Three banners. One barn. Westcoast walked out of Chilliwack with Grand, Reserve Grand and Junior Champion, and Jamie Black barely blinked doing it. Here’s how the 2026 BC Spring Show actually unfolded.
The 2026 BC Holstein Spring Show – staged alongside the National Holstein Convention – delivered exactly what Western Canada wanted it to be: deep classes, serious cow power, and a reminder that BC can still go toe‑to‑toe with any show barn in the country. Under the eye of US judge Jamie Black, it was Westcoast Holsteins that ultimately claimed Grand Champion with WEST‑ADUB LAMBDA SADIE, while a stacked supporting cast from Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario turned the Holstein ring into a true national showcase.
Big‑picture takeaways
- Deepest overall quality we’ve seen at this show in years – especially in the two‑year‑olds and 4–5‑Year‑Olds.
- Western Canada’s young breeder programs are clearly paying off – Hamming, Mosnang, Robella, Love Hill, Lucky Hill, Crestomere and others are now sending strings that can win anywhere.
- Red & White genetics weren’t just “also in the ring” – they were competitive all day and grabbed both banners in the R&W show.
- The convention crowd got a proper “National” feel: 20‑hour hauls from Saskatchewan, big Alberta strings, and Ontario and Manitoba partnerships sprinkled right through the results.
Junior heifers: depth, polish and a clear leader
The heifer show started with Winter and Fall calves and very quickly told us two things: 1) this is a seriously deep junior program in Western Canada, and 2) Jamie Black was going to reward a blend of dairyness, strength, and correct rear legs all day long.
Winter Heifer Calf
(Dec 1, 2025 – Feb 28, 2026)
- 1st: LAVENDER PREPPY ROCKET – Ashlee McAvoy, Armstrong, BC
- 2nd: BOONEMILL SALUTE EMMA – Bonnie Doone Dairy Inc., Harrison Mills, BC (also 1st Bred & Owned)
- 3rd: SUNTASIA REMOVER PINEAPPLE – John Sunder, Deroche, BC
In a tidy opening class, ROCKET won “fairly handily” on her combination of dairyness and strength, carrying more width through her front end and chest while still staying extremely clean and feminine up through her head and neck. Black repeatedly came back to her advantage in the way she handled her rear legs, tracking straighter and with more distance between the hocks than the calves that followed.
EMMA followed on her overall style and balance, while PINEAPPLE and the rest of the class showed the kind of depth that tells you Western BC breeders are not treating the winter calf class as an afterthought.
Fall Heifer Calf
(Sep 1 – Nov 30, 2025)
This was the first “wow” class of the day: 24 head, no throwaways, and a ring so full the commentators kept reminding the livestream audience that there “wasn’t a bad heifer in the ring.”
- 1st: MOSNANG POPROCK IDIDITFOR LOVE – T&L Cattle Ltd., Cultus Lake, BC
- 2nd: RF PERENNIAL JAGUAR (1st Bred & Owned) – R & F Livestock Inc., Cudworth, SK
- 3rd: LOVHILL MIRACULOUS ALABAMA (also R&W Junior Champion) – Lovholm Holsteins, Balgonie, SK
IDIDITFOR LOVE, a Poprock daughter bred by Mosnang and owned by T&L, was the kind of heifer you build a class around. Black called her “very free of fault” and used her extra length, cleanliness through the neck and bone, and width between the hocks to carry her over another extremely stylish heifer in second.
JAGUAR brought serious width and capacity, backed by a powerful pedigree with an EX King Doc and a 95‑point Jedi grand‑dam with nine stars. ALABAMA, that eye‑catching red calf in third, impressed on balance and strength, with Black noting her comfort and correctness on the move in a close placing over the fourth‑place heifer.
This class also underlined a trend you saw all day: pedigrees loaded with EX cows and star‑brood dams behind these young heifers. Western Canada isn’t just buying type – they’re stacking cow families.
Summer Yearling Heifer
(Jun 1 – Aug 31, 2025)
- 1st: HAMMING LIMITED DARILYN – T&L Cattle Ltd., Cultus Lake, BC (HM Junior Champion)
- 2nd: J-A-TELFORD EYE CANDY MYLA – Westcoast Holsteins, Chilliwack, BC
- 3rd: LOVHILL DETECTIVE KRISSY (1st Bred & Owned) – Lovholm Holsteins, Balgonie, SK
Another big, 20‑plus head class where it took a couple of reshuffles before the dust settled. DARILYN, sired by Limited, ultimately rose to the top on her advantage in feet and legs – Black repeatedly highlighted the set to her rear leg, the strength of her pasterns, and how square she tracked when viewed from behind.
MYLA followed with width and capacity, being “fuller behind her shoulders and stronger in behind her crops” than the rest of the group. KRISSY, the bred‑and‑owned winner, brought that Lovholm blend of dairyness and correctness, backed by a cow family stacked with very good and excellent dams.
