2010 Holstein Association USA Herds of Excellence Recognized

Brattleboro, Vt. (May 17, 2010)…Holstein Association USA is excited to honor ten breeders who have qualified for the 2010 Herd of Excellence recognition.

These herds have all met the stringent criteria to qualify for the award: Must be 25 percent above breed average Mature Equivalent (ME) for milk, fat, and protein; must have classified within the last year and have an actual average classification score of 83 points or higher; must have at least 70 percent of the herd homebred; and must be enrolled in the Association’s TriStar program.

Read on for profiles of these outstanding member herds.

Joseph Brantmeier
Hilrose Holsteins, Sherwood, Wis.

Joe Brantmeier operates Hilrose Holsteins, along with sons Andy and Jeff, milking 110 cows twice a day in their tiestall barn. The herd has ME production averages of 33,445 pounds of milk, 1,300 pounds of fat and 961 pounds of protein, with an average classification score of 84.62. The herd is 84.16 percent homebred.

Hilrose has been enrolled in Holstein COMPLETE since the program began. They also use the EASY software and Tag ID to register their calves, with a button tag put in at birth and custom tags ordered at the time of registrations. They have been a Progressive Genetics Herd for three years with an average CTPI of +1432 in 2009, and have received PBR recognition for 20 years.

The Brantmeiers’ goal is to develop cows with long productive lives. Joe and his sons discuss mating decisions and have equal input into bulls that are used in the herd. A strong emphasis is placed on overall type, with good components and high udder composite, selecting from the top bulls in the breed.

Joe recognizes the added value that Registered Holsteins provide, as the family has developed a good marketing program to help capitalize on that. They are able to market several fresh heifers each year to repeat buyers, regularly consign animals to sales, have sold bulls to AI and exported embryos.

Several animals at the farm have achieved high lifetime production records and classification scores, which Joe feels he can attribute to solid care year round. An example of this would be Bur-Rodz Encore Rebecca EX-93 3E, who was purchased by Jeff as a heifer. She has produced 279,900 pounds of lifetime milk, making her the third highest lifetime production cow born in the past ten years.

Joe is proud that he and wife Chris, who is a long-time teacher, made agriculture an enjoyable career path for their children growing up. Along with Andy and Jeff, they have a daughter, Sara, who works with Pfizer Animal Health.

Charles Duncan
Duncan Farm, Warsaw, Ohio

The Duncan family is milking 60 Registered Holsteins, with an average classification score of 85.23. Their ME production averages are 32,111 pounds of milk, 1,384 pounds of fat and 954 pounds of protein, and the herd is 70.21 percent homebred.

Charles has been working with and breeding Registered cattle his entire life. He entered the military in 1956, at which time his family dispersed their cattle. When he completed his service, he began rebuilding his herd by purchasing Registered heifers and cows, and in 1969 he and his wife, Carol, purchased the farm they are still on today.

Several family members are involved in the operation, including son Daryl, his wife Sally and their three children: Neil (22), Drew (17), and Rachel (15). Their Holsteins, along with around 20 Ayrshires, are housed in a freestall setup and milked twice a day in a flatline parlor.

When making mating decisions, Charles says that he concentrates on type, with feet and legs and udders as the most important criteria. He added that they can’t forget about milk production and simply said, “we just want the all-around good cow.”

Charles feels that Round Oak Rag Apple Elevation has had a huge impact on where his herd is today. Another cow, Maizevalley Conductor Helen has been significant in that the marketing of her offspring paid for their farm. Purchased at an Ohio State sale and scored EX-90 3E, Helen produced over 215,000 pounds of milk in her lifetime. Thirteen of her offspring went on to score Very Good or Excellent. Another exciting cow they’re working with is Cavalier Finley Aspen-ET. She’s scored EX-90 as a four year old with a CTPI of +1812. She has a three-year-old record, 305 days of 45,830M 4.4%F 2038 3.3%P 1513, putting her 2nd in her class nationally for protein and first in Ohio for milk.

