Remarkable Lead Mae Dynasty

Holstein International is reporting this month on the incredible story of the Lead Mae dynasty which almost never was had it not been for the break-through of Crockett-Acres Mtot Elly in 2007.  Back in 2008 I bought six FORTUNE embryos from Stanton Brothers Ltd in Ontario out of an IGNITER daughter Crockett-Farms ML Mindy Ex91.  One heifer was born from that purchase, Semagen Fortune Madonna, and she is currently in her first lactation with a single daughter, Semagen Ernesto Matilda.

Semagen Fortune Madonna-IMP-ET

I'm more than a little heartened by HI's article seeing as Jim Stanton says that the various branches of the family amongst their 200 or so milking Lead Maes don't differ much from each other in performance.  Better still, Stanton says that his favourite Lead Mae is Stantons Advent Must RC VG88, a daughter of ... ML Mindy!  That makes me very happy, indeed.  My own Mindy daughter, Madonna, has LAUTHORITY and DOMAIN embryos just recently implanted.  You'll have to excuse her floppy ear and concentrate on Madonna's typically correct Lead Mae udder, only just visible in the photo below.  There's an absolute swag of Lead Mae sons in sire lists world-wide, including America's Number 2 TPI bull, Morningview LEVI, the latest star.

Panda Tops the November Test at Clydevale

At 80 days into her third lactation Clydevale Informer Panda VG89 has topped the latest herd test with 54.9 litres.  Components are low at 2.7%P and 2.6%F, but she's climbed to a PI of 114 and is looking very strong at this stage of the game.  Elm Banks Shottle Plum is also chugging along nicely after 438 DIM: up a little this month to 22.6 litres, her percentages for the lactation are at 3.4P and 4.1F.  Plum is pregnant to BRAXTON.

Clydevale Informer Panda VG89

Jim Gilmore Shows his Brown Swiss at the Melbourne Show

I want to share a photo of Jim Gilmore at this year's Royal Melbourne Dairy Show. You can see him with my daughter, Gabi, and the three Brown Swiss which he was showing.  Congratulations to Jim on his success at the Show and also on a very successful flush just yesterday to the middle animal, Strathlea Jublend Playgirl.

Spring Calves

It has been a great season for heifers.  Here is this year's best at Semagen:

Jasper Fantasia-IMP-ET (RAVEN family)

(JASPER x 93 DURHAM x 92 JED x 95 BLACKSTAR RAVEN)

Mac Ella-IMP-ET and Mac Elena-IMP-ET (ELEGANCE family)

(ALTAMAC x 92 DURHAM x EX LEE x 96 LINJET EILEEN x 96 BROKER ELEGANCE)

Shottle Ellissa-IMP-ET (ELEGANCE family)

(SHOTTLE x 92 DURHAM x EX LEE x 96 LINJET EILEEN x 96 BROKER ELEGANCE)

Beau Pandolfina (PENNY family)

(SEMAGEN GYPSY BEAU-ET x 88 INFORMER x 89 CONVINCER x EX SHOTIME)

Pandolfina's sire is a home-bred BAXTER from the Gypsy Grand family here in Australia.  There have been some bulls as well, a SHOTTLE from the Elegance family and a MILLION from Semagen Shottle Paloma.  Earlier heifers include:

Laurin Pollyantha (POLLY family)

(LAURIN x ALTAICE x 7 GENERATIONS VG or EX)

Semagen Laurin Pollyantha

Laurin Corrina (FELICITY family)

(LAURIN x TALENT x 86 IGNITER x 88 PRELUDE x 88 WARDEN CRETONNE)

Mac Renita-ET

(ALTAMAC x PRONTO x 88 JOLT x EX SHARK x 87 STORM x EX RAIDER)

Ernesto Matilda (LEAD MAE family)
(ERNESTO x FORTUNE x 91 IGNITER x 91 BELLWOOD x 95 LEAD MAE)

Laurin Daughters at Semagen

It pays to read the fine print in the AI catalogues.  Duhh ... I checked again and LAURIN did have the little calving ease symbol on him in last year's catalogue. So I used him on all my maiden heifers.  What I didn't pay enough attention to was his 99 for calving ease.  That's not a calving ease bull, is it?  We lost two prem bulls, twins, early on and then two large heifers had to be pulled from their mothers right on the due dates.  Semagen Laurin Pollyantha out of the ICEFYRE daughter of our 89 point Orchard Vale Talent Polly came first and then Semagen Laurin Corrina a day later from one of Bradence Igniter Corrina's TALENT daughters.

