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It has been six years since the Angi brothers have found enough time to enter the Western Australian Semex-Holstein Australia On-Farm Competition.

And they stormed home with the results and peer acknowledgement that has reminded them why they get up early every morning to milk registered Holsteins.

Their results also speak to the soul of the competition – finding registered cows that are getting the job done for dairymen that have little time or energy to promote one of their biggest assets.

The Angi’s won the five-year-old class and they finished third, fourth and fifth with other entries in different classes. It was a consistent and balanced return for the busy Yaloop operation, who operate under the prefix, Angelis Holsteins. They milk 340 cows, including 50 Red and White Holsteins. Brothers Joe and Tony are supported by their mother, Angelina, and Tony’s wife Chontelle. Tony and Chontelle’s son, Frank, also joined the operation three years ago.

They recently built a 50-stand rotary dairy in a definitive nod to their ongoing commitment to dairy farming. And 46-year-old Tony said the season had been kind to them so far.

“It wasn’t an easy decision to invest in a new dairy and we had been thinking about it for years,” Tony said. “But until now the industry has never given us the fuel for it. Now, the industry’s confidence seems stronger and this gives us incentive and courage to keep going.

“I’m still young enough to enjoy it.”

The competition’s results were announced within a 100-year Holstein Australia celebratory lunch that included 71 former and current Holstein Australia members. It was held at The Ferguson Valley Farm Stay. It was a golden chance to get off-farm, and to hear how well-travelled and respected judge Lindsay Marshall, of Yurunga Farms, Queensland, saw the West’s best.

Angelis Holsteins Champion was found in the five-year-old class. Angelis Ray Raybe 882 is sired by a homebred Summershade Igniter son from Burnvale Holsteins. Tony said they put a lot of effort into their cows day-to-day, and the third calver was quiet and placid to work with.

“You wish all the cows were like her,” he said.

She runs with a herd that averages 25 litres year-round with irrigation. They are fed pasture (and pellets in the dairy) with silage and pasture hay on the shoulders of the season.

“The genetics are all there. We watch what’s going on in the world closely, and the herd is all registered. The cow was deserving and we were thrilled she won her class. We also love our Red and White genetics. I have been passionate about them since I was 16 years old.”

The two-year-old class was one of the biggest of the day and it was won by Elgin Bradley 1295, who is owned by Darren and Sharon Merritt, of Elgin Dairies, at Boyanup. The couple milk 600 cows, with the help of their son, Chad, who has been working alongside them for the last three years. They average 9000 litres on a 300-day lactation on a dryland farm, which relies on a TMR for seven months of the year. They have just split their herd into two for the summer, to deal with the additional demand for shade and water.

It was their first state Champion.

“I was rapt,” Darren said. “You battle to get a place in this competition or even in the top three. We recognised her potential when she freshened. She also has an awesome temperament and she’s a big capacious heifer.”

He said the competition was vital for bigger operations.

“When you’re pushing numbers and focused on the bigger picture, this competition makes you stop and appreciate the individuals that make everything happen,” Darren said.

They also finished with a Reserve in the three-year-old class with Elgin Bolton 720. The second calved young cow gave them a solid presence in the awards.

The family recently broke ground on a new project – to install a 24-a-side Rapid Exit Herringbone dairy. At the moment it takes them 4.5 hours to milk in the morning and four hours in the afternoon, with limited help from casual milkers. They are expecting to be in the new dairy by June 2015. They are the second finalist with enough confidence in the industry to invest in a capital-thirsty new dairy.

“I think things are going to turnaround,” Darren said. “It’s been a long time coming but we’re on the up and up now and we have a lot of young cattle coming on. We will be milking around 750 in the new dairy. They run several properties, totalling 1100 acres (250 acres leased). They are about to lease an adjoining 700-acre beef property, which will be valuable cropping land.

A familiar face in the on-farm presentations was that of Victor Rodwell at Acero Holsteins. Victor, milked (at the peak this season) just on 830-head on 240 ha at Boyanup (with his wife, Denise, mother Kath and a loyal team of employees). The family achieves a sold 7500 to 8000-litre average with a 3.3% protein and 3.9% fat. The herd is milked through a one-man 50-unit rotary dairy.

“We are commercially focused and not pushing too hard on our production,” Victor said. “The cows have to stand up in a commercial operation.”

Acero was the only operation to pick up two Champions. And it was in the three and four-year-old that the Boyanup producer excelled. Notably, the three-year-old Champion, Acero Damion Rae-ET, was also named Reserve Overall Champion for the state behind the Mature Champion.

Damion Rae is scored GP84 and the young cow has a rich imported lineage. She is a Damion out of an EX94-2E Lutz-Meadows E Mandel dam (Acero Mandel R.Rae-Imp-ET), who is preceded by Hanover-Hill-R Roxy Rae-ET EX2E (x Hanover-Hill Inspiration).

Victor said the Damion had been the best joining decision they had made on her EX94 dam. Subsequent flushes to the same sire had failed to produce any more heifers. But Damion Rae has delivered on her potential as a heifer, graduating from winning Junior Champion at the Harvey Show and Reserve Junior Champion at the All-Australian qualifying Brunswick show to claiming Reserve Intermediate Champion at Brunswick this year.

