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The Glennen family has been farming at Noorat for more than 100 years. Con and his wife Michelle are the current family custodians of the dairy business after Con came back to the farm in 1992 to help milk for a month and never left.
Con”s grandparents bought the original 32 ha farm and had 15 kids — the youngest of which was Con”s dad. Siblings Jack, Con and Bernadetta have lived on the property all their life and there is an extremely proud family history associated with the land.
The Glennen family also know a thing or two about cows, and certainly breeding good ones.
Their Jersey herd is currently sitting number two on the recently released April Australian Breeding Values herd list.
Both Con and Michelle are proud of their herd and have worked hard on the genetics to make it one of the top herds in the country, but as Con is quick to point out, he did start with a good base.
‘We had a good Jersey herd back in 1992 and we have just worked at building it up over the years,’ he said.
‘We are a commercial herd and all our breeding decisions are built around the fact we are here to make milk.
‘We have had a few bulls go into AI over the years, but nothing beats a milk cheque,’ Con said with a laugh.
The family milk 400 split calving cows on 200 ha and also have 100 ha of out paddocks. Their breeding philosophy is quite simple.
We breed the best to the best and hope for the best,’ Con said.
Although they both agree that great cows don”t always pass great genetics on, as was the case with Whitestar Konui 4916.
‘She was a beautiful cow with fantastic production who produced two bulls into AI,’ Michelle said.
‘She never gave us a heifer until we used embryo transfer, but both those heifers never shined like their mum: there was only ever one Konui.’
The family base all their breeding decisions on data they have gained from years and years of herd testing. They were also one of the founding farms involved in the DataGene Ginfo project.
‘Good cow data equals good cow decisions and a long history of data has been great for us,’ Con said.
Their in-calf rate sits around 80 per cent for a nine-week joining period.
‘I think that”s a pretty good result for a reasonable production herd that produces in excess of 600 kgs of milk solids each lactation,’ Con said.
When it comes to joining, most of the herd is joined using conventional semen.
We will use sexed semen if the right bull comes along but we have had some mixed results over the years,’ Con said.
While the business is very much into breeding heifers and milk, if a good bull comes along they certainly don”t let it go to waste.
In fact, over the past 30 years, they have had about 40 bulls under the Whitestar prefix find their way into AI, and 2019 is certainly proving to be one of the best years yet.
They currently have the top three bulls on the genomics BPI list: WhiteStar Douggan BPI 280, WhiteStar Publican BPI 273 and WhiteStar Dobson BPI 252.
Whitestar Valenblast is sitting in fifth with a BPI of 229. ‘We are very chuffed with that result,’ Con said.
‘We have never had that happen to us before and it is a credit to the whole team”s hard work.’
Currently Con and Michelle have two of their boys home, working on the farm. They have plans to increase herd numbers up to about 500 in the future.
‘Our future here on the farm is looking pretty good but as for the dairy industry as a whole, I am not so sure,’
Con said. ‘I think there will be bigger farms in the future but less of them, still family owned, but operated under a corporate structure. There will always be a market of some sort for milk in Australia.’
And just like the many decades before, it will still be produced at the same beautiful little spot just outside Noorat by a herd of outstanding Jerseys and a member of the Glennen family.
At least, that”s the plan.

Article courtsey of Crazycow. To find the full article, click here

A passion for breeding cows and a love for the Australian Holstein has been the driving force behind the success of Gippsland dairy farmers, Trevor and Tracy Henry. Thirty-five years dedicated to their Wilara breeding program has seen them amass an enviable roll of Holstein production and performance awards, earning them the prestigious Master Breeder title in 2018.

Wilara Holsteins currently sits at no. 8 on the Australian Herd BPI rankings, with progeny consistently appearing among the top of the index charts. At the same time, Wilara-bred cows regularly feature among the winners at local shows and on Farm competitions.

Trevor runs the farm, based at Tinamba in the Macalister irrigation district, with his wife Tracy, nephew Damion and son Oakley, who recently returned to the operation to complete his farming traineeship. irrigation water from the Glenmaggie Weir is used on about 120 hectares of rye, clover and Lucerne to feed the split calving herd of between 450- 500 registered Holsteins. the year-round grazing is supplemented by hay and silage, with some concentrates fed in the dairy. An additional 200 hectares are leased for growing fodder crops and raising young stock.

