World Ayrshire Confederation South
THE AYRSHIRE BREEDERS' ASSOCIATION OF CANADA
4865, boul. Laurier O, Saint-Hyacinthe
(Québec) Canada J2S 3V4
Tel. : 450 778-3535
Fax : 450 778-3531
info@ayrshire-canada.com
4865, boul. Laurier O, Saint-Hyacinthe
(Québec) Canada J2S 3V4
Tel. : 450 778-3535
Fax : 450 778-3531
info@ayrshire-canada.com
2010 Master breeder
Ferme Chaluka |
Chaluka
Our next Master Breeder is particularly proud of this title that represents the ultimate outcome, the fruit of their labour in the business and especially their breeding for over 30 years. As they say so well: “Perseverance each year to improve the herd step by step has no price.”
The Chaluka herd has approximately 57 cows in milk, for a production average of 7484kg of milk with 4,1% fat and 3,3% protein for a BAC of 214-214-216. The herd classification is of 3 EX, 16 VG, 21 GP and 13 G.
Lucien Charest bought the Farm 1952 and decided to give it prefix Chaluka for Charest, Lucien and Kamouraska. The Ayrshire herd at the time was crossed and remained that way for 27 years. On April 30, 1979, his two sons Alain and André bought the farm and decided to invest in the future of their breeding. Three new cows were purchased in the fall at an auction in Rimouski; Jovette de Guimond, Mireille de Guimond and Kayfier des Flots Bleus. Since then, when they had the chance, they never hesitated to invest in new cow families, as they did in 1992 with De St Pierre Zenica, EX 90 4E 3*. It was a good purchase because a few years later she was the first EX cow of the herd, she distinguished herself in 1995 when she was Grand Champion at the St-Pascal Exhibition and Reserve Tout-Quebec that same year. Today, her descendents represent about 25% of the herd. Money was also invested in some embryos, such as De La Chaudière Starlette, EX 90 2E 4* with Willy. It was a stroke of luck because that embryo, Embryo-Star Willy Delicate, BP 83 3*, gave birth a few years later to Chaluka Dropstad Kedali EX 90 4* who is now the pride of the farm, mostly for the temperament she transmitted to her daughters. According to her owners, she represents balance between conformation and production. With her 4 Stars, she also shows her breeding capacity. Two of her daughters by Ice Man are VG, Neuronne VG 88 and Romance, VG 87; two of her sons are in artificial insemination at Semex. Their last purchase was Lagace BB Blandie, VG 88, who now has 2 beautiful calves at the farm and will surely have more!
Presently the two owners are Alain and André but the successors are very active. In fact, André’s four children are present at the farm, each in their own way. The oldest, Jean-Philippe, looks after exhibitions and works for various exhibitors throughout the world. He will be returning to the farm in the near future. His brother, Mathieu, is presently studying to be an accountant but helped at the farm when he was still in secondary. Their only sister, Arianne, is more and more involved in the business, despite her studies in communications. Their youngest brother, Pierre-Luc, is in secondary school at the moment, but also helps at the farm.
In 1994, André and Alain decided to bring an animal to the Spring Show. It was an excellent decision because Chaluka Festival Arabie came home with the red ribbon having won her Junior 3 Year Old class. Having well understood the principle that when you buy, you must sell. Therefore, in 2011 they consigned Chaluka Harmony Kazeni, a Junior Yearling from an EX 91 4E. She was purchased by Americans who did not hesitate to pay the highest price of the sale that year. They had reason to believe in her potential because that same year she was All-American and All-Canadian. This year, the Chaluka breeding distinguished itself among others with Chaluka Raven Vanille who was Tout-Québec Junior Yearling and nominated All-Canadian. This April calf was also Champion of the colored breeds at the Toronto Kubota Classic in November, and was admired throughout the summer at various exhibitions.
They have a few projects for the future, such as renovating the milking parlor and the milking system. They never hesitate to purchase good animals, because they know that other breeders will not let good animals go. Jean-Philippe will become one of the major shareholders in a few years, and we wish him a future as promising as the past has been.
