Bullseye May 2015

Telford Master Breeder: It’s a Holstein Hat Trick

They say, “Good things come in threes.” For the three J’s of Telford Farms – Jim, Julie and Josh – that reality hit home when they received that special call in early January from Holstein Canada, proclaiming they had earned, won and would be receiving their third Master Breeder shield in April at the National Convention in New Brunswick. The thrilled members of the Telford family are the only breeders in BC to be awarded the coveted shield in 2014. But what makes this even more spectacular, it’s their third time receiving this award! The magical “Holstein hat trick!”

For the excited Telford family, who have lived and farmed in BC’s beautiful Fraser Valley for over 60 years, “It’s icing on the cake,” and for Jim and Julie, who are enjoying their retirement in their beautiful new home, the accumulation of points received after having dispersed their Master Breeder herd in 2010 means their homebred Holsteins are doing a great job for their new owners and could be the foundations for future Master Breeder herds. For the humble Jim, the successes of his cattle will keep his interest in the Holstein breeding fraternity piqued for a long time to come.

It all started with three purchased purebred calves in the late 1950’s, who provided the necessary three tools: conformation, production, and longevity, which led to the three Master Breeder shields. Longevity was one of the key components of their breeding philosophy, as shown by the 17 homebreds who produced over 100,000kgs of milk. Even those original three calves all stayed in the herd for over 12 years each.

It took a dedicated and passionate team to accomplish the magical “three-peat” and although Jim’s dad had little interest in breeding purebred Holsteins, Jim and his mother and sister persevered, and in 1992, they earned their first Master Breeder shield. Jim’s dad died that year knowing they had won the shield. Record keeping, along with its tools, such as registration, classification and DHI, were very important to the Telfords, and to them it was the fun part of farming.

In 1991, a new adopted addition from Romania, in the form of young Josh, came into the Telford family. In his younger years, Josh’s passions were hockey and 4-H, and throughout the following years, his interest in the herd and its genetics grew. To this day, anyone having a conversation with Josh can see and hear the passion of this budding Holstein breeder in today’s Holstein industry. With his J-ATelford prefix, he hopes and dreams to have his own herd, built on the foundation of homebred Telford farm heifers, and maybe, just maybe, one day win another Master Breeder shield.
The Telfords are quick to give much credit in achieving their latest shield to longtime herdsman John Kramer. This real ‘cow man’ had the patience and gave the care to his four-legged girls that would allow them to live long and productive lives. Yes, it very much was a team effort. They kept it simple, and cow comfort, including ample time on pasture, was of the upmost importance. They respected their cows. Three shields prove it.

The future for the Telford family will still be centered around Holsteins and the Holstein fraternity. Because of encroaching gravel pit development, which eventually swallowed up the farm residence and buildings, the decision to disperse the main herd and retain the heifer herd was a tough one. The dispersal in 2010 allowed their cattle to be placed in many herds throughout BC, where they are thriving and accumulating points. From their one and only “All BC” winner in 1986, to their many futurity winners, to their first shield win in 1992, to their second shield in 1999, to their cow dispersal in 2010, to their third shield win in 2014 – it’s been one heck of a ride! In the same week the third shield was announced, two more Telford cows were awarded Excellent classification, along with an AI contract on a recently purchased heifer, the ride will continue. They say, “Good things come in threes.” They do! Three cheers for the Telfords!

by Gary and Karen Booy
Reprinted with permission from BC Holstein News

WestGen Note

While talking with Jim regarding their breeding philosophy over the years, he was quick to point out that they had a lot of success with the BCAI/WestGen Young Sire Program, with many of their best cows resulting from young sire matings and being pictured by WestGen. Telford Darleen Lucky Star EX-93-4E 1* was VG and one of the best daughters of her sire’s first crop when he debuted at #1 LPI, and she went on to be the highest scored cow Telfords ever bred. She attracted numerous tour groups to the herd for a number of years, where Jim, Josh and John were always eager to show her and many other herd favourites such as her dam, Telford Diane Aeroline EX-2E 7* and Telford Zelda EX-90 (Rudolph). Telford Abby Lheros VG-87-4YR-CAN 2* is the highest production cow bred by the Telfords, and has 2 Super 3 Awards to her credit, while continuing to add to her lifetime total of 133,903kg.

Jim also relied on the WestGen G-Mate for suggestions of bulls that would help breed his kind of cow with a snug udder, an uphill run, and free moving on her legs. These type of cows made for exciting classification days and cows that lasted a long time. The longevity of the herd allowed Jim to get to know a cow’s transmitting abilities, as she’d have numerous milking daughters in the herd to evaluate when it came time to breed her again. Jim also learned a lot from and reflected fondly on trips to inspect daughters with WestGen, including one to the Royal and Quebec with Fieldman Bob Massie, Joe Taylor and Hugh Davis.