Samuel Guay, 19, and his Grand Champion cow, Berwen Avalanche Fantom. Guay’s father, Michel, appears at left. (Nelson Zandbergen photo)
2022 Eastern Ontario/Western Quebec Holstein Show
METCALFE — The first cow ever purchased by Samuel Guay, 19, of Ferme Lolisee in Brownburg-Chatham, Que., turned out to be grand champion at the 2022 Eastern Ontario/Western Quebec Holstein Show last month.
A friend described 5-year-old Berwen Avalanche Fantom as “Sam’s baby.”
“I knew she was the one,” confirms Guay, who emptied his bank account to buy the animal for $11,000 a couple of years ago. And then some. The teenager delayed the transaction for a month because he was short $1,000 at the time.
“I’ve always been a cow guy,” he says. “I’ve always liked the cows, cows, cows.” The purchase adds another family bloodline to an already strong herd at Lolisee. “We’re number one in Quebec and maybe third in Canada for the number of ‘excellents’ in a herd,” he proudly notes. “And we’re known for our cows’ longevity.”
The farm posted six grand champions in Metcalfe up to 2009, then took several years off while Guay’s father, Michel, focused on upgrading the barns at the family farm. Fantom is their seventh grand champion at the Eastern Ontario/Western Quebec Show.
The elder man says his son’s champion cow is “very fancy — a nice combination of fancy and functional.” The animal is “the perfect kind of cow” for the dairy industry, he adds. “Not big, big, big. An easy cow. She calves every year. No mastitis. She walks perfectly.”
She also produced a great daughter, Blondin Mirand Fantom, a two-year-old that placed second in her class for Ferme Lolisee. The farm’s commanding performance in Metcalfe also included capturing the Premier Exhibitor and Premier Breeder pennants. Cows from Ferme Lolisee also took the top two spots in the 70,000 kg production class: Lolisee Braxton Kamille and Lolisee Jordan Viomy.
Reserve grand champion was Aija Doorman Palm Springs — also the intermediate champion and ‘bred and owned’ champion — owned by Brian Engright and Jaquemet Holsteins in Winchester. Ms Reyncrest Crsh Charlotte was honorable mention owned by Liberty Genetics, of Kemptville.
Other highlights
Junior Champion
Kirklea Chief Retwist Kirklea Holsteins, Dalkeith
Reserve Junior Champion
Yorellea Thunderstorm Aloha Yorellea Farms, St. Eugene
Junior Breeder’s Herd
Kirklea Holsteins, Dalkeith
Intermediate Champion
Aija Doorman Palm Springs Brian Enright, Jaquemet Holsteins, Winchester
Reserve Intermediate Champion
Knonaudale Doorcrush
Matt Enright, of Winchester, with intermediate champion at the Eastern Ontario-Western Quebec Holstein Show in Metcalfe. The overall grand champion is owned by a 19-year-old Quebec teenager who bought cow a few years ago. (Nelson Zandbergen photo)
