Showbox Sires Newest Release Bull 744HO18211 Mr Hulu Dagger-ET

In this DairyVoice episode of Showbox Sires, The Evolution of the Great Cow, Tim Abbott and Mike Duckett talk about their latest bull release Dagger 744HO18211. He is the Hulu son of Lamba Danika from Doc 8784 and has over 3000 for TPI and over 1100 for milk! Dagger has nearly 3 points of type and nearly 2 1/4 points of udder, which are some of the better health and wellness traits you can find.

For more information on this and other bulls, go to ShowboxSires.com.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:08

Welcome to our latest edition of our sire release program for Showbox Sires, where we have guests to talk about each bull we release into the Showbox Sires program. Today we're excited to bring to you our newest bull, bull you may have seen some publicity on already, that is out there available through the Select Sires and Worldwide Sires system. His number is 744-HO 18211 Dagger. Dagger is the Hulu son out of Lambda Danica, a cow that we'll talk more about in our podcast today. One of Doc's really outstanding uttered daughters that seems to be transmitting extremely well when it comes to the traits that she is passing along to her sons and daughters. She goes back, of course, to Doc 8784, the cow that uh we'll talk more about again in this podcast. It's doing so much for the breed. When we acquired the cow from Duckett Holstein's our group, we thought the cow could change the breed, and certainly with all her impact, it appears she's going to. So we're excited to release this bull and get him into the system. And today, our guest on this is my partner in Showbox Sires, Mike Duckett. And we're just gonna walk through what we think about this bull to give you the information out there. Mike, welcome to the podcast. Good morning. Tell us a little what's going on in Wisconsin. It sounds like you've had a pretty good run out there. That'll make everybody happy.

SPEAKER_00 1:38

So I think uh this is maybe the first time ever. We're we're probably a month ahead of schedule here. We've got a little rain the last couple of days, but the sun's shining bright now. Uh here in central Wisconsin, you don't hardly ever say you need a little rain, but yesterday it was it was okay to have a rainy day. It was time to settle the dust and re-regroup and start again here this next week and finish up some crops. And I think everybody's got a pretty good attitude about cropping here right now.

SPEAKER_01 2:05

Well, that certainly helps with all uh with all the things going on. Uh, a little bit of a good crop season, Mike, will put everybody in a good mood. So, as we talk about the release of this bull, the bull himself, very, very interesting bull that we'll talk about his specific numbers later. But Mike, he's a bull that we're actually acquiring from you and Elmview because Elmview and Ducket Holstein's bred this bull. Tell us a little bit about the cow behind him, Danica.

SPEAKER_00 2:35

Well, so yeah, we um we owned Danica with Elmview. They had bought a first choice of Doc's Lambdas in Nashville sale, and and when got time to pick the calf, I I like the calf so much. I told Randy, I said, Well, why don't I just stay in on this calf and we'll just keep her here and work with her. And and she's certainly been a cow that uh has been into high high demand for embryos, and we've had a couple of young bulls that come out and and tested well, and and then later we we sold Danica to to our group, and so she just keeps making money for all the new owners and beautiful balanced cow, cow that tremendous udder, cow that uh passing on her genomic and working out for all the people that's that been involved with her.

SPEAKER_01 3:22

Well, the cow just went through a sale and actually Adolf Langhout in the Netherlands acquired the cow. He's got several daughters adopt that have done great for him, and he he felt like this cow had a big future. Danica's bred back, right, and gonna have a calf this winter, and I think her future is unlimited. She's not excellent yet, Mike, but don't you feel like that time will come?

SPEAKER_00 3:45

Like you said, she's due back. She went to to Bud John to cab back in, and I feel it's a pretty easy bet that she'll be an excellent cow and no one adolf. He's he's gonna spread her genetics around the world, so it'll it'll be a it'll be good for him.

SPEAKER_01 4:01

Well, and interestingly, Mike, you mentioned how well this cow has bred. You know, we had a brother to this bull that was exceptional. That's why we went back and made this mating. That and the brother had injured himself or something. Is that isn't that right? That's kind of how this whole whole thing went down. He was a year older than this bull.

