The top price for the Glenalla and Snowfed Tag sale was $13,000 and it was paid for four-year-old, Glenalla Links Clover, who went on to finish third in the four-year-old class which included the Reserve Senior Champion Jersey and Best Udder of the Jersey Show.

The three-and-a-hour hour ferry ride passes through some treacherous water between the North and South Islands of New Zealand.

When 14 hours turned into 60 calamitous hours trucking 33-head from the South to the North Island, the Gilbert family knew they were up against it more than usual at the New Zealand Dairy Event (NZDE). 

LITERALLY NEARLY EVERYTHING THAT COULD GO WRONG, DID. 

Just north of Cheviot in North Canterbury their truck’s clutch went, which left them stranded on the side of the road with the cows on-board (top and bottom) from 9.45pm until 3.30am the next morning, when they were towed 92km back to a mechanic’s garage in Rangiora.

CRESSLANDS TO THE RESCUE

The cavalry arrived soon after in the form of the Stewart family, who run Cresslands Farms, just out of Rangiora. Graham Stewart brought their truck in, they off-loaded the cows between trucks in two trips, and took them back to Cresslands. At that point the cows and heifers had been on the truck for 14 hours. The Cresslands team, which include Josh Norton and Andrew Stewart, then got them milked out and into Cressland’s show paddocks on hay racks to rest and recover.

Westbourne T Bone Yoko finished 4th in the five and six-year-old class that her herdmate won. She didn’t sell.

The replacement truck they arranged also broke down (before they loaded up) and they had to find a back-up for the back-up truck. The next truck got to the ferry, only to be turned away because it didn’t have a booking – a booking that Peter Gilbert had an email confirming. But the cows were turned away nonetheless, and had to be trucked 28km back to Blenheim, and unloaded in the saleyards until the booking could be re-scheduled for later that day. They finally arrived in Feilding Saturday morning, having been milked four times in 60 hours.

Glenalla and Snowfed Farms knew they had the toughest recovery to settle their team if everything went perfectly. Let alone if there were problems. They also had the added extra pressure because they were offering their whole team for sale in a “Sell the Show String” Tag sale (excluding their clients’ animals who either boarded at their farm, or who were showing in their team).

The Tag sale format they are using was new for New Zealand, but it is common throughout the world. It involved Glenalla and Snowfed pricing their animals during the week. If the price worked for buyers, they would be sold.

NO PUBLIC ALLOWED

Then, Glenalla and Snowfed – like most of the showgrounds – heard the news that the New Zealand government had gone to the red traffic light COVID-19 protection framework – limiting exhibitor numbers on-ground to 100 (plus event staff).

It was more bad news for a first-time Tag sale that depended on people and energy.

Premier Tequila Sweet won the five and six-year-old class for Glenalla and Snowfed Farms.

“It worried me when no-one was going to be at the show apart from exhibitors,” Peter said. “It was scary enough doing the sale, I thought, and it became a little bit more scary when there was no public there.”

It’s was another lesson in tenacity and teamwork.

“We had sort of decided if we could get a 50% clearance, we’d be pretty happy.”

They achieved a remarkable clearance, selling 17 of the 21-head they offered (81%) for a gross turnover of around $80,000.

The top price was $13,000 for their four-year-old Jersey, Glenalla Links Clover, who went on to finish third in the four-year-old class which included the Reserve Senior Champion Jersey (and Best Udder of the Jersey Show).

“It’s fair to say we are pretty thrilled with how it went. We always said we were prepared to sell our best, so we showed that we will,” Peter said.

He was also thrilled to see a number of young breeders buy.

“We always hoped that would happen, and that’s why we had some reasonably cheap lots in there.”

When it came to getting the cows out on show day, Peter credited the team around them for being able to turn the cows around in time to have a competitive show.

They would go on and win their first ever Premier Exhibitor banner.

“I was amazed how they came out. It was a real team effort, but I think we’ll all be pretty glad when the cows are safely home,” he said.

Glenalla and Snowfed Farms faced the toughest road to get their teams out on-song after a nightmare trip. Premier Tequila Sweet won the five and six-year-old class.

The good news is the homeward-bound truck home will only be carrying around 19-head as a result of the sale (including animals that were sold that are going to South Island buyers and some new animals that will board at Glenalla and Snowfed).

Safe travels Glenalla and Snowfed.

When New Zealanders decide to show a cow from the South Island in the North Island, it’s never a decision for the faint-hearted.

There is no comfortable low-centre-of-gravity vehicles, portable milkers or easy way to do almost anything with the cows when they are on the road.

They are usually tied on the trucks. And, the ferry rules prohibit owners from checking on their cattle during the three-and-a-half ferry ride across the Cook Strait between Picton (the top of the South Island) and Wellington (the bottom of the North Island).

Not such a big deal, some may think?

Dangerous waters

However, the Cook Strait is notorious for being one of the world’s roughest stretches of water. It’s part of the westerly wind belt known as the “Roaring Forties”. As the only gap between the mountainous main islands of the country, the strait acts like a huge wind tunnel.

To put that into perspective, the Cook Straight was the scene of two of New Zealand’s worst maritime catastrophes – the 1909 Penguin Disaster – and, the 1968 sinking of the Wellington-Lyttelton ferry, Wahine. 

Yet, the Gilbert family, from Mid-Canterbury are preparing tackle the 17-hour (in total) journey with a load that includes Jerseys, Holsteins, and one Ayrshire, who recently won the Canterbury A&P On-Farm show’s Supreme Senior Champion of all breeds.

Four-metre high swells

Brothers, Nick, Michael and Luke – together with their parents, Peter and Anne – collectively milk just over 1200 cows on two farms at Ashburton. They are headed to the Stratford Show in the Taranaki, which carries significant prize money and the tempting title of a “Royal” show.

Michael Gilbert said they have endured a crossing with cows before when the swells have been up to four metres high.

“To be honest, on that particular crossing we were struggling to stay in our seats up top with the other passengers, and we knew that our cows were down there, so it was pretty stressful,” Michael said.

“But, surprisingly the cows seem to handle the ferry crossing better than the rest of the truck trip. They were lying down when we got to them at the end of that trip. But, when we’re on the road, they tend to stand the whole time.”

Michael said they’d had tried breaking the trip up to rest the cows, but it just seemed to work better if they pushed through, and got it done.

No surprises now

And, now that the industry is aware that their Ayrshire, Pukekaraka Elle Delilah, is on the truck with all breed winning potential, the brothers will be working hard to get her settled and ready to take on her counterparts who don’t have to travel as far.

“We already had Delilah pencilled in for Stratford before these results,” Michael said. “It’s going to be a massive show, there are some good Ayrshires in the North Island, and we wanted to see what she’ll look like alongside them.

“Plus, we haven’t been out for two years [because of New Zealand’s decision to eradicate M.bovis], and we’re really ready to get back into it.”