Semagen Laurin Corrina

Still to calve is another of the Polly daughters and Semagen Shottle Paloma.

A Very Sad Loss

On Thursday last, Bradence Igniter Corrina VG86 died as a result of gunshot wounds to her face. Only three weeks off what would have been her third calf, Corrina appears to have been shot by spot-lighters who have mistaken her for a fox.  Corrina was without a doubt my best cow here in Australia, having worked hard on two great lactations and produced one natural GOLDWYN and two ET TALENT heifers.  The GOLDWYN topped last year's North-West Stars of the Future Sale and the TALENT heifers are just coming up to their first calves.

Corrina in her first lactation

GOLDCHIP First Choice Female from JOLIE to Sell

It's our third sale for 2011 and we're offering a first choice female out of the GOLDCHIP mating on JOLIE at the International Intrigue Sale in Canada on 31 July.  Opening bid is set for $35,000 and it's Lot 6 of the sale.  The full catalogue can be viewed from our FOR SALE page.

First Choice Jolie Daughter to Sell in Luxembourg

A huge opportunity will present itself to European buyers at the Summer Classics Sale in Ettelbruck, Luxembourg, July 1, when the first of Castel James Jolie's European daughters sells.  Already, this sale is being touted as the most important European sale for 2011. A sale catalogue can be found on our FOR SALE page. Follow the buzz on Facebook.

Number One First Choice from Jolie Sells

A first choice SID or ATWOOD female from Castel James Jolie sold at the Memorial Day Spectacular Sale in Illinois, USA, yesterday.  The buyer was Jonathan Pinkerton of Bray-Field Holsteins in Frenchtown, New Jersey.  He now has Jolie's first ever choice female to sell in North America and she's due in June 2012.

Some of Us Just Can't Get Enough of Her!

The latest report in Holstein International on Jolie's Bulle win:

Jolie remains unbeatable
At the end of last year she became sovereign of the European Holstein population. A title which she has underlined time and again since then in her home country Switzerland. After the success at the Swiss Expo in January, Castel Jolie won the National Show in Bulle last Sunday.

Jolie Wins Swiss Expo Bulle 2011

She's done it, the whole kit and kaboodle, Lausanne and Bulle, twice over. What a cow!

New Semagen Calves

Three keenly anticipated calves arrived this week: an Ernesto heifer from Semagen Fortune Madonna-IMP-ET, a heifer from the Regancrest HHF Mac x Semagen Pronto Regina-IMP-ET flush, and a bull from the same flush. Madonna's heifer is large and black.  The two from Regina are 50/50s, not quite up to the size of the Ernesto, but good healthy calves.  Madonna has started her first lactation well, seemingly unperturbed by the milking shed and keen to milk. She's displaying a strong fore attachment as well as good height and width in the rear udder. Here's a couple of shots to illustrate, taken only a few days after calving.

I'm still disappointed with her lack of loin strength and the wonky topline that it produces. They're definitely the areas where she needs improvement in our mating choices and I'm keen to hear what you might suggest for the job.

Jolie Wins her Second Swiss Expo

After taking the European Crown in Cremona late in 2010, Jolie returned to Lausanne in Switzerland for another shot at the Swiss Expo. The competition is reported to have been very strong, making the win all the more impressive for this six year old Shoremar James daughter. With the win comes another photograph! Here it is.

Jolie triumphed over her strongest competitors so far thanks to her massive frame and an impressive udder that Judge Mark Rueth had already awarded Best Udder of the Show. Here's another photo from the Lausanne Show which illustrates both key aspects of Jolie's winning style.

Personally, I want to thank and congratulate the Castellas for their great work in bringing this magnificent animal to the show ring in such great form.  Merci beaucoup, messieurs!