Archive for Calbrett Goldwyn Layla

Royal Winter Fair Fantasy Exhibitor – The Results

Even though I wrote the Royal Winter Fair Preview Article and titled it “Expect the Unexpected”, I have to admit that even I was shocked at the final results.  Common sense tells us that we should always be prepared for the unusual because it all comes down to how each cow looks on the day and in the Judge’s opinion.  There were just under 4,000 entries for this inaugural Royal Winter Fair Fantasy Exhibitor competition.  Similar to the Holstein Show itself, you could not just pick the winners from Madison and expect to be a winner yourself.

Junior 2 Year Old

Belfast Goldwyn Lasenza  1st place Junior 2 year old Belfast Holsteins & Mary Inn Holsteins, QC

Belfast Goldwyn Lasenza
1st place Junior 2 year old
Belfast Holsteins & Mary Inn Holsteins, QC

After being upset by Petitclerc Sid Sunkiss at Expo International du Holstein Quebec (Read more: Expo Internationale Holstein Québec Results)  Belfast Goldwyn Lasenza regained the top spot. Having said that, Sunkiss did offer a little better value for those who were trying to squeeze in some more expensive older cows (Please note that Sunkiss’s value was set prior to EIHQ).  With almost 70% (36.9% Lasenza, and 32.7% Sunkiss) of the participants and all of the top 40 participants selecting these two cows, it really was a two-cow race.  When Lasenza entered the ring, she looked the best she has yet.  After viewing her strong rear seam, many who were hoping for an upset knew that it would not be happening on this day.  Another great value pick would have been Jacobs Atwood Vedette, who at $120,000 and placing third and earning 10 points could have certainly helped the more than 100 participants that spent just over the $2,500,000 limit.

Petitclerc Sid Sunkiss 2nd place Junior 2 year old Ferme Blondin & Yvon Sicard, QC

Petitclerc Sid Sunkiss
2nd place Junior 2 year old
Ferme Blondin & Yvon Sicard, QC

Senior 2 Year Old

IMG_1087

Charwill Attic Marcy
1st place Senior Two Year old, and Reserve Intermediate Champion
Gen-Com Holsteins, QC

On a day that was full of surprises, the one sure thing was Charwill Attic Marcy.  She looked amazing, as she has all year, and easily strolled to the top of the class.  With Marcy also earning Reserve Intermediate Champion, she proved to be a very economical choice as well.  For almost 40% of the participants and all of the top 40 Marcy was a must have in order to contend in this year’s competition.

Junior 3 Year Old

Phoenix Sanchez Geo  1st place Junior 3 year old  Breamont Holsteins, ON

Phoenix Sanchez Geo
1st place Junior 3 year old
Breamont Holsteins, ON

Catching everyone by surprise was Phoenix Sanchez Geo.  With less than 3% of the total competitors picking her and none of the top 40, this was certainly a curve ball that many did not see coming.  With the two most popular picks Ehrhardt Gold Beauty, winner at Expo and the full sisters BVK ATWOOD ABRIANNA and BVK ATWOOD ANDREA not making it to the show, this class was certainly a write off for many competitors.  Geo on a day of upsets turned out to be one of the greatest value picks in the entire competition!

Senior 3 Year Old

Aingers Advent Bambi 1st place Senior 3 year old Ferme Blondin, QC

Aingers Advent Bambi
1st place Senior 3 year old and Intermediate Champion
Ferme Blondin, QC

Talking about upsets. Could there be a bigger upset than seeing Aingers Advent Bambi defeat Valleyville Rae Lynn and Butz-Butler Gold Barbara?  Less than 15% of the competitors even included her on their team.  Rae Lynn and Barbara have been much heralded this year and were expected to have a clash of the titans at the Royal.  However, as Bambi’s upset of Barbara at EIHQ showed us, she is not to be forgotten.  With Bambi winning Intermediate Champion and only costing $125,000, she was easily the greatest value in the whole competition.  While many, including myself, discounted this three calf Senior 3 year old, (actually she has had four calves as there were twin heifers by Atwood), Bambi has certainly thrown her name into the ring.  Even though Rae Lynn did earn honorable mention Intermediate Champion, and did so while milking over a year, at $625,000 in our competition, the price may have been too high for many to choose to include her.  However, the real surprise was Barbara, at $625,000 and no bonus points, her third place finish was a team killer for many.

