In April, Holstein Canada will honor the recipients of the Master Breeder Award for 2016. One herd being honored is the Webb View Farm herd, owned by Ian & Christina Pettey and Jim Webb, of Roseneath, ON.Read more Cowsmo Master Breeder profiles on Cowsmo!
Webb-View Farms of Roseneath, ON has been selected to receive their second Master Breeder Shield. Webb-View is operated by Christina and Ian Pettey, along with their 5-year-old son Austin and Christina’s father, Jim Webb who is now retired. The Petteys entered a partnership with Jim in 2007. Also involved in the operation of the farm are herdsman Tom Moiroux, employed since 2013, and four other full time and part time people. Christina works off the farm as a French teacher, and works on the farms on weekends and during the summer.
Webb View has been registering Holsteins since 1913, and received their Century of Holstein award in 2016. Son Austin is the seventh generation of their family to be on the farm.
The Webb View herd is still being milked in the original barn, which has been modified several times over the years, and is set up as a tail-to-tail barn. Currently, they are milking 73 cows, three times a day. A recent renovation of their old heifer barn into a 28 stall tie-stall barn allows them to milk more cows without having to switch. In the summer, they employ rotational grazing, and the cows go outside for at least a few hours everyday, including in the winter.
The herd is currently home to 23 Excellents, 47 Very Goods and 20 Good Plus individuals with a production BCA of 223-228-221, and had a 38kg average on their last herd test. The Petteys began feeding a TMR in the spring of 2016. Included in their ration is haylage bales, straw, corn silage, high-moisture corn and a supplement purchased from Cambellford Farm Supply.
Webb View consists of 550 acres of land, with an additional 150 rented acres. In an average year, this provides enough feed for the herd, with only the purchase of a supplement. Forty acres are used for rotational grazing and 120 acres of corn in grown to provide high-moisture corn and silage corn. In addition, they grow 80 acres of wheat to provide straw, and the remainder is in hay.
After the first Master Breeder Shield was won by Jim in 2000, Ian and Christina have set the goal of winning a second shield after the partnership with Jim began. One family that figured prominently into their Master Breeder points is that of Webb View Olga Kemp VG-4*. She was born in 1975 and is the matriarch of their “B” family. Another prominent cow family is their “L” family, descended from Webb View Lorie Citation GP, born in 1973.
Typically, the Petteys invest in one or two cows a year from local breeders. Purchases that standout over the last ten years include Kingsway Dundee Alabama EX93-2E-2*; Koopycrest Jasper Vivian EX93, owned with Trent Valley; and Avonlea Lexi of Pinecreek SUP-EX94-5E, owned with Don & Liz Muldoon.
For the past 30 years, they flush one or two cows a year, and implant all of the embryos. They have always used conventional flushing methods, and have never used IVF.
Sires that have worked well in their herd include bulls like Rudolph, Goldwyn, Igniter and more recently, Sid and Destry. When selecting sires, they have focused on extreme type more over the past ten years.
Their breeding philosophy has evolved over the years, Their first Master Breeder Shield was primarily based on production, and since 2005, they have begun to focus a lot more on type, as they have become interested in showing. Their involvement in showing at higher levels over the past ten years has allowed them to improve their animal husbandry skills, and they credit Gerald Coughlin of Trent Valley Holsteins as being a great mentor. In addition, they have begun to work with Andrew and Jenn Vander Meulen of Avonlea Genetics and have started to acquire some Jerseys as well. They feel they benefit from being located in a strong county with a base of great herds such as Kingsway and Claircrest, which help foster and inspire breeders and enthusiasm for the Holstein breed.
Aside from receiving their second Master Breeder Shield, the Petteys consider their greatest accomplishment to be winning the Century of Holsteins award in 2016. Other highlights include winning Honourable Mention Junior Champion with Pettina Bess Red Lakeside (Christina & Ian’s first prefix), as well as having the Intermediate Champion Jersey at the Ontario Summer Show with Webb Doon Comerica Lace. Their Breeders Herd was nominated All-Ontario in 2015 and they have won the Premier Breeder and Exhibitor banners at the Northumberland County Show in 2011. Over the past ten years, they have also bred two All-American nominees and four All-Ontario nominees.
Future goals for Webb View include breeding a class winner at the Royal Winter Fair and working towards their third Master Breeder Shield. They also desire to have a viable operation that they can pass on to their son someday, if he chooses to farm.
Ian & Christina value the friendships that they have made throughout the industry and business, and look forward to the new people they will meet, who will teach and inspire them to continue on this this industry.