TORONTO — There was a time when nobody liked to admit they owned a red and white Holstein.
These days they are the favourite flavour, says Glen McNeil, president of Holstein Canada.
“If you had a red and white and a black and white, the red would sell for a higher price,” McNeil said.
They have become so popular that a genome test will be released later this year for the red colour marker, and a test for the polled gene will be ready soon, he said at the sixth national red and white Holstein show at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair held Nov. 2-11 in Toronto.
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The progress of this segment of the breed is growing, even though a smaller pool of red genetics is available.
McNeil said they are more popular in Switzerland than the traditional black and white, which is quite an achievement considering at one time they were culled.
Some breeders are now looking to build an entire red herd, he added.
A red cow named Blondin Redman Seisme was the supreme champion of the dairy show at the Royal in 2010, and this year it returned as a mature cow to win grand champion of the red and white show. It was later named reserve supreme at the final show Nov. 10.
The cow was born in Quebec and was sold to Morsan Farms of Ponoka, Alta., in 2010. It sold to Milk Source Genetics of Wisconsin after the red show last year. The cow was inseminated at the show and had a calf in August.
Milk Source Genetics is owned by Jim Ostrom, John Vosters and Todd Willer near Kaukauna, Wis., in the Green Bay area. The farm started as a 30 cow dairy in 1965 and has expanded steadily. It now owns five dairy farms in Wisconsin.Milk Source was also premier breeder of the show.