Valleyville Rae Lynn  2nd place Senior Three Year old and HM Intermediate Champion Quality Holsteins, Ponderosa, Al-Be-Ro Land and Cattle, ON

Valleyville Rae Lynn
2nd place Senior Three Year old and HM Intermediate Champion
Quality Holsteins, Ponderosa, Al-Be-Ro Land and Cattle, ON

4 Year Old

Robrook Goldwyn Cameron  1st place 4 year old and Grand Champion St Jacobs, Clark Woodmansee, Budjon Farms & Peter and Lyn Vale, WI

Robrook Goldwyn Cameron
1st place 4 year old and Grand Champion
St Jacobs, Clark Woodmansee, Budjon Farms & Peter and Lyn Vale, WI

In what was to be a rematch from Expo, where Cookview Goldwyn Monique got the upper hand, on this day it was all about Cameron who caught Judge Crowley’s attention and strolled to a convincing win in her class.  Looking better as the day went along and peaking in the Grand Champion parade, Monique proved to be a pretty good choice as well.  However, in order to contend in this year’s Fantasy Exhibitor Competition, you pretty well needed to choose Cameron.  In fact, 75% of the top 40 competitors and 100% of the top 10 all chose Cameron to anchor their team.

Cookview Goldwyn Monique  2nd place 4 year old and Reserve Grand Champion Jeff Butler and Joe and Amber Price, IL

Cookview Goldwyn Monique
2nd place 4 year old and Reserve Grand Champion
Jeff Butler and Joe and Amber Price, IL

5 Year Old

MS Goldwyn Alana 1st place 5 year old and HM Grand Champion P Boulet, Ferme Fortale, Isabelle Verille, QC

MS Goldwyn Alana
1st place 5 year old and HM Grand Champion
P Boulet, Ferme Fortale, Isabelle Verille, QC

With her dominant class win and Honorable Mention Senior and Grand Champion honors, MS Goldwyn Alana was a great pick for many.  All but 1 of the top 40 competitors and over 40% of all competitors had chosen Alana to win. There were no real surprises in this class.

6+ Year Old Class

Calbrett Goldwyn Layla 1st place Mature Cow Comestar, Speranza Holsteins and Ponderosa, QC

Calbrett Goldwyn Layla
1st place Mature Cow
Comestar, Speranza Holsteins and Ponderosa, QC

When it comes to the biggest shocker of the day, that honor has to go to Calbrett Goldwyn Layla.  After finishing ninth at Expo, no one expected Layla to upset World Dairy Expo Supreme Champion, and 1st place 6 year old from EIHQ, BONACCUEIL MAYA GOLDWYN.  Less than 2% of the competitors even had Layla on their team.  This victory had to be even more shocking than Bambi’s victory in the Senior Three Year Old Class.  For those who had gone all in on Maya, her 2nd place finish and no bonus points in Grand was the biggest team killer in the whole competition.  Maya certainly looked good at the Royal, though she did not fit with the style of cow that Judge Crowley was looking for.

Bonaccueil Maya Goldwyn 2nd place Mature Cow Ty-D Holsteins, Ferme Jacobs, Drolet and A & R Boulet, QC

Bonaccueil Maya Goldwyn
2nd place Mature Cow
Ty-D Holsteins, Ferme Jacobs, Drolet and A & R Boulet, QC

What had to be a pleasant surprise for many, as well as to us, was Eastside Lewisdale Gold Missy winning the longtime production class.  As we were not sure if this former World Dairy Expo and Royal Supreme Champion would be making the trip this year, she was left out of our competition.  Nevertheless, seeing her extreme size and dairyness was certainly exciting for all.