Michael bought Delilah last year within a group of five cows at the Pukekaraka dispersal. She cost him $2500 in a sale, which averaged $1600. He didn’t have her listed in his first picks when he went through the catalogue offered by the Robinson family. But, when he got to the sale that decision quickly changed.

Planned punt

Even though she was dry with no herd test results, he decided the five-year-old, who is sired by UK sire, Haresfoot Elegant, needed to join his 630-cow herd at Ashburton – an hour south of Christchurch. Brookview sires (from the Steiner family at Tokoroa) are the sires two generations behind that.

“She just caught my eye,” Michael said. “I thought she could be a diamond in the rough, if she came together right. And, the reason I had more confidence in her was that I’d always admired the Robinson’s show cows.

“They’ve always had that cut of a cow that suits all breeds. And, if we were going to buy an Ayrshire, she needed to be able to compete in all breeds. As soon as she calved in, I knew I had something special.”

She produced more than 8000 litres in 280 days on her first lactation, and won the Canterbury and national on-farm for her breed age-group last year.

Michael said when she calved in again at the start of September with a heifer by Kingsire, she was producing close to 3kg MS/day extremely fresh. The Canterbury A&P On-Farm was the first and only chance to step her out.

“I hoped she’d be competitive in the all breeds for her age group, but to win the Supreme Senior Champion was a pretty big honour,” Michael said. “Because there haven’t been a whole lot of Ayrshires in Canterbury do that well in a long time (1981).

“And, since we haven’t been to a show ourselves since 2017, it’s felt like a long time between drinks for us.”

Strong family

Delilah’s breeder, Matt Robinson, confirmed that she was from one of their strongest families, which had only been held back by their penchant for delivering more bulls than heifer calves. Delilah’s fifth dam, Pukekaraka Pebbles Dell EX, was Champion All Breeds at the Waihi Show, aged 13. 

Matt who is a PE teacher has kept some cows, and he said that Delilah would have been his very next choice if he hadn’t been bound by a ceiling on numbers.

“But, I’m very happy that she has gone to a great home, where the Gilbert family could develop her even more,” Matt said.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better result. If you can’t show a champion, having your prefix on a champion is the next best thing, isn’t it?

“And, for her to get through the All Breeds against some bloody good Holsteins and Jerseys in Canterbury is very cool for our breed, and for our breeding.”

November 28 and 29 will be the day of truth when the Stratford show – which is shaping up as a big show for Down Under  – kicks off.

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Kueffner Cows’ Terri Packard is a rare mix of elegance and grit.  

Although she isn’t royal in the strictest sense, there’s no doubt her iron-clad reputation makes her one of the industry’s blue bloods – and a shining example when it comes to talent, integrity, intelligence and grace under pressure.

Terri is married to Ernie Kueffner, and there is nothing this power couple has not achieved in the industry – for others – and, for themselves. They are among the small echelon of A-listers that influence the top end of the global registered-cattle business. (Read more: KUEFFNER DAIRY TEAMWORK “2 Dream the Impossible Dream!”)

 Terri was recently named a judge for the National Jersey Jug Futurity at Louisville. It’s only the second time a woman has been asked to judge the world’s oldest and richest class for dairy cattle. The first was Alta Mae Core, and it’s an accolade Ernie believes is long overdue.

 Terri is not only ready to step up to judge, she is also ready to speak up about the registered industry, her defining moments, what it takes to market cattle, and the extreme solution the couple has been mulling over to combat the cancellation of this year’s World Dairy Expo (WDE)…

Now settled full-time at Kueffner Cows in Western Maryland, Terri and Ernie are well-known for launching Arethusa Farm’s brand, and taking its cows – among other achievements – to a history-breaking effort at the WDE. It was 2004 when Arethusa won both Supreme and Reserve Supreme Champion with their Holstein, Hillcroft Leader Melanie, and Jersey Huronia Centurion Veronica. (Read more: Arethusa: A Winning Focus)

The couple also co-managed (with Dan Donor and Isaac Lancaster) and hosted the Global Glamour sale from Arethusa’s Connecticut base in 2008, which averaged US$97,491, when Apple was sold for US$1 million. They won Premier Breeder banners for Arethusa in the two toughest breeds at WDE – Holsteins and Jerseys.

More recently, Terri and Ernie were the co-owners, masterminds and grunt behind the 2019 WDE Grand Champion Holstein, Butz-Butler Gold Barbara EX95, who was 65 days fresh after a break of two years.

There have been too many blue ribbons and Grand Champions in between to mention.

Great cows need care

Known equally for her cowmanship as for her marketing genius, Terri’s talent – in combination with Ernie’s – has granted the couple access to some of the best cows and deepest pockets in the industry.

Yet being a sixth-generation farmer, Terri’s ultimate master remains as it has always been: hard graft.

Terri has overhead people saying it’s easy to market great cows on the budgets they’ve had access to over the years. Her reply is simple.

“Yes, we have worked with a lot of people who have had money, and some people say we bought the cows, and there was the money to do it.

“But, one of the biggest things for me in marketing is first and foremost you have to take care of the cows. Without them, you have nothing. It doesn’t cost anything to brush tails, and soap is cheap.

“Yes, you can spend a lot of money on a beautiful display at a show, but if all you do is look after the cows, you’re still promoting your ability, your programme, and your attention to detail.

“There’s honestly nothing I enjoy doing more at a show than brushing tails. It’s therapy. We were all taught in 4H to clean hooves, ears, and have the sweat out from the udders … and so many seem to forget that. It’s something you can do without a lot of financial outlay. That’s what my mother taught me. And, wow, she was tough. She taught me more about elbow grease than anything else.”

Within the bigger picture, it has been Terri’s upbringing in northern Pennsylvania, her 4H experience, her personal journey, and Terri and Ernie’s partnership – all of which has collectively contributed to her stellar career. 

More than show day

Terri says not having WDE this year will sort out who truly is prepared to put the work in on their cattle day in, day out.

“With the shows falling like dominos, it’s going to sort the people out. I’m talking about the people who take care of their cows every day, no matter what, and who takes care of them ‘just because there is a show on’ – because this is an every-day, detail-oriented business.”

Terri says Ernie still gets up every night between midnight and 2 am to check the cows whether there is a show on the horizon or not.

He either puts the lights on them if they are in the pasture, or he picks the shits while he’s there if they are in the stalls. Terri does the early morning shift. They know their best insurance is having eyes on their cows.

Terri says, “You can’t teach people to observe. You either have it, or you don’t. You can teach them all the other stuff. But not that.

“Ernie gets annoyed with me at shows, because I’m on the wash rack, which is my one-on-one time with the cows, and I’ll come in and say, ‘There’s a cut on this cow, this cow has some swelling in her neck, and I can smell some hoof rot’. He’ll say to me, ‘Did anything good happen on the wash rack?’.

“But, we both know that observing and the attention to detail is so important, and it’s unrelenting.”