‘We used to run quite a high input operation but have reduced our supplements down to 6 kg to run a more economical system,’ trevor says. ‘that”s the strength of the Australian Holstein. she is a unique cow that can produce high volumes of milk and solids off a grazing system, yet also respond to a high input system. she has the strength and capacity to look after herself, while also possessing the ability to efficiently convert feed into milk.’

Trevor”s ideal cow produces large volumes of solids, is very functional, medium in stature, and displays enough strength to sustain good health and fertility.

‘Components are very important – I can”t handle a cow that does not produce a lot of solids.’ Trevor”s obsession for breeding sees him eagerly await the latest catalogues and breeder magazines. studying them intensely, trevor selects bulls from the top of the lists, looking at their individual traits and matching them to his herd.

‘Oman (o-bee Manfred Justice) was a bull that worked well here. We used him a lot even before he was popular. He was at the top of the rankings and an extreme calving ease sire, so we used him over maiden heifers for 4 years running. We ended up milking over 60 daughters – they were fantastic animals.’ trevor said.

For trevor, breeding is about complementing a cow”s strengths and weaknesses with each mating.

‘I”m lucky in that I have an inherent dataset of what a cow family has done in the past. A particular combination may seem obvious, but I could choose something different because I know what the grandmother was like.’

Wilara has several maternal lines making their impact on the charts, including their Kalypso, trace and Persia families. However, it”s the Wilara Jo family that continues to stamp itself as one of Australia”s leading cow families.

Launched into focus

The Jo family traces back to the grade cow “Della”, bought in the 1960s. of her six daughters, it was the Engsta royal Beau daughter, Wilara e.B. Majella App4 who formed the foundation. ‘Majella was a magnificent uddered cow,’ trevor remembers.

In 1991, Majella”s daughter Wilara tapa Joella App3 vG85 stP was among Trevor”s first cows to be classified, awarded the maximum score for a dry cow at the time of vG85 and superior total Performance by Holstein classifier Graeme Hopf.

‘Joella was only a small-framed cow but she had a great udder. At the time she was rising 15 years old, pregnant and dry, and in the turn-out block, but Graeme was happy to go down the road to see her.’ in the early “90s, among the chart toppers in the first release of Australia”s newest breeding index, the ASI (Australia selection index) was a descendent of Joella, the Pickard-Acres Vic Kai daughter, Wilara Kai Jo vG86 (g) stP 5* life1 BPi+19 Asi +114.

Descendants of Kai Jo grabbed the spotlight in 2018 when dean Malcolm, Bluechip Genetics, selected Wilara silver Jessica GP81 as his winning 2-year-old for east Gippsland OFC. dean also selected a pair of maternal sisters, Wilara Atley Jo vG85 and Wilara Medal Jo vG87 as his winning 3-year-old and 5-year-old. the daughters of Wilara Palermo Jo GP84 also featured at the 2018 east Gippsland Feature show at sale, placing second in their classes, before winning the breeder”s pen of three with herd mate Wilara Buddha trace vG89.

‘The Atley is a great uddered young cow with loads of texture,’ trevor said. ‘Her Medallion sister also has a great udder, with terrific bone and rib – she”s a cow that is “dripping wet” to look at.’

Another descendant of Kai Jo, Wilara Uno Jordette vG86 1xF BPI +378 was second in her 4-year-old class in the OFC in 2017, and is currently the highest BPI cow in the Wilara herd. Kai Jo is also the granddam of the highest classified Jo, Wilara Ho ladino Jemma eX-90-1e 1xM 1xF 1xP life 2 BPi +170. sporting an eX-91 mammary system, this massive production cow exceeded 11,000 litres and 745 kg solids on a first lactation, peaking at 13,274 litres and 930 kg milk solids as 6-year-old, with a lifetime total of 96,000 litres.