SPEAKER_00 4:21

Yeah, so uh we we had made a a bull older that was pretty much identical to this one, other than he he was RC. He was injured, and and we we had to do away with the bull, but uh pretty neat how consistent she passes these traits on and and minus the the RC on this bull.

SPEAKER_01 4:40

Yeah, so obviously, you know, we thought the bull brought enough great traits to the regular black and white business that we felt he was an absolute home run. One reason I like the mating of Hulu on Danica, you know, after seeing her last week, Mike, she's an extreme dairy cow, but she's not tall, right? She's medium stature and extremely wide for her frame.

SPEAKER_00 5:03

We're starting to see the pattern with Doc on her daughters. And I see a really neat picture yesterday out in the pasture of a a daughter of Doc. The family's gonna breed width and power, strength, cows that'll I think I feel will last a long time. And and the mating on Danica with Hulu, I you know, if you look at his genomics and his linears, he gets a lot of that strength and stature and stuff from the maternal side.

SPEAKER_01 5:29

Yep, he sure does. And the other thing, Mike, Doc made so many daughters, you and I have sold a lot of them, and they've gone on to lots of different places and done well. But one thing I need to do a little study on is how many excellent daughters the cow already has. But for a young cow, the cow has an extreme amount of excellent daughters, doesn't she?

SPEAKER_00 5:51

Yeah, and then you you go to just this specific mating of Lambda on her. I can think of three excellent daughters already as young, young cows. And uh Danica'll follow suit. And I'm pretty sure we sold one to Western Canada too, that that's very good as a young cow. So Doc's going to end up with a lot of it would be interesting to see how many excellent daughters she she already has, and there will be a lot more.

SPEAKER_01 6:17

We'll do a post on that, Mike. I'll I'll put that on my list of things to do. But back to the Lambda mating. Danica, you know, should be excellent and is an extremely fine cow. But talk about other good ones. There was a one at Zimba's, right? That he bought as a choice at Nashville.

SPEAKER_00 6:33

Yeah, so she was second choice and scored well as a I I think she was 88 right out of the gate as a milking yearling and and went and showed at some and some pretty strong shows and did very well. And you and I seen her last summer, and tremendous cow, a cow that they've done very well marketing, and she flushes, and you know as well as I do. A cow can be great, but what makes them great is uh cows that you can make money with and and cows that make embryos and and breed back and show and can do it all, and I think that's kind of how we got her name is has it all. Most of Doc's daughters have have it all. So that's pretty neat to see people step up and buy a daughter and do extremely well.

SPEAKER_01 7:20

Well, and on that topic, Kings, if you go to King's Ransom running around their freestyle, you'll see I think her her excellent 92 max score daughter, and she's done extremely well for them, right, Mike? That was a world classic purchase.

SPEAKER_00 7:35

Yeah, that was maybe even before they came apart in their own dock, they purchased that one. And same story, they they bought the cow or the heifer, and they sell embryos, that she makes tons of embryos. She's kings do a great job, but she's running right with the commercial group, and she's she's max scored, and a cow, you know, they send pictures every once in a while, and she looks tremendous.

SPEAKER_01 7:59

And then lastly, I'll let you speak a little to the one at Flintville, Daisy, and what that cow has done for that young man and his operation. Maybe give our listeners that story because it's pretty darn cool.

SPEAKER_00 8:11

So a couple years ago, Flintville, Jared through Bob Landis, had bought a was going to buy a group of young cows that we were full, and in that group was Lambda Daisy. You know, she was very good as a two-year-old, and we sent this group out to him, and she ended up going ADA as a two-year-old, and she flushes unbelievable. He sold eggs all over. He's selling choices and calves for really good money. Now she's max scored 92, and kind of the cow that's uh get getting a good young breeder a good start in the marketing world, and he's gonna keep riding this right right till it's right into the sunset because he's he's uh aggressive and he's he's doing a good job.

