Twice the Bull – Half the S**T :: The Bullvine - The Dairy Information You Want To Know When You Need It

Some people may think I am crazy. Others may think I am arrogant. They could all be right! It doesn`t matter. I am tired of sitting back, depending on gossip and watching as the all the news comes in the same old way.

Maybe it’s from the years of watching risk takers like Albert Cormier, Doug Blair, and Pete Heffering, learning that you have to risk to move ahead of the herd. On the other hand, maybe it’s from working and debating side by side with my father that has developed a passion for great cattle; I can’t sit on the sidelines and not take action. Dairy breeders need a chance to have a voice. They deserve to get more than just a listing of what happened.

That is why I am launching www.thebullvine.com! We want to give progressive dairy breeders a chance to join the 21^st century. Every day, we will seek to provide insight and host lively debate about the people, the cattle and the story behind the story that makes us have a passion for this the dairy industry. To prove this, we have already created “The Dairy Breeders No BS Guide to Genomics” and a great tool for when you invest “The Dairy Cattle Return on Investment Calculator.” One is easy to read the other easy to use!

“The Journal” has been an institution since I was born. At our house, it was pored over as soon as it arrived. The problem is the message doesn’t look that different from it did some 33 years ago. Throw in a few more colours, shorter hair and get rid of the bell-bottom whites that Lowell Lindsey used to wear and nothing has changed. But trust me the dairy industry and especially the progressive dairy breeder has. Computers! Blackberrys! Instant messaging! The facts are at our fingertips!

And yes I know there are more magazines out there than just “The Journal”, there is “The World”, And “International”, but one looks more like a billboard for those who will pay them the most money and the other has great insight, but is under lock and key, that makes it hard for most breeders to truly find what they want. A diary is great for looking back. What happens next is where the action is! It’s goes way beyond who you know from the cattle ring and the breeder awards. You’ve got to know what is happening on the leading edge. What makes the difference? Who knows? Who cares?

Over the next few months, we plan to add the following items:

Breeder directory
Chat forum (bring back some of the greatness that was holsteinonline.com)
Donor directory

Ultimately, we are going to let the breeders tell us what they want. Through your feedback and our advisor board we are going to seek to give the type of content that breeders want. Not what we think you want. While my odd rant article (such as this one) may be mostly the opinions of the editor, we will strive to bring you fresh perspectives:

Breeder profiles such as Morsan Holsteins
Cow family profiles such as Lylehaven Lila Z
Investment advice from experts such as Tim Abbott

In addition, there will be more great insights from such well-known experts as:

Patty Jones – on what is takes to get a great picture of your cow
Pam Nunes – on how to market your cattle
Barclay Phoenix – on what it takes for you to find the next great one

In the end, we are going to strive to give you the modern dairy breeder with twice the amount of great content with half the amount of BS. We are looking forward to the challenge.