Glenmar’s whistlin’ Dixon!

News Release

The of a progeny test sire over a replacement heifer has yielded a fantastic result for Adrian and Sue Young of Glenmar Holsteins, Glencoe West, SA, with their Glenmar Dixon Tarnee named Four Year Old Champion in the South East Australian finals of the 2007 Semex-Holstein Australia On-Farm Competition.

Acclaimed as the largest livestock judging event in the southern hemisphere, the Semex-Holstein Australia On-Farm Competition differs from traditional shows in that cattle are assessed for their structural correctness on their home property.

This unique format allows more than 3,000 entries from 500 breeders from throughout Australia to compete on an equal basis, regardless of their location.

The South East Australian section of the competition, which attracted about 1,350 entries from 200 breeders throughout Victoria, southern NSW and south-east South Australia, was judged by Lindsay Marshall of Yurunga Farms, Main Beach, Queensland.

Mr Marshall travelled more than 3,000 kilometres over six days to judge the 45 finalists but only found his Four Year Old Champion on the very last farm he visited. “I saw an amazing group of cows throughout the week and I thought I had it all worked out until I got to the very last farm,” Mr Marshall said.

“I was looking for cows that produce a lot of milk, get in calf every year and are a pleasure to work with – in short, cows that are going to last and make their owners the most money. Tarnee is a just a great, great example of that.”

Her breeder, Adrian Young, described Glenmar Dixon Tarnee VG86 as being a much better cow than her pedigree would suggest. “She is by Tiger Farms Dixon, a Gibson x Shotime son who was progeny tested by Semex in Australia,” he said.

“His full sister, Tiger Farms SG Ding, was Intermediate Champion Holstein at International Dairy Week in 2005 and Honourable Mention this year. As it turned out, Dixon didn’t return to service but we’ve got three daughters by him and they’re all pretty handy cows.

“Likewise, we bought Tarnee’s mother as a maiden heifer for $850 from a breeder who was getting rid of some surplus heifers. She turned out to be a good cow that gave us a lot of production and Dixon tidied up the udder and added a bit more dairy character.”

Tarnee was also Reserve Senior Champion Holstein Cow at the Adelaide Royal Show and Senior Champion Holstein and All-Breeds Champion Cow at the Mt Gambier show earlier this year.

“She’s a really easy-going, placid cow,” Mr Young said. “When we took her to Adelaide she hadn’t had a halter on since she was a calf but we put her on the truck and she was as good as gold. She’s been a bit of lucky breeding with a $8 bull.”

Tarnee produced 10,589 litres of milk in her first lactation and has produced 7,244 litres of milk with 3.1% fat (227kg) and 3.1% protein (224kg) over 152 days on her second.

Two Year Old Champion was Hawova Freeman Rita VG85, entered by the Shaw family of Hawova Holsteins, Finley, NSW. The Shaws – brothers Grant, Brett and Scott and their mother, Irene – have entered the on-farm competition every year but this is their first championship.

Rita is by Braedale Freeman and from a Jolt dam whose dam is member of the Rita family at Avonlea Holsteins, Five Ways, Victoria. “Rita’s strong and well-balanced with an extremely good fore and rear udder and is breeding extremely well,” Grant Shaw said.

“As she gets older she should develop into a very good cow. We’ve got seven or eight Freeman daughters and we’ve had six of them classified. One went VG86, Rita went VG85 and the other four all scored 83 or 84 points.

“Freeman is by Maughlin Storm and we’ve used a lot of Storm over the years. He’s given us two VG89 cows and quite a few other VG cows. One of his daughters has bred an EX cow.”

Mr Marshall described Freeman Rita as a wonderfully-balanced heifer who was producing a “power of milk”. At her last herd-test, she had produced 5,772 litres at 3.4% fat (196kg) and 2.9% protein (169kg) over 154 days, giving her a PI of 114 in the 640-cow Hawova herd.

Geoff and Melinda Male of Creswick Holsteins, Caldermeade, Victoria, entered the Three Year Old Champion, Creswick Roy Susan 3rd VG86. She is a Roylane Jordan daughter from a VG86 Storm and then a VG85 Juror who was Eastern Zone winner in the 2001 Semex-Holstein Australia On-Farm Competition.

Geoff Male said Susan 3rd was backed by six generations of VG or EX cows and represented the tenth generation of her line in the 190-head Creswick herd. “The Susan family is our strongest cow family and Susan’s dam is a very nice, big, high-production cow,” he said.

“Susan is a tall cow with a bit of style about her and a very good temperament. She has a high rear udder and well-attached fore udder and is very easy to milk. She was one of our first Roylane Jordan daughters – we’ve got about seven now and we’re very happy with them.

