It is extremely improbable that a dairy producer’s first purchase in a new breed would go on to be named Canadian Cow of the Year; however, that’s exactly what has happened for Shawn Koopmans of Picton, Ontario. Back in 2009, Shawn purchased a lot of embryos from David and Anne Kulp of Kulp Genetics in Pennsylvania. These embryos were from Rovin Derek Ali Accent-P, a Milking Shorthorn just starting to make her mark on the Milking Shorthorn breed south of the border. Fast-forward to 2014 and Koopycrest Mocha Ali Apple VG-88, the only female resulting from that embryo purchase and the first Milking Shorthorn in the Koopycrest herd, has been named Canadian Milking Shorthorn Cow of the Year after a tally of votes by Canadian Milking Shorthorn Society members.
The last year has been memorable for Apple. After previously setting records for Yearling production, Apple established a new All Time Single Lactation Milk Record, producing 16,742 kgs of milk in 305 days in her second lactation (3x/day milking). This eclipsed the previous record by close to 1000 kgs. She also set a new Single Lactation Protein Record with 488 kgs of protein in 305 days. In 365 days, Apple produced an astounding 18,613 kgs of milk, 768 kgs of fat, and 560 kgs of protein.
Not satisfied with setting new production records, Apple would also win the Three Year Old class and would go on to be named Grand Champion at the 2013 National Milking Shorthorn Show in Lindsay, Ontario. For a cow to be named Grand Champion of a National Show in the same year as setting an All Time Milk Production record is unheard of in any breed!
Apple’s first daughter, Koopycrest Logic Ali Anne, is off to a great start herself after classifying Very Good 86 in first lactation and breaking her mother’s 305 day Fat Record for Milking Yearlings with 407 kgs F (5.0%). Apple has been flushed to a number of different sires and a first choice heifer is selling in the CMSS National Sale on September 5th, 2014. Apple also has two maternal brothers who are proven sires at American AI units and she sits at #3 on the LPI Cow list in April 2014. Apple is sired by proven sire Clarefield Mocha, an Illawarra sire from Australia marketed by Semex Alliance.
Shawn, who farms in beautiful Prince Edward County supported by his wife Justine, notes that Apple has always had a will to milk and has never had a problem keeping up with his Holsteins and Brown Swiss in his mixed herd. Shawn has had recent success in marketing polled and Red & White Holstein genetics with high genomic values, and looks forward to continue working with the Apple family and the Milking Shorthorn breed.
The two other nominated cows for the Cow of the Year Award in 2014 were Oceanbrae Fawn’s Accent-P EX-94, owned by the Barrett Family of Oceanbrae Farms in Belmont, Prince Edward Island; and Lynmark Clay Equity EX-90-3E, owned by the Prinzen Family of Prinsville Dairy Farms of Bloomfield, Ontario.
Apple’s success is but one example of modern Milking Shorthorns succeeding with new breeders across Canada. Milking Shorthorns are versatile and efficient dairy cattle that require less input costs to generate profit for Canadian dairy producers. For more information, please visit the Canadian Milking Shorthorn Society website at www.cmss.on.ca, like “Milking Shorthorns” on Facebook, or follow @CanMShorthorn on Twitter.