Kai Jo herself completed a lifetime record of 75,525 litres, 3.6% 2,716 kg protein, 4.5% 3,402 kg fat. it was her impressive production performance, combined with solid type scores, extreme components, chart topping indexes and somewhat alternative pedigree that caught the attention of Genetics Australia”s Breeding and Production Manager Peter Thurn.

‘Vic Kai was a bull that came into focus after the release of the Asi’ Peter said. ‘He transmitted really good longevity, and farmers milking Vic Kai daughters were really happy with them.’

‘Kai Jo was a typical Vic Kai daughter. she was a solid performer in a real no-nonsense herd. she had great components, and a cow that had matured into an honest VG cow. that”s been typical of Jo cow family. rock solid herd cows that are very honest and robust.’

On Peter”s first visit to Wilara, Kai Jo already had a yearling daughter by Shoremar Perfect star (showtime), Wilara Sho JoJo vG87 5*. excited by her striking style and texture, Peter immediately asked trevor two questions… do you flush, and can we flush this heifer?

Sho JoJo was flushed to the top sires of the time, including the French protein specialist Gibbon, resulting in the daughters Wilara Gibbon Jiselle-et vG85 and Wilara Gibbon Janelle-et vG87, and the PT sire Wilara Jumbo (JuMBoJet). Sho JoJo also had sons Wilara Jacques (transfer) and Wilara divine JC (evangelist) sent through progeny testing, however it was her son Wilara donor Jonar (loMu) BPi+20, by elite Mountain donor (donor), who provided the breakthrough, debuting at no.#30 on the August 2005 Australian Profit ranking (APR).

Wilara Carey Jo (g) vG87 2xM 1xF 2xP BPi+62, a Marion dale Carey (Carey) daughter of Sho JoJo, produced four consecutive lactations over 10,000 litres, peaking at 12,302 litres, 3.1% 386 kg protein, 3.0% 373 kg fat, Pi 110 in 305 days.

‘Carey Jo was a beautiful cow,’ trevor said. ‘she was silky smooth textured and milked and milked and milked!’

Carey Jo is the fourth dam behind Wilara Oman Jo (g) vG87 1* 1xeP BPi+302 Asi+302, the matriarch behind the strongest branch of the Jo family today.

Oman Jo

Despite the fast-paced world of index breeding, Oman Jo, born in 2009, still sits at no. 95 on the BPi charts, and a staggering no. 8 on the Asi chart! ‘Oman Jo is a really sound, beautiful cow,’ trevor says. ‘she”s a big production cow with huge components, which is a trait she has consistently passed down.’

Oman Jo recently had an eye removed due to cancer, however still completed a top lactation of 12,071litres, 3.6% 438kg protein 4.6% 552 kg fat in 305 days with a PI 131.

A flush to sea-Gull Bay silver provided the high genomic daughters Wilara Argent Jo-et (g) vG85 BPi+292 and Wilara sBs Jo- et (g) GP81 BPi+292. Another flush to the high milk flow USA sire Uecker Supersire Josuper produced the genomic sire Wilara Josuper Jo-et (g) (Giles).

‘Giles daughters are a carbon copy of Oman Jo. You can really see her influence in her son”s daughters.’

With a BPi(g)+311 and Asi(g) +238, Giles is predicted to be a big production improver, sitting at no.#5 of the top available sires ranked on Asi. the no.#1 available bull on Asi is a grandson of Oman Jo, Wilara rookie Jo-et (Wookie) BPi(g) +347 Asi(g) +276.

Sired by de-su rookie from a Country road Canbee (Canbee) daughter of Oman Jo, Wookie has been a popular young sire for Genetics Australia, with trevor having enough confidence in his bull to use him as a flush sire.

‘Wookie”s genomics have come out exactly as we”d hoped for,’ trevor says. ‘He displays a perfect combination of both his dam and his sire. We recently flushed a Jedi (s-s-I Montross Jedi) daughter of Uno Jordette to Wookie, which will be a double cross of the Jo family.’

A maternal sister to Wookie currently sits at no. 4 on Australia”s female genomic BPI list. Born in September 2018, Wilara Perseus Jo (g) BPi +376 displays high genomic figures for daughter fertility +112, feed conversion +108 and an Asi +251, with extraordinary figures for fat and protein %.