When asked about what the biggest value in owning Registered cattle was, Charles replied that it was definitely in the merchandising. “Merchandising is how my wife and I paid for our farm. If it weren’t for Registered cattle, we might not have made it.”

Allen Dent Johnson
Jafral Holsteins, Hamptonville, N.C.

Allen Johnson’s 40-cow herd is 100 percent homebred, with ME production averages of 33,078 pounds of milk, with 1,261 of fat and 970 of protein. Their average classification score is 85.94. The herd has been enrolled in Holstein COMPLETE for four years and has received PBR recognition for 12 years.

Allen grew up on his parent’s dairy farm, which they started in 1945, milking grade cows. After completing his service in the Marines in 1972, Allen spent the next decade building up his Registered herd. Most of his herd traces back to two cow families, Rilara Mars Las Ravena EX-91 2E GMD, who he purchased in 1981 as a bred heifer, and Midway-Crest Conductor Billie EX-94 3E GMD DOM.

The cattle are housed in sand bedded freestalls, and the dry cows are housed in with the milking herd. Allen feels that this helps the cows get going sooner in their lactation. “I find that they milk quicker that way,” he said. “It’s rare that second lactation or older cows don’t give over 100 pounds within 10 days of calving..” The cattle are fed free choice corn silage, five pounds of either orchard grass or wheat and crimson clover, along with a 24 percent high-energy commercial pellet twice a day in the parlor.

The highest producing cow he has bred is Jafral Finley Cody-ET, scored VG-87. At 3-04 in 365 days, she produced 55,800 pounds of milk with 3.5 percent fat and 3.0 percent protein, putting her third nationally for milk in her class and fifth for protein. She’s backed by three generations of Excellent Gold Medal Dam and Dam of Merit cows, and carries the Jafral prefix far back into her pedigree.

Allen likes to breed for tall cattle with wide front ends, deep bodies and wide rumps, and feels that if he can get those things, other desirable traits come along with the package.

Working with Allen on the dairy are his nephew, Kevin Huie, who does the feeding and field work, along with his sister, Janet, who feeds the calves.

Steve & Amanda Killian
Dirt-Road Holsteins, Blair, Wis.

Celebrating their tenth year of farming together this year, Steve and Amanda Killian are milking 30 Registered Holsteins twice a day with ME production averages of 33,366 pounds of milk, 1,240 pounds of fat and 1,065 pounds of protein. Their Holsteins are 73.08 percent homebred with an average classification score of 84.68.

Steve and Amanda both grew up on dairy farms. Starting out together, they purchased a very simple farm and have spent the past several years investing in improvements. The cattle are housed in a tiestall barn and milked twice daily. Cows spend at least eight hours a day on grass during the growing season, and the Killians feel that has really contributed to the health and longevity of their herd.

The cow that has had the largest impact on their farm is Castleholm T Carlo-ET EX-90 3E GMD DOM.  An Olmo Prelude Tugolo daughter, backed by several generations of Very Good and Excellent cows with Gold Medal Dam and Dam of Merit recognition, she has over 192,000 pounds of lifetime milk and is still on the farm doing well today. They purchased Carlo at a sale five years ago “and got a really good deal,” as she was long in her lactation and still open. Killians brought her home, got her calved in and decided to flush her to Braedale Goldwyn. That flush resulted in Dirt-Road Goldwyn Cami, a cow that has allowed them to market embryos internationally. Cami is scored VG-86, has a +1929 GTPI, with a 305 day two-year-old record of 32,660 pounds of milk with 5.1 percent fat. “She’s made a huge difference in our farm,” said Amanda. “We wouldn’t be where we are today without that cow family.”

Steve and Amanda’s breeding philosophy has always been focused on type and components, and they will seldom use a bull that is minus for fat or protein. “It’s important to stick with a breeding philosophy,” said Amanda. “Generation after generation, doing the right thing will pay off.”

The Killians currently have four children: Samuel (9), Christian (7), Olivia (3), and Bo (1). Along with the Holsteins, they milk 50 Registered Jerseys.

