Unsorted Comments Archives - UK Guernsey Cattle

Great overview of the conference. I did

Digby Gribble — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 12:24:15 +0000

Great overview of the conference. I didn’t hear all of the speakers so it is good to have the synopsis you provided. Thanks Digby!

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Colin and I thoroughly enjoyed meeting t

Digby Gribble — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 12:12:00 +0000

Colin and I thoroughly enjoyed meeting the tour in Fredericton. The farms were wonderful as was the company we kept. The bus trip, even though the transportation was suspect, was the highlight with the visiting and getting to know each other better. Looking forward to Guernsey!

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What a shame that yet another family dai

Digby Gribble — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 08:33:41 +0000

What a shame that yet another family dairy farm has gone. The introduction of some Ayshire blood into the very limited guernsey gene pool can only be a good thing – as long as it is only in moderation. In-breeding with-in the guernseys and with other breeds is not something that we can continue to ignore. The use of some fresh genes can be a good thing as long as the bull is selected for the right linear traits and there are A2*A2 ayrshire bulls available as well. We are milking some 3rd and 4th generation crossbreds and are very pleased with them.

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Very well written. It was nice to have m

Digby Gribble — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 20:45:48 +0000

Very well written. It was nice to have met people from all over the World with different philosophies. Our breed will continue to grow with the help of all breeders and enthusiasts to help promote it.

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Hi Scott,Cowsmopolitan magazine were a

Digby Gribble — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 10:46:34 +0000

Hi Scott, Cowsmopolitan magazine were at the All Britain show in the UK back in February and had results on their website before the British press, so I endorse what you have said about them. The Somerset & Dorset Guernsey club have an on farm competition annually, for in milk heifer, cow in milk and cow family (three or more) and in recent years have asked local Holstein breeders to judge it, this is good for both the competitors and the judges as it widens the appreciation of the Guernsey, but at the same time the Judge has no preconceptions as to what he might find. Lyndon Cleggett has suggested that semen sellers trying to increase the number of young bulls used that perhaps one third of the semen should be sold to other breed herds as this will not seriously affect the reliability of the proofs.This would maintain the all important revenue needed to pay for semen collection costs and perhaps allow a couple of extra bulls to be used annually. The UK data centre (Dairy Co) are now evaluating cross bred cattle due to the number of UK herds trying to use Holsteins in a New Zealand style grazing system (and finding that they starve) and therefore crossing with another breed usually Jersey, and thus enjoying all the delights of that cantankerous, dangerous and easy dying breed.

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I agree with a lot of what Mike Cox has

Digby Gribble — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 15:41:33 +0000

I agree with a lot of what Mike Cox has said. I use the best bulls available, proven or unproven, and I was always taught to get your fastest genetic gain breed your heifers to test bulls. As for genomics, it needs to be used as another piece of the puzzle. There are AI units in Canada and the USA that have gone too far. If there are 3 full brothers and the ugliest one comes up with the highest genomics guess which one they are taking. Another stud has signed a contract with a large, GRADE (no reg papers), free stall herd to genomic test bulls from their highest producing cows and sell semen from them!!!Red breeds are increasing in Canada as well but only due to cross breeding. Semex being our largest AI signed a deal to bring over Swedish Red semen. Possibly their advertising as being the top breed for health traits paid off for them. In Canada we do some breed promotion outside of our own newsletters, web site and magazine. We have 2 all breeds magazines in Canada that will give us free space to promote top records, top classifications and up coming events a couple times a year. One (Cowsmopolitan)will even print reports from our national show and annual meeting with pictures, if we send them in, for free. We have just started up a promotion committee this year as well. So far they have purchased 2 verticle banner displays that were at the conference and are soon to start making a brochure together with the American assoc. I would like to see a couple of our best Guernseys on display at some of the Holstein shows in the area and a on-farm show. Basically the same thing Digby was doing during the conference, farmers send in their enteries and then the assoc pays a judge to drive around for a couple days. Then get a report written up about the winner to provide the magazines.

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Genomics continues to crop up as the big

Digby Gribble — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 19:29:21 +0000

Genomics continues to crop up as the big posh word in the world of breeding but i believe the powers that be are missing the real problem and the continual decline in numbers is the biggest threat to the Guernsey breed, and hence total numbers of bulls attaining proofs. On our side of the pond there has been a hugh move on the coloured breeds in the past ten years and what is noticeable is that while the whole dairy industry contracts in the last 12 mths all the red breeds have increased the numbers of cows recorded EXCEPT the Guernsey Advertising pays and i would be interested to know if the other countries represented at the conference have an active policy of promoting the breed to their wider dairy industrys,in the UK apart from your site we have a policy of meeting up twice a yr patting each other on the back discussing what great strides the breeds making, yet these big improvements are kept secret. Little point in taking the breed to new levels of achievement and then letting it go extinct.

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if nothing else the conferance has

Digby Gribble — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 15:10:11 +0000

if nothing else the conferance has stirred a few up to do something, with regards to Maurice’s speach and i haven’t read full article so with limited knowledge i make comment we are all commercial breeders whether registered or not! few of us milk cows for something to do a luxury i haven’t managed yet the fault i find in the registered breeder is total lack of promotion of the breed outside of the Guernsey circle non more than the WGCF web page that at times has gone 14 straight months without finding anything positive to print. 2nd point the genetist would say we could make far greater strides in genetic gain and they are correct how ever the problem is too greater use of home bred bulls out of one off good cows RATHER THAN DECENT COW FAMILIES instead of the higher GMI bulls available whether provern or not ,some of the bulls to come through the scheme have had lower predicted GMI than provern bulls available but that is a breeding council problem and as a breeder i want to use the best so will use past sires if the next group of young ones aren’t any better In the Neterlands they have a policy of all 2nd calvers have to be bred back to young sires i would go one futher and all maiden hfrs should be bred to young sires not the home bred bull that would have been better going in the freezer. If any breeder is serious about rapid genetic increase serve all maiden hfrs at 15 mths and shoot the crap in the bull pen he’s costing you money

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HiJason,I have attended three conferen

Digby Gribble — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 00:49:48 +0000

Hi Jason, I have attended three conferences now and only in England were herd owners speaking, but not about their cows, but the products produced by them. That is of course vitally important as you and Katherine can testify but there were a few breeders in the audience, but the “scientists” are happier talking to themselves than to farmers. regards Digby

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Hi Scott,Definately worth a visit and

Digby Gribble — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 00:41:01 +0000

Hi Scott, Definately worth a visit and to find an enthusiastic Guernsey breeder in Canada, I have written a report on the Ontario visits but have been having trouble getting it on to the website. It will hopefully appear shortly, but in it I comment on your Vespa cow who ...

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