‘The Canbee dam of Wookie and Perseus Jo is a beautifully framed cow,’ Trevor says. ‘she has super high components and has fantastic texture which is a real Jo family trait. Great textured cows that give a lot of milk and are cows that last.’

Canbee Jo is set for a flush in March to the current no.#1 Twi sire le-o-la Mogul Gambler Twi(g) +400. trevor is also planning a flush for Perseus Jo when she”s old enough.

Oman Jo is currently in-calf to Wilara Hero Kade (Kade) BPi(g)+356, an Endco Superhero son from Trevor”s Kalypso family, sitting at no.#16 on the BPi(g) list, and may be flushed again when fresh if the budget allows.

Giving back

Over recent years, trevor has been able to combine his passion for the Australian Holstein, and what he describes as “an inherited need to put back in”, by joining the board of Genetics Australia, sitting as Chairman for the last three years.

It is a role trevor has enjoyed as he hopes to lift the profile of the Australian Holstein both locally and overseas.

‘I am incredibly proud of the history of Genetics Australia, and the Australian Holstein. Australian breeders should be really proud of the unique animal they have developed. they have combined the very best genetics from around the world to produce an animal that is both unique and world class.’

Trevor Henry”s passion for breedingdairy cows was recently recognisedwith a Holstein Australia Master
Breeders Award. But more importantly, hispassion has infected his family, with hisson and nephew sharing his commitmentto breeding for continuous improvement.

Mr Henry, of Tinamba, is a third-generation dairy farmer in Gippsland”sMacalister Irrigation District, Victoria. He
began his career at 12 years old, helpinghis father choose and breed bulls. Hisparents bought him his first Holstein studcow when he was 15 years old and heregistered his stud prefix, Wilara.

Fast forward 30 years and he ischairman of Genetics Australia (GA) andcurrently has three bulls in its top four
Breed Performance Index statistics. Healso runs the farm with son, Oakley, asan apprentice, and nephew, Damien, asassistant manager. Oakley and Damienare building equity, breeding their ownregistered cows in the herd.

Trevor and Tracey Henry milk 450 to500 Holstein cows off 365 ha (900 acres).Most of their farm is leased country, witha summer water right on 145 ha (360acres) and year-round irrigation availableon 110 ha (272 acres). Among the irrigatedblocks, 13 ha (32 acres) is sown to maizeand 12 ha (30 acres) to turnips.
‘We focus on producing silage frommaize,’ Mr Henry said.

The number of milkers varies dependingon seasonal conditions and cost of feed.Lactation ranges from 300 to 400 days.The herd is joined using artificialinsemination and 10–15 cows arerecipients of embryo transfers each year.
‘We use the income from the bullsregistered with Genetics Australia to payfor ET,’ Mr Henry said.

He is particularly proud of the threebulls, out of three separate cow families,that are high ranking with GA.
He credits his approach to patience andhis spare time is spent studying geneticsand breeding tables.
‘We”re quite fortunate to be able to builda really strong base over time,’ Mr Henrysaid.

‘We”ve focused on breeding high-producing cow families, with secondarytraits of mastitis resistance, fertility, feed
saved and heat tolerance.
‘The heat tolerance breeding value willbecome more important. ‘Breeding is very fulfilling work.Cementing high daughter fertility and feedutilisation in families gives me confidenceI”m producing a really high production value
in the resulting calves.

‘One of his oldest cow families is the Pline. From the original cow, there are sevendaughters and 120 descendants in theherd.
‘Four different lines of that familyare producing bulls in the GA system,’Mr Henry said.
He has had considerable success withanother foundation cow family in the herd,Oman Jo.
‘Three of these lines are proving goodbull mothers,’ Mr Henry said.

‘One of the 2018 Jo heifer calves ratessecond in Australia on genomic testing.’

In 2017, he began genomically testingall heifer calves. While the business onlyneeds about 110 heifers each year, anannual excess of 70 to 90 are sold asyearlings into the export market.
‘We”ve found the export heifersaveraged 150 BPI. There”s no differentialpremium for what you get paid. For me, it”sabout the personal rewards of breeding,knowing those heifers could go intoAustralian herds,’ Mr Henry said.

