The Holstein Journal has announced the winners of their 2019 Contest! Congratulations to all the winners! The below press release was provided by Bonnie Cooper on behalf of the Holstein Journal!
The wait is over! The news of who won coveted awards in the Holstein Journal’s 2019 All-Canadian Holstein contest can finally be announced. We are thrilled to present on our website the winners in the Holstein Journal’s 78th annual All-Canadian Holstein contest which recognizes the best Holstein animals and groups who have competed at shows in Canada.
When the Holstein Journal announced in March 2019 that it was ceasing publication of its monthly magazine, Peter English, Holstein Journal owner and publisher, stated that he would be continuing the All-Canadian Holstein and Red & White contests. He planned to utilize the Journal’s website to publicize the All-Canadian nominations and winners. Peter was working on the 2019 All-Canadian contests when he died unexpectedly on November 29, 2019. All work on the competitions stopped with his untimely passing.
In late January, Peter’s family gave the go ahead for the All-Canadian contests to resume. Bonnie Cooper, former editor of the Holstein Journal, with help from France Lemieux of Quebec and administrative assistance from Holstein Canada, took on the job of completing the two contests. The English family, and all of us involved in finishing the All-Canadian contests, express heartfelt thanks to everyone for their patience, understanding, cooperation and kind words which enabled us to honour and fulfill Peter’s wishes for the 2019 All-Canadian Holstein and Red & White contests.
While the completion of the All-Canadian Holstein contest may have been delayed, the anticipation and excitement surrounding the final outcome of the contest never waivered. With perhaps more time to think about the recent show season, there seemed to be more differences of opinion among the judges as they set about casting their votes for who should win the awards. The All-Canadian Selection Committee was unanimous in its choice of the All-Canadian winner in just five classes, and in only one class for Reserve. Two of the closest races in the contest occurred for the Reserve position, with just two points separating the Reserve and Honourable Mention in the 4-year-olds and three points in the junior 3-year-olds. Ten animals who achieved an All-Canadian, Reserve or Honourable Mention award in 2018 returned to take another top three finish in 2019. Three of these animals are now back-to-back All-Canadians and they are Jacobs Jordan Carmel, Mapleley Goldwyn Julia and Miss OCD Doorm Georgette-ET. Three cows who won awards in the 2019 All-Canadian Red & White contest – Meadow Green Abso Fanny-Red-ET, Weeberlac Tickle Me Red and Blondin Avalanche Darleen – took prizes in the Black & White Holstein competition as well. (The All-Canadian Red & White contest results for 2019 appear elsewhere on this website.)
Family ties abound in the list of animals achieving prizes in 2019. There are two mother and daughter pairs who are award winners. They include the 2019 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair grand champion and All-Canadian 5-year-old, Idee Windbrook Lynzi, and her daughter, Idee Doorman Lysa, who is Reserve All-Canadian junior 3-year-old, and Jacobs Doorman Victoire-ET, All-Canadian senior 3-year-old, who is the mother of the All-Canadian 4-H junior heifer calf, Premium Dempsey Violet. Two pairs of maternal sisters have also risen to the top in the contest. Miss OCD Doorm Georgette-ET, who is All-Canadian intermediate yearling heifer, was joined in the 2019 contest by her sister, Miss OCD Undeny Georgie-ET, who is Reserve All-Canadian 4-H intermediate heifer calf. The Reyncrest prefix can also be found on a pair of maternal sisters. Reyncrest Drm Lovebug-ET is All-Canadian senior heifer calf, and her sister, Reyncrest Avalnche Lusha-ET, is Reserve All-Canadian junior yearling (and also Honourable Mention All-Canadian 4-H junior yearling).
Ferme Jacobs Inc. is the leading breeder of All-Canadians in 2019. This marks the fourth straight year this three-time Master Breeder herd from Cap-Sante, QC, has achieved this title and caps off another outstanding show season for the Jacobs family who also won the Premier Breeder banners at last year’s Royal Agricultural Winter Fair and World Dairy Expo Holstein Shows. A total of eight milking females carried the Jacobs prefix this time and when the votes were tallied they had claimed two All-Canadian, one Reserve and three Honourable Mention prizes. In the Breeder’s Herd class, the Jacobs trio of cows was the unanimous choice for All-Canadian. Ferme Jacobs has now won the All-Canadian award in the Breeder’s Herd class a record nine times, the most of any breeder in the history of the All-Canadian contest. Seven of those wins came consecutively. Ferme Jacobs has attained All-Canadian Breeder Herd titles now in 2005, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. In addition, they have had the Reserve All-Canadian Breeder’s Herd twice (2010 and 2012), the Honourable Mention herd once (2008), and had five other herds nominated (1972, 1991, 2002, 2004 and 2007).