Spring Yearling Heifer
(Mar 1 – May 31, 2025)
- 1st: DREAM MAKER MASTER DECEPTION – Westcoast Holsteins, Chilliwack, BC (Junior Champion)
- 2nd: TOPPGLENN WAR WINNIFREDD – T&L Cattle Ltd., Cultus Lake, BC
- 3rd: CHUBANNA LITE IT UP DELULU – Chubanna Holsteins Ltd., Lacombe, AB (1st Bred & Owned, HM R&W Junior Champion)
MASTER DECEPTION stamped herself as the best heifer in the barn and justified her Junior Champion banner. Black described her as winning the class “handily” on an overwhelming advantage in depth and openness of rib, width and overall dariness, while still being “very eye‑catching” from every angle.
WINNIFREDD got the nod in second for extra femininity and silkier hide, being longer and cleaner through the neck and flatter in the hock than DELULU. DELULU stayed right in the hunt on balance and strength over the loin, and later carried that same quality into the red & white discussion.
Winter & Fall Yearlings
- Winter Yearling winner & Best Bred & Owned Junior Champion:
TAZO LIMITED‑P ANGELA – Tazo Farms Ltd., Falkland, BC - Black didn’t mince words: in his view, ANGELA was the best‑legged heifer in the junior show, combining dairyness and strength with outstanding feet and legs and impressive development for a February‑born yearling. She later came back to take Best Bred & Owned of the entire junior show.
- Fall Yearling winner & Reserve Junior Champion:
LUCKY MASTER FROSTY – T&L Cattle Ltd., Cultus Lake, BC - MASTER FROSTY is everything you’d expect from a Master x Frosty family cross: tall, open, and incredibly stylish. She headed a sharp Fall Yearling trio that also featured LUCKY CHUBANNA SPARKLE (1st Bred & Owned and Reserve R&W Junior Champion) and ROBELLA MASTER ELLIS.
Junior banners: who took what
Based on the results and judge’s comments:
- Junior Champion: DREAM MAKER MASTER DECEPTION – Westcoast Holsteins
- Reserve Junior Champion: LUCKY MASTER FROSTY – T&L Cattle Ltd.
- HM Junior Champion: HAMMING LIMITED DARILYN – T&L Cattle Ltd.
Best Bred & Owned – Junior Show:
- TAZO LIMITED‑P ANGELA – Tazo Farms Ltd., Falkland, BC
Red & White Junior Champions:
- Junior Champion R&W: LOVHILL MIRACULOUS ALABAMA – Lovholm Holsteins, Balgonie, SK (from the Fall Heifer class)
- Reserve Junior Champion R&W: LUCKY CHUBANNA SPARKLE – Chubanna Holsteins & Lucky Hill Dairy, Lacombe, AB
- HM Junior Champion R&W: CHUBANNA LITE IT UP DELULU – Chubanna Holsteins Ltd., Lacombe, AB
Those choices fit the pattern Black stuck with all day: red heifers that could stand in the open class on structure, not just colour.
Two‑Year‑Olds: the class of the show
The intermediate division was the heart of this show. If you wanted proof that Western Canada is breeding cows that can last beyond their two‑year‑old year, the Spring & Summer and Winter Two‑Year‑Old classes delivered.
Spring & Summer Two‑Year‑Old
- LOOKOUT I’M BOUJEE – Westcoast Holsteins (Reserve R&W Grand Champion)
- WESTCOAST HASALL ARROW 32682 – Westcoast Holsteins (1st Bred & Owned)
- GENOSOURCE DOUBLE DICE‑ET – Westcoast Holsteins
- LOVHILL LOYALL LUPINE – Lovholm Holsteins
This class was a Westcoast‑heavy group, but it wasn’t a walkover – there were legitimate contenders from Mosnang, Crestomere, Wendon and others. BOUJEE, who would later be named Reserve Red & White Grand Champion, brought a beautiful udder, tremendous style and a kind of effortless stride that Black rewarded all day.
Winter Two‑Year‑Old
(Arguably the best class of the day)
- 1st: BUTLERVIEW AMZN ALL AMOR‑ET – Westcoast Holsteins, Butlerview Farms, Walker Dairy, Clarkvalley, Chilliwack, BC
- Intermediate Champion
- Best Bred & Owned Intermediate Champion
- Overall Bred & Owned Champion
- Reserve Grand Champion
- 2nd: ANDREANE LAMBDA MISERY – Westcoast Holsteins, Chilliwack, BC
- 3rd: HAMMING DESTINATION BETHRAVE – Clarkvalley Holsteins, Hamming Holsteins Ltd., Westcoast Holsteins
- 4th: LOVHILL AMBROSE PEACH COBBLER – Lovholm Holsteins, Balgonie, SK
- 5th: MEADOW GREEN ALPHA FERN – Stanhope Dairy Farm Ltd., Wedgwood Holsteins, Victoria, BC (HM R&W Grand Champion)
Black called for a “big round of applause” before he even gave his reasons, and he wasn’t wrong – this was a deep, wide‑open class with multiple Royal‑level sorts. ALL AMOR rose straight to the top on pure udder quality: level in the udder floor, ideal teat size and placement, and a smoother, more correct way of moving around that udder compared to the rest of the group.