“She’s a young cow that we’re going to do a lot of work with,” Victor confirmed. “She calved young as a heifer and was thrown out in a big herd. She milked hard and got straight back in calf and she’s ticking a lot of boxes right now. She stands out, but she also doesn’t stand out, if you know what I mean, because she just goes about her business.

“And it’s always the challenge getting good heifers to develop through to being good cows. So she’s been especially gratifying.”

The winning four-year-old is another branch of Acero’s Roxy family, again from imported embryos through Hanover Hill.

Acero Sanchez Rose 2 is out of a Maughlin Storm dam (Acero Stormy R.Rose-Imp-ET VG85) x an imported Lutz-Meadows E Mandel (Hanover-Hill Rozene-ET). She is also scored GP84 and Victor confirmed that both needed to see a classifier urgently.

Victor said the competition was vital for Western Australian breeders.

“It’s just a great opportunity and I encourage as many current and as many young breeders as we can get involved. I think this year, overall there were as many numbers as there’s been.”

Western Australian state president Geoff Jenkins (Treeton Holsteins) who opened the event with a warm welcome to former and current members was again in the limelight when the awards were distributed.

Together with his wife, Lorraine, the couple milk 300 cows (averaging 9400 litres) on a total of 333ha (250ha milking platform). Their sons, Bryn, and David, are also involved with Geoff laughingly commenting that he is trying to “handball” the farm to them.

They won the biggest class of the day – the mature class that included 24-head. They were also Reserve Champion in the four and five-year-old classes. Geoff had a hectic tour, writing off his car during the judging rounds, as he ferried judge Lindsay Marshall between farms.

“We were on the way to judge four cows 750km away, driving through Roo country in the middle of the day when you don’t expect to see them really, and this one came out of nowhere,” Geoff said. “We were stranded for about four or five hours until Ray Blackburn could get to us to pick us up. We had a gorgeous looking Italian back packer with us and I joked to Lindsay that if I couldn’t do well with that bribe, nothing would work. Well, I ended up with egg on my face when the results were released.”

Treeton’s mature Champion and the competition’s Overall Champion (Supreme Champion) was Treeton Informer Delicious VG88 (last classified in 2012). She is an Informer daughter from a VG87 Winluke dam who produces 11,500 litres.

Delicious is eight years old with five calves to her credit. She was also the competition’s former two-year-old Champion in 2008 – proving her durability and style. She produces close to 11,000 litres at 4.4% milkfat and 3.6% protein.

“She’s a typically great Informer,” Geoff said. “She’s a commercial man’s dream. She’s long, capacious and she’s also got extreme depth and a beautiful spring of rib.”

Last year Brunswick producers Don and Lorelle Fry won their first State Championship. This year they were again in the hunt, winning Reserve Champion mature cow.                   

Katandra Park Holsteins and Jerseys run their 120-cow herd, together with support from their sons, Tyson, Lachlan and Corbin. None of the busy family work full time on-farm. Don and Lorelle are involved in Professionals Real Estate Business at Bunbury and Lachlan works with Landmark Breeding. A full-time employee is supported by the family to keep the Holstein and Jersey herd on track for its 9500-litre and 6800-litre average (Holsteins and Jerseys respectively). 

Within the luncheon, Master Breeder Andrea Shine (Melville Park Holsteins) gave an interesting address on the history of the breed in the West, in the lead-up to the breed celebrating 85 years in Western Australia.

Holstein Australia Vice President, Patrick Glass, also presented Centenary Medallions to Andrea and her fellow Master Breeder Ray Blackburn (Burnvale Holsteins) for their accumulated contributions to the Holstein Association at both State and Federal level.

State Over Judging:  Western Australia 

Judge: Lindsay Marshall, Yurunga Farms QLD

Breeders 15 (2013 – 14)

Entries 92 (2013 – 84)

TWO YEAR OLD

1st: Elgin Bradley 1295 – Darren L Merrett, Elgin Holsteins (Boyanup)

2nd: Sinagra Medallion Louann – Tahlia McSwain, Boallia Creek Holsteins (Chapman Hill)

THREE YEAR OLD

1st: Acero Damion Rae-ET – VR Rodwell, Acero Holsteins (Boyanup)

2nd: Elgin Bolton 720 – Darren L Merritt, Elgin Holsteins (Boyanup)

FOUR YEAR OLD

1st: Acero Sanchez Rose 2-ET – VR Rodwell, Acero Holsteins (Boyanup)

2nd: Treeton Denison Odette – GA & LE Jenkins, Treeton Holsteins (Cowaramup)

FIVE YEAR OLD

1st: Angelis Ray Raybe 882 – Angi Bros., Angelis Holsteins (Yarloop)

2nd: Treeton Gold Snowball – GA & LE Jenkins, Treeton Holsteins (Cowaramup)

MATURE

1st: Treeton Informer Delicious – GA & LE Jenkins, Treeton Holsteins (Cowaramup)

2nd: Ootooloo Garrison Ellie – DM & LM Fry, Katandra Park Holsteins (Brunswick Junction)