It is once again time for the international edition of the Ayrshire Review, in collaboration with our friends, the Ayrshire breeders from the USA.

I was disappointed to miss attending the US Annual Convention this year but I was a delegate participating in the World Ayrshire Conference that was taking place in Finland at the same time. Ayrshire Canada delegated Dave Bergeron and his wife, Bonnie, to have the privilege of attending the event and sale that, I was told, were a success. Congratulations!

“Collaboration” is the word that allows us, Ayrshire breeders, to evolve locally and worldwide. For this reason, I ask you to note the dates, March 11 to 14, 2009, when the Ayrshire Canada Annual General Meeting will take place in Cornwall, Ontario, organized by the local Ayrshire Club. On this note, I wish you a good summer and much success with your Ayrshires!

This is an exciting issue of the North American Ayrshire breed magazines. After all, Ayrshire Canada and the U. S. Ayrshire Breeders’ Association have much more in common than in contrast. And it is time to find the area of common benefit and work together for greater gain.

Of course, there are differences between our two organizations, this is not a big thing; but “ there is power in numbers!” as they say. When there is organized mutual commitment, then our organizations and breeders can promote, prove, populate and profit more than ever before.

I’m not sure if we as breeders realized that of the seven major dairy breeds in North America, the Ayrshire has the third highest population. This is a feat to be proud of and to spring from in promoting our cow. No, we may not be able to surpass the populations of Holstein and Jersey, but there is a tremendous amount of potential for our breed to distance herself from the rest of the pack. Her efficiencies, health traits, size, color, low SCC and profitability are extremely important traits the commercial dairyman is looking for.

For our associations’ numbers to grow, we first need to discover the Ayrshire breeders, who for some reason or another, have stopped registering or maybe never registered and entice them to be active in our associations. I would like to ask the members to seek out Ayrshire herds in your areas that could be brought into our associations and to notify the national offices of these herds. This will be an important step as it will allow the association to begin corresponding with these herds. These herds in turn will not only provide our associations with greater numbers, but also introduce new cow families, new genetics, new members, and undoubtedly more financial support.

There is also the faction of breeders of different breeds that now proudly own one or more Ayrshires. These dairymen typically like to own top-notch animals and are vital participants in marketing high-end animals. The commercial dairymen practicing cross-breeding is another opportunity for the Ayrshire cow. Most are interested in functional traits and are looking for another option for breeding. Many are discovering the attributes of the Ayrshire breed.

We should be very proud of our breed, and we need to wear our Ayrshire Pride on our sleeves. This kind of confidence is contagious and will impact our industry for the benefit of all. This is an exciting time for our Ayrshire associations, and I, for one, am proud to be part of it.