MISERY’s second‑place advantage came from a cleaner, more correct udder floor and the way she carried that udder as she circled the ring, while BETHRAVE and PEACH COBBLER both leaned heavily on power, balance and promising young udders. ALPHA FERN, the red cow in the mix, impressed enough on mammary and overall balance to later be named Honourable Mention Red & White Grand Champion.
ALL AMOR’s run of banners – Intermediate Champion, Best Bred & Owned of the entire show and Reserve Grand – felt like the most “locked in” set of decisions of the day.
Senior cows: Westcoast and R&F finish the job
As the show moved into the mature end of the barn, you got exactly what you’d expect at a National Convention show: seasoned BC and Prairie cows with serious credentials, backed by pedigrees that any marketing catalogue would happily print front and centre.
Senior Three‑Year‑Old
(Sept 1, 2022 – Feb 28, 2023)
- 1st: SKYCREST BREAKSHOT SHOWTIME – Skycrest Holsteins Ltd., Athabasca, AB
- 1st Bred & Owned
- Reserve Intermediate Champion
SHOWTIME did exactly what you want a senior 3‑year‑old to do: marry a high, wide rear udder with strength over the topline and real bloom to the rib. She anchored the Skycrest string and underscored how far that herd has come as a breeder‑herd, not just an exhibitor.
Four‑Year‑Old
- 1st & Grand Champion: WEST‑ADUB LAMBDA SADIE – Westcoast Holsteins, Chilliwack, BC
- R&W Grand Champion: EXCELERANT PHOENIX‑RED‑ET – Hamming Holsteins Ltd., Vernon, BC
The Four‑Year‑Old class was loaded: ARWAY SIDEKICK LIDIE, ROBELLA CHIEF GUNPOWDER (1st Bred & Owned), DUCKETT TATOO CALISTA‑ET, MOSNANG A2P2 EDEN, plus a wave of powerful Western four‑year‑olds with production records to match.
SADIE separated herself on balance from nose to tail: modern frame, tremendous udder, and exactly the “dairyness with strength” package Black had been preaching since the first calf walked in. She carried that look through every pass and left very little doubt when she came back for the final Grand Champion parade.
On the Red & White side, PHOENIX‑RED took the banner on her combination of udder, style, and overall maturity, giving Hamming Holsteins a very visible payoff for years of investing in red genetics.
Five‑Year‑Old & Mature Cow highlights
- Five‑Year‑Old: JENDRO DELTA LAMBDA SANDY – R & F Livestock Inc., Walker Dairy Inc., Cudworth, SK (Grand Champion – Honourable Mention)
- Five‑Year‑Old 1st Bred & Owned: LOVHILL LEGEND FRICKADILLA – Lovholm Holsteins, Balgonie, SK
- Mature Cow 1st Bred & Owned: WENDON SOLOMON ALBY – Wendon Holsteins, Red Deer County, AB
- Lifetime Production Cow 1st Bred & Owned: SKYCREST GOLDCHIP NUT – Skycrest Holsteins Ltd., Athabasca, AB
SANDY gave SADIE a real fight for the Grand Champion crown. She is the kind of 5‑Year‑Old you build a herd around: production, proven durability and still plenty of bloom and quality through the udder. Black ultimately slotted her as Honourable Mention Grand, a nod to just how hard‑hitting the senior end of the show was.
The Mature and Lifetime Production classes were small but important – they put names and udders to the cow families that are driving so many of the show pedigrees. NUT’s 70,000‑kg‑plus production and Bred & Owned win for Skycrest tell you everything you need to know about how that herd is balancing show type with commercial performance.
Banners, prefixes and what this show really said
If you strip it all down, the 2026 BC Holstein Spring Show sent a pretty clear message to anyone watching from the sidelines: Western Canada’s show scene is not just alive; it’s leveling up.
- Westcoast Holsteins walked away with Grand Champion (WEST‑ADUB LAMBDA SADIE), Reserve Grand (BUTLERVIEW AMZN ALL AMOR‑ET) and Junior Champion (DREAM MAKER MASTER DECEPTION), plus a truckload of class wins.
- T&L Cattle Ltd. quietly assembled an outstanding day: winning the powerful Fall Heifer class with a Mosnang‑bred heifer, taking Reserve Junior Champion with LUCKY MASTER FROSTY, and leaning heavily on deep, balanced yearlings and young cows.
- Hamming, Mosnang, Robella, Love Hill, Lucky Hill, Crestomere, Skycrest, Wendon, Benbie and others showed that the “Western string” now often starts with bulls and cow families they bred themselves.
Add in a recovered 1930 Master Breeder shield on display, 20‑hour hauls from Saskatchewan through mountain passes, and a convention crowd that stayed engaged from the first winter calf to the last mature cow, and you’ve got exactly the kind of show you want attached to a national Holstein convention.
