Livestock 2012: Winner of Long Life Cow award
A tenth lactation cow from the Dorset herd of Messrs R T and M S Cox has been named as this year’s winner of the Genus ABS Long Life Cow Competition at the Livestock Show at the NEC Birmingham.
Classified EX95, Mapleigh Juror Socks was born in February 1996 and has amassed a lifetime yield of over 145,000 litres. The herd at Hartgrove, near Shaftesbury, has stopped milk production and the business now focuses on flushing and showing cows and selling heifers.
Socks has been a remarkable cow who has improved with age, commented Terry Cox. “She has been flushed several times and has now calved for the tenth time with an exceptional lifetime yield. She has had an excellent record on cell counts and still has exceptional functional type.”
There are many attributes which mean a cow will last longer, commented Genus ABS Andrew Rutter, Breeding Programme Manager who was part of the judging panel.
“She will suit the management system, she will get in calf regularly over several lactations, and will be a high producer with good compositional and hygienic milk quality.”
Mapleigh Juror Socks was selected as the national winner from four regional finalists.
The other regional finalists were:
- Ballydrum Celsius Betty EX91, a 13th lactation cow with a lifetime yield of 121,738 kg owned by Mr R Woolsey from Toomebridge, Co Antrim
- Cimarron Even Jenny EX91 (4E), a 15 years old Brown Swiss currently in her 13th lactation who has produced over 126,600kg and is owned by The Cimarron Partnership, Malmesbury, Wiltshire
- Avenham Jed Bichon EX90(2), owned by M Rogerson & Sons from Poulton-Le-Fylde, Lancashire who is in her 10th lactation and has already produced 149,892kg.
For more on this topic
See our Livestock 2012 page