Unsurprisingly, it was Terri who suggested a sign for the new barn’s entrance at Arethusa. It’s a statement that hung at Ernie’s family operation in Wisconsin: “Every cow in this barn is a lady. Please treat her as such.”

It speaks to both of their hearts.

Ernie on Terri’s talent

As always with industry couples who are both talented, Ernie has often been given the lead. However, his respect for his wife runs deep, and he says her judging role at Louisville’s National Jersey Jug Futurity is overdue.

Ernie says, “In agriculture, to get to the top requires sacrifices. If they’re willing to do it, I’ve always thought that women had as much – or more – ability than the men. I’ve never had a question about that in my mind.

“I thought there was an opportunity for Terri to go forward to judge because she’s ready, she enjoys it, and that’s extremely important. She’s been up for judging roles before now, and she’s been beaten by males that aren’t qualified as her … because they’re men. It’s irritating. In fact, it irritates me a lot, because I believe that holds a number of women back sometimes.

“When she got the Louisville appointment – even though we don’t know for sure [the event] is going to happen – it was quite thrilling.”

Ernie also says Terri has strong opinions – these will keep her steady when she gets to the pointy end of the day.

“Over the years I’ve seen when certain male or female judges get to the Grand Champion – the very important times – they start to second guess themselves. Terri doesn’t second guess herself.”

Terri confirms she enjoys judging, and she knows it includes some pressure for her peers.

“I think it’s hard being in a situation whereas a couple the two of us have had success. People think I might do what Ernie would like. It’s hard to get out of that shadow, and it seems to be hard for people to understand that you might have your own opinion.

“If a woman doesn’t do a good job judging, then it’s that much harder to get momentum for other women. If a man does a bad job, it doesn’t hurt the other guys as much.”

Terri’s associate in the National Jersey Jug Futurity will be the dry-witted Richard Caverly, who managed Arethusa before Ernie and Terri took over.

Ernie’s best deal

Ernie says his wife is one of the special ones, and when asked what she has brought to their operation, he doesn’t hesitate to give her the credit she deserves.

“It’s a little difficult to answer real quick because she obviously brings a great deal. She brings a lot of energy and a lot of objectivity.

“She does physical, mental and emotional work, and she’s outstanding in marketing and advertising. Terri can do anything – and she does it well.”

He smiles, “We don’t always agree, and sometimes she takes longer to do some jobs than I’d like her to, but she always does it well.”

He quips, “And when she gets a new haircut, that looks good too!”

All jokes aside, Ernie knows he made the best deal of his life when Terri agreed to share her life with him.

“There is an integrity and decency in Terri which means she can also go to any farm anywhere, at any time and she will always be welcomed.

“That’s quite a compliment. I’m not sure I’d be welcome everywhere, but that’s okay. Because there’s some places I don’t want to go.”

Arethusa was defining

What some don’t know about the couple’s dominating run at Arethusa is that for the first 12 months of their full-time association, Terri managed Arethusa while Ernie continued to run their home operation – six hours away.

She was 33 at the time, and Ernie and Terri had never milked more than 15 to 20 cows at home. Her brother, David, worked alongside her, and Ernie commuted a couple of times a month. It was a defining appointment for Terri.

Ernie says, “That was probably quite extreme for Terri at the time, and she was probably quite shocked for the first five minutes after I suggested it. But, for me, it was simple. From a personal standpoint, I wanted her to be more challenged; I knew she’d do well, and I knew there would be no failure.”

Terri agreed that she was stunned when Ernie suggested it without discussing it with her first.

“That really changed me – because it threw me out there,” Terri says. “I wasn’t on my own entirely, but it sure felt like it. That first year we were there, our mother [Marilyn], passed away and David and I were on this new farm, with young employees, Japanese interns and college kids.

“It was like being a parent in many ways, but I also had the responsibility of the cows. It was a lot. But I enjoyed it. There were days in the beginning where I was out mowing the lawn, trimming bushes, and mowing the pastures, because in the beginning, we did it all. When it got to that first successful year at Madison, that put me in the office full time, and I then became the relief milker.”

The 2004 WDE success put a lot of pressure on Terri and Ernie because it “ratcheted” up Arethusa’s owner’s expectations. And the industry was paying attention.

Terri says, “When you have a certain amount of success, there are people that are happy for you, and there are people that are jealous. Some people are both.

“But Arethusa was great at letting us do our job. From the beginning we said we would stay involved as long as they remembered that the cows came first, followed by the owners, and then the employees. But, the cows would always come first.”

When the couple called time on Arethusa after a decade, they gave owners George Malkemus and Tony Yurgaitis just over a year’s warning to put their plans in place.

“Sometimes it feels like it was a lifetime ago. We had a great group of cows and a great group of young people.

“One of the best things was the people we got to work with. Because we had young people who wanted to learn. And, they were dedicated, teachable and they loved cows.

“They’ve gone on to do great things. At one point, we had former employees managing every one of the major show herds in North America.

“We still get calls and texts with what they’re doing. That’s been a major highlight for both of us to watch their careers.”

Reputations make sales

Terri and Ernie were planning a sale in conjunction with the Franchise Kind in June.

When COVID-19 happened, they were preparing to hunker down and ride it out until they could re-schedule.

In the interim, the Hogan family, who milks over 5000 cows at Misty Meadow Dairy in Oregon, approached them with an eye on acquiring the 2018 WDE Intermediate Champion and Reserve Grand Champion, South Mountain Voltage Radiant EX91. Ernie had always said she was for sale. On one condition.

“There was one cow in particular that they wanted and other people have asked about her at different times,” Terri confirms. “And, the answer was, ‘Yes, Radiant is for sale, but not alone’. Because, if she is not here, the excitement is gone about going to the barn in the morning for Ernie.

“He’s said that for a couple of years now.”

“Finally, I just gave the Hogan family the spreadsheet of all our animals, and they came back and asked us how much for all of them. You can’t pass up that kind of opportunity. Ernie and I each picked out one baby calf to keep and we have a couple of donors, some Holstein heifers, a Brown Swiss donor and Barbara left.

“We still have Radiant here too on behalf of the Hogans, because we had planned to prepare her for Madison. Hopefully, Louisville will go ahead, so we can get her out there.”

Importantly, Terri and Ernie have never been able to ship milk in their operation, and so 37 head were loaded up for their new future. They are now in the care of Misty Meadow’s herdsman, Danny Upchurch. Danny handled a lot of the sale detail and is responsible for the family’s type herd, which is currently located in California while a facility is being acquired for them in Oregon.

“We sold because there was so much uncertainty in these unprecedented times. We didn’t know when we’d be able to have a sale, what the economy would be, whether anybody would be in the mood to buy anything and whether there would be any shows. And, when somebody comes along with sincere interest in type cattle with pedigrees who wanted to breed from them, we had to consider it.”