On behalf or the entire Ayrshire Canada team, congratulations for your good work.
|
Ferme Cock Rond |
Cock Rond
It’s from the work of 4 generations that the Cock Rond breeding deserves the title of Master Breeder. After 113 years of farming by the Bilodeau Family, today it’s Gilbert & Cécile, as well as their son Christian and his wife Annie, who continue the work of their ancestors. All involved on the farm, they are also very present in their community. In fact, Christian who manages the hers is also President of his CAB, of the Caisse Populaire Audit Committee, President of the Etchemin-Lotbinière Ayrshire Club for the past 8 years and volunteer fireman in his spare time. Annie is no less busy. Besides looking after their four children, she’s gradually taking over the farm’s accounting that was done by Cecile up to now. Gilbert is in charge of the fields and the machinery, besides being President of an Agro-ecology Club for the past 5 years, not to mention the numerous years within the UPA. The least we can say here is that these people are active in their community!
In 1970, believing in this discovery in agriculture, Gilbert introduced artificial insemination in his herd. Four years later, he decided to joint Milk Recording in order to have official data, and it’s still the case today. Having parallel productions, such as beef cattle and pigs, in 1979 they decided to go solely with dairy breeding, therefore ending the other productions. The installations were ancestral but still very functional. The barn built in 1969 now houses the heifers, while the cows are now in a tie-stall barn built 12 years ago than can accommodate 61 cows. Since 1999, all the buildings have been renovated or rebuilt, thus making work easier.
Christian has never been afraid of using young sires for his inseminations. He believes in their potential and with reason; 6 EX of the Cock Rond breeding are from young sires, the reason why they are used for 40% of their breeding. Presently, the breeding philosophy is to raise descendents of cows classified VG or EX, and a few selected GP. The other cows are used for embryo transplant. Presently, the herd has 3 EX, 29 VG, 30 GP and 5 G and the herd is totally Ayrshire. The production average is at 7,624kg, with 4,3% fat and 3.5% protein, for a BCA of 212-222-225. Incidentally, their objective for the next years is to increase their milk production to an average of 8,500kg. Christian would really like to have a bull with the Cock Rond prefix in an insemination centre, therefore it’s with that in mind that he develops his breeding to have good non-commercialized cow families.
Certain good animals have already made sure that the Cock Rond prefix is not unknown to us. In fact, Cock Rond Hector T-Bel, who was sold in 2007 to Martin Duclos and Ferme Gemme Ayrshire, was All-Canadian Intermediate Calf the same year. T-Bel comes from a family that Christian likes, because she’s a descendant of a very good family in the herd. Her dam is a Kellcrest Harmony daughter classified VG 88 that produced 12,236kg of milk at 4 year 4 months with 4.1% of fat and et 3,7% protein for a BCA of 294-288-320. She was herself in the All-Canadian winners’ list being Reserve in 2005. If we go back, we find a VG 87 and one EX 90 4E in her pedigree. Another one of his favorite is Cock Rond B-Jurist Neutron VG 86, an Elite cow that makes him happy with the milk she produces and her LPI of +2161. She comes from another of his best families and already has two daughters in the herd. The family of Cock Rond Dalton Super has also left a mark, notably with 3 generations of Star Brood daughters.
Christian is particularly proud of having represented Quebec farmers last winter when he participated in the Big Brother TV series, where he even introduced the Ayrshires! In fact, it’s not everybody that can bring an Ayrshire to a TV shoot. Him and his wife are, as we can say, very active and full of ambition. Their hard work will surely ensure lots of great achievements to come for the Cock Rond herd.
We congratulate you for your hard work and enthusiast for the Ayrshire that taken you to your first Master Breeder title.
|
Ferme Des Chamois |
Des Chamois
For Des Chamois, it’s determination, hard work and courage that won them this title of Master Breeder. It all began in 1989, when Jacques Henchoz and Loraine Yersin acquired Ferme Des Chamois, located in Farnham, Quebec. With their two children, Raoul and Jenny, they left Switzerland and their family to begin a new adventure; it’s with Ayrshires that they would live it.
