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Three of the finalists, owned by two operations, in the Semex-Holstein Australia New South Wales On-Farm Competition were linked to a foundation cow that is still impacting the breed 26 years after she was imported live from Canada.

Few of the on-farm competitions could boast such a strong and durable maternal impact that weaves its way through Canada, Australia and New Zealand and includes two important shots of the household sire, Braedale Goldwyn.

Judge Graham McPhee, from Finley NSW, acknowledged the three by making two of them age Champions for their State and the third Honourable Mention.

All three ultimately trace back to the Hanover-Hill Triple Threat daughter Murribrook Holsteins imported from Canada – Walkerbrae Triple T Toni-Imp-RDC EX1E.

Murray Sowter, who started it all when he imported Walkerbrae Triple T Toni as an in-milk second calver in 1988, said it was exciting to see how investments in solid cow families keep delivering generation upon generation. 

There were a lot of spurs from that old cow [Walkerbrae Triple T Toni] in this year’s competition and there are a lot of good progeny from the family,” Murray said. “And, they have been (for the most part) in good hands, so we are seeing them coming through. And it’s interesting to note how well the Goldwyn blood works on the family.”

This year’s Champion two-year-old is owned and bred by Murray and his wife, Margaret, at Moss Vale, NSW. Murribrook Goldwyn Tango’s is out of Murribrook Durham Toffee VG86 x Murribrook Pre T. Toni-ET VG87 x Walkerbrae Triple T Toni-ET-Imp EX-1E. Tango’s three-quarter sister, sired by Crackholm Fever, was Honourable Mention in the three-year-old class.

The Champion four-year-old is another Goldwyn, owned by Moxey Farms, at Gooloogong. Moxey Farms Goldwyn Tonio traces her heritage through the New Zealand branch of the family. She is from Southern Star Durham Tonio-ET VG88 x Southern Star Talent Tonio-Imp-ET VG89 x the New Zealand matriarch (owned by Tahora Farms) Tahora Romeo Tonio EX x Murribrook Inspiration Toni x Walkerbrae Triple T Toni EX1E. The Moxey family bought the Durham dam at International Dairy Week. She was pregnant with Goldwyn Tonio.

Murray Sowter said (of his two-year-old Champion) that it was always pleasing to win. Tango won her dry heifer class at the inaugural National Herd Development Victorian Winter Fair in July. Now she is safely calved in and close to booking her trip to January’s International Dairy Week.

“She’s a nice young cow, producing in the high 30 litres and she’s going OK,” he said. “If she gets enough opportunity I’ll be quite keen to see how she goes (at IDW).”

Judge Graham McPhee, from Finley, NSW had a busy tour with his wife, Jane. The couple covered 2800km in six days to decide the Champions in a state that had enjoyed record numbers. It boasted the second biggest numbers of the competition with 742 head from 112 breeders. Numbers were up from last year by seven breeders and 19 animals.

“Overall the standard was very high, and you wouldn’t expect anything else going around New South Wales looking at Black and White cows,” he said. “Farming up there is heaven on a stick and I really appreciated the opportunity to be involved.”

Graham thanked Semex, Holstein Australia and the breeders for their hospitality during the busy tour. Then he got down to business.

“I like uniformity when I’m judging and when I put everything together with these cows they sorted themselves out. I was rapt to visit farms were some guys were milking 80 to 90 cows and others were milking 4000.”

He said his mature cow class and four-year-olds were the strongest groups. He was excited to find some new finalists and breeders who were enjoying the chance to be involved at state level.

His two-year-old Champion, Tango, was a comfortable winner.

Graham’s three-year-old Champion Bellrose Shotgun Marlie, from Mirvona Dairies and Broughton Holsteins at Jamberoo, was a special moment for Nick and Emma Strong.

Sired by Gen-I-Beq Shotgun, Marlie is the 2014 Intermediate Champion from the Sydney Royal Easter Show and the Berry Show. She is out of Mandelyn Dundee Maggie x Mandelyn Terrason Magpie. Nick earned his stripes in the industry working alongside his father, Michael, at Mandelyn Holsteins milking 500 cows three times a day. Together with his wife, Emma, he has established his own operation using a fresh and lateral approach.

Bellrose is the prefix Emma used to use, and Mirvona Dairies is a mix of his grandparents initials which also harks back to code names used during the war so family could communicate safely through letters. Broughton Holsteins is a nod to Nick’s grandfather’s Illawarra stud.

Nick milks 320 head on a property he owns and a leasehold property 4.5km away from the home farm. He handles the distances by walking the herd between farms once every 14 days (dictated by pasture rotation). He switches between dairies as he needs to. Having two operational dairies cuts down the herd’s walking and makes the two properties viable and manageable for his pasture-based operation.

The four-year-old Champion, Moxey Farms Goldwyn Tonio, owned by Moxey Farms at Gooloogong. The family-owned business bought Tonio’s dam, who was in-calf to Goldwyn, as an 18-month-old heifer at IDW from Christopher (Rocky) Allen, of Rockstar Holsteins. She was carrying Goldwyn Tonio at the time. Interestingly, her Durham dam carried the Southern Star prefix of Stew and Beck Robertson, because Stew and Beck had agreed to flush their Talent Tonio to Durham using semen Rocky supplied if the resulting calves were registered under the Southern Star prefix. They split the embryos and Rocky was the only one to land a heifer. He sold her to Moxey Farms at IDW for $4000..

