Published: April 24, 2008 11:47 am            

Holstein breeder strives for genetic excellence

Originally published in the April 18, 2008, print edition.

Editor’s Note: Every spring the Minnesota Livestock Breeders’ Association inducts members into its Hall of Fame to honor those making a significant contribution to the Minnesota livestock industry. Gary Morrison of Osakis, Ronald Eustice of Savage, and David and Kathy Skiba of North Branch were this year’s honorees. Morrison’s story follows, and Eustice and the Skibas will be featured in future issues of The Land.

“It’s sort of like making Kevin Garnett one of the best professional basketball players in the world. That took some time, just as it takes time to build the genetics of your herd, too.”

Speaking is Gary Morrison, Osakis, age 67 and a registered Holstein breeder since 1964. Now mostly retired, he raised 76 cows that were classified Excellent by the National Holstein Association. Morrison’s sharp eye identifying “near perfection” plus his talents in feeding and management produced a herd classification average that consistently ranked in the top 40 in the United States. His herd had four cows scoring 94 points, also one 95-point animal. Perfection is 97 points and worldwide, very few animals reach that score.

Morrison was raised as a “beef man” by his grandfather who farmed in the Villard area and specialized in Registered Shorthorns. His grand dad sold the first Registered Shorthorn to the former Morris ag school, now the West Central Research and Outreach Center.

“But when I got married and started farming, beef weren’t paying the bills so we bought a few dairy cows. I showed sheep and beef in 4-H (including a few championship years at Pope County Fairs) and after about three years of dairy farming, I realized I missed those livestock shows so we got into Registered Holsteins. Believe we were milking 22 cows at that time. In 1967, we moved up here renting this farm, then five years later we bought it and got more seriously into the breeding of top-grading Holsteins,” Morrison said.

Genetics in the genetics

Why the emphasis, even as a young dairy farmer, on genetic excellence?

Gary smiled, “I think it partly stems from my Grandpa’s blood line. I’ve always liked genetics and wondered what I could do if I really concentrated on type and conformation. Producing a cow that classified Excellent was my personal challenge. My satisfactions were that I was bettering my own herd, and maybe bettering the Holstein breed. So when we achieved our first Excellent cow, it didn’t seem difficult to breed more that eventually scored Excellent.”

Obviously sire selection is critical. He said that even though he had good friends in the artificial insemination semen business, he wouldn’t buy unless it was precisely what he wanted. He also got into quite a little line breeding, mostly with Canadian bloodlines. “That was to make your ‘type pattern’ a little more true. You cut down on the surprises when you do some line breeding,” he said, adding, “I always wanted longevity in my herd. Also I knew how I wanted my cows to look.”

Concentrating more on genetics, the Morrison milking lineup leveled off at about 72 cows. As typically happens, when the kids left for college, cow numbers declined. But the emphasis on genetic quality certainly didn’t decline.

His first animal getting an Excellent score was in 1977 and soon the goal became to sell enough breeding stock to equal at least half the yearly milk check revenue. Young bulls, calves, heifers, even bred heifers sold on consignment became Morrison’s marketing strategy. Soon he was selling about 25 bulls each year.

Morrison’s Garnet Holsteins have traveled far with animals going to seven countries including Canada, France, Brazil and Spain.

A few Excellent-scoring females in the lineup help build markets. “We priced our young bulls modestly. But an Excellent scoring female, or her progeny, decidedly had more value,” he said. He didn’t get into the business of selling bulls to AI studs explaining that’s a numbers game with computers rather than matching up on the basis of type, conformation and milk production.

Taller, bigger is in

How does this veteran Holstein breeder rate the breed today? Saying that the pendulum always swings, he candidly said the shorter, thicker, stronger cows that used to be popular have swung to the great big, taller, longer and narrower cow.

