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