Randy W. Kortus
Mainstream Holsteins, Lynden, Wash.

Mainstream Holsteins boasts the highest production of the ten Herds of Excellence, with ME production averages of an impressive 37,639 pounds of milk, with 1,483 pounds of fat and 1,113 pounds of protein. The herd is 96.49 percent homebred with an average classification score of 83.6 points.

Randy grew up on a commercial dairy in Washington, purchasing his first Registered animal in 1973, and owning approximately 30 by the time he graduated college. He and wife Jana were married shortly there after and started farming on their own a year later, purchasing a farm and Ray Terpstra’s Lor-Les herd.

Today, they’re milking 55 Registered Holsteins, with a total of 80 milk cows, counting animals of other breeds they own. Randy describes their management system as a “supplemental intensified grazing system.” The cattle are housed in a freestall barn during the wintertime, and in the warmer months they’re kept out on pasture and given a TMR to supplement their grazing.

“We want high type in our herd, but also want cows that produce,” said Randy. “We’ve found that if you don’t focus on that and lose sight of production, it will disappear faster than you want it to. I still want the total performance cow, and we’ve seen results from those efforts.”

Randy is currently using some genomic-tested young bulls such as De-Su Observer-ET and Dream-Prairie Shadow Boxer, as well as bulls from their own breeding, Mainstream Manifold and Mister Magnetism-ET. Kortus added that they are striving to find some new and different bloodlines to use in their herd. “We still want to breed cows with the commercial dairyman in mind,” Randy stated. They are a 19 year recipient of the PGH award.

One cow with a unique pedigree that has been garnering some attention is Mainstream OR Candace-ET. She is scored EX-90 as a three year old with a CTPI of +1999.  As a two year old she made 41,500 pounds of milk with 4.7 percent fat. Candace is a Deslacs Offroad-ET out of a VG Canyon-Breeze Allen daughter that traces back an animal from the original herd they purchased when getting started.

Randy and Jana have four children: Mike (18), Matt (28), Melissa (25) and Mark (20). All four enjoy the dairy and helping out when exhibiting at shows.

Bruce & Brenda Long
B-Long Holsteins, New London, Wis.

B-Long Holsteins maintains ME Production averages of 34,898 pounds of milk with 1,220 pounds of fat and 1,014 pounds of protein. They are 98.33 percent homebred with an average classification score of 83.68.

Bruce and Brenda take care of all the day-to-day work on the farm, milking twice a day. They have three sons who are all currently in college: Bryant (20), and twins Brandon and Bret (19). Both graduating from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, Bruce and Brenda married soon after college. They started at their present farm in 1990, after working for some time on Brenda’s family farm.

Longs have been working with the cow families in their herd for several generations now. Around 80 percent of the herd traces back to two calves Bruce purchased when he was 14 years old, and another 10 percent comes from some animals Brenda brought to their operation from her home farm. The only non-homebred animal in their herd is a red and white Holstein that one of their sons purchased as a project animal.

Over the years they have bred four cows that have produced over 300,000 pounds of milk and 24 cows that have produced over 200,000 pounds of milk. Currently in the barn are 8 Excellent cows, 30 Very Good and 19 Good Plus. B-Long has been awarded the PGH award for 14 years, with a 2009 average CTPI of +1505.

Cow comfort is a top priority for the Longs, and they work to achieve this by giving cows ample access to pasture year round. This complements their breeding strategy, striving for large, powerful cows. “We try to breed for frame, strength and width,” said Bruce. “We also watch components more than we used to.” They have recently been using bulls such as Gen-Mark Stmatic Sanchez, Golden-Oaks St Alexander-ET and Picston Shottle-ET.

The family enjoys working together on their farm, marketing their Registered Holstein genetics, and exhibiting cattle at a few shows each year.

Lloyd & Denise Pease
Sweet-Peas Holsteins, Susquehanna, Pa.