A few years later, following a long battle with sickness, Jacques retired from the farm. However, with the passion in her blood, Loraine decided to take on the challenge of raising her two children and continue working the farm by herself. Then one day, she met Roger Goncerut, someone who shared the same passions, and they decided to pursue the farm’s evolution together. Many changes were made, one of which was the construction of a new barn to house all the animals under one roof, simplify tasks and greatly improve the animals’ comfort. Loraine and Roger are actively involved in genetics selection and herd management. Loraine looks after feeding the heifers and the cows, while Roger divides his time between genetics and other tasks such as milking. He also does all the inseminations and come summer, supervises the work in the fields with Raoul who has not completed a diploma of professional studies in agriculture in 2000. The latter, being passionate about machinery, is in charge of the tractors maintenance and works in the fields while helping with milking morning and night. His friend Karine is also involved in the business on a part-time basis. Having always had a passion for good animals, they are particularly proud of their herd. Even if, for marketing reasons, the herd is now mix, the Ayrshires will always have their place in the herd, mainly for their pride and stout-heartedness. Today, the Ayrshire herd has 1 EX 96 2E, 2 EX 91, 4 VG and 1 GP and it’s 6 EX, 18 VG, 9 GP and 1 G for the Holstein herd. The production averages are 10 851kg with 4.2% fat and 3.4% protein for a BCA of 294-305-301; for the Holsteins, 11 313kg with 4.0% fat and 3.2% protein, for a BCA of 249-271-252.
For Roger and Loraine, competition is always on their mind. Therefore, come summer, it is often time to prepare the animals for exhibitions. This is why when we asked them to name a cow that they are particularly fond of, it was Jonholm Kellogg’s Fiona that they named. As Loraine says: “All breeders dream of hang a Grand Champion banner from the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair and Jonholm Kellogg’s Fiona gave us this magic moment last November.” » Many other cows left their mark, one only needs to remember VKH Jessamine Nationale, EX 95 3E that Loraine had purchased directly on the fairgrounds at the World Dairy Expo in 1999, or again Marilie BB Polkie, EX 95 5E 3* who produced Des Chamois Poker ET, a very popular bull in America, as well as in Europe and Australia. Des Chamois Victoire, EX 90 2E 3* was one of the best cows raised at the farm. Having had some of the best show results, she produced Des Chamois Vertica, EX 92 6E 4*, who was winner of the Junior 3 Year Old class at the World Dairy Expo at Madison in 2001, as well as numerous All-Canadian and Tout-Quebec nominations and her many participations in various championships. “Victoire” has given over 63% of the points to obtain this Master Breeder award. We cannot not mention the greatest herd ambassador, Des Chamois Sugus, EX 95 7E 3* who was the greatest ambassador in the herd. With her 106,625kg of milk lifetime in 9 lactations, she succeeded in being profitable and produced 2 EX, 3 VG and 1 GP.
In view of enforcing the value of the herd and give everyone the change of acquiring a « Des Chamois », it was in April 2003 that “The Sale of Champions” was organized. It was the opportunity for then to show the improvement in their herd from the beginning, and they wanted to offer to everyone the chance to acquire a “Des Chamois”. The highest price paid was for Des Chamois Midnight, purchased by an American, along with a few other animals. Without knowing it, it was an unbelievable stroke of luck because a month later the border was closing for many years. However, ever with less good cows, they never stopped participating in exhibitions and leaving their mark.
For them, the title of Master Breeder is, above all, pride. It represents a lot of work and challenges overcome, but today, they are rewarded. Their goals always were and always will be, to breed good cows and be proud of the time they spend doing what they love most, breeding excellent animals.
Congratulations to Loraine Yersin, Roger Goncerut and Raoul Henchoz for their first Master Breeder title.
|
Ferme Jean-Guy Faucher & fils  |
Jean-Guy Faucher & Fils
Hard work, vision and passion are the key to the Master Breeder title for Ferme Jean-Guy Faucher. A passion for life, family and especially for great cows! Luc and Serge Faucher are at the helm always driving their herd to new heights. The farm is simple, no fancy gadgets or expensive equipment but it is well run and each project or new addition is made to take better care of the animals. I’ve never known Serge not to have a new goal or a new project in the works, whether it be a new heifer barn, to have a Champion cow, to buy a cow he has selected or even to start a family, there is always a goal and he always succeeds!