‘The ideal would be if the market wasable to genomically test all animals atthree months old. That gives the farmer
opportunities to make better decisions.’

He now aims to genomically test allcalves from performance-proven familieswithin their first month. He has a resultantgroup of calves called The Specials that arehoused separately and fed accordingly.
Bull calves are kept or culled againstdam performance.

‘We have brought prominent high-performing cow families into the herd, and
our herd families consistently performbetter,’ Mr Henry said.

‘The strength of my cow families keepsbeing consistency in the progeny they”rebreeding. That results from depth in theherd from years of breeding.
‘Our ABV is about producing a cow thatis the most efficient at converting feed intomilk solids.’

Receiving the Holsteins Australia MasterBreeders Award came out of left field andhe still doesn”t know who nominated him.
He received a telephone call to urge him toattend the HA AGM in Tasmania.
‘I was smack bang in the middle ofjoining and had just synchronised theheifers,’ Mr Henry said.

Minimum criteria to qualify for theaward include being a member of Holsteins
Australia for 20 years and the herd accruing1075 breed points. Mr Henry has been amember in excess of 20 years and received2110 points.

‘I just get on and get the cows milked.The Award recognised what I”m doingagainst some very good breeders,’
Mr Henry said.

Article courtsey of Crazycow. To find the full article, clickhere

Lisa Broad developed a love andpassion for the Jersey breed fromquite a young age.

Growing up on the family farm instilledin her a love that has only gotten strongeras the years have progressed in fact, whenLisa was a teenager, she even gave up aspot in a representative netball team soshe could continue to show cows on theweekend.

‘I just love cows and it has always beenabout them,’ Lisa said.

Lisa worked in the embryo collectionfield and was the first ever female Jerseyclassifier in Australia.
She is one of the few women to spendtime on the Jersey Australia board in anofficial capacity and currently holds theposition of vice president and chairpersonof the breed development committee.

Farming with her husband Lynton andson Gavin, the family runs Broadlin Jerseyson 220 ha at Lockington.
The Broadlin name is synonymous withchampion cows.

And there certainly have been a few overthe years.

Echo Downs Silver Bubbles, a cow Lisabred before marrying Lynton, caused a stirback in the mid 1990s when the Americanand Canadian judges of the JerseyShowcase crowned her back-to-back Grand
Champion, gaining admirers worldwide.Silver Bubbles went on to become anextremely successful foundation cow in theBroadlin herd, producing 14 daughters. Shedied at 22 years of age, after spending herretirement years happily roaming the farm.

In recent times, Broadlin Illusion 2817has been another great cow for the family. She was named Supreme ChampionJersey exhibit in 2015 and returned in 2018to be named Reserve Senior Champion andBest Udder.

Illusion 2817 might now be retired fromthe show ring but her progeny is starting toshine and make its mark in the ring.
‘The highlight for us this year wasto have three of her daughters, BroadlinIllusion 3341-ET (now owned by the
Easterbrook family,) Broadlin Illusion 3354-ET and Broadlin Illusion 3355-ET standfirst, second and fourth respectively in theirclass and that just gave me goose bumps,’Lisa said.

‘To think not only did we breed themother, but successful generations onfrom her — she has been the cow that
we”ve had most public comment on – herudder is just phenomenal.’

The Constance family has also donevery well for the Broads. But not only does the family excel inshowing cows, they have also had quite abit of success in breeding bulls to enter AItoo.

They currently have five bulls in thesystem with strong daughter proofs,including Aussiegold, who is one of the
first polled Australian bred bulls be usedin Australia and worldwide. He has milkingdaughters in the US, South Africa, NewZealand and South America.
‘To think we have daughters all over theworld out of something we have producedhere in Lockington is pretty awesome and abit surreal actually,’ Lisa said.

Flowerpower was used in the herd 30years ago and created a sound foundation,while recent bulls like Astound, Vanahelmand Raceway have offered the completepackage of type, production and strength.
And that”s where attention to breedinghas paid off over the years.