Sweet-Peas Holsteins is a 74 percent homebred herd with an average classification score of 86.16. Their ME production averages sit at 32,663 pounds of milk, 1,272 pounds of fat and 1,005 pounds of protein.

Like many Registered Holstein breeders, Lloyd grew up on a dairy farm, showing cattle in 4-H. He started as part of the family partnership in 1984, and in 1994 he and wife Denise moved and started their own operation, milking 65 cows. The cows are housed in a tiestall barn and milked twice a day.

“Our philosophies evolve after we see what progress we’re making, but we try to use bulls with strong cow families and pedigrees behind them,” said Lloyd. Their primary emphasis is on type, while also giving attention to maintaining component levels. In their milking herd, Lloyd said they are happy with their Regancrest Dundee-ET daughters, and have also used some To-Mar D-Fortune-ET, Gen-Mark Stmatic Sanchez and Kingsmill Gdwyn Asteroid-ET recently. They had the second place Fall Calf at the 2010 New York Spring International Holstein show in April with an Asteroid daughter – Sweet-Peas Astero Gabrielle, a September 2009 daughter of an EX-91 Innwood Terrason with a two-year-old record over 27,000 pounds of milk, backed by a VG Lystel Leduc.

“We basically just try to do a good job every single day, with a strong focus on cow care, health and everything that goes along with it,” Lloyd stated. “We have a very simple farming and feeding program. We feed all grass hay – mostly baleage and some dry hay, and feel it’s good for cow health.”

Aside from quality feed, the other factor that allows the family to achieve outstanding performance from their cattle is consistently good care and dedication. “I feel pretty strongly that farming is hard work, but if you enjoy what you do, it makes you do a better job,” he added. “One of the benefits of having Registered cattle is having added value other than their milk. Cows aren’t only our livelihood, it’s a way of life.” Denise and Lloyd’s son, Matt, works full-time with them on their farm.

Jake & Sallianne Tanis
Ideal Holsteins, Centre Hall, Pa.

Ideal Holsteins is a 98.95% homebred herd with an average classification score of 83.69 points. Milking twice a day in their tiestall barn, they have ME production averages of 32,545 pounds of milk, 1,276 pounds of fat and 976 pounds of protein.

The herd is enrolled in Holstein COMPLETE, and they use EASY and Tag ID with custom Holstein tags to register calves on their farm. While they milk only Holsteins today, Jake’s beginnings in the dairy industry were growing up on a Guernsey farm in New Jersey. They have  been at their current location in central Pennsylvania for over 20 years now. Ideal has received PBR recognition for 14 years.

“As far as having Registered cattle over grades, I couldn’t survive if I just had grade Holsteins. We’ve been able to market bulls and heifers for a significant margin over what we might have been able to if they weren’t Registered,” said Jake. “We view Registered Holsteins as a ‘value-added product’, and also enjoy being able to trace the ancestry.”

What attracted Jake to Holstein cattle so many years ago still fits his breeding pattern today: cows with strong front ends and ample substance of bone that still have enough dairyness and good udders. He looks for bulls from good cow families and places emphasis on type and components. Two of his favorite bulls currently are Regancrest Dundee-ET and Stanhope Sovereign. All animals are bred using timed AI.

All of Jake and Sally’s children were involved on the farm while they were growing up, and now son Adam plays a major role in the day-to-day operation of the farm. Jake also gives credit to his wife Sally for the important tasks she takes care of.

Benjamin & Carolyn Turner
Maplelane-Manor Farm, Apulia Station, N.Y.

Ben and Carolyn Turner’s herd at Maplelane-Manor Farm is 93.28 percent homebred, with an average classification score of 83.17. Their  ME production averages are 34,043 pounds of milk, 1,316 pounds of fat and 1,092 pounds of protein, milking twice a day in their tiestall barn.

Ben, a full-time veterinarian, and Carolyn established the Maplelane-Manor prefix in 1982 when they were married, though both had been breeding cattle before that. Carolyn said that although she didn’t grow up on a dairy farm, she got really excited about Registered cattle and enjoyed being able to follow their pedigrees.