Ernie and Terri remain in the mix, helping the new owners with decisions related to marketing, showing and breeding.

“It’s hard to see them go, and I still cried when we left after visiting them, but they look good,” Terri said. “They’re doing well and they’re happy. The first day we walked in there they were so buried in this beautiful oat hay they were eating that they didn’t even want to talk to us. Which was good. They’ve adjusted well, and it couldn’t be more opposite living for them.

“But this is the first time since we’ve lived here for 23 years that there’s not been a Jersey heifer on this farm.”

Circular business

Terri says she wasn’t surprised when Ernie immediately started gathering new animals.

“This is an addiction, right?! No sooner had we got them loaded and out the driveway than Ernie started talking about Michael Heath and Nathan Thomas’s sale, which was running a week later. Ernie felt he should support it because he’s a firm believer that everyone in this industry has to give and take.”

They bought a springing heifer that caught Terri’s eye, who they say has calved out beautifully. Terri says while buying goes against their “sort of” plans to slow up, they both have a happy knack for finding the good ones.

“I give Ernie a hard time about it, but it’s usually beneficial,” she pauses reflectively. “If we sell a whole bunch of cattle, two years later he’ll end up buying one of them back. When we had our sale in 2016, we sold a bred heifer for $5500. She calved out the next year, and Mike Deaver called and said, ‘You might want to know about this one.’

“We bought her back over the phone, and we never saw her before she arrived at the farm. That was Radiant. And, he’s done it before.”

Another Jersey recently joined them – a daughter from Radiant – who was sold last year. She’s owned in partnership with RCD Jerseys (Rankin, Ceresna and Deist).
The two calves they chose to keep include Ernie’s choice of a Velocity out of Radiant, while Terri chose a calf who goes back to one of the first Jerseys they bought from Canada after they moved to Boonsboro in 1997.

Terri says, “I’m keeping something out of that Sofie family until we’re done. Her dam is a Premier x Comerica x Deluxe x Premonition x Sofie and she’s sired by Velocity too, so I’ve got my shot of Veronica in there.”

Giving up the business may have been muted, but somehow it still feels a world away.

“We did have that discussion pretty seriously, and I thought selling that many cattle during a pandemic might be a sign that perhaps it is enough, and we should slow down.

“Ernie is almost 20 years older than me, he’s got Parkinson’s Disease, and while he’s working hard against it, he does have it.”

Barbara: sweet win

When the talk turns to achievement and favourite cows, Terri says for Barbara to go all the way last year under judge Chad Ryan, of Fond du Lac in Wisconsin, was a personal sweet spot in her career. 

“I remember when Barbara was in the ring, all these people were wanting to talk to me. And, all I wanted to do was to watch that cow,” Terri said. “Finally I got up on top of a chair, so that no-one could talk to me.

“Because that moment was the culmination of so, so much work, and I just wanted to see Barbara be happy, and see her appreciated.

“We’ve shown some beautiful older cows in the last few years that have been hammered in the ring. And, I wanted to see a judge respect an older cow. And, I’ve never seen her in all the years we’ve had her behave so well and look so happy out there, and just show off like Veronica and Ashlyn used to do.

“That moment made up for all the hours of work over the years.”

Terri says Barbara calved at the end of July. She hadn’t had a calf in two years, was fat and angry to be in-milk again.

“She was wicked. She was the nastiest Holstein cow I’d ever milked for those first two weeks. She was so mad that her udder was full of milk. We had quite a roller coaster ride with her for 65 days, and then to stand there looking at her in the ring was a testament to the cow and to the judge, who was so respectful of both the cows and the exhibitors.

“I don’t think anyone would feel that he didn’t give their cows time that day.

“If we never showed again after that, I’m okay with that.”

Barbara inspirational

Terri Packard worries that missing WDE could be critical for a number of form cows, and she has been mulling over an edgy alternative because it also worries her what the industry will do without some light at the end of the tunnel.

“Every day since they’ve cancelled WDE, I have the discussion with my husband about another show.”

“So many of these cows have that one day like Barbara, and you may not ever get it back. That’s one of the main reasons why I want a show this year. For all these cows that are ready.

“People say there is always next year, but there may not be next year for some of them.”

Veronica still favourite

People who know cows, know that if they get great care and management, they have the confidence to show their personality and intellect.  

And, of all the great ones Terri has worked with – even though she was reared with Holsteins – it is a household Jersey name, Veronica, who remains her favourite.

“There’s been so many unique and interesting animals I’ve worked with, but I don’t think anyone else looked at you like they knew what you were talking about like Veronica did.

“She was so aware of people. It is 18 years since we bought her, and we worked with her for more than 10 years, and we still tell the stories about her because she was just that smart.

“She had such an appetite, and she was so aggressive at a show. When we would take her out to be washed, Ernie would have to stand the end of the barn and clear the way for her when she came back.

“Because as soon as she got to the door, she knew her feed would be in her stall, and no-one could hold her back. We literally always had the biggest guy we had in our team bring her in, and she’d start getting mad, and Ernie would say, ‘Let her go.’ She’d just storm into the barn, and into her stall, and start eating.

“She was the same in the clipping chute. And, she knew when people were watching her. You could see the angle of her head change. One day we were classifying Holsteins at Arethusa, and we were washing and clipping the cows and the Holsteins were getting all the attention, and that morning we left the Jerseys out.

“When they let the cows back in to feed, we turned around and Veronica had walked into the barn, and she was standing in the clipping chute like she was saying, ‘What am I? Chopped liver?’

“Norman [Nabholz] used to lead her, but I remember one year we took her to Louisville, and she was pissed that day. Norman saw her come out of the chute really mad, she was hauling arse as she stormed up the aisle and into her stall, and he was like, ‘I can’t do it. I’m out. She’s gonna take me for a ride’.

“Ernie was like, ‘We haven’t got time for this’. Norman said, ‘Steve White will do it’. And, Ernie didn’t think he would. And, Norm replied, ‘He will if I ask him’.

“Steve is such a big, broad-shouldered man, and luckily for us he said he’d do it. So, we walked Veronica down to the ring with Norman at the halter and right before Veronica went into the ring, Steve took over.

“And, you could see Veronica slowly look up at Steve, take in his size advantage, and you could literally see her thinking, ‘I’m not gonna be messing with this guy’. She led like a dream that day, and she was Champion.”

Does Terri think she would have led for Norman?

“I think that day she might have taken him.

“Everything she did was always extreme. It was great to be around her. I led her twice over the years – once at The Royal as a second-calved two-year-old when she was Intermediate Champion and Reserve Grand under Steve Borland – and, as a 10-year-old at the Spring Show where she was Reserve Grand. But she was a handful and headstrong. Her great-granddaughter acts just like her.

“Jerseys have so much more personality than Holsteins, and they just draw you in. There’s the rare Holstein that is responsive like that, and Barbara is one of them, so I enjoy working with her, and I love observing her.”
Terri says Jerseys might get sick a little quicker than Holsteins, but they get better faster.