Eastside Lewisdale Gold Missy 1st place Production Cow Morsan, Van  Runen Dairy, Mark Butz, Gert Andreasen, AM

Eastside Lewisdale Gold Missy
1st place Production Cow
Morsan, Van Runen Dairy, Mark Butz, Gert Andreasen, AM

The Dream Team

During the team selection period, it was a consistent challenge for many competitors to get all their favorites onto their teams.  Though as it turned out, with the expect the unexpected theme of this year’s competition, the ultimate points team, that would have earned 217 points, would have only cost $2,085,000, almost $500,000 under the $2,500,000 budget.  This team would have been,  Belfast Goldwyn Lasenza, Charwill Attic Marcy, Phoenix Sanchez Geo, Aingers Advent Bambi, Robrook Goldwyn Cameron, Ms Goldwyn Alana and Calbrett Goldwyn Layla.  Yes that is correct, you could have had all the class winners on your team and still had almost a half a million left in your pocket.  It just goes to show, it’s not about how much you spend, but rather how wisely you spend it.

The Winners Are

Colin Uecker of Watertown Wisconsin had the winning team of Belfast Goldwyn Lasenza, Charwill Attic Marcy, Ehrhardt Gold Beauty, Aingers Advent Bambi, Robrook Goldwyn Cameron, Ms Goldwyn Alana and Willowholme Goldwyn Jessica.  Earning 187 out of a possible 217 points.  While a couple of the other top 5 competitors did have higher scoring teams, Colin took full advantage of the bonus points for getting his entry in early to  squeak out the win.  With so many upsets, it is not surprising that no one predicted the exact results.

Place First name Last Name
1 Colin Uecker
2 Ily Genetics
3 Flavio Junqueira Costa
4 Stephen Mast
5 Luke Instone
6 Wayne Houdek
7 Colin Leach
8 Tom Pettit
9 Jean-Philippe Charest
10 Darrel Barkman
11 Kate Cochrane
12 Hannah Roberts
13 Andree Menard
14 Emily Stuff
15 James Woodmansee Sr.
16 Alexandre bapst
17 Gwyn Murray
18 Bryant Hlavaty
19 Maxime Lauzon
20 Austen Schmidt
21 Raphael Chabot
22 Matthew Keffer
23 Allan Merkley
24 Anna Meyer
25 Brett Woker
26 Robin Christman
27 Andy Reynolds
28 Christopher Burne
29 Mireille Cloutier
30 Christian Roberge
31 Olivier Corriveau
32 Cameron Davis
33 Christiaan Viljoen
34 Alana Brown
35 James Whatman
36 Jeff Merkley
37 Genevieve Arbour
38 Brian Coyne
39 Olivier Lapointe
40 Cleocy Mendonça Jr.
41 Susan Armstrong
42 Donna Banowetz
43 Meaghan Thornhill
44 Grant Armstrong
45 Sandy MacGillivary
46 Sean Murray
47 Melissa Marcoux
48 Lysanne Pelletier
49 Fina Martinez
50 Catherine Lauzon
51 Annette Killian
53 Scott Crandlemire
53 Jon Spoelstra
54 Tom Peters
55 Blake Zehr
56 Matt Forestell
57 Nicole Crosbie
58 Adam Nelson
59 Tony Van Lith
60 Sylvain Cormier
61 Mandy Brazil
62 Jacquin Louis
63 James Hoffman
64 Proulx Jean-Philippe
65 Joe Nash
66 Scott Brown
67 Kevin Jacobs
68 Annie Chabot
69 Francis Cournoyer
70 Amelie Poulin
71 Anne-Marie Loranger
72 Burnell Zehr
73 Chris Schulze
74 Chris Steven
75 Shelby Iager
76 Chad Ryan
77 Tom Uber
78 Anthony Brenton-Robert
79 Mike McLaughlin
80 Michael Leclerc
81 Alejo Guichon
82 Max Petitclerc
83 Nathan Ulmer
84 Eric Houdek
85 Jake Dueppengiesser
86 Ashley Knapton
87 Jason Pegg
88 Guillaume Labee
89 Hannah Jackson
90 Chad Popp
91 Ricardo Cuesta
92 Olimar Rupli
93 Kevin Vanzessen
94 Chris Hill
95 Corey Popp
96 Adam Zehr
97 James Woodmansee jr.
98 Deb Knapton
99 Jack Lomeo jr
100 Brent Carmichael