Carolyn is quick to stress that teamwork is the glue that holds their operation together. Their team is comprised of Ben, Carolyn, John Young, Carolyn’s son, and Jay Liddington, who has worked with the family for over 15 years. Everyone helps with the milking, with Jay playing more of a herdsman role and John doing a great deal of work with the cropping side of the operation.

“We couldn’t do it if we didn’t all work together,” said Carolyn.  “We’ve tried to make it a place that you want to come to work. We enjoy what we do and help each other out.”

Ben, Carolyn and Jay work together on deciding what bulls will be used, and they try to mate cows individually to correct any weaknesses and enhance their strengths. “We try to breed the ‘total package’,” said Carolyn. “If you’ve got the right feed and make sure that the cows are comfortable, the milk comes.”

One cow that has been a stand-out example of the quality of animals at the farm is Maplelane-Manor Emerson Ed. Ed is a VG-88 Gold Medal Dam that has produced 278,370 pounds of milk with a 3.8 percent fat test. She holds many New York state records, as well as having the fourth highest total nationally for the Junior Three-Year-Old class. She has made three records over 50,000 pounds of milk, and ranks fourth in the nation for lifetime production totals of cows born in the past ten years.  

Daniel Vandertie
Doorco Holsteins, Brussels, Wis.

A 100 percent homebred herd, Doorco Holsteins boasts an 86.16 average classification score, with ME production averages of 32,786 pounds of milk with 1,186 pounds of fat and 953 pounds of protein. The farm is owned and operated by Dan Vandertie with his wife, Julie, and they have three children: Karlie (19), Bridget (15) and Austin (10).

Dan has worked in the dairy industry his entire life, with their family farm started in the 1950s. He began working there following high school, and he and Julie purchased it from his father in 1987. They have been recognized with the PBR award for 35 years, including several years since Dan has taken ownership, and received the PGH recognition for five years, with a 2009 average CTPI of +1580. They currently have 40 cows on the farm, with the milking herd housed in tiestalls. Doorco Holsteins is enrolled in Holstein COMPLETE.

Dan describes his breeding philosophy as “relatively simple,” wanting to breed cows with great udders, without sacrificing body size. He enjoys large cows with strong front ends that have a real will to milk. Over 75 percent of their herd can be traced back to one cow – Doorco Duster Albany EX-90 GMD DOM. She had three daughters in the herd who all scored Excellent: an EX-92 GMD DOM STBVQ Rubens-ET with over 36,800 pounds of milk as a two-year-old, an EX-92 GMD DOM Regancrest Elton Dante-ET with a five-year-old record over 42,800 pounds of milk and an EX-91 daughter of Altagen-I Merchant-ET with a best record at 4-04 of 40,360 pounds of milk. Between the three cows, they had 36 daughters, solidifying the family’s contribution to the farm’s genetic pool. Of their combined 32 classified offspring, 6 scored Excellent, 20 are Very Good and 5 are Good Plus.

Aside from the cows, they farm 350 acres, raising all of their alfalfa, corn, soybeans and wheat. The ration is comprised primarily of haylage and corn silage, with some high moisture corn, minerals and other ingredients. The Vanderties enjoy being a small family farm, and describe their operation as a “real team effort” between their family, nutritionist and veterinarian. They also feel fortunate to be surrounded by several other good herds in the area.

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For more information or to obtain pictures of the recipients, please contact Lindsey Worden, Communications Manager, at 800.952.5200, ext. 4096 or lworden@holstein.com.  

Holstein Association USA, Inc., www.holsteinusa.com, provides products and services to dairy producers to enhance genetics and improve profitability - ranging from registry processing to identification programs to consulting services.   The Association, headquartered in Brattleboro, Vt., maintains the records for Registered HolsteinsSM and represents approximately 30,000 members throughout the United States. The Association is also leading the initiative for national animal identification through the National FAIR program.