EvergrazeTerry Wagner and family of Evergraze Holsteins earned their second Master Breeder Shield in 2015, just 16 years after she and her late husband Bob were awarded this honor the first time. The Wagners recently welcomed the first two members of the 4th generation to join Evergraze Holsteins with the November births of Brooklyn to Marc & Kelsey, and Bryn to Michelle & Doug. They join a family that’s loved working with good Holsteins for 55 years, since Wilf Wagner bought the farm on Highway 97A in Armstrong. In 1980, son Bob purchased the farm and continued to pursue his passion of breeding and showing high type Holsteins.
The Evergraze herd consists of 40 Holsteins who are thriving in their brand new home, a Lely robot freestall barn that they started up in October. Prior to moving into the new barn, the herd was milked in a single 4 Surge parlour, and housed in an old model freestall barn that was constructed in 1959. Since moving to the automated milking barn, the herd has reached an average of 39kg with 3.9%F and 3.1%P. All grain is fed through the robot and cows visit an average of 3.8 times/day. The herd produces high quality milk with 69,000 SCC and 7000 bacteria count. This production is achieved with home grown orchard grass forage harvested 4x/year.
The Wagners breed for type and good feet and legs and find that this results in cows that milk well and have longevity. The herd classification breakdown speaks volumes about the success they’ve had with this strategy, as the herd currently includes 2-4E, 4-3E, 5-2E, 5 EX, 24 VG and 8 GP! Bulls that worked well in the past include Storm, Counsellor, Outside, Spirit, and Blitz. Some of their current service sires include Solomon, Dempsey, Aftershock, Dundee and Unix. Though they’ve done some ET work in the past, they aren’t currently. The herd is basically closed except for the occasional offspring of partnership cattle that return to the farm.

Terry has long played a very active role in the local Holstein industry, having sat on North Okanagan Holstein Club committees, been an IPE dairy director for years, and the Holstein Club Show Committee Chairperson. Now, daughter Michelle is taking her turn and currently serves as the treasurer of the NOHC. The future of the farm is in good hands, with both Marc and Michelle passionate about the business and enjoying the more flexible lifestyle that a robot milking system brings. They’re comfortable with their current herd size, and have plenty of space in the barn to take advantage of quota allocations as they come.
All of us at WestGen congratulate the Wagners on their remarkable achievement and look forward to celebrating with them at the National Holstein Convention in Banff this April! 

*Photo left to right: Evergraze Holsteins – Michelle with her daughter Brynn, Terry Wagner, Marc and his wife Kelsey with their daughter Brooklyn