The “I” family at John Tamis’ Lindrian herd has been generating noteworthy females for decades including Lindrian Izabel Inquirer GP-83 5* who managed to produce over 100,000 kg in one lactation! We fast-forward through 6 generations since Izabel to the present-day cow, Lindrian Iana Impression EX-90-5-yr-old, the focus of this story. Read on to learn about her incredible story…
Lindrian Iana Impression calved at 1yr-10m in 2017 without a great deal of fanfare with a male calf, but everything she has done since is pretty remarkable. Three months into her first lactation Iana would score VG-85 and she would go on to make a 12,000 kg 1st lactation record with 3.9% fat and 3.1% protein. Like the many Impression daughters calving at that time, she too made an “impression” on her Master Breeder owner, John Tamis. Iana would calve for her second time at 3y-0m with twin Unix heifers that resulted from a conventional dose of semen. Along with the twins, Iana would make a big lactation with over 17,000 kg in 365 days at 3.7% fat and 3.1% protein. She was bred back, again with a conventional dose, to Dumbledore and at 4y-3m she would calve for her third time – this time with Triplet heifers! What’s more she delivered them unassisted. While John had been expecting twins from her, he was indeed surprised to discover three little calves in the pen that morning all nicely cleaned off by Iana and resting comfortably there in the shavings. What’s more still, the triplets, now well-grown breeding age heifers, were genomically tested and all three sport different index values proving they must have resulted from three individual eggs. From two calvings there are five female offspring – and from just two conventional doses of semen. That is some good fortune!
Meanwhile, Iana at the tail end of another 17,000 kg 365d record, has also scored EX-90 in her third lactation while the first of the twin Unix daughters to calve also scored VG-85 the same day. The second Unix after a slow start in a difficult calving looks very much like her twin sister and recently scored GP-83 at the mid-point in her first lactation. Not one to go double-or-nothing one too many times, John used a sexed dose of semen from the bull Westcoast Stamkos this time and true to form, Iana is once again expecting twins – presumably both female! If all goes well, Iana could produce 7 female replacements from just three natural calvings. In three completed lactations she will also have produced over 50,000 kg milk. Now that’s a cow to celebrate!
This is a unique story from a man with a passion for cows and breeding who considers a balanced approach to be the key to his success. John Tamis was awarded Holstein Canada’s highest honour, a Master Breeder shield, and one only needs to walk through the barn with John to see why cows born at Lindrian are lucky to live here. WestGen is honoured to have been a partner to John in all seven generations of Iana’s pedigree that carry the Lindrian prefix and to the generations John’s dad is credited for before that. With the Unix and Dumbledore daughters and an Alcove grandaughter, the eighth and ninth generations are already poised to add to the story. It’s a partnership that has spanned nearly 25 years and we are proud to have played a small role in the success of the “I” family at Lindrian.