Calculate Your Own Score

Class Name Price Points
Jr 2 year old Beckholm Goldwyn Deelila – $120,000 $120,000 0
Jr 2 year old Belfast Goldwyn Lasenza – $300,000 $300,000 20
Jr 2 year old Comestar Masha Sanchez – $105,000 $105,000 0
Jr 2 year old Dream-Prairie GW Alberta – $135,000 $135,000 0
Jr 2 year old Gen-Com Brett Madison – $105,000 $105,000 0
Jr 2 year old Jacobs Atwood Vedette – $120,000 $120,000 10
Jr 2 year old MS Aubrey Gold Addison – $135,000 $135,000 0
Jr 2 year old Petitclerc Sid Sunkiss – $150,000 $150,000 15
Jr 2 year old RF Duplex Caileigh – $105,000 $105,000 0
Jr 2 year old Weeks Dundee Anika – $225,000 $225,000 6
Sr 2 year olds Arcroix Goldwyn Jamaique-ET – $120,000 $120,000 0
Sr 2 year olds Blondin Goldwyn Bordeau – $150,000 $150,000 0
Sr 2 year olds Charwill Attic Marcy – $300,000 $300,000 28
Sr 2 year olds Jacobs Duplex Anna – $225,000 $225,000 10
Sr 2 year olds Kingsmill Atwood Allison-ET – $135,000 $135,000 0
Sr 2 year olds Pierstein Atwood Rosine – $60,000 $60,000 6
Sr 2 year olds Rosiers Blexy Goldwyn-ET – $105,000 $105,000 0
Sr 2 year olds Starcrest Rhyme Casablanca – $120,000 $120,000 5
Jr 3 year old BVK Atwood Abrianna-ET – $240,000 $240,000 0
Jr 3 year old BVK Atwood Andrea-ET – $180,000 $180,000 0
Jr 3 year old Ehrhardt Gold Beauty-ET – $340,000 $340,000 0
Jr 3 year old Hardy Gold Diamond – $80,000 $80,000 0
Jr 3 year old Jacobs Knowledge Harpe – $180,000 $180,000 10
Jr 3 year old Kingsway Sanchez Arangtang – $140,000 $140,000 9
Jr 3 year old Lindenright Atwood Bounce – $160,000 $160,000 0
Jr 3 year old Ms Ken Dren Sanchez Feather – $100,000 $100,000 5
Jr 3 year old Phoenix Gogo Sanchez – $160,000 $160,000 0
Jr 3 year old Phoenix Sanchez Geo – $160,000 $160,000 20
Jr 3 year old Roquet Jasmine Sanchez – $140,000 $140,000 0
Jr 3 year old Tolamika Dundee Fanta – $120,000 $120,000 3
Sr 3 year old Aingers Advent Bambi – $125,000 $125,000 30
Sr 3 year old Butz-Butler Gold Barbara – $625,000 $625,000 10
Sr 3 year old Cowtown Durham Grasshopper – $200,000 $200,000 0