The breeding philosophy is very clear at Faucher, Productive cows. The cows are bred with attention to their conformation so that they can produce high quantities of milk for a long time. They are fed well, quality forages are a priority and the cows respond. The herd average for 2010 is 10,441 kg of milk at 4% fat and 3.3%P. The herd classification is 12 EX, 34 VG and 22 GP.
Deep pedigree is important and specific cow families have had a big impact on the herd. Faucher Kellogg Larra EX-2E-94 12 * is without a doubt the foundation cow and along with her decendants has contributed many points to this master breeder award. Her progeny includes 3 EX and 14 VG daughters.
In 1980 they went to their first show, in 1987 they went to Expo Quebec for the first time and now they have shown at all the major shows with a lot of success. The star of the show string is Faucher Loto Opa EX-95. Opa is completely Faucher breeding and with her exceptional production, tremendous offspring, 6 All-Canadian awards and many Champion titles she represents the Faucher productive breeding philosophy perfectly.
Serge is very proud of Opa’s two Grand Champion titles at the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto and of her being Reserve Supreme Champion in 2008 but we can’t forget that she was also Junior Champion at the Royal in 2006!
Other cows who accomplished great success at the shows over the years are: Faucher Paddy Loulou ET EX-3E-95, Faucher Harmony Millie EX-2E-94, Faucher Loto Clarissa VG-88, Faucher Kellogg Satania EX-92 and Faucher Cacylite Opale VG-89 are just a few recent examples, the impressive thing about these cows is that they are all combining show winnings and great production. Another cow from the Faucher herd who has been very successful in the show ring is Faucher Medalist Mona EX-2E-94, she was the top seller at the Elite Sale a few years ago and The McCaig’s family and a group of Finnish Breeders bought her.
The Faucher herd is certainly one of the most respected and appreciated herd in the Ayrshire world. They have sold many embryos to Australia, South Africa, USA, UK and Finland.
The Faucher family is always very proud to receive visitors on their farm and it is always a pleasure to be there.
The next project for the farm is to modernize the feeding equipment and to continue improving the production and conformation of the herd. They will continue to work hard with the herd taking care of their Ayrshires and letting them prove what they can do.
Ayrshire Canada is proud to recognise the contribution that your animals have made to the breed by presenting you your first Master Breeder award.
|
Ferme La Sapinière  |
La Sapinière
Guylaine Lepage and Jean-Marc Daigle became owners of Ferme La Sapinière Ayrshire inc. in March 1997. They bought the herd, quota, land and buildings from Pierre Boulet, a well-known auctioneer. In September of the same year, they registered with the official Milk Recording, classified the animals and updated the registration. A big change in the same year! Eleven years later, their work showed in various ways; their herd classification average was 85 points and there was 9 EX, 34 VG, 16 GP and 6 NC. They were also credited with the best national herd average in the 35 to 49 cows in 2008 and the 2nd best herd average in 2009. For 2010, the La Sapinière herd produced an average of 9512kg of milk with percentages of fat and protein of 4.0% and 3.4% for a BCA of 272-262-278. They were also finalists many times for the quality of their milk in their region. The year 2012 will be special for the Daigle family when their daughter Andréanne will join them at the farm permanently. With a diploma in dairy production from Laval University in 2010, as her very proud parents say: “she will be a high-standard successor.” Therefore, with this arrival, certain projects will materialize, such as the purchase of quota and extension of the present barn.
The La Sapinière herd as many good breeding animals, such as La Sapiniere Cacy EX 91 4E 4*. She produced 92,622kg of milk in 7 lactations with 5.0% fat and 3.5% protein. Her highest productions were at 4 years 2 months when in 305 days she produced 13,756kg with components of 4.7% fat and 3.5% protein and at 5 years 10 months, 14,186kg with 5.9% fat and 3.3% protein, for a BCA of 350-509-357. Cacy is not only a great producer; she’s also a beautiful cow. She was the first cow the farm showed at the Spring Show in 2000 where she was 1st and Best Udder of all the Junior 2 year old in the show. Two years later, this Cornelius daughter became the first EX of the herd. Her daughters stand out among the others, such as La Sapiniere Facy VG 88 1*, a Lorenzo. Her sister by Kellcrest Ice Man is classified EX 91 3E and another descendent of Cacy by B-Jurist is classified VG 88 is an Elite Cow. Cacy’s family has numerous Star and Elite cows, which greatly contributed to obtaining this Master Breeder title. They also have some good bulls available from Semex and surely other in the future. Laitquipe Patrick Blanche VG 87 2* was also a good purchase for the farm with two VG 87 daughters, as well as Laitquipe Patrick Dina VG 89 2* with her five VG descendents.
