April 2020

Both the Grand Champion and the Reserve at this year’s International DairyWeek in Australia were bred in the Gardiner family’s Avonlea herd. Avonlea has long been regarded as one of the top breeder herds in the country –...

They are among the Holstein pioneers of Europe: the Ladina family from northern Italy. In HI’s previous issue (3/2020) we described how the Ladinas, after importing from Switzerland (Brown Swiss) and the Netherlands (Dut...

One of the new names on the North American Holstein scene is GenoSource, an enterprise that was formed for the express purpose of being one of the major sources of elite genetics for the industry. The operation combines...

On our photo pages this month, we turn our attention to the transmitter that in just six production years reached the magical milestone of one million in rapid tempo. Who also provided the Holstein breed with a resoundin...

‘Legacy was heavily used as a mating sire and we have genomic-tested over 800 sons to date,’ explains Jeff Ziegler (Select Sires), ‘this obviously is more than we need to market, but given his high genetic rank, seed sto...

A typical antagonism that the breed has been fighting with for generations is that of maternal and paternal calving ease. Calves that are born easily often experience difficulties when calving themselves. Expressed in te...

At the German breeding company RBB, the use of DNA sires is high: 75%. Even so, among the progeny proven bulls, one stands out – the Larcrest Commander son Calvo. ‘Especially after we had a daughter group on display, he...

With 3.12 gPTAT, he counts among the best that can be found in the polled sector for conformation at this time. Above all for the traits of leg angle, teat length and udder attachment he has outstanding values. In additi...

The deep D family owned by the Niermanns (KNS Holsteins) has already proven itself for generations. And with Belsan, this strong breeding German cow family has provided another high-scoring transmitter. Belsan is a Balis...

For two years already, Brekem has been the most used import bull in the Netherlands, while he also remains popular in several other countries. The Canadian red factor Bookem son is able to create loyal users with his man...

As you will have read in HI’s recent herd report on AOT Genetics in January, Cookiecutter MOM Halo has had a huge impact on their breeding programme. For example, Halo’s Supersire daughter Cookiecutter Has is the dam of...

A former Nr.1 gLPI female in Canada, Stantons McCutchen Agree, currently has two sons (Alligator and Adagio-P) in the Canadian top-10 proven sire list as well as a third son in the top-100. Another branch of the family p...

Aikman-daughter Loh Lilliaik VG-88 is a potential homebred 7th generation EX. She has three 100,000kg (220,000lb) milk cows in her pedigree, and more: it is believed there are no other 7th generation homebred EX cows in...

While udder and longevity specialist Unix (Uno-Regan-ALH Domain Daya EX-93) successfully represents the Raven family from Canada, his sister Ms Alphagen Daluna EX-90 (<Day) stands at the foundation of a rising family...

Dairy farming is a wonderful job like no other. But it also presents its fair share of challenges. There’s peace of mind knowing you have technology on your farm to help you stay in control and make your best better. Ned...

Scientists around the world have been searching for ways to reduce agriculture’s contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. Perhaps the most exciting discovery comes from Australia where researchers have identified a type...

The use of beef sires on lower-end genetic-merit cows has become a widespread trend in dairy herds around the world. Extensive use of sexed semen has enabled producers to breed all the herd replacements they need from th...

Avoiding heat stress for cows and the associated decreases in production and fertility is a main management topic in dairy farming, and this by now in almost all climatic zones. One of the most important factors for the...