“We’ll probably put Susan into an ET program at some stage. We don’t do a lot of showing but my daughter wants to take her to International Dairy Week in January.”

Susan produced 9,416 litres of milk with 4.1% fat (382kg) and 3.3% protein (312kg) in 305 days in her first lactation. “Susan was the first three-year-old I saw on my trip and she remained the best I saw all week,” Lindsay Marshall said. “She is a real honey.”

Graeme and Trish Lancey and their son and daughter-in-law, Chris and Leanne, of Mt Lyall Holsteins, Nyora, Victoria, entered the Five Year Old Champion, Mt Lyall James Ned 13 VG89.

This James x Raider x Inspiration daughter was a finalist in last year’s competition. “She comes from a consistent cow family that goes back to the Brundell Buttercup line,” Graeme Lancey said.

“We bought into that family 20 years ago and we’re very happy with them. Ned 13 has eye appeal and a wonderful temperament. She’s quite an intelligent animal who seems to do her own thing.”

Mr Marshall described Ned as his favourite cow across the entire competition. “The winner of the five year old class thrilled me more than any other in the competition,” he said. “This is a very, very special cow – she is a real attention-getter.”

Mature Champion was Tallelms Meadow Nancy EX92-4E, entered by Chris and Sue Russell, Tallelms Holsteins, Neerim South, Victoria. “We bought her great grandam, Carmar Rock Nancy VG88, from the Carmar Partnership in NSW,” Chris Russell said.

“She’s as quiet as a mouse and is a real favourite in our 180-cow herd. She’s ten years old, had eight calves and produced 10,573 litres of milk with 3.3% fat (351kg) and 3.1% protein (327kg) over 305 days on her last lactation.

“She was fourth in the finals of the on-farm competition last year and we have shown her at International Dairy Week. Her Astro Jet dam didn’t leave the herd till she was 16, which shows the Nancy family’s excellent longevity.”

Mr Marshall described Nancy as an “awesome” cow. “To have produced eight calves over ten years is ample proof that this is a cow that is built to last and dodge the bullets that get lesser cows culled,” he said.

Other successful breeders included Robert Edwards and Deb Ciantar of Chad Vale Holsteins, Millicent, SA; Robert and Raewyn Marshall of South Esk Holsteins, Tongala, Victoria; Lou and Maria Giglia, Ponderosa Holsteins, Undera, Victoria; Graham and Karen Jones of Edithvale Holsteins, Mount Gambier, SA; and Mark Norman and Toni Adams of Fresh Start Holsteins, Finley, NSW, who entered the five Reserve Champions in the competition.
The 2007 Semex-Holstein Australia On-Farm Competition was conducted by the breed association, Holstein Australia, in conjunction with leading artificial breeding organisation, Semex Pty Ltd.

“This competition aims to recognise the efforts of dairy farmers to improve their profitability by breeding quality dairy cows,” Semex General Manager, Jim Conroy, said.

“The sheer size of this event is a credit to the efforts of the hundreds of the Holstein breeders who enter each year and the numerous branch officials and judges who make it happen.”

“The strength of this competition and its profile on both sides of the Tasman is increasing every year. It’s the most important Holstein competition in Australia after International Dairy Week. It is a competition that breeders want to be involved in and one that everybody can be involved in.

“I am particularly pleased to see that the results were spread evenly across a range of breeders. Ten different breeders accounted for the five champions and five reserve champions, which really shows the level of competition.”

Mr Marshall described his judging assignment as a “cow junkie’s ultimate trip”. “It really has been the highlight of my involvement in the dairy industry,” he said.

“I can’t begin to tell you how much I enjoyed the travel, the people and the cows. It was worth it just to see the winners of the Four and Five Year Old classes. I would love to put these two animals in the back of a horse float and take them home. Even better, I would love to get a B-double and pick all 45 finalists!”

Semex Pty Ltd is the exclusive Australian distributor of livestock genetics marketed by the Semex Alliance, the world’s largest artificial breeding organisation.

2007 SEMEX-HOLSTEIN AUSTRALIA ON-FARM COMPETITION
(SOUTH EAST AUSTRALIAN FINALS)

Two Year Old
1st: Hawova Freeman Rita, W. & I. Shaw & Sons, Hawova Holsteins, Finley, NSW.
2nd: Chad Vale Talented Ding, R. Edwards, Chad Vale Holsteins, Millicent, SA.
3rd: Willette Breakout Kewpie, L. & C. Chesworth, Willette Holsteins, Tocumwal, NSW.
4th: Pleasant Hill Igniter Primadonna, C. & C. Cleggett, Pleasant Hill Holsteins, Glencoe, SA.
5th: Clydebank Allen Opal, R. & L. Somerville, Clydebank Holsteins, Timmering, Vic. Northern Zone: Hawova Freeman Rita, W. & I. Shaw & Sons, Hawova Holsteins, Finley, NSW. Western Zone: Chad Vale Talented Ding, R. Edwards, Chad Vale Holsteins, Millicent, SA. Eastern Zone: Dumbarton Lancelot Wynona, Wildwood Dairies, Dumbarton Holsteins, Lardner, Vic.

