November 2022

Although Italy has a leading role in Europe with more than 1.4 million Holstein cows, the most northern region of the country plays hardly any role this perception. And that, we are finding, should change. While South Ty...

Nothing is impossible on the farm of the Madec family in Hanvec in the far western part of Brittany, near the Atlantic Ocean. Here bull dams perform – then and now – and elite show cows reach European levels. All present...

He is Germany’s Nr.1 and a highly requested sire of sons, that much is clear. But his outstanding RZG is based on special characteristics. Pröbstings Arizona, the Arrozo son that goes back to Pride Ramos Toward, is, abov...

‘Cow families are extremely important to us, because we are looking for predictability in breeding results.’ Betsy Bullard from Brigeen Farms attaches great value to the carefully constructed cow families on her modern d...

‘In Switzerland, we are thrilled to have such a high production and fitness bull with correct conformation.’ Jürg Stoll from Swissgenetics is referring to Ewing who (after Ranger-Red) is the highest indexing Red Holstein...

While the genomic top-lists almost everywhere in the world are increasingly populated with high polled sires, high daughter-proven polled bulls continue to be a rare commodity. This is particularly true for daughter-prov...

One of the young and enthusiastic dairy farmers and breeders from Canada, without a doubt, is Tony van Lith. His “Valiant” prefix is quickly gaining recognition, also in part due to the success of the young all-rounder V...

Germany has three Bomaz AltaTopshot sons. Masterrind tested Topstone and Topmodel. Both of them had an attractive daughter group at the Schau der Besten. A short while later, Topstone debuted as Germany’s progeny proven...

Lonestar carries Sandy-Valley breeding on both the top and bottom sides of his pedigree, combining the Cosmopolitan family behind his sire Conway with the Rudy Missy family. ‘Unfortunately his Legacy dam was lost as a he...

In a time where breeding is producing ever higher breeding values at a swift tempo, this story is well suited to the breeding romantics. Birkentree Clover is a bull dam who does not conform to the pattern of the modern b...

‘Until then we had been successful at local shows. This year for the first time, we competed for prizes at the national level.’ Thomas Just, the herd manager on the 540 milking cow farm of Hans Skovgaard near the city of...

Delta-Lambda has attracted admirers around the globe, a true ‘cross-over’ bull combining solid production with great type and impressive udders. The Delta son from the Lila Z family did not get many opportunities as a si...

The Roxy family has developed the status of royalty in Holstein breeding, with a reputation built on consistent, long-lasting brood cows and solid transmitting bulls. However, one aspect that has typically eluded the Rox...

Here is the background of her enthusiastic young breeder Aaron Smith and his Legend-Maker prefix.

Anyone visiting the World Dairy Expo expects to see the cream of the crop of the Holstein breed. This statement is unlikely to surprise, but perhaps you still remember the year 2010. In that year it seemed that more prom...

KI Samen was established in 1982 by Antoon van Nieuwenhoven and dairy farmers Bas and Theo Engelen. Forty years later, this privately-owned Dutch AI company still exudes lots of enthusiasm and passion, but has also certa...

3Star-OH Ranger-Red, a much talked about elite sire for gLPI and gTPI. Visstein-3Star Gavino-Red, nr.1 bull in Spain. The Swiss Red Holstein leader Dykster-3Star Ewing-SG. Tirsvad-3Star Member, red PP sensation in German...

‘Always a fun exercise and a difficult one as well. Yet we continue to focus on providing altenative bloodlines, that still do not steer our program off the firm objectives for user profitability.’ These words from Jeff...

This splendid, colourful photograph in the eastern Netherlands was taken by Han Hopman of dam Bosgoed Gre 241 and her son Bosgoed Black Pete (<Aurora Jeroen; Holstein). So far, the strong-legged, fifteen-year-old Gre 241...

For the very first time in Dairy Breeds International: an article about the oldest herdbook organization in the US, the American Jersey Cattle Association (AJCA). This organization was established already in 1868, but th...

Ed Crossland is the owner of a small dairy farm with Holsteins and Guernseys (Gladheart) in western Maryland, near West Virginia. Although his interest originally lie especially with Holsteins, he also became strongly in...

‘Customers of KI Kampen who use FH sires are especially looking for problem-free grazing animals in large herds. They are not looking for a few toppers, per se. As much as possible, they want a minimal number of dropouts...

It is not the first time that we report on Lakenvelder cattle in a DBI issue. And the breed, which most dairy farmers know as Dutch Belted, is going through such a dynamic development that it can no longer be ignored. In...

‘GGI-Spermex is the leading export organization for Fleckvieh and Brown Swiss world-wide,’ says Martin Wimmer from GGI-Spermex. ‘The fact that Germany has the largest Fleckvieh and Brown Swiss populations, and manages th...

Of course, France is known for breeds like Holstein and Normande. And, of course, the numerous beef breeds. But did you know that France is also becoming an increasingly bigger source of top Brown Swiss genetics? And tha...

She was the clear choice for number one by the voting public, Blondin Goldwyn Subliminal. And both the official judges included her in their placings too, with the combined points carrying her to the Global Cow title. Wi...