has seen? By Peter Smith There have been many great sires in the history of the Jersey breed but few can lay claim to the credentials of ASTOUND – Molly Brook Berretta Fabulous. Could he be the greatest of them all? ASTOUND was recently laid to rest after making a significant contribution to the development of the Jersey breed in Australia. ASTOUND was bred from the heart of one of the breeds leading cow families, the Flowers from Molly Brook. The Flowers have produced top sires in all Jersey populations and this family has consistently been able to produce top sires over many years. ASTOUND’s sire Mason Farms Boomer Sooner Berretta and his maternal grand sire Highland Duncan Lester were two other greats of the breed that have played a part in the international success of ASTOUND. ASTOUND was imported as a calf from the USA and he was progeny tested as part of Genetics Australia’s 1995 progeny test team. His impressive pedigree enticed LIC to also test the bull in New Zealand.
Genetics Australia Jersey Breeding Manager Alan Blum said that ASTOUND was the last live import from the USA by Genetics Australia. Before him Genetics Australia had an extensive importation program of live bulls and embryos. “In 1994 we where still looking at the US population, as the genetics from other Jersey populations where also gaining momentum. SOLUKE from Australia and TARANAK from New Zealand graduated in the same year and both bulls outperformed previous North American imports. We were looking for potential embryos and if the right live bull came along we still had the option of importing him. After countless pedigrees had been screened the bull was purchased in the All American Sale. His name was Molly Brook Berretta Fabulous who was then code named ASTOUND when he arrived in Australia.”. ASTOUND graduated as one of the top production bulls of the day, but it was his outstanding type that made him a unique sire.His initial proof was very good but it was the success of his second crop daughters that made ASTOUND unique. He maintained his great production proof but improved on both Overall Type and Udders to push out these traits to the best the JerseyJournal October/November 2007 —
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