The Rural Voice, 1989-06, Page 31Tammy, among others, are carrying on
her tradition.
The Cooks are milking just over 50
Brown Swiss at any given time, pro-
ducing about 1,500 kg of milk a day,
which tests out at a respectable 4.25
per cent fat and 3.7 per cent protein.
Their BCA has been recorded at 162
M (6,539 kg), 165 F (265 kg), and 163
P (228 kg), while their 11 top cows
have been producing 8,375 kg over the
customary 305 milking days with
BCAs of 186 M, 187 F, and 183 P.
Their own Loreldo Tammy tested out
at 196 M, 180 F, and 198 P during her
first lactation last year, an impressive
test for any cow.
Brown Swiss are generally
testing out at respectable numbers in
Canada. In 1988, the Canadian aver-
ages for Brown Swiss were 6,144 kg
milk with a 4 per cent butterfat content
and BCAs of 152 M, 152 F, and 151
P. This compares favourably with an
overall average milk production of
4,600 kg per cow across Canada,
4,400 kg in the developed economies,
and 2,100 kg world-wide.
As for record figures, the Canadian
Brown Swiss Association registered a
Brown Swiss class leader in Quebec
with 10,800 kg of milk, an all-time
dairy class leader in Alberta with
11,500 kg, and a top -producing Brown
Swiss in Ontario with 87,000 kg over
a total of 3,620 days.
The crowning achievement for the
Brown Swiss dairy farmers came last
year when a Brown Swiss won the
North American grand championship.
It was the first time in the 22 -year
history of the championship that a
Brown Swiss had won the title, but the
four-year-old Nebraska Brown Swiss,
Lyndale Convincer Elaine, made
history for her breed and, breeders
hope, started a new tradition of
successes for the Brown Swiss.
Brown Swiss owners in Canada,
in addition to developing increasingly
impressive production figures and
breeding programs, have been record-
ing the first all-American and grand
champions and are gaining recognition
in several importing countries. In
1988, 126 Brown Swiss and a number
of embryos were exported from
Canadian herds to Australia, Iran,
Mexico, Peru, Spain, the U.S., and
Venezuela.
Imports continue to be mainly
from the U.S., where the breeding of
the Brown Swiss is flourishing with
artificial insemination and embryo
transplants as well as direct mating.
In fact, most Canadian Brown Swiss
trace their pedigree to an American
grand champion, Jane of Vernon, born
in 1929 in Wisconsin and acclaimed
as "Queen Mother of the Breed."
The Cooks get most of the semen
for their artificial inseminations from
the U.S., and are getting a new bull
from Indiana. This sire is a one -year-
old former embryo transplant of an
acclaimed California line of Brown
Swiss.
How does one go about selecting a
bull and specimens? It's basically a
matter of trying to improve strength,
build, sturdiness, and longevity in the
herd, and increasing total milk solids
(fat, protein, and lactose) in the milk.
The high protein -to -fat ratio and the
desirable 4 per cent or better testing
are mainly determined by the selection
of specific genotypes, and the decision
regarding breeding stock is an all-
important factor.
The computer analysis of up- to -
date production records, classification
scores, and sire proofs makes a big
difference when making breeding_
decisions in an increasingly techno-
logical industry. Readily available
frozen specimen samples enable
breeders to make use of the qualities
of prize bulls longer after the animals
have ceased to exist.
In the end, it all boils down to
productivity. Strength and durability,
the Canadian Brown Swiss Associ-
ation tells its members, is of prime
importance. Ideally, the association
suggests, a two-year-old heifer should
be able to produce 9,000 kg at first
lactation with strength for 10 years,
and should test out at a good 4 per
cent with the high protein -to -fat ratio
desired by the industry.
On the whole, Canadian Brown
Swiss breeders are steadily improving
their stock, increasing the productivity
of their herds, perfecting their breed-
ing programs, and moving towards
better and better milk content and
percentages. They are proud of their
breed and, like the Cooks, enjoy the
gentleness and longevity of their
Brown Swiss.0
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JUNE 1989 29