Tasmania, Australia Semex – Holstein On-Farm Competition 2012

State Over Judging: Tasmania
Judge: Jenny Grey, The Pines Holsteins, Kiama, NSW
Number: 101 entries – 16 breeders

Experienced On-Farm judge in Tasmania

The woman who has seen almost all there is to see in the Semex-Holstein Australia (HA) On-Farm Competition was this year’s Tasmanian judge.

Jenny Grey, who was also recently the first woman be appointed to HA’s board, has officiated in former state finals for South-Eastern Australia (which has almost half the competition’s cows), Queensland, South Australia, in addition to New Zealand. It leaves only her home state of New South Wales and Western Australia untouched by her decision-making. It not only makes her one of the most prolific over-judges, it also gives her a valuable sweeping insight into the country’s best on-farm cows.

Jenny said she was impressed with her choices amongst Tasmania’s 101 entries from the 16 breeders. While there is a 240km of ocean between the Apple Isle and the mainland, no-one underestimates the potency of its animals. Tasmania has produced has four International Dairy Week (IDW) Holstein Champions in the last eight years (2011 – Fairvale Morty Lady 51 EX92 Max; 2009 – Avonlea Robthom Connie; 2006 – Fairvale Leader Josie 5-ET Ex93-2E; 2004 and 2005 – Fairvale Jed Bonnie 94-ET EX).

Jenny was quick to confirm Tasmania’s strength.

“There is no doubt Tasmania has the same calibre of cows as the Mainland,” Jenny said. “I think they’re doing a great job of using the sires that are giving them the right kind of structure throughout and I was particularly impressed with the udders on the two-year-olds. That was a feature for me.”

She was also moved to comment on the longevity of several of the competition’s matriarchs.

“In the mature cow class, there were several cows who displayed wonderful longevity. One 12-year-old had had 10 calves and there was no wear and tear throughout the aged cows at all,” Jenny said.

The stand-out individual for her this year came out of the five-year-old class. She found Datumvale Igniter Victoria EX91-1E (sired by Summershade Igniter) on the final day at Marcus and Jacqui Young’s Master Breeder property at Ridgley.

“I had a really good five-year-old in first place at that point,” Jenny said. “But I felt that the Igniter Victoria was a wonderful cow. She could walk around the yard and she stood up so well every time. She had a lot of capacity throughout, a lot of width throughout, and her udder was very well attached. It was high and wide with a really good seam.”

Victoria was one of two State Champions who made their debut for the couple – giving them 40% of the titles. They milk 250 to 300 cows all year round. Marcus said he was caught up in HA’s Breed Development and Conformation Committee work beforehand and did not have as much time to single out his entries as he would have liked. In the end he put forward just three animals.

Victoria is sired by Summershade Igniter and she is out of x VG89 STP Startmore Rudolph from a VG88 Hanoverhill Starbuck. She has produced 10,473 litres with a 3.4% 357Kg protein, 4.8% 505Kg fat in 300 days. She has a daughter at Datumvale and 3 Crackholm Fever pregnancies implanted.

“Winning two classes was a big surprise,” Marcus said. “And it was even sweeter because it was both cows first time in the competition and I only entered three animals. I love Victoria for her overall style, bone quality and her will to milk. She’s a great cow to work with, she’s trouble-free and both her and our other Champion [Leader Famous Favour] are always in the first run in the dairy.”

Their second Champion came out of the competitive mature class. They bought Leader Famous Favour EX91-2E from Queensland’s Leader Holsteins almost three years ago. She was the last lot in the sale and she cost them $11,000. The seven-year-old recently peaked at 64 litres a day, which is the most milk Datumvale have achieved from one cow in 24 hours. She is sired by Tamrook Famous Dante out of an EX5-E Blackstar. She has been joined to Gillette Windbrook and Datumvale are hoping for the daughter from Favour to continue the family in their herd.

“She’s just a pleasure to milk,” Marcus said. He also gave the thumbs up to the format, saying: “The competition is really good. It gets people out there that don’t show.”

The other exhibitor to take 40% of the Champions was the well-known Master Breeder herd of Fairvale Holsteins. Ross and Leanne Dobson milk 385 cows at Bracknell for a 10,000 litre herd average and it has produced the most IDW Champions in the country. They won the two-year-old and the four-year-old classes with descendants from two of their strongest maternal families.