“And, don’t let anyone tell you they don’t eat as much.”

Delicate marketing dance

Terri warns that marketing in today’s world is a delicate dance.

“I think it’s just so important, especially now that we don’t get a Holstein World, and every state doesn’t have their own breed publications. We’ve got to build our own hype, and have our cows in front of people. And, it’s very accessible to do that through social media.

“But, I don’t like to badger everyone, because – when I need to market – I want them to listen.”

Every industry needs leaders

In closing, Terri hopes there is room in the industry for the next generation to come through.

“There are a lot of young people out there who have a strong interest in registered cattle, and they want to take care of good cows,” Terri said. “But I don’t see very many of them going out and buying the farms, or having the income to be the next generation of that.

“All these young people who love to do this – there needs to be the next layers of owners who can afford to hire them, and who can afford to take care of these good cows.

“I hope there are enough people that still get excited about going to the shows and having a nice cow to look at in the barn in the morning.

“Because it does take more work, those kinds of cows do need more care, and in order to be developed to that point…it’s every day – it’s not just once you get on the truck, and head out for the show.”

It’s been said that without someone to set the bar, how does everyone else know how high they have to climb?

There’s no doubt that Terri and Ernie help bring the energy, and the excitement, that makes this industry special and compelling for everyone else. And Terri is a beacon for young women who are aspiring to take lead roles at any level.

Jill and Brad Porter with their dairy cows. Picture: Christine Ansorge

It was the phone call every dairy farmer dreads when they are off-farm.

 Brad and Jill Porter were milking 600 cows at Panmure Jerseys, just out of Warrnambool in south-west Victoria. On March 17, 2018, they were in Tasmania for a short break when their neighbour, Jack Kenna, rang. He said a power pole had fallen on his farm, ignited a fire and it was headed their way. He said they had three minutes to get out.

 There was no time to do anything. The flames, propelled by the hot windy temperatures and a lot of fuel, would wreak unspeakable destruction within 30 minutes – including killing or maiming 400 of their herd. Cows which Brad adored. The life-changing event was to be so catastrophic and traumatic on so many levels that it still haunts them both today.

 Both Jill and Brad have become fierce advocates for change, board members for Blaze Aid, and they have advice and life lessons – that they wish they had never had to learn – for their colleagues facing up to their own recoveries after the recent bushfires across Australia…

Brad and Jill (who was still in her pyjamas) rushed to the airport. They left their rental car sitting in the middle of the drop-off zone, and sprinted for the ticketing counter. They managed to bag the last flight out of Tasmania. The airline put them in the front seats, giving them the best chance of a rapid exit when they landed.

The Porters arrived home at 3am and began immediately checking the cows. Jill, a pharmacist, stepped into her professional role to help assess and triage the herd. As the sun rose, the depth of the carnage became clear. They wouldn’t go to bed for the next three days.

Brad said, “There were the dead, the walking dead, the severely burned cows, the burned cows, and the cows that were okay. The fences were all gone, and the cows were in shock. So were we. One side of the farm wasn’t as bad, and we could put all the other animals over there so we could concentrate on the herd.

“We assessed all the cows and we had to get a number destroyed immediately, and we were forced to sell a large number of cows that were burned, but saleable.

“Some things you just can’t un-see. And, I don’t want to ever see what we saw that day ever again.”

‘I wouldn’t have my husband’

Jill’s life has also changed in the aftermath, and she is sure of one thing.

“I wouldn’t have my husband today, if we had been home,” she said without a pause of hesitation. “He would have died defending those cows. Every day I get up now and look at him and think, ‘Thank God, we weren’t there’.

“I still can see in my mind’s eye a cow who was burned … with her nose half peeling off. And she just stood and looked at me. I couldn’t help her, and I couldn’t protect my husband from seeing her. He knew every cow. He loved them all. Those memories remain very raw. I struggle to go to the dairy even today if it’s hot and windy.”

Brad still hasn’t had the heart to check the computer thoroughly to update his records on the cows which survived. Because he will see the ones that didn’t.

“I don’t even think about how many cows we’ve lost, and that’s why I haven’t gone back into the computer since the fire. I just block it out. It’s for my own mental preservation.”

Running to find peace

The fire was caused by a power company’s ageing infrastructure – with nothing the Porters, their neighbour Jack Kenna, or any other neighbour could do about it. The bitter pill to swallow is that was preventable. The result has been lengthy and engulfing litigation that threatened to swallow Jill. She was so enraged by the injustice of that day, that her counsellor advised her to take up a sport.

“I am not into sport at all, so I started walking,” Jill said. “But it was too slow because I was so angry, so I started running.”

How far does she run?

“Until I feel good.”

It could take 19 kilometres to achieve peace. It depends on the morning.

Jill didn’t work off-farm again for 18 months.

Daily, intensive treatment

Brad still tears up when he thinks about the cows and the suffering they went through.

One of the first things the Porters needed to do after the fire was to get the cows through the dairy. It was akin to a war zone: so many of the herd were injured and in pain. So many needed treatment every milking.

Neighbours and friends pitched in. There was a kindness and solidarity that Brad and Jill will never forget. For about six months afterwards they were feeding up to 150 people every lunchtime.

Milking health focus saved cows

Brad said they considered drying the herd off, but he needed the routine to make him get out of bed every morning.

“We needed the income as well. But mostly I needed my usual routine to maintain my sanity. I think it helps with making decisions.”

One of the first post-fire orders of business was the dairy. The clusters and liners, which had concerned Brad in the past, were now causing havoc.

“The cows’ teats were weeping, and their skin was so thin and so tender. We were so worried about stripping all the skin off the teats because we had really bad cup slippage. We needed cups and liners that were gentler on the teats.

“For the health and comfort of the cows we didn’t have a choice. There was no running away from it. We would have lost so many more cows if we hadn’t done something, and we knew it had to happen fast.

He made an SOS call on the Thursday to Mick Scanlon of Scanlons Dairy Centre in Terang, who in turn contacted Leon Lourey from Daviesway. By the Saturday, a full install of new Milkrite clusters and liners was complete. They chose Milkrite because the science behind the design gives cows the highest level of comfort (they have the world’s only internally triangular moulded plastic shell with mouthpiece vented triangular liners).

Team works with farmers

Leon said the whole team made it happen.

“Knowing the circumstances, we just knew we had to do something as quickly as we could,” Leon said. “Mick was also a big part of it. Our sole focus was to help in any way we could.”

Brad said it was a life-saving decision.

“Most of the cows’ udders were burned. The teat orifices on a lot were fine, but we would have lost the entire herd with that cup slippage. We needed cups that hung on, but which were gentle.”

Milkrite, which is used by 40% of farmers in the USA, includes a patented and revolutionary air-vent position in the mouthpiece of each shell. It introduces air above the milk-flow, stops splash-back and makes cluster removal gentler.