Sr 3 year old Eastriver Gold Deb 850-ET – $150,000 $150,000 4
Sr 3 year old Ernest-Anthony Allure-ET – $125,000 $125,000 8
Sr 3 year old Kingsway Goldwyn Abba Dabba – $225,000 $225,000 7
Sr 3 year old TC Sanchez Kristina – $75,000 $75,000 3
Sr 3 year old Valleyville Rae Lynn – $625,000 $625,000 21
Sr 3 year old Vioris Alex Pandora – $100,000 $100,000 0
Sr 3 year old Whitake-Kk Goldie Rose – $250,000 $250,000 6
4 year old Cookview Goldwyn Monique – $720,000 $720,000 29
4 year old Craigcrest Rubies Gold Rejoice  $150,000 $150,000 3
4 year old Drumlee Mischief Denison – $240,000 $240,000 10
4 year old Jacobs Goldwyn Valana – $300,000 $300,000 9
4 year old Lampada Goldwyn Katrina – $240,000 $240,000 0
4 year old Ms Pride Gold Invite 761 – $210,000 $210,000 8
4 year old Nordale Goldwyn Ricky – $90,000 $90,000 7
4 year old Quality Gold Danzi – $240,000 $240,000 5
4 year old Robrook Goldwyn Cameron – $570,000 $570,000 40
4 year old RockyMountain Goldwyn Trisha – $240,000 $240,000 0
5 year old Crestomere Lou Victoria – $330,000 $330,000 4
5 year old Gerann Roy Grendel – $330,000 $330,000 15
5 year old Glenwin Goldwyn Calypso – $330,000 $330,000 10
5 year old Ms Goldwyn Alana – $510,000 $510,000 32
5 year old Quality Goldwyn Flinsco – $210,000 $210,000 7
5 year old Rayon D’or Goldwyn Adonial – $240,000 $240,000 5
5 year old Robella Reg Macy – $270,000 $270,000 0
5 year old Rocky Mountain Gold Winter – $240,000 $240,000 0
5 year old Silvermaple Damion Camomile – $210,000 $210,000 0
5 year old Tromley-Dairy Lheros Jewel – $330,000 $330,000 0
6+ year old Bonaccueil Maya Goldwyn – $1,000,000 $1,000,000 15
6+ year old Calbrett Goldwyn Layla – $120,000 $120,000 20
6+ year old Cityview Metro Lucy – $210,000 $210,000 0
6+ year old Jacobs Goldwyn Britany – $240,000 $240,000 9
6+ year old Ms Dundee Belinda-ET – $210,000 $210,000 8
6+ year old Pierstein Goldwyn Sunshine – $90,000 $90,000 5
6+ year old Starbrite Lyster Lyndsay – $480,000 $480,000 9
6+ year old Tween Bay Sara Goldwyn – $180,000 $180,000 7
6+ year old Willowholme Goldwyn Jessica – $300,000 $300,000 10