Tonio runs in a 250-cow commercially run satellite herd within the Moxey’s operation, which includes 3700 cows and 100 staff.

“She gets zero special treatment,” Quentin Moxey said. “She’s a performer and she’s got the Tonio attitude.” 

The Moxey family operation includes Janet, together with her children Quentin (and his wife, Alison) and daughters Rose (and Rose’s husband Peter Philipzen) and Jill (and her husband Andy Smith). They employ 100 staff.

Tonio was one of the first animals Graham saw. She had not won her sub-branch, but Graham was impressed enough to give her the State title.

“She was a handy winner for me,” Graham said. “There is a lot of good in her and even though I saw her early in the competition, she stayed with me and I really admired so much about her.”

He also noted the Reserve Champion, Glen Eden Shottle Belinda, of Glen Eden Holsteins, at Muswellbrook.

“She was a very handy Shottle daughter,” Graham said. “But she just didn’t have quite the scale and style of my winner.”

The five-year-old Champion came with a different story. Oak Range Forbode Margie is part of Robert Algie’s operation that includes his son, Phillip, daughter-in-law Colleen and grandsons, Andrew and John. The Singleton family won their first state Champion on the tail of the news that their farm had been sold to a mining company and that their 500-head of cattle (350 milkers, 70 bred heifers and 100 young stock) had also been sold in a private deal to Coomboona Holsteins in northern Victoria.

The award becomes their last in the industry – giving them a positive finish to a strong history in the breed. Phillip’s first reaction to the victory was “wahoo”, and Robert was also pleased to exit on a memorable high.

Margie, who has been an On-Farm finalist before, was not included in the Coomboona sale and she is for sale by private treaty. In the end, selling the land and the cattle in close succession had been a relief for the family.

“My father always told me that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush,” Robert said. “And the private sale of our cattle was just that – a bird in the hand.”

The mature cow Champion was six-year-old Juleanwes Morty Zara VG88, owned by Wes and Julie Brown, of Juleanwes Holsteins, at Tamworth. She finished off a strong competition for judge Graham.

“She was really my kind of cow,” he said. “She was big and powerful and she had that dairy strength. She was quiet as a lamb in the yard and I suggested to Wes that he should show her. She had a smoking udder and so much punch in her rear udder.”

He said it was her scale and dairy strength that took her over the balanced Reserve Champion, Glenalbas Lynx Angelina. The rising seven-year-old is classified EX92-2E.

Julie Brown confirmed that while they have been in the hunt before in the On-Farm competition, this year was the couple’s first State Championship. They milk 190 cows at Tamworth, which has felt more than its share of early summer dry this season. Julie said they calved all year around and while they had tried breaking Zara to halter, the cow hadn’t quite seen it their way.

“I guess we can’t expect too much, given her age and the fact that she hadn’t seen a halter before,” Julie said. “She’s a great herd cow though. She just likes to get on with the job.”

Julie said Zara’s produced 10,677 litres on her last lactation and she produced 38.5 litres at their last herd recording after holding in calf to sexed Atwood. They are considering flushing her on her next lactation. Julie said the on-farm judging concept was something that worked for them.

“Oh, absolutely,” she said. “It’s just so easy. There’s not much preparation and it’s so easy for everyone to participate. We are really grateful for Semex and Holstein Australia’s continued support of this wonderful event for our breed.”

RESULTS

State Over Judging: New South Wales

Judge: Graham McPhee, Hillview Park Holsteins, Finley NSW.

Entries: 742 (2013 – 723)

Breeders: 112 (2013 – 105)

TWO YEAR OLD

1st: Murribrook Goldwyn Tango, MJ Sowter, Murribrook Holsteins, Moss Vale

2nd: Oxley Vae Erbacres Piebe 2, AD & ZR Polson, Oxley Vale Holsteins, Oxley Island

THREE YEAR OLD

1st: Bellrose Shotgun Marlie, Mirvona Dairies, Broughton Holsteins, Jamberoo

2nd: Kalulla Park Damion Maddonna, TJ & JM Coombes, Kalulla Park Holsteins, Long Flat

FOUR YEAR OLD

1st: Moxey Farms Goldwyn Tonio, Moxey Farms Pty Ltd, Moxey Farms Holsteins, Gooloogong

2nd: Glen Eden Shottle Belinda, Glen Eden Holsteins, Muswellbrook

FIVE YEAR OLD

1st: Oak Range Forbode Margie, RJ & CY Algie, Oak Range Holsteins, Singleton

2nd: Smallridge Blitzen Jo, JF & MM Jessop, Smallridge Holsteins, Cobargo

MATURE

1st: Juleanwes Morty Zara, W.J. & J.L. Brown, Juleanwes Holsteins, Tamworth

2nd: Glenalbas Lynx Angelina, A.F. Garratty Pty Ltd, Glenalbas Holsteins, Nowra