“I was so delighted and relieved with the result,” Brad said. “The clusters were much lighter, and much easier to use.

“I was a real sceptic about the air hole in the mouthpiece of the liner – I thought it’d get clogged up with shit – but it hasn’t been an issue.

“I’d be happy to stand on the corner of the street and sell Milkrite to anyone who would listen.

“They milk cows out properly, they are much gentler on their teats. We haven’t seen any teat-end damage in the last two years and that’s been a big thing for me because I can’t afford to lose anymore cows. I wouldn’t dare put my name to it if I didn’t think it was worthy.”

Fences around the district have been destroyed. Picture: Rob Gunstone

80% of bushfires preventable

What now haunts Jill is that her research has revealed that more than 80% of the bushfire deaths in Victoria can be traced to electrical failures. Energy Safe Victoria (ESV) has determined that Powercor failed to identify the termite-riddled power pole which razed Brad and Jill’s property. That day six fires – all started by electrical failures – burned 40,000 hectares.

“These fires are really deadly. If you look at Black Saturday [February 7, 2009], six out of the 11 fires were electrically initiated. On Ash Wednesday [February 16, 1983] five from the eight were ignited by electrical failure. All of the 1977 fires [that burned about 103,000ha] were electrically started.

“On the day of our fire, all were started from electrical infrastructure failing. Every single one of them. And, it’s because the infrastructure is aging and it’s failing our community.”

Jill has been fighting for change ever since because their community’s pain remains real and raw.

“I think the biggest thing is I’m devastated that a Government and a system can let a community down like we’ve been let down. We deserve to be safe. That is not happening.

“Yes, we got a civil settlement, but they are now arguing about what they should and shouldn’t pay for. They’re still in the driver’s seat. They destroyed my husband, and you can’t get that back.

“His passion and his livelihood was gone. I can articulate that, and I’ll continue to take it to them. Because they are wrong, they are indecent, and they are cruel.”

People were the difference

Day-to-day their community’s resilience has been the shining star to come out of the experience.

Jill said, “We are still a long way from recovered. I’m not saying we’re not functioning. I’m back now, but it took me 18 months to go back to work.

“You listen to the psychologists and it takes an average of six years to recover from a bushfire. You’re not ‘right’, even when the grass is green again because everything changes. It rips you apart.

“People talk in terms of ‘getting back to where you were before the fire’. It’s very much the catch phrase in recovery. I’m absolutely certain that you never get back to where you were because the recovery takes you down a different pathway.

“It’s not all bad. There are some good things – people’s generosity and support of us is something Brad and I hope to pay forward.

“Our neighbours and community that were burned out have become very resilient, and we know each other on a much deeper level because of the fire.”

Brad said it had been a humbling experience, and it had been hard to accept help. But people had made the difference

“I remember walking out the door after the fire and thinking, ‘where do I start?’. People came from everywhere.

“It was a generosity you never, ever forget. It pays to be charitable in life. I would walk over hot coals for my neighbours – there are so many people I have such a high and healthy respect for in my neighbourhood. At the end of the day, they’re the ones that got us back up on our feet.”

Jill said her advice to peers now facing their own recovery in the wake of the most recent fires was to take care of each other, and not to be afraid to ask for help.

“It takes a long time to come out of the fog, and you don’t need to rush it. You have to attend to certain things straight away, but you don’t want to make too many decisions unless you have to.

“There are a lot of good people in this world, and you’re not on your own.”

Thanks to Daviesway for allowing us to share this story.  Also, be sure to check out Dianna Malcolm’s new venture Mud Media.

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It’s so hard to focus on the victories with Ferme Jacobs, because the way it wins is so well, winsome.

Just one other Canadian farm has won Premier Breeder at The Royal more times than Ferme Jacobs (Romandale Holsteins, 13 times). Notably, at The Royal, Ferme Jacobs showed no heifers and they have now nudged ahead of household names like Dupasquier Holsteins, Hanover Hill Holsteins, Glenafton Holsteins and Rosafe Holsteins.

And the last time a Holstein breeder won Grand and Reserve Grand Champion with homebred entries at The Royal was Agro Acres with maternal sisters in 1969. Before that the only other recorded time was by Mount Victoria in 1935.

The landslide results for Ferme Jacobs started here when The Royal judge Jamie Black slapped the family’s winning four-year-old, Jacobs Windbrook Aimo EX95 for Senior Champion.

This year’s Royal Agricultural Winter Fair belonged to Ferme Jacobs’ winning four-year-old, Jacobs Windbrook Aimo EX95, and their winning mature cow, Jacobs Lauthority Loana EX96-2E, who finished Grand and Reserve Grand Holstein respectively. Loana is owned in partnership with Pat Conroy.

And yet the lasting impressions from both WDE and The Royal are not only the family’s champions, but also the way they care for their cows, the way they celebrate and the way they share their success with the industry.

The squeals and multiple photographs of their children swarming ringside, together with the unadulterated joy between their parents in the ring, is infectious.

“We always have a party, even if we lose,” Ysabel Jacobs, 37, smiled.

“But that party at The Royal this year was one of the best ones we’ve had, for sure. We were so excited. We’ve never had Grand and Reserve Grand before, so we went wild.

“Because the level where we are now with our results; it’s easier to get there than it is to stay there. We know that.

“Last year we said we couldn’t have a better year than that was. Then this year, we did. We don’t know what’s coming up for us. But we know we are going to have to accept it when it comes, because we have kids around and we need to show them the right way to handle losing.”

The family was also unafraid to bring the reigning WDE Grand Champion Holstein out again at The Royal one month later – always a risk when a cow has something to lose.

WDE and Royal wins both special

“I think both the WDE and RWF results were special in their own way,” Ysabel said. “At WDE, Loana was perfect, and while Aimo [the 2017 WDE Intermediate Champion] won her class at WDE this year, she didn’t co-operate with us that day, and we had wanted her to look better than she did.

“At the RWF, it was the opposite. Aimo got ready perfect, and Loana didn’t want to co-operate. When we get our cows ready in the string, we get all excited before they leave the string if they are heading to the ring looking as good as we know they can be. After that, whatever happens in the ring is fine because you have no control over that.

“We think Loana might have had a big heat the day before the RWF because she was very mad that day. So, one show was perfect for Loana, and one was perfect for Aimo. We’re happy with that.”

As to which cow is best, Ysabel smiles. She always leads Loana and Yan takes Aimo.

“I don’t know,” she laughed. “If you talk to my brother he’ll say Aimo, and if you talk to me, I think I’d say Loana. There are some things that I like more about Loana and some things I like more about Aimo.

“We both like to lead, and we kind of always have our own cows. We never fight for who leads who, because we always differ slightly. We like the same kind of cow, but we like different things on individuals too. I would say Aimo is more Yan’s type, and Loana is more my type.”

