Featured Breeder
The Big Brown Cow Works Hard at EKU
Eastern Kentucky University (EKU), Stateland Dairy
at Meadowbrook Farm in Richmond, KY,
had a unique opportunity to integrate Brown Swiss
into their herd almost a decade ago.
By Erica Davis
Chad Powers, a Brown Swiss enthusiast and breeder, is the farm manager at Meadowbrook Farm and began with the university in 2010. Soon after starting, former Brown Swiss Association board member Allan Bassler called, saying some embryos were available and they were looking to donate them to a university. EKU was excited for the opportunity to develop the genetics offered.
Almost 100 embryos have been donated to the farm in two separate donations from Sunshine Genetics, based in Wisconsin. The understanding was that the university treat the resulting cattle as ‘commercial’ females, showing the Brown Swiss breed’s appeal to the ‘everyday dairyman.’
Though the majority of the Brown Swiss at EKU do their job in their ‘working clothes,’ a special cow did have a little fun on the tanbark trail. Sun-Made Valentina ET was one of the original embryos donated to the university and in 2014 she was the 7th place Milking Yearling at the International Brown Swiss Show, won 1st place at the Southeastern National Show and then went on to be named Honorable Mention All-American Milking Yearling. There was help in developing this cow during the show season from Jeff and Alta Mae Core of Salvisa, KY.
EKU, Meadowbrook Farm, has around 110 total head from young animals to the milking herd. There are 60 cows on test and being milked on Lely robots, and roughly 22 head are Brown Swiss. The Rolling Herd Average for the Brown Swiss on the farm is 17,952M 4.1%F 737F 3.4%P 603P.
At EKU, the Brown Swiss 2-year-olds have a higher ME for milk and fat than their Holstein peer group and they adapt to the robots a bit easier, starting as springing heifers in their training. All things equal, the management team strives to have their Brown Swiss calve in at 1-09, the same as their Holstein counterparts.
The EKU herd is a grazing-focused herd and have trials comparing the Brown Swiss to the Holsteins. They have not found significant differences between the breeds milking on the robots and the adaptations. In other words, Brown Swiss are a very viable breed to add into a commercial herd and as a bonus, they bump up the butterfat levels and, therefore, the milk check for the farm.
“The EKU dairy herd is a great source of hands-on information for students,” states Dr. Andrea Sexten, Associate Professor of Animal Science. “It provides them with diversity and applied practical experience.”
The Dairy Challenge Team, a part of the animal science program since 2013, uses the farm for their preparations. Many students in the pre-vet program do not have ag backgrounds, but by doing labs at the farm with the Brown Swiss and Holstein cows, they learn to appreciate, if not switch to, the large animal vet option.
They also hold a fall dairy show, where students ranging from no experience up to the ‘expert’ level, work with a heifer they pick, and
learn the care and procedures needed to exhibit in the show ring.
“Without a good team, you have nothing,” Powers says of those who have impacted the success of the herd and university farm. Powers, Dr. Sexten, EKU and Sunshine Genetics are in talks for another possible group of embryos to be developed. The proof of what has been developed and studied at Meadowbrook Farm shows that the ‘Big Brown Cow’ is a very viable option for inclusion in any size herd and in many different management options.