2013 Master Breeder Malarky Holsteins

Like many other Master Breeders before them, Mark and Mary Ida Donohoe dreamed of one day winning a shield when they set out farming on their own in 1989 and registering with the Malarky prefix in 1991, and with 2 other Master Breeder herds in the family (Donohoe and Donfield), the ability to breed a great herd of cows was in their blood. But, as Mark reflects, “that dream soon faded when raising a family and paying the bills soon replaced these inspirations”. Holstein Canada’s notification of their presence in the top 10 herds in their category last year rekindled their dream, and the phone call they received this January resulted in a lifelong dream being fulfilled.

The Malarky farm and 48 cow Holstein herd is in Basswood, MB and is very much a family farm with children Haydn (23), Holly (21) and Anna (19) all pitching in over the years and taking a more serious interest as they grew up. Haydn has now moved home to farm with his dad, purchased some land and has managed the breeding program since 2010. Holly and Anna attend the University of Manitoba. They have a 40 cow tie stall barn and 60 kgs of quota, which their cows capably fill as is clear with their recent herd average of 13,100kg 485kg fat and 401kg protein. This hard working herd includes 10 Excellent, 32 Very Good and 6 Good Plus Holsteins.

How does one achieve these incredible results you ask? Mark has bred with bulls that should give strength and capacity with average milk, as he believes that the majority of functionally correct cows will milk when well managed. With that belief in mind, he feels that the Master Breeder Award is as much an award for management as it is about the cows, and many that have gone before him would agree. The little things must be done right day in and day out to allow well bred cows to reach their full potential. Working with a solid genetic foundation is another step in getting a Master Breeder herd started, and some of the early cows that made an impact through their female descendants include Savagedale SB Ruby and Donfield Revelation Ava. Ruby was an EX 3* Starbuck daughter from an Excellent Elevation that left them 2 Very Good daughters and produced 60,000kg. Ava was a VG-87 1* Revelation daughter that also left 2 VG daughters and made a remarkable lifetime record of 135,271kg 3.6%F and 2.9%P. These cow families continue to deliver results today with 10 cows scoring Excellent in the last 3 years, and 9 longtime production, 6 superior lactation, and multiple star brood awards in 2013 alone.

The list of bulls they’ve had some of the best results from include Semex sires Starbuck, Linjet, Storm and Gibson; and the sires they’re using to continue the development of the herd today include Lauthority, Atwood, Braxton, Windbrook, Brokaw and Fever. An exciting young cow they’re working with is Coolea Farms Sanchez Liza VG-87-2YR, a daughter of Calbrett Goldwyn Liza VG-88 (then Lila Z) that is owned with Declan Patten and housed at Butlerview. With calves, including a Windbrook, on the ground at Malarky and 32 IVF females due in the fall, she’ll definitely make her mark on the herd.

The Donohoe family is a familiar name in industry circles and Mark and Mary Ida have continued the tradition of giving back. They’ve served as leaders of the local 4-H dairy club, on the executive of the Keystone Holstein Club and as a director on the Manitoba Holstein Branch and Manitoba Milk Board. They are part of the Minnedosa Grain Growing Project charity, very involved in their church and have coached all 3 children in hockey. The children have been active participants in the Manitoba Western Canadian Classic team and enjoy exhibiting cattle at shows in western Canada and beyond. With the foundation firmly in place and the next generation keenly involved, I dare say this won’t be the last Master Breeder Award won by a Donohoe! The Malarky story is definitely one of making your dreams a reality through perseverance and hard work – Congratulations!