Carl Saucier mentor

Semex’s well-known Carl Saucier, who has been a mentor and friend for Yan and Isobel, says there is something special about the family’s care of their cows, which always comes before winning.

“What I love about this family is that they are not only humble winners, they are great losers,” Carl said.

“I remember in 2015 at The Royal, they lost the Premier Breeder banner by the smallest of margins and they went down to Kingsway [Farms, the winner] and drank to their success with them. They are always happy for others. Ysabel is happy to help others at shows too – even her biggest competitors. She’ll give them some of their best hay to fill cows on show day. She just smiles and says: ‘Let the best cow win.’”

Buy when they want to

While the family is now recognised for its success with homebred animals, buying them is not without precedence. This year’s WDE Intermediate Champion, Erbacres Snapple Shakira-ET VG89, is jointly owned by Ferme Jacobs, Ty-D Holsteins, Killian Tehraulaz, Ferme Antelimarck and C & F Jacobs. The 2013 WDE Supreme Champion Bonnacueil Maya Goldwyn EX-95 3E 6* was co-owned with Drolet & Fils, Ty-D Holsteins, and Bonaccueil Holsteins.

Erbacres Snapple Shakira-ET VG89, gets the nod for Intermediate Champion at World Dairy Expo. She is jointly owned by Ferme Jacobs, Ty-D Holsteins, Killian Tehraulaz, Ferme Antelimarck and C & F Jacobs. She is led by Tyler Doiron.

“We do like to buy one once in a while and develop a cow to the max she can be,” Ysabel said. “But we’re never in a rush to buy them. It just happens when, ‘OK, I can’t get over it’. Then we get on each other. If I go to sleep at night and I still see her in my head, we need to buy her. We’re like kids and it’s satisfying to get a cow where you know she can be. With Shakira, it just happened that our friend, Killian, was there when we were looking at her, and he said he wanted in too.

“I think the partnerships we have now is that they know us. They know that we’re not going to call for a breeding decision. But they know also that we’ll make the best decisions we can on the cow’s behalf.

“If someone wants to be in with us, they need to just let us get on with it. We’re very bad for sharing news – very bad. We don’t spend all our time talking with a partner on the phone. They need to have trust in us and as soon as we flush, we usually separate everything so the partnerships don’t get too big. That’s the easiest way.”

Breeding with numbers often doesn’t add up 

When Ferme Jacobs decides on what bulls to use to breed the next one, genomics is the last consideration. The family is driven by cow families and the sires that leave the kind of cows the farm needs. They have alternated between high type and breeding for milk. It maintains a balance of stylish show cows that will work and last.

“We do look at the numbers, but that’s not big for us,” Ysabel said. “The only number we really do watch is that we will never use a bull that is minus for milk. Yan is starting to judge more now. He went to the USA, and Tyler and I are also starting to judge too, so we are all travelling a little bit.

“Between us, we see enough cattle in a year that we can see which bulls we want to use, and which bulls we don’t wanna use. When we go away, we usually also try and visit two to three farms to see what’s there and what’s working.

“Right now, we’re breeding for a bit more on milk, because you can have any good show cow in the world, if she doesn’t milk it’s not going to work.

“We are concentrating right now on balance, especially at our place because we have so many type cows. Using high type bulls here right now would be too extreme.”

Bulls in use now include Croteau Lesperron Unix, Seagull-Bay Silver, Comestar Lautrust, S-S-I Silver Spike, Sandy-Valley J Pharo, S-S-I Montross Missle, Monument Impression, and MR Mogul Delta.

“I know sometimes we use older bulls, but we don’t think using old bulls is a fault,” Ysabel said. 

Massive embryo demand

Their juggle remains working between showing cows, massive embryo demand (500 embryos were sold by Ferme Jacobs this year), and breeding a bull for the industry, to be marketed through Select Sires.

MOET embryo transfer work takes a seat behind show cow management and preparation. IVF is infrequent, because of the expense.

“If the cows are on a show programme, they are not going to be flushed,” Ysabel said. “We don’t want to work with hormones while they are showing. We’d rather flush them when they are done showing.”

And the Jacobs family remains true to itself when it comes to choosing potential bull mothers.

“Select [Sires] are not pushing us for the cross, because they know there are some crosses we don’t want and some crosses that make sense to us,” Ysabel said.

“It doesn’t have to be very high on everything, because we think that everyone in the industry is running a race right now on all that… for nothing.”

The cows they hope to make a bull from include 2017 Holstein Canada Cow of the Year, Jacobs Goldwyn Britany EX-96 2E 10* (Braedale Goldwyn x Jacobs Jasper Best), Loana (Comestar Lauthority x Jacobs Outside Linsey), Aimo (Windbrook x Jacobs Minister Aima), and Shikara (Snapple x Miss Apple Snapple EX-94). Aimo has an ET bull calf coming, sired by Lautrust, and she will calve next May to Lautrust.

The family’s happy place

Challenges come to every family and Ysabel says it is always the cows that put them back in their “happy place”. An extended and supportive team, combined with watching their children develop the same love for cattle, has sustained them.

“It’s not easy, because there is sacrifice. But it is a sacrifice my brother, my husband and I don’t mind,” Ysabel said.

Yan Jacobs is swamped by his daughters Elsie and Nellie Jacobs as he leaves the ring after winning Grand Champion at The Royal. Tyler and Ysabel’s daughter Aylson is obscured.

 “Our kids have grown up around that. We have three farms together and we have an amazing team around us, including Mum and Dad, who always support us.

“Yes, it’s hard sometimes and sometimes you want to quit. But there is always something coming and someone slapping your shoulder, or you find a new cow and you get excited again.”

Pressure has been a constant, but they can now put it into perspective.

“I would say that two years ago we could feel there was pressure to back up our performance,” Ysabel said. “But last year, we realised there is so much more important things in life than showing, and this year we just wanted to go and have fun, and to try our best.

“We get nervous at certain points, but always a good nervous. I know there is money involved. But people are so much looking at us right now, that no matter what happens, we should do it for fun.

“We’ve lost before, and we’ll lose again. Let’s be prepared to do it, and if it happens, at least we had fun doing it. Our kids are starting to show and we are trying to teach them the right way, because they don’t always lead winners – they lead both. And, if they don’t practice with their calves at home, we aren’t going to let them show their calf.”

Ultimately, Ferme Jacobs loves good cows and they continue to see the good, and the good people in the industry.

“We have people in our team who come and help us on show day, who don’t want to be paid. They just want to do it with us. Those are special people for us,” Ysabel said.

“We are very lucky to have them around us. To be honest, there are so many good people in our business who have the same passion to try to get the right cow where she needs to be. We love it.”

Two well-known Canadian barns have opened their doors to a decorated Australian cow family.

The news bubbled up in the lead-up to Australasia’s premier dairy show – International Dairy Week (IDW) – which will be held at Tatura (two hours north of Melbourne) between January 17 and 22.