For them, this award certifies that their herd is one of the best in the herd. Many envy this title, but they are particularly proud to be among the 2010 recipients. It’s their relentless work that earned them this reward, only 14 years from the beginning.
Ayrshire Canada sincerely congratulates Guylaine and Jean-Marc Daigle for this Master Breeder title.
|
Lashburn Farm  |
Lashburn
The beginnings of the McCaig family’s Lashburn herd go back to 1952, when Alex’s father bought the farm in Ormstown. Today, the farm consists of 500 acres of farmable land. Since 2006, the 50-50 owners are Alex and Judy McCaig as well as Chris and Valerie McCaig. The arrival of Chris at the farm in 2006 assured the continuity of the Lashburn herd. The McCaig family is very well known in the Ayrshire world. Just recently, Alex became a member of the Board of Ayrshire Quebec; he has also been involved in the Ayrshire Canada’s Marketing Committee for many years. Alex is an official judge of the Ayrshire Breeders’ Association of Canada and besides having judged in the country, he has judged in the United States, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Finland. As for Chris, he is very involved with the Howick-Huntingdon Ayrshire Club. For the past years, he’s been the Club Sale Manager and he selects most of the animals for this sale. The McCaigs are known for being incomparable hosts and it’s always pleasant to stop by their place, alone or with visitors. In July 2011, they will host the Ayrshire picnic and we can bet that the event will be crowned with success. These breeders never hesitate to invest in good animals and they have many animals in co-ownership with other Canadian breeders and also with breeders from foreign countries.
The Lashburn herd consists of about 42 cows in milk. In January, the production average was 8,686kg of milk with 4.2% fat and 3.4% protein for a BCA of 251-249-255. The herd’s classification is really impressive; there are 14 Excellent, 30 Very Good and 6 Good Plus, with the average score per cow being 87.8 points. In the future, the McCaigs expect to keep the herd at its present size. They want to continue raising cows with exceptional type, producing even more while remaining in remarkable health. They also want cows that produce milk with high levels of fat and protein.
Enthusiastic breeders, they use the best bulls available in the breed. They flush the best cows in the herd and many embryos were sold to the United Kingdom, the United States and Finland. Participating in shows is an integral part of life for these people; they show their animals at exhibitions in Ormstown, Quebec, the International Dairy Showcase and the Toronto Royal. Over the years, many animals with the Lashburn prefix did extremely well in the show rings, such as Lashburn Bella ET EX-92, her sister Lashburn Belinda ET EX-92 who was sold to the Chelsey Syndicate in the USA and Lashburn Faith EX-94. Some bulls with the Lashburn prefix were also sold to insemination centers, like Lashburn Karamello ET and Lashburn Jeopardy.
One cow that has largely contributed to obtaining this title is Lashburn Diamond EX-6E-91 1*. This Forever Schoon MM Cornelius daughter produced over 92,000kg of milk in 10 lactations. Her two best daughters are Lashburn Ruby EX-3E-92 and Lashburn Dazzle ET TB-86. Another cow that has also contributed rather well is Lashburn Peony TB-88, a Haralan Etro daughter that produced over 60,500kg of milk in 5 lactations.
For the McCaig family, obtaining the Master Breeder title represents a great honor and an extraordinary accomplishment. They are very proud of deserving this award and sharing it with other great Ayrshire breeders. For them, receiving this prize and the opportunity of working all together is a great joy.
|
Copyright © 2012 Ayrshire Breeder's Association of Canada, All Rights Reserved
Designed by Agri-Design
Designed by Agri-Design