“This big animal is winning the shows today but they’re not working out so well in the commercial, free-stall environment where cows are pushed hard for production. That’s why Dr. Hanson, University of Minnesota, suggests we introduce some cross breeding. I don’t agree but I do agree that we don’t need cows standing 65 inches tall; 60 inches works better. And a 1,400- to 1,500-pound animal is better than these 1,900-pound behemoths. The foot and leg isn’t as good as it used to be. This modern Holstein doesn’t have nearly the strength that she needs to compete in the milk production world.”

Today the feedlots at the Morrison farm are filled with beef cattle. “I’ve got the yards. I grow quite a little feed. Admittedly, the beef business is getting squeezed too but if you grow your own feed, it still works financially,” he said. A dozen Holstein heifers still reside at the farm, perhaps primarily for aesthetic reasons. Once a Holstein man, always a Holstein man, he said.

Wife, Janet, admits that being married to a dairy farmer is a 24/7 occupation. “Yes, there were days when you wish there was something else in your life. But a dairy farm is a great place to raise children and it’s been a good business career for Gary and me,” she said.

The family includes Jay, 43, who with wife, Barb, and three children live in the Rushford-Peterson area where he runs a purebred Jersey and Holstein herd, has a professional hoof trimming business and also has done professional show fitting work traveling the United States and Canada working with selected breeders preparing their animals for major livestock shows. His Jersey cow was grand champion at the 2007 Minnesota State Fair.

Daughter Dawn, 39, is a high school counselor at Rogers. She and husband, Ben, have two children (newest born April 2). Daughter Judy, 36, and husband, Chad, have three children and live at Ham Lake where Judy is a dental hygienist. Daughter Cindy, 34, is marred to Jason. They have two children. She works for U.S. Bank in downtown Minneapolis.

Good times ahead

There will be good times in the Minnesota dairy industry. But Gary admits survivors will be the bigger operations who put a premium on the comfort of their cows and proper nutrition. Bigger cows constantly being pushed hard for more and more milk production is not the right direction, as Morrison sees it.

He’s a stickler for tighter controls of that dairy ration. “There’s no room for waste today. You need a balanced ration but that means holding the line on expensive protein supplements, and mineral-vitamin programs. It’s a choice for each dairy farmer but we all know the harder you push for milk production and the more you feed them, the shorter their duration in the milk line.”

Cows in the Morrison herd averaged five-plus lactations; some made it to 12 lactations. The herd averaged about 20,000 pounds and the extended longevity in the milking line readily made up for the more-modest milk production.

His cattle garnered many awards at state and national Holstein shows including twice being named premier breeder at the Minnesota State Fair. Also he earned the honor Bred and Owned Reserve Grand Champion female at the Minnesota State Fair and the Minnesota State Holstein Show.

His special pride over the years was Garnet Threat Ashley, 4E94, undefeated as a heifer in any Minnesota show. That 4E94 tells you how special this animal was; four times classified Excellent with a 94-point score.

As a 3-year-old Ashley won the class at the Southern National Holstein Show in Springfield, Mo., 1992 and was named honorable mention champion of the show. Another Morrison cow, Garnet Concord Cleo was classified Excellent in 1995 and was grand champion at the Minnesota State Holstein Show for Jurgen’s Holsteins of Hutchinson who had purchased Cleo as a young heifer from Morrison. Another Morrison pedigree, Garnet Raider Shannon, earned reserve champion honors at both the Minnesota State Fair and the state Holstein show.

The Morrison children got into the show ring also with the rare distinction of five consecutive junior championships at the Minnesota State Fair 4-H show. Gary said it was his three daughters ringing up that five-year achievement.

“We’ve had some good times. But receiving this special honor is the crown jewel of everything we’ve done. This means a lot to us,” Morrison said, of being named to the Minnesota Livestock Breeders Association Hall of Fame.

Ironically, Gary recalls he and his Grandpa walking the hallway of the Morris Beef School to visit Phil Jordan (father of Bob Jordan, both of whom were also recipients of the Minnesota Livestock Breeders Association Achievement Award). Young Morrison was 15 and noted the various pictures of the Livestock Hall of Fame members. I said to Grandpa, “Wouldn’t it be great to someday be in that group.”

        

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