Our first 10 months has certainly been eventful for us here at the Bullvine. We have seen our readership grow by about 40% month over month to the point where we now have the 2nd largest digital readership in the world, and we have by far the largest engaged social readership in the world. We have ruffled some feathers along the way but we have also brought to light many subjects that the others are just too afraid to talk about. The following are our top 10 most read articles of 2012.
The Top 10
10. THE 8 GREATEST NORTH AMERICAN SHOW COWS OF ALL-TIME
Coming off what might have been one of the greatest World Dairy Expo’s of All-Time there seems to be great debate about how some cows stack up in the All-Time rankings. To help determine how we would rank the greatest North American Holstein show cows of all time, we looked at their head to head match ups as well as overall accomplishments and dominance in their era and developed the following list (Read more)
9. $10,000 A DOSE POLLED SEMEN
First it was LIQUID GOLD that caught everyone’s attention when GenerVations released him and his brothers in a limited offering for $750 and $500. That gave all breeders the chance to have equal access to early release semen, instead of playing favorites with preferred herds or contract mattings. Now it’s GOLDEN PP, Kulp-Dale Golden PP-Red that is getting everyone’s attention. When his first five units of semen sold for $50,000, it generated heaps of discussion around the industry. (Read more)
8. WORLD DAIRY EXPO 2012 HOLSTEIN SHOW – A BATTLE FOR THE AGES
Pre-billed as being one of the greatest shows in history the 2012 World Dairy Expo Holstein Show was one for the record books. There was the battle of two EX-97 point cows ….the Rejoice vs. Monique battle … and there was the bull stud battle. (Read more)
7. THE TOP 12 HOLSTEIN GENOMIC YOUNG SIRES TO USE FOR MAXIMUM GAIN
Confused on what group of genomic young sires to use for your breeding program? Not sure which sires are the real deals and which ones are just smoke and mirrors (read The Hot House Effect on Sire Sampling)? We decided to take a closer look at the top 100 genomic young sires from around the world to determine just which ones are worth using and which ones you are better forgetting. (Read more)
6. TOP TEN MOST INFLUENTIAL HOLSTEIN BREEDERS OF ALL-TIME
The great thing about the North American dairy breeding industry is how passionate breeders are about what they do. This is what makes most dairy farmers get up in the morning to do hard work that many would not. Over the years there have been many great breeders that have dedicated their lives to advancing the breed. The following is our top 10 list of the ones who the Bullvine feels have had the biggest impact on the North American Holstein industry. (Read more)
5. $750 DOLLAR SEMEN! ARE YOU CRAZY
When you first read the recent Limited Offering from GenerVations for Liquid Gold, Fuzion and Gizmo priced at $750 and $500 and $500 respectively, I am sure some breeders will think: “Are the bulls dead? Are these guys crazy? Are they expecting to get rich? Who the heck will buy that semen?” (Read more)
4. SEMEX – THE RISE AND FALL OF A SEMEN EMPIRE
I have seen men who once screamed EBI green turn to the dark side. Men who used to bleed WOBI blue now openly criticize the organization that was the epitome, half a century ago, of everything Dairy in Canada. The Semex Alliance that once dominated, no longer owns the Canadian marketplace. There is criticism from within. How did the organization that once defined the Canadian marketplace lose control of it? (Read more)
3. SELECT SIRES VS. SEMEX – A CONTRAST IN COOPERATIVES
While many would think that all farmer-owned cooperatives would have the same challenges and the same mandates, there could be no greater contrast than the approaches taken by Select Sires and Semex. Select Sires is a federation of nine farmer-owned-and-controlled cooperative and Semex is a partnership of three breeder owned cooperatives. So structurally they are quite similar with perhaps some significant differences in mandates. However these two artificial insemination companies are headed in very different directions when it comes to approaches to communications and product development. (Read more)
2. THE 2012 ROYAL WINTER FAIR HOLSTEIN SHOW – ONE OF THE GREATEST STORIES EVER TOLD!
From an outsider looking in, the 2012 Royal Winter Fair Holstein Show may appear to be somewhat boring. The winners were pretty much the same as, and for all intents and purposes the results whereas per expectation. Yet in my mind, the 2012 Royal Winter Fair Holstein Show will go down in history as one of the greatest stories ever told. (Read more)
1. 7 SIRES TO USE IN ORDER TO BREED THE NEXT WORLD DAIRY EXPO CHAMPION
Everyone loves winning. No one enters a competition to finish last. Regardless of who you are every purebred dairy breeder dreams of winning supreme champion at World Dairy Expo. Your dream of walking in the spotlight, on the colored shavings, with everyone applauding you, starts with choosing the right sires. (Read more)
The Next 10
- SHOW COWS: ALL TYPE AND NO ACTION?
- HOLSTEIN VS. JERSEY: WHICH BREED IS MORE PROFITABLE?
- THE BULLVINE – UNDER FIRE
- LYLEHAVEN LILA Z : WAS SHE REALLY WORTH $1.15 MILLION?
- HAS PHOTO ENHANCEMENT GONE TOO FAR?
- HANOVER HILL HOLSTEINS: PETER HEFFERING 1931-2012
- HOW I USED EVERYTHING I KNOW ABOUT ANIMAL BREEDING TO CHOOSE MY WIFE
- THE PERFECT HOLSTEIN COW
- HOW GENOMICS IS KILLING THE DAIRY CATTLE BREEDING INDUSTRY
- THE STORY BEHIND HOW TWO FULL SISTERS DOMINATED EXPO QUEBEC
The Bullvine Bottom Line
As evident by our top 10 most read articles, 2012 was certainly a great year.
There were some great articles earlier on, I particularly liked the Lila Z article as it proved me wrong. I couldn’t see how that money was going to be made back for her. I also loved the 7 sires to breed the next world champion. Keep up the great work, and I certainly hope you can start to make your money from “The Bullvine” soon.
Ya the Lila Z article certainly brought to light how cows that cost so much can actually turn out to be profitable. The recent GMO sale also helped prove that. Glad you enjoy and have some great things planned for 2013.