Broadlin were recently honoured with aplace on the Genetics Australia Honour Rollfor their contribution to Jersey genetics.
‘Breeding has always been aboutproduction, but keeping type in mind aswell, and we would never keep a bull to
sell to other dairy farmers that we weren”tprepared to use on our own cows,’ Lisa said.

A dozen bulls are reared each year andeach one is genomically tested.

‘The criteria changes and the barkeeps rising every year for bulls to enterAI. Sometimes our animals might drop offand we have nothing and then we can belucky enough to hit a green patch and thatseems to be where we are at the moment,’Lisa said.

‘It is an equally great feeling to breed asuccessful bull, but it is a different feelingto see something you own looking greatand parading around the show ring — bothare very proud moments for us.’

Despite Broadlins considerable success,the Broads and in particular Lisa, remainmodest about their achievements.
‘I guess when you sit back and lookat it, I have done a bit over the years,’ shesmiled.
Lisa was awarded the inaugural Powerof Women in Dairy Bette Hall award for2019.

An emotional and ever-modest Lisa wassurprised to receive the award. ‘You don”t do these things expecting
to be recognised; cows have just been mylife and my passion and I have been luckyenough to share that all with my familyalong the way,’ she said.

Article courtsey of Crazycow. To find the full article, clickhere

Northern Victoria has beenrecognised for its breedingprowess, achieving the numberone herd in four of the sixbreeds calculated underAustralian Breeding Values(ABVs) — including a nationwidefirst.

But despite being recognised asthe best herd in three breeds, one dairyfarmer said he was not putting too much weight in the results and has called for anindependent analysis of the index.

Katunga”s Daryl Hoey achieved the topHolstein, Jersey and Australian Red breed in the release of the December results in anever-before-achieved feat.

Mr Hoey has previously held the numberone Jersey herd and the second-bestHolstein herd, but said he was surprised bythe latest results.

‘It does take years and a certain amountof luck … I knew I was there or thereaboutsbut I fully expected not to be the top Jerseyherd, so I was a bit surprised to hold ontothat one,’ he said.
Mr Hoey”s 300-strong herd is a mix ofabout 70 per cent Jersey and 15 per centeach of Holstein and Aussie Reds.

Yet he said it was still the milk chequethat paid the bills and he would rather havean extra three tonnes per hectare of feed.
‘I don”t believe it adds anymore to mybottom line, it doesn”t drive profit,’ he said.

‘I do think I”ve probably changed mythinking in the past 10 years or so, butI don”t believe ABVs reflect what is bestsuited for Australian conditions. I thinkthey”re more designed for Americanconditions.

‘I think we need a completelyindependent analysis of the index.’When it comes to introducing newgenetics into his herd, it is a focus onfertility, mastitis resistance and greateremphasis on fat than protein thatinfluences his decision-making.

‘It”s all about profit,’ he said.

‘For me when I look at a farmingsystem, it”s about control. (Split calving)cows give me better control and I think it”sabout being disciplined and not continuallychanging the system to suit the cows, butmaking the cows fit the system … I thinkthat”s part of what”s diluting the profit indairying,’ he said.

‘I think an assumption that a cow thatproduces more milk than the next cow isbetter is wrong and flawed.’

And, with three breeds making their waythrough the dairy, Mr Hoey said for his farmmanagement it was key that the Holsteinsand Reds were made to compete in aJersey herd, rather than altering the systemto suit the naturally larger breeds.

Rochester”s Restdown Pastoral wasagain recognised as the top Brown Swissherd in the ABV release, with Dingee”s BenGovett”s herd ranked second.

Trevor Saunders and Anthea Day fromAraluen Park in Gippsland were recognisedfor the best Ayrshire herd in the country,while South Australian L and J Cleggetttook out the top Guernsey breed honours.

The rankings are based onBalanced Performance Index, a blendof ABVs for the traits that influence adairy cow”s contribution to the farmbusiness — production, fertility, functionaltype, survival, cell count, workability andfeed saved.”

Article courtsey of Crazycow. To find the full article, clickhere

Brookbora Jersey is a familiar name around the dairying circles of International Dairy Week. Robert and Sandra Bacon started visiting Dairy Week 25 years ago but it was 10 years before they took the plunge and finally stepped into the show ring.