SPEAKER_01 8:58

Well, and and I the reason I bring up those three cows, Mike, is because you know, Dagger, as we release him to the population, we have that much confidence in the mating of Lambda and Doc. And this was this is the first one of those available. And think about it Kings and the Zimba Hippin partnership uh with some other friends, and then Flintville, these cows are game changers, aren't they? For for an operation, and they've had that much impact.

SPEAKER_00 9:26

And I think it's kind of neat too. Not every cow family can perform in different kinds of environments, and you just you just listed three very unique environments for cows. You got a commercial one and a somewhere in the middle, and then and then a small herd and pa that a young guy was just getting started, and it's working out for all three.

SPEAKER_01 9:46

And back to you know, this cow family has it all. They make great daughters, but they produce and they reproduce and they breed back. And one reason you and I make so many of these available embryos, daughters, cows, is because we have Sadogon many, right? That that's part of it, it's a blessing and a curse all at once, right?

SPEAKER_00 10:07

Our spreadsheets can only get so big, and that's the way you keep up with our embryos and stuff. And this family, they know how to make money, doesn't matter what who's the owner, they they seem to do it for everyone.

SPEAKER_01 10:19

So we think this bull in the AI population, when you compare him to other bulls, Mike, listen to these stats, and you you sort through stats pretty pretty frequently. He's 1,100 pounds of milk, basically about break even on fat and protein. You get down to some of his health traits, he does very well on productive life. One of his real high points is somatic cell at 2.76. Mastitis resistance, he's got a nice plus on. All of his all of his wellness traits look pretty nice. So they're all they're all on a plus side, which I think talks about the the overall balance of this cow family behind him. And once you work off that great somatic cell, then you look at his utter linear traits, they're just off the chains, how good they are. When you look at the bull's udders, you know, we we've got rear utter height at 3-3, we've got rear udder width at 3-7. When you look at his linear chart, Mike, there's hardly anything you'd change about this bull. Is that one of the highlights for you as well?

SPEAKER_00 11:26

So I spend a fair bit of time looking not only for show box, but for what we're using here at the farm. And if you punch in 1,100 of milk and close to three points of type with that sort of sale count and trying to keep the stature down and the strength there, your list will not be very long when you hit the button, and it won't take you all day to get through the bulls that that'll show up on that list. And I think that's that makes this bull kind of unique.

SPEAKER_01 11:55

And you throw in a TPI thing in there too, Mike. He's 3048 TPI, he's 2.93 for type, so gets you right at three. His other composite is two and a quarter, but again, I go back to the linear traits, and Mike, you and I talk about it all the time. Most of the time, these three-point bulls are three, three and a half points stature, and this bull's two point oh seven stature, but what I love in his linear is the rump width and and the overall strength. He's over a point for strength, and he's over two six for rump width.

SPEAKER_00 12:31

Doesn't that fit how you think the cow breeds? Yeah, so that certainly makes that list we just talked about even shorter if you start getting into some of those specific traits. Definitely in the breed right now, the few things that you hear everyone talking about is well, we don't need them too tall and we need more strength and width to them. And if if you go and so now they've got all these different sites that you can sort nine million different ways, but if you go and put those specific traits in with the stuff we just talked about, I'd say that list gets even shorter.

SPEAKER_01 13:07

Yeah, I'm I don't think we'd be exaggerating to say he'd be one of five bulls in the whole entire business that you could get over, you know, up near three points a type, up two and a quarter of utters, somatic sell down under two and three quarters, with stature that's only two points and really good, really good fitness traits. He would be, I'll bet he's one of five or six bulls that would fit that criteria. We're excited about him from that standpoint because we think he's as balanced a bull as we as we have released, and again, a little bit different pedigree. Mike, as you talk about this bull, I want to talk about the first proven son really that's that's hit the market from Doc 8784. You know, the cow's got dozens of sons and grandsons in AI, and everybody's using them heavily, but talk about has it all and what happened to him this time.