This year’s Holstein judge is Pierre Boulet, from Montmagny, Québec and he is at the epicentre of the story.

Pierre and his partner, Katie Coates, milk 110 Holsteins. Pierre also deals in thousands of cattle annually for commercial dairies and export. He is the co-owner and auctioneer for Les Encans Boulet.

Pierre’s keen eye to find the good ones and develop them is well documented (particularly) through the achievements of three EX97 global household names in the business – Thrulane James Rose EX-97-2E 3*, Bruynland Storm Kendra EX97 and Loyalyn Goldwyn June EX97.

In November, Pierre bought milking yearling Fraeland After Bash VG87 for $24,500 from Fraeland Holsteins, in Ontario, through the Sale of the Stars at The Royal.

Fraeland After Bash VG87-2YRS-Can sold by Fraeland Farms to Ferme Pierre Boulet.

After Bash’s granddam was Australia’s two-time IDW Grand Champion Holstein (2005 and 2007) – Fairvale Jed Bonnie 94-ET EX-1E.

Fraeland Goldwyn Bonnie EX95 is owned by Fraeland Farms who imported her as an embryo to Canada. She has established the Australian family in North America.

The Aftershock daughter is out of an EX95 Goldwyn, which Ontario dairyman Steve Fraser (Fraeland Farms), imported in a package of embryos from Jed Bonnie. Steve came into the embryos because he is the co-owner of Jed Bonnie with Leslie Farms – his good friends and colleagues in Australia – who managed Jed Bonnie on behalf of the partnership during the height of her career from their northern Victorian base.

Australia’s two-time IDW Grand Champion Holstein in 2005 and 2007 – Fairvale Jed Bonnie 94-ET EX-1E. Photo: CrazyCow In Print.

Steve, who last saw Jed Bonnie aged 15 when he visited Australia in 2014, says her Goldwyn daughter is a head-turner and a favourite at Fraeland.

Fairvale Jed Bonnie 94-ET EX-1E

“Even this fall, when she was milking about 19 months, visitors were amazed at the cow for her dairy length, udder and her mobility for an eight-year-old cow,” Steve said.

“We don’t fit her into our program, we try to work with hers. She is quite the cow to work with. She is the boss around here. She is an extremely dairy cow with an awesome udder. She may not have had the stature to run with some of the cows at the Royal or WDE in her prime. But she is fast becoming a great brood cow.

“I have sold heifers locally for people to show that are now developing them into VG two-year-olds. I have exported embryos from her to Europe, New Zealand, Australia and even sold some locally. She is due early March to Doorman and she will be flushed heavily again next year.

“With the few daughters she has, and how they have developed, we would really like work with her reproductively and not worry about how much we show her now.”

Although showing is no longer a priority, the Goldwyn held her own, winning Reserve All Ontario Junior two-year-old in 2009, 1st Jr 2yr and Res Int. Champ Autumn Opportunity 2009 and 2nd 4yr Dufferin Wellington show 2011. She was also 2nd 5yr and Res Grand Dufferin Wellington 2012, 2nd 5yr Autumn Opportunity show 2012 and 1st aged cow and Hon. Men Champ Dufferin Wellington 2014.

“I do rate the Aftershock as a tremendous young heifer with an extremely high-ceiling future. She has an incredible udder. She is so very correct through her loin, rump and rear leg. Currently she lacks a bit of balance. She is very tall with an open rib but you would like to deepen her rib and give her some more width of chest. To be honest, she is made quite a bit like her granddam, Jed Bonnie, as a first lactation animal. If all goes well, she could be quite a cow in a year or two.”

Pierre confirmed he had big plans for the young cow.

“I noticed her before the sale and kept my eye on her in the ring in hopes of buying her,” Pierre said. “She has an exceptional bone quality, she’s very dairy and has a great udder. When cows have feet and legs like hers, you know they’ll be around for a long time. To top it off she has a great pedigree behind her, and she comes from a good family.

“She’s due back in the fall so we will be working with her to get her in top shape to hopefully bring to the fall shows,” he said. “I really like bringing that kind of pedigree into the barn with a good sire stack and strong family because it’s the type of families that you want to breed from and develop.”

The root of the family comes from Master Breeders Fairvale Holsteins, owned by Ross and Leanne Dobson, in Tasmania.

Fairvale is Australia’s most successful prefix when it comes to breeding Grand Champion Holsteins at IDW – despite being separated from the mainland by 240km of ocean and expensive transit costs.

Still, three cows – bred and reared at Fairvale – have collectively won five IDW Champion Holstein titles (for three different exhibitors) between 2005 and 2014.

The anchors for the Bonnie family internationally is the EX95 Goldwyn at Fraeland and an EX94 Derry daughter at Bluechip Genetics in Australia (Fairvale’s longtime partner in marketing its profile animals).

The Derry, now 10, was the lucky result of the single C-grade embryo Fairvale and Bluechip retained after they sold Jed Bonnie to Leslie Farms and Fraeland in 2004 soon after she had won Reserve Champion Holstein at IDW milking over 300 days, set for IDW 2005.

Fairvale and Bluechip have since sold 40 embryos from the Derry, and 30 live animals. Ten Bonnies remain at Bluechip – including the 2015 IDW Junior Champion, Bluechip Goldchip Bonnie (x VG87 Shottle x EX94 Derry x EX-1E Jed Bonnie). The Goldchip will return to IDW this year as a milking senior two-year-old.

“Over the years, Bluechip have developed and shown many Bonnie family members from their branch of the family,” Steve said. “Our Goldwyn Bonnie does not have as many daughters as the Derry, but they all have been showable and marketable and I am starting to admire and like the consistency in which this family breeds for show type,” he added.

Fraeland has an 88-point second calved Sid and two October 2015-born Bradnick daughters. Goldwyn Bonnie is carrying a Doorman heifer and two more Doorman heifers will be born in the spring.

Pierre has never visited Australia before. Now, he has a vested interest in seeing what the country has to offer – including seeing the full sister to After Bash sell at IDW (she will be offered by Windy Vale Holsteins).

He also has Australian partners in Goldwyn June (Diamond Genetics – Justin Walsh, Phil Duncan and Matt Warnes) in addition to Kevin Doeberiener, of Ohio. The final piece to the jigsaw puzzle will be landing on Australian soil and seeing what the top cows in the southern hemisphere look like lined up in the ring together.

“I’ve always heard of the quality of the Australian genetics and wanted to make it to the show for several years,” Pierre said. “I guess the opportunity just never presented itself, and it all seems to be happening around the same time. Hopefully I will get the opportunity to visit a bit and check the cow families out.”

This is a journey that begs the question – could it signal a subtle shift as North American breeders widen their net looking for fresh genetics in a market, saturated with core families?

The Bullvine will be at IDW capturing pictures, interviews and results with CrazyCow In Print – the publications known the world over for bringing the complete story.