Both Robert and Sandra love a goodcow and their 260-cow herd at Tennysonis testament to their decades of soundbreeding decisions. But if it was up to the couple initially,that”s where the cows would havestayed — chewing their cud on the irrigatedpasture at Tennyson.

But son Daniel has always had otherideas, and from a young age took an avidinterest in showing.

And show cattle they have.
IDW is now a permanent fixture on thecalendar amongst a couple of other Jerseyshows and the family, after many years, isnow comfortable participating on the showcircuit.
This year the family was awardedPremier Breeder.

They were excited to finally win thehonour after coming close a few yearspreviously.
‘We don”t breed for show cows.It”s always been about running a dairybusiness and producing milk, but if we do
breed a good animal she will find her wayinto the show team,’ Sandra said.

This year, the Brookbora team consistedof eight milkers and three heifers — allplaced in the top 10, bar one.
Brookbora Standard Lady 306 (ASKN)placed second in the two-year-old inmilk class while five-year-old BrookboraValentino Fair Mavis (pictured) placed thirdin the five-year-old class.

Daniel and Robert bounce breedingideas off each other and the stud has hadparticular success with the bulls TBone,Vanahlem and Valentino.

In fact, Brookbora Tbone Bonita 2ndhas been in the championship line-upseven times in her career and was namedchampion four-year-old in the GreatAustralian Challenge in 2017.
In December she was classified a 94point cow.
The family are awaiting a daughter tocome into the herd in autumn and like allfarmers, were saddened when they lost oneof her progeny as a two-year-old.

‘Breeding cows is what has kept us hereover the years. We love the enjoyment weget out of it and the challenge of alwaystrying to improve our genetics. Some ofour show animals have been sired by ourown bulls or bulls we have had a hand inbreeding, which is a lot of work, but alsoextremely rewarding,’ Robert said.

The couple breed for all the usual thingsincluding production, longevity and soundudders, and the depth of a pedigree isalways something they consider.
‘We use genomics as a tool but it is notthe be-all-and-end-all for us,’ Robert said.

The herd is calved in April and again inAugust.
The heifers run with their own homebred bulls while the milking herd is all AI. The family has had numerous bulls findtheir way into AI, including mature age bullAskn, while others have been exportedoverseas and sold across Australia.

Recent tough times have left the coupledeeply concerned about the future for theindustry and Daniel, who is determinedto eventually take over the running of thefarm.

‘Daniel wanting to take over the farmis a great thing but the way the industry isgoing, politically and environmentally, it isbecoming more and more of a challenge,’Robert said.

‘We were the same when we started butwe have become a little jaded by the toughtimes now,’ Sandra said.
Despite tough times, the couple agreesthere is nothing quite like taking a moment,walking through the herd and soaking it allin.
‘Sometimes you do just have to take astep back and appreciate what you have,where you have been and where you hopeto be in the future,’ Sandra said.

And I am sure the Bacons will be backat IDW with more Brookbora cows in thefuture.

Article courtsey of Crazycow. To find the full article, clickhere

Alan and Janine Carson fromCairnbrae Jerseys at Irrewillipealready knew Cairnbrae ValentinoDaisy 11 was a pretty special cow – afterall, she currently holds the honour of thenumber one BPI cow in the country.

She classified 94 points in spring, andafter International Dairy Week 2019, shecan add Senior and Grand ChampionJersey along with Reserve Champion AllBreeds to her already impressive CV. ‘We think she is one of the elite cows inthe country but not only that, she is lovely tempered cow to work with in the herd andshe produces heifer calves,’ Janine said.

The couple took only three cows toIDW this year: Valentino Daisy 2, whowon the six-year-old class; Valentino 16,
who was third in her class and last year”sintermediate champion; and of course, thesuccessful Valentino Daisy.
The trio also won pen of three owned bythe exhibitor.

Janine said 2019 had been theirmost successful year at IDW to date –something she attributed to their hard work
and determination over the past decade.

‘We won reserve champion in 2005 andonly missed one IDW in-between; it hastaken us fourteen years to get where wedid this year,’ she said. ‘Winning intermediate champion withValentino Daisy 16 last year was a highlight
for us in 2018 but this year has certainlytopped that.’

