RED DEER — The Wendon name has earned international accolades in the Holstein world with its top-notch cows.
Yet it has been a bittersweet year for owners Don and Wendy Chalack, after the loss of their son, Logan, who died of cancer last June.
The farm near Innisfail milks 70 cows and sells genetics from its newly expanded operation with new facilities. They switched from being a tie stall barn to open stalls and added a robotic milker. In spite of their loss, the family continues to show cattle.
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At the Westerner Dairy Showcase held in Red Deer Oct. 29, a cow owned in partnership with three others was named grand champion. They also won reserve champion with a cow named Wendon Dempsey Divida.
Earlier this year, the half sister to Divida was named reserve champion black and white Holstein at the World Dairy Show in Madison, Wisconsin.
Named Wendon Dempsey Prude, the young cow was sold at the 2015 Westerner sale to an American partnership. It was sold again at the Royal Winter Fair to Westcoast Holsteins of Chilliwack, B.C., which is now showing her. She was also grand champion at the National Holstein Show in Calgary last April.
“She came from a tremendous cow family,” Don Chalack said.
The Wendon program builds families of cows, and at this farm they are sorted into P, D, M and W groups. The cows are named according to those initials.
“We genomic test a few, but most of our cows are more cow family oriented,” he said.
Wendon also had the reserve champion at the national Holstein show in Calgary last spring and earned grand champion at the Alberta Dairy Congress with a female named Wendon Destry Rainy.
Winners at the Westerner Dairy Show included:
Grand champion — Tolamika Goldwyn Mercedes owned by Bienert Holsteins of Sherwood Park, Alta., Dardel Holsteins of Edmonton, Southrise Holsteins of Leduc, Alta., and Wendon Holsteins.
Reserve — Wendon Dempsey Divida.
Honourable mention — Crovalley Sid A LA Crème of Westcoast Holsteins.
Red and white Holstein champions were:
Grand champion — Westcoast Olympian Layla of Westcoast Holsteins.
Reserve — Ronleen Larson Heavenly of Robella and Benbie Holsteins of Caron, Sask.
Honourable mention — Chubanna Diehard Cheyenne of Chubanna Holsteins of Lacombe, Alta.
