By Tom Collins
METCALFE — An Eastern Ontario dairy farmer says he is keeping the faith when it comes to his grand champion cow.
Steve Velthuis of Velthuis Farms at Osgoode, part of rural south Ottawa, says while he has had significant offers for Willows-Edge Atwod Faith, he has no plans on selling her. The four-year-old cow was named grand champion at the Maxville Holstein Show in June and the Ontario Summer Show at Lindsay in July, and was reserve grand champion at the Supreme Holstein Show at Saint-Hyacinthe, Que. in August. In October, she came fourth in her heat at the World Dairy Expo, travelled 24 hours back home and was crowned grand champion five days later at the Eastern Ontario- Western Quebec Holstein Show at Metcalfe.
Despite all the success this year, Velthuis believes Faith hasn’t yet reached her peak.
“She’s a cow that has only gotten better with age,” said Velthuis, who purchased Faith for $30,000 a year ago at the World Dairy Expo after watching the show on his TV at home. “She’s got wonderful things ahead of her. I’m very encouraged about her calving out as a five-year-old.”
Velthuis also gave credit to the East-West show’s reserve grand champion, Hendercroft Fever Bazooka, a cow bred and owned by Ashton’s Herb Henderson. Bazooka, who scored 96 points in classification in October, won the East-West show last year.
“It all comes down to a judge’s preference,” said Velthuis. “There are people that would have picked Herb’s cow to be grand. At the end of the day, it was a real good pair of cows at the top.”
Here are some of the results from this year’s East-West show.
Grand champion: Willows-Edge Atwod Faith-ET, bred by Hendrik W. Van Dyk at New Richmond, Wisconsin, U.S., owned by Bert, Ann, Paul and Steven Velthuis of Velthuis Farms Ltd. at Osgoode, Ont.
Reserve: Hendercroft Fever Bazooka, bred by and owned by Herb Henderson of Ashton, Ont.
Honourable mention: Jeanlu Stanleycup Alexis, bred by Ferme J.P. Poulin & Fils at St. Georges Ouest, Que., owned by Michael, Thea, and Emma Farlinger of Signature Holsteins at Morrisburg, Ont.
Premier breeder: Herb Henderson
Runner-up: Ferme Lolisee, owned by Michel Guay & Linda Latulipe at Chatham, Que.
Premier exhibitor: Herb Henderson
Runner-up: Ferme Lolisee
Junior champion: Garay Doorman Blind Date, bred by Gaspar Fillion at Saint-Sébastien-De-Frontenac, Que., owned by Brian Joseph Enright at Winchester, Ont.
Reserve: Kirklea Jacoby Bubblegum, bred by Robert D. MacDonald at Dalkeith, Ont. and Bethany MacDonald at Dalkeith, Ont., and owned by Robert D. MacDonald, Bethany MacDonald and Rob Heffernan at Hastings, Ont.
Honourable mention: Winright Gold Chip Explosion, bred by Brian Joseph Enright and Jamie and Petra Black of Jaquemet Holsteins at Winchester, Ont.
Junior herd: Brian Joseph Enright
Junior premier breeder: Brian Joseph Enright
Runner-up: Peter Rylaarsdam at Winchester, Ont.
Junior premier exhibitor: Brian Joseph Enright