Three Year Old
1st: Creswick Roy Susan 3rd, G. & M. Male, Creswick Holsteins, Caldermeade, Vic.
2nd: South Esk Lheros Cass, R. & R. Marshall, South Esk Holsteins, Tongala, Vic.
3rd: Foxdale Ladino Lila 4-ET, A. Chesworth, Foxdale Holsteins, Tocumwal, NSW.
4th: Calderlea Terrason Faith, L. & L. Calder, Calderlea Holsteins, Meeniyan, Vic.
5th: Honeysuckle Ladino Perfect-ET, J. Richardson, Red Sky Holsteins, Timboon, Vic. Northern Zone: South Esk Lheros Cass, R. & R. Marshall, South Esk Holsteins, Tongala, Vic. Western Zone: Honeysuckle Ladino Perfect-ET, J. Richardson, Red Sky Holsteins, Timboon, Vic. Eastern Zone: Creswick Roy Susan 3rd, G. & M. Male, Creswick Holsteins, Caldermeade, Vic.

Four Year Old
1st: Glenmar Dixon Tarnee, A. & S. Young, Glenmar Holsteins, Glencoe West, SA.
2nd: Ponderosa Encounter Connie, L. & M. Giglia, Ponderosa Holsteins, Undera, Vic.
3rd: Binginwarri Robthom Pretty, L. & L. Calder, Calderlea Holsteins, Meeniyan, Vic.
4th: Hawova Allen Honey, W. & I. Shaw & Sons, Hawova Holsteins, Finley, NSW.
5th: Gorbro Stormatic Robin-ET, R. & J. Gordon, Gorbro Holsteins, Cohuna, Vic. Northern Zone: Ponderosa Encounter Connie, L. & M. Giglia, Ponderosa Holsteins, Undera, Vic. Western Zone: Glenmar Dixon Tarnee, A. & S. Young, Glenmar Holsteins, Glencoe West, SA. Eastern Zone: Binginwarri Robthom Pretty, L. & L. Calder, Calderlea Holsteins, Meeniyan, Vic.

Five Year Old
1st: Mt Lyall James Ned 13, L. & P. Lancey, Mt Lyall Holsteins, Nyora, Vic.
2nd: Edithvale Journalist Accorn–Twin, G. & K. Jones, Edithvale Holsteins, Mount Gambier, SA.
3rd: Glenorleigh Lee Shamrock–ET, W. & J. Thompson, Glenorleigh Holsteins, Mount Gambier, SA.
4th: Ryanna Allen Topsy, S. & V. Patten, Ryanna Holsteins, Maffra, Vic.
5th: Elmar Conoshea Farwina, G. & R. & S. & D. Hore, Elmar Holsteins, Leitchville, Vic. Northern Zone: Elmar Conoshea Farwina, G. & R. & S. & D. Hore, Elmar Holsteins, Leitchville, Vic. Western Zone: Edithvale Journalist Accorn–Twin, G. & K. Jones, Edithvale Holsteins, Mount Gambier, SA. Eastern Zone: Mt Lyall James Ned 13, L. & P. Lancey, Mt Lyall Holsteins, Nyora, Vic.

Mature
1st: Tallelms Meadow Nancy, C. & S. Russell, Tallelms Holsteins, Neerim South, Vic.
2nd: Hambledon Hill Juror Mystique, M. Norman & T. Adams, Fresh Start Holsteins, Finley, NSW.
3rd: Netherwood Outside Courtney-ET, J. & L. Hateley, Jannali Holsteins, Terang, Vic.
4th: Ryanna Emerson Felicity-ET, S. & V. Patten, Ryanna Holsteins, Maffra, Vic.
5th: Hope View Leader Graceful, T. Shea, Endeavour Holsteins, Bacchus Marsh, Vic. Northern Zone: Hambledon Hill Juror Mystique, M. Norman & T. Adams, Fresh Start Holsteins, Finley, NSW. Western Zone: Netherwood Outside Courtney-ET, J. & L. Hateley, Jannali Holsteins, Terang, Vic. Eastern Zone: Tallelms Meadow Nancy, C. & S. Russell, Tallelms Holsteins, Neerim South, Vic.