The two-year-old, Fairvale Montgomery Butter 175, is out of a VG86 Morty who was placed third in the 2007 On-Farm Challenge by Jim Gilmore, of Ingolmore Holsteins.

“Jim loved her Morty dam and he wanted to buy her that year,” Ross Dobson recalled. “But we didn’t get her back in calf and this is the only calf she has had since. Butter 175 is very similar to her dam.”

Butter was milking over 30 litres when she was judged.

“A feature of the two-year-olds were their udders,” Judge Jenny said. “There were some really, really good animals at the top of the class.”

Their four-year-old Champion, Fairvale Damion Josie 45, is from Fairvale Ladino Josie 22 VG85, followed by Fairvale Blackstar Josie 7-ET App1 VG87.

At 30 months Josie 45 produced 9549 litres, 3.5% 331kg protein, 3.6% 342kg fat with a PI of 104. Her Ladino Park Talent dam produced 13,652 litres with a 3.3% 451kg protein, 3.6% 496kg fat in 305 days in her strongest lactation. Ross confirmed that Josie 45 is herd member both he and Leanne value highly.

“In the top six in the four-year-old class you could have moved them any way as far as I was concerned, because it was only the little things that split them,” Jenny said. “It was a really close class right through with big capacious cows that had really tight udders right up in them from start to finish.”

The three-year-old produced an exciting result for 16-year-old Jayne Walters, from Kindred. Jayne’s interest in the good cows has spurred her parents, Ken and Tania, forward with their 150-cow herd, which averages 9152 litres with a combined 675kg fat and protein (with 25% first calvers).

Cradleview Aladdin Reunion NYC won the three-year-old class, impressing judge Jenny.

“She was an easy winner for me,” Jenny said. “She was just a really good balanced young cow. I liked the capacity throughout the cow and I loved her dairy strength. She had the best udder you would ever want to see and she had so much room to grow.”

Reunion is sired by Wallaceview Aladdin, out of a VG Lystel Leduc, followed by a VG86 Hanoverhill Lieutenant. She was 40 days fresh at the time of judging. Her cumulative production to date was 1193 litres, 3.2% 38kg protein, 4.2% 50kg fat.

The heifer is co-owned by Jayne’s partner, Brad de Bomford, and her parents. Jayne said they were excited to accept the prize, given that Reunion was on her first calf and she knew there were several second calvers in the hunt. Jayne is pursuing hairdressing as her trade, but she intends to mix it with farming going forward. Jayne and Brad were responsible for selecting their On-Farm exhibits themselves, cemented by checking with a retired HA member Athol Kaine.

“We find the On-Farm Challenge a great way of showing off cows on the farm, in their working clothes, so to speak,” Tania said. “It helps us gain confidence with our past breeding decisions, along with the fact that you meet some great people.

“We have encouraged and included Jayne and Brad (when he met Jayne) to be involved with the stud and it was a joint decision between us to keep the Cradleview family as one and continue together rather than having separate stud names.”

1. Fairvale Montgomery Butter 175, R & L Dobson (Fairvale Holsteins, Bracknell)
2. Linsand Laurin Tobi, L & S Thompson (Linsand Holsteins, Bracknell)

1. Cradle View Aladdin Reunion, K, T & J Walters & B de Bomford (Cradleview Holsteins, Kindred)
2. Panatana SI Rosebud 3^rd,   I & M Hortle (Greenbanks Pty Ltd, Moriarty)

1. Fairvale Damion Josie 45, R & L Dobson (Fairvale Holsteins, Bracknell)
2. Panatana Powerplay Prudence, I & M Hortle (Greenbanks Pty Ltd, Moriarty)

1. Datumvale Igniter Victoria, M & J Young (Datumvale Holdings Pty Ltd, Ridgley)
2. Fairvale Talent Melody 576, R & L Dobson (Fairvale Holsteins, Bracknell)

1. Leader Famous Favour, M & J Young (Datumvale Holdings Pty Ltd, Ridgley)
2.  Calthorpe Spirte Rosebud 3rd, M & J Perkins Pty Ltd (Calthorpe Friesian Stud Pty Ltd, Latrobe)

Write up, results and photos provided by Crazy Cow