The Bullvine Bottom Line

In a year that was anything but expected, it is not surprising that this year’s results were all over the board.  Congratulations to Colin Uecker !!!  Be sure to watch for next year’s Fantasy Exhibitor.  There will be many new features added to this amazing competition.

 

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The Shocking Speed of Social Media and the Dairy Industry

There is no question that social media has changed our world.  From the ability to talk to people of like mind from anywhere in the world to the ability to learn the latest news instantly, the dairy industry has changed dramatically as a direct result of social media.(Read more: How Social Media Is Changing the Holstein World)

Every second 2,200 tweets are posted, 580 users update their Facebook status and 24 minutes of video are uploaded to YouTube.  The scary part is that adoption rates of new social networks are accelerating.  It took LinkedIn 3.5 years to reach 10 million users.  The same feat took Twitter just over 3 years, and Facebook 2.5 years.  Most recently Google+ did it in just 2 weeks.  The reach of social networks is spreading faster than any infectious disease in the history of mankind.  From 2005 to2010, Facebook gained over 500 million users.  More than the entire world population at the time of the Black Death. (Read more: How Social Media Is Changing the Holstein World)

Shocked and Amazed in the Show Ring at Summer Show

This past week’s events highlighted for me just how astonishingly fast social media is.  First, while attending the Ontario Summer Show, the power of the Internet and social media certainly flexed its muscle (Read more: Ontario Summer Show 2013 Holstein Results).  Coming into the show, I would have told you that Valleyville Rae Lynn VG-89-2yr, the Res. All-Canadian Sr. 2yr old from 2012 and 1st Senior 3 & Intermediate and Reserve Grand Champion Ontario Spring Show 2013 would be able to stroll her way to an easy win.  Then entered Raivue Sanchez Pamela and Desnette Alexia Roseplex and you could hear the excitement in the crowd rise to another level.  Roseplex, a cow that probably has one of the greatest side profiles I have ever seen, has been developing well since winning Intermediate Champion at the 2013 Quebec Spring Show and has gained more chest width and rear udder width to go with that amazing profile.  Then there is Pamela that on any other day, against any other competition might have been the talk of the town.  Instantly, I was getting messages from breeders around the world saying how amazing that class was and speculating about who would win.  The shared pictures from all three cows were extremely popular.  But once you saw these three amazing cows in line, you realized that Rae Lynn was simply that much longer and dairier than these other two also outstanding cows.

IMG_9308

Valleyville Rae Lynn VG-89-2YR
First Senior 3 year old, Intermediate Champion and Reserve Grand Champion
Owned by Quality, Granja Ponderosa, Al-Be-Ro Land & Cattle, ON and Spain

Almost instantly the questions switched to asking when we will see Rae Lynn against the likes of Butz-Butler Gold Barbara VG-89-2yr and Eastriver Gold Deb 850 EX-92 EX-92 MS?  The challenge is that since Rae Lynn has been milking since last October and is not due again until March 2014, we may not see her again until the Royal, passing on the long trip to World Dairy Expo.  Let’s hope that we may see her at Madison to give us the greatest Senior 3 year old class in history.

Grand Champion Ontario Summer Show - Calbrett Goldwyn Layla (Goldwyn), Mature Cow, For then owners: Cormdale, Genervations, Kruger, Al-Be-Ro land and cattle.  Now owned by Comestar Holsteins and Ponderosa farms of Spain.

Calbrett Goldwyn Layla EX-95
1st Mature Cow and Grand Champion Ontario Summer Show
For then owners: Cormdale, Genervations, Kruger, Al-Be-Ro land and cattle.
Now owned by Comestar Holsteins and Ponderosa farms of Spain.

Having said that, none of this chatter could compare to what was to follow around Calbrett Goldwyn Layla EX-95.  Normally, when it’s time for the mature cow class, it comes down to which cow has had held up to the wear and tear.  However, this year at Ontario Summer Show, things were a little different.  The winning mature cow was a 3rd calf 7 year old.  This became a subject that was very polarizing to breeders at ringside and especially online.  She was shown perfectly by the great showman David Dyment.  He always seems to know how to make a cow stand out.  There is no question that Layla catches your eye.  She is extremely dairy and strong and looked the part.  She did handily win the class.  The part that shocked many was when Judge Bruce Mode went on to name Goldwyn Layla Grand Champion of the show.  We are certainly fans of judges who take bold moves here at the Bullvine (Read more: Dairy Show Judging – It Takes Courage)

The reaction online was certainly mixed.  Almost instantly, there were comments being posted either in agreement or disagreement.  Questions starting coming in about just how good did she look and did she need extra help in order to make it to the ring?  It’s not unusual for these rumors to swirl around champions. And stories — true and false — begin to be shared. Today they’re shared instantly!! Call it marketing.  Call it borderline ethical.  The concern is there, especially for young breeders who are looking to get into the marketing of elite cattle genetics.  If the concerns are true, what message does this send to them?  Here we may have a cow being rewarded for all the wrong reasons.  Will she contend at Madison or the Royal?  Will she even be there?  Moreover, how is she beating a cow that has the potential to become one of the greatest of all time?