The Daisy line was introduced to theCairnbrae herd in 1948 and while thereare several branches, Janine said the onecharacteristic they all shared was theirability to breed exceptionally well.
The Carson family are proud they havebeen able to breed such a strong family into their herd, and of course, they areparticularly proud of Daisy 16. They currently have 52 Valentino Daisycows in the herd and they believe Valentinohas been one of the best sires they haveever used.

As a classifier for 38 years, Alan’spassion has always been cows andthroughout it all, Janine has workedalongside and supported him.She was just as excited by the win asAlan.

‘Alan knows what a great cow lookslike and his philosophy has always beento breed a good, strong dairy cow first andthen the show cow will follow down thetrack,’ Janine said.

Janine also added that showing wasan expensive hobby so the cows mostdefinitely needed to pay their way.
‘It has been a lifelong dream for Alan tofinally get what he calls his ‘Black Caviar’rug with our own bloodlines, but he is notready to retire yet,’ she said.

‘I am sure we will be back again nextyear.’

Article courtsey of Crazycow.To find the full article, clickhere

Australia”s largest bovine genetics supplier, Genetics Australia Co-operative, has sold a 125ha property near Bacchus Marsh on Melbourne”s fringe to a property developer for $14.65 million.

A five-year settlement will allow Genetics Australia to plan its transition from the Parwan Park South site. Proceeds from the sale will be used by GA to invest in new technology and research to benefit shareholders and the Australian dairy and beef industries.

Genetics Australia holds a large semen catalogue of Angus, Red Angus, Shorthorn, Charolais and Simmental beef donor sires and various dairy breed sires for commercial sale, as well as selling insemination equipment and other AI merchandise. The co-op owns a herd of 350 donor bulls.

The Parwan Park South property was purchased by GA in 1986 and has been used as a quarantine facility for bulls prior to their admission to the co-op”s main collection and EU facility.

The sale was overwhelmingly supported by cooperative shareholders and endorsed by the GA Board, with 98.5 percent of the responding members voting in favour of the sale.

CEO Anthony Shelly said the opportunity to sell the property emerged from land use changes in the local shire and presented an opportunity ‘too good to ignore.’

‘The co-op is in a strong position and wants to create a positive future by accessing new technology,’ Mr Shelly said. ‘This opportunity to reinvest in research and technology will set a positive path for the next two decades. It will allow the co-op to invest in developing the next generation of the best bulls and genetics to deliver profitability for our farming family members.’

He said GA had capability on its remaining properties to cover the loss of Parwan Park South while it evaluates other options for relocation over the next five years.

‘We can manage long-term without that property, but we need to transition those activities to either our second Birregurra property or potentially a new greenfield site,’ he said.

‘Nothing is locked in and we will continue to evaluate the current main farm site on the outskirts of Bacchus Marsh and other options.’

PERU and China are becoming hot markets for Australia’s red dairy genetics, with Genetics Australia chief executive officer Anthony Shelly saying Australian Red demand grows each year.

‘The past year we have seen new markets open up in Peru and China and when we present the advantages the Australian Red offers there is immediate interest and farmers are keen to try some,’ he said.

After two years of establishing a health protocol, the first order to Peru and has just been exported, including Australian Red bulls.

China has recently placed its second order.

‘This would be the largest single order we have ever received for Red semen to be exported,’ Mr Shelly said.

In the past year, Genetics Australia has also exported Red semen to several other Latin American and Asian countries, the United States, Europe and New Zealand.

‘We see repeat sales when heifers begin milking so this is always a good sign,’ he said. ‘It”s a long time from the time of export to when a heifer commences milking, and for this reason we are very excited about the future sales potential in China.”

Mr Shelly said the success of export sales could not have come at a better time as Genetics Australia has recently committed as a platinum sponsor of the International Red Dairy Breed Federation conference to be held in Australia in late March. Beginning in SA, the post conference tour will travel through south-west Vic and conclude in Gippsland, including a tour of the Genetics Australia farm.

Article was published by The Stock & Land.