Runner-up for leading breeder of All-Canadians is the Idee prefix of Dean Craswell, Hunter River, PE. Two All-Canadians and one Reserve winner in the milking classes carry this respected Maritime prefix. All three of Idee’s prefixed winners are members of the famed Ravenswell Lydia family. Ranking third in the breeder category is the Reyncrest prefix of the Reynolds family of Reyncrest Farm, Corfu, NY. Their prefix appears on the two earlier mentioned maternal sisters, Lovebug (All-Canadian senior calf) and Lusha (Reserve All-Canadian junior yearling). These two heifers also anchored the Reyncrest Junior Breeder’s Herd entry that is Reserve All-Canadian.
The leading exhibitor of All-Canadians in 2019 is the partnership of Ferme Blondin and Blondin Sires (Simon Lalande, Kim Côté and Dann Brady), Saint-Placide, QC. Winners of the Premier Exhibitor banner at last year’s Royal Agricultural Winter Fair Holstein Show, their successful showstring generated five nominated animals who have gone on to claim two All-Canadian, one Reserve and one Honourable Mention prize. Ferme Blondin additionally took the All-Canadian award in the Junior Breeder’s Herd class and was a partner in one more Reserve All-Canadian individual.
The Kooyman family of Westcoast Holsteins, Chilliwack, B.C., finishes in second place in the exhibitor category. Their six nominated animals, which they showed for all or part of the year, secured two All-Canadian, one Reserve and one Honourable Mention. Third place in the exhibitor standings belongs to Michael & Julie Duckett of Duckett Holsteins, Rudolph, WI. They exhibited five nominated animals, for all or part of the season, and picked up one All-Canadian and two Reserves.
Far out in front as the leading sire of All-Canadians in 2019 is Val-Bisson Doorman. This is the third straight year this Semex owned bull has captured this distinction, even though his oldest show daughters are just senior 3-year-olds. “Doorman’s” contest leading 14 nominated daughters won four All-Canadian, three Reserve and three Honourable awards in the open portion of the competition. In second place for leading sire is Braedale Goldwyn whose eight nominated daughters grabbed two All-Canadian, two Reserve and two Honourable Mention prizes. While “Goldwyn” may have been born 20 years ago, there is no denying the continued influence this bull has on the breed. In fact, in this latest All-Canadian contest his nominated daughters spanned from the longtime production cows right down to the 4-H junior heifer calves.
Dymentholm Mr Apples Avalanche, who was the leading sire in our 2019 All-Canadian Red & White contest, follows in third place in the Holstein sire rankings. Of “Avalanche’s” seven nominated daughters, four took Reserve All-Canadian honours. Lirr Drew Dempsey follows next with his four nominated daughters clinching one All-Canadian, one Reserve and one Honourable Mention prize.
The six nominees in each of the Holstein contest’s 23 classes were chosen on February 12, 2020 by a Nominating Committee comprised of Jamie Black, Batavia, NY, Dominic Fortier, Saint-Christophe-d’Arthabaska, QC, Blair Weeks, Pleasant Valley, PE, and Mike West, East Garafraxa, ON. Pictures and placings of all of the 2019 Holstein nominees were then sent on February 21st to 20 judges. These judges served as the All-Canadian Selection Committee and ultimately determined the winners. Serving on the Selection Committee were the four members of the Nominating Committee, along with Pierre Boulet, Montmagny, QC; Yvon Chabot, Victoriaville, QC; Steve Fraser, Fergus, ON; Markus Hehli, Rimbey, AB; Kevin Jacobs, Sainte-Brigitte-des-Saults, QC; Joël Lepage, Amqui, QC; Cameron MacGregor, Winchester, ON; Kevin McGriskin, Melancthon, ON; Carl Phoenix, Sunderland, ON; Joel Phoenix, Cannington, ON; Esteban Posada, Queretaro, Mexico; Chad Ryan, Fond du Lac, WI; Mark Rueth, Oxford, WI; Jeff Stephens, Troy, ON; Garry Vanderpost, Saskatoon, SK; and Ridley Wikkerink, Cobble Hill, BC.
During the voting process, these 20 judges indicated their choice for first, second and third place in each class. No judge was permitted to vote in a class in which an animal he bred or owned was nominated. This will explain the variation in number of ballots cast in each class. A first place vote was worth 7 points, a second 3 points and a third 1 point. The nominee with the highest point total is declared All-Canadian, second highest is Reserve, and 10 points or more is required for Honourable Mention. Anyone having questions about the All-Canadian Holstein contest should contact Bonnie Cooper (English) at 416-579-6572 or [email protected], or France Lemieux (French) at 819-795-5213 or [email protected].
Congratulations to all of the 2019 All-Canadian Holstein winners!
Regarding the future of this contest, as Peter stated in the final issue of the Holstein Journal, it was his plan to continue the 78-year Holstein Journal tradition of the All-Canadian contests.
Peter’s Estate is going through Probate. When the Estate is settled later this year, then the family will respect Peter’s wishes and look for the All-Canadian to be purchased in memory of Peter. In the interim, please contact Bonnie Cooper with any questions.
Click here to see the results of the 2019 All-Canadian Holstein contest voting.
Click here to see the winners of the 2019 All-Canadian Holstein contest.