SPEAKER_00 14:00

One of Doc's first sons got an official proven bull now, and there's probably not a day goes by I don't get a picture from some part of the world of a really good has it all. He's pretty much the definition of what Doc's doing for the breed is high milk, high type cattle that are pleasing to everyone, not just a certain like a commercial group or uh or just a show, the show guys. He's doing it for everyone. And you know, there's some cows that perform better through her sons and some that perform better through their daughters. I think it's safe to say Doc's probably kind of unique because she's she's getting it done on both sides, has it all. He's making customers around the world happy and being the breeder of a of a bull like that, you know, they they come out and they get a lot of use. You just hope cross your fingers that he turns out you want everybody to be happy with the stuff you bred. So I I feel it's a win-win for us to have a special bull, but also for a bull at customer satisfaction satisfaction like he's been.

SPEAKER_01 15:05

That is exactly it. You know, everywhere, Mike. I've I've seen has it alls now in the United States, in Canada, in New Zealand, and in Australia, you know, just this winter. And people love them, they're the best otters. I I remember I was at the Law Wall sale in New Zealand in April, and one of the best young cows to go through that ring was a fabulous uttered has it all. You know, Arjun said at that point, he's the perfect bull for us because they're medium-sized, they're wide, they're strong, and you don't even know they're there until you know, until you look at how many good udders he's got, and he does it all. So I guess the reason I bring him up is because Dagger and Has It All, their their profile as young bulls looks almost identical, doesn't it? I mean they're very balanced, very similar. Very similar.

SPEAKER_00 15:52

I think we've said from the word go, one thing Doc does is she she puts production and she puts type. And if you get those two and not have any major problems anywhere else, I think that's kind of a good place to be. They gotta milk and they gotta they gotta be eye-pleasing too. So not every cow does that.

SPEAKER_01 16:12

And the last piece, you know, when people see the advertising and the flyers, Mike, we still take photos of all of our bulls, side shots and headshots. And when you see the picture of this bull, dagger, he'll stop you in your tracks. The guys and gals at the barns at Select Sire say he's one of the prettier bulls there. When people look at the picture of the bull, he is kind of the epitome of what what a bull should look like. I don't know if it matters anymore, but there was a day, Mike, when I used to love to go through the bull barns and look at the bulls because you know it it still makes a difference what the daughters look like.

SPEAKER_00 16:47

I think it still matters for confirmation. A correct bull and a correct cow should help. So and and for those who are on Facebook and just seen the picture of Has It All, another bull that's just incredible. I I got text message you ought to see if Madison and bring the bull classes back because he's an incredible bull to look at, and and this bull looks just like him as a as a young bull. So uh I think it does matter to a lot of people and it can't hurt, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_01 17:17

Yeah, I urge you to get on our website and Facebook and look at the pictures of dagger because he he is a pretty bugger. That's funny, Mike. You know, we could really start something fun if we brought if we brought a row of bulls to Madison. We don't have enough to do it, Madison. What if we brought a bunch of bulls? Would that does that make some sense?

SPEAKER_00 17:34

It would until show day, but you'd have to lead them all, Tim, because I really don't want nothing to do with that.

SPEAKER_01 17:41

Think about that. In our lifetime, Mike, you know, we we used to bring big bulls to Madison, and people used to used to buy bulls and promote bulls through that. That and that were you ever at a at a show where where they showed the big bulls?

SPEAKER_00 17:56

No, I never got to one that when they still showed them. I remember as a kid looking through Holstein World and seeing the the pages of them, thinking, well, that's a cool bull, that's a cool bull. But I was never at Madison when they still had the bull classes.

SPEAKER_01 18:09

You know, some of my favorite bull showing stories come from mentors of mine like old Bob Lord, you know, in Vermont talking about showing those mean old Jersey bulls. And, you know, think about how many great Holstein bulls went through the just totally off-subject, but think about the fire in Columbus when there was the fire at the big national show, and uh they had to get all those bulls out of the barn. Can you imagine that?

SPEAKER_00 18:34

I'd rather leave that to the guys in Plain City to handle those bulls. I have no desire to grab on to end one of them.