Changing the Conversation

Fortunately, it didn’t take long for the conversation to change to a more positive note.  This year’s International Intrigue Sale hosted by Ferme Blondin was certainly a positive for the industry.  (Read more: International Intrigue: Forget the Records It’s About the People and International Intrigue at Ferme Blondin Sale Results 2013).  While the sale didn’t have some big name World Dairy Expo Grand or Intermediate Champion contender, it certainly did have a strong line up with many outstanding individuals.  Extremely popular online was Jacobs Sid Bamba, a Sid from World Dairy Expo contender Jacobs Goldwyn Britany EX-96 who sold for $50,000 and Ms C-Haven Oman Kool-ET (VG-87-2YR), the former number one gTPI “Man-O-Man” daughter in the U.S. and second highest protein cow at +80, who sold for $92,000.

Jacobs Sid Bamba

Jacobs Sid Bamba
A Sid from World Dairy Expo contender Jacobs Goldwyn Britany EX-96
Sold for $50,000 at the International Intrigue Sale

While Layla selling to Comestar and Ponderosa for $125,000 at the Cormdale Summer Sale on Monday (Read more: Cormdale Summer Sale Results) re-ignited the conversation, I thought we would have a quieter time for the rest of the week.  However, that certainly was not the case.  Normally it’s my personal opinion editorial pieces that get us here at The Bullvine in trouble.  This time it was our interview with Don Bennink (Read more: North Florida Holsteins: Aggressive, Progressive and Profitable!!)  that took the conversation in a different direction and to completely new levels.  This time is wasn’t just the small segment of the marketplace that follow the shows, but rather it was the dairy community at large who felt the need to let their opinions be known.  There is no question that Don’s opinions about type classification, type evaluations and how they predict longevity have fueled this    polarizing subject.  .  As a strong supporter of type classification, it has caused mixed thoughts in my own head (Read more: The Truth About Type and Longevity) and has generated some amazing conversation on Facebook.

Just When You Think It’s All Over

Just when I think that it’s all over, and that we can now settle down to a holiday long weekend with the family, a completely new fire erupts.  One of our news items from the weekend about how the Whitaker family of Georgia had the unfortunate occurrence of having one of their trusted employees  suspected of illegal activities leading to 40+ cop cars, and SWAT personnel in cooperation with the family descending on the farm.  This led to the finding of several guns, marijuana and methamphetamines, which investigators estimated could be worth $50,000.  While this is certainly unfortunate for a great family who are strong members of the dairy community, the reaction to the news article we collated “FBI Storms Whitaker Farm For Drug Bust”, certainly caused a commotion on Facebook with a few breeders who felt the title did a disservice to this family.  Yet another example of the power and speed of social media.

The Bullvine Bottom Line

Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion.  Dairy farmers have never been short on having them.  The difference is that, through social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, breeders can now share their opinion with thousands instantly instead only with a few local breeders.  You no longer have to call several breeders to find out what happened at the show or sale.  You don’t even have to wait for it to be printed in one of the old school magazines.  Things are happening in real time and the news is now coming to you, instead of you having to go and find it.  One of the biggest changes we have noticed since starting the Bullvine is how many breeders no longer go to the news sections of the dairy publications anymore.  They now watch their Facebook news feed and if there is an article or news item of interest that has been shared by a fellow breeder or company they follow, they go ahead and read it.  No longer do they have to surf through many sites just to find the few tidbits they would be interested in.  Now they can get it all in their Facebook news stream complete with the ability to share their opinion with their friends and fellow breeders.  It is truly shocking the speed of Social Media and how it has affected the dairy industry.

For those of you wanting a little guidance check out “The Dairy Breeders Guide to Facebook”.

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