SPEAKER_01 18:41

Yeah, so I guess if you're wanting to if you're wanting to see one of our bulls, Mike, it's not not gonna happen at Madison. We'll give you a drink and we'll let you see some of their mothers and sisters, but probably not gonna bring you bulls. So as we wrap this up, you know, Mike and I chose to do this podcast alone, mainly just because we had so much material we wanted to share. We wanted to keep it clean and concise. Mike, one thing the industry loves is Mike's matings, your ideas of how to use the bull to breed better cows. Because ultimately, Mike, what we're trying to do is make bulls that make our customers happy. And part of the trick is using them right. And I think your insight breeding the great herd at Duck at Holstein's that that you've had and now as into this show box matings as you are, give our listeners kind of Mike's matings on how you'd use dagger. And I and I think people will get right to using this bull. They say orders are really strong on the bull, and people are going to get him in for their summer breedings and let them roll. So give them give them some places maybe that they would want to use this bull.

SPEAKER_00 19:46

Right now, I I would, you know, with his clean years and the production, you know, sidekick daughters. I mean, there's there's still a lot of sidekick daughters out there that need to be bred that with the kind of production this bull's going to throw at them and and maintain and and even uh increase some of the uh things that you would change, maybe about uh the sidekicks with the high foot and leg composite and and the extreme milk, that would be a good mating. Master's been a bull that's gotten a lot of use, moderate the stature and add some fertility and wellness traits to that kind of a bull. I think that'd be a good mating. You know, even if you cross back over into more of the genomic kind of bulls, you know, there's lots of good choices with with some of those bulls, but uh sidekick master, the Unix blood, I think all those bulls would be ones that you know you could use this bull on and and be happy with the results.

SPEAKER_01 20:46

Yeah, you know, actually, Mike, you bring up an interesting topic. Bulls like sheepster, you know, that are such good bulls, gold bulls like game day or touse or or blakely, all those bulls have different bloodlines in this bull, and he'll bring you a lot of type without a lot of stature.

SPEAKER_00 21:04

Sheepster, and we've got some at our other farm, tremendous milk cows, like you just throw a throw a bunch of type at them with and not give up any of that production with a bull like this. And I think for the the breeders that are out just trying to breed a great herd, not chase a an all-American or or a 3,500 TPI, this bull will work on those kind of cows and and for those kind of breeders that are looking to just breed a good honest cow.

SPEAKER_01 21:29

I think the other thing going into summer, I my gut feeling is this bull, he's an extremely good semen producer. You know, you never know what fertility is going to be, but think about all the high fertility Doc sons and grandsons that are out there. You know, I would guess this bull's gonna do a nice job on fertility too, because of, you know, because of the way they're bred.

SPEAKER_00 21:50

I don't know any breeder around the world with his cell count being what it is. I mean, high milk, low cell count, and look good doing it. That's A pretty good combination. So I think a bull that can get a lot of use in a lot of different areas.

SPEAKER_01 22:06

Well, I appreciate your insight, Mike, and your time today. It's been a great discussion because this bull kind of fits everything we're about with show box and what we're trying to do. We leave you with uh the information as you're driving your tractors, spreading fertilizer and planting corn. Have a listen to this, and we hope you enjoy the discussion on Dagger. But when you get back to your computer and you can look up the picture of his mom and his grandma and his sisters, I think you'll find this bull is a bull that you can really just kind of use across your herd. Another bull that popped into my head, Mike. You know, I'm just back from a sale that I really love the Pasil daughters. And think about this this bull's milk that he would throw onto Pasil, you know, so just one more area. So we've given them genomic bulls, high tight bulls, high function bulls, and every one of them, Mike, Dagger seems to be a logical mating, doesn't he?

SPEAKER_00 23:02

I think he's got a lot of bulls will fit in one spot or the other, but this bull can work with a lot of different bulls, so it's kind of a unique thing.

SPEAKER_01 23:11

Well, we thank you for listening to this episode of the Showbox Sir series, The Evolution of the Great Cow, talking about the release of our next bull, 744-HO18-211 dagger. He is the Hulu son of Lambda Danica from Doc 8784. He's over 3,000 for type or for TPI. He's over 1100 for milk. He's nearly three points of type, nearly two and a quarter points of udder, and he's got some of the better health and wellness traits you could find. We hope you enjoyed this podcast and look forward to your comments and ideas about this and other bulls.