Seamless and prolific milk production is every herd’s goal, and that is exactly what Chrome-View Charles 3044 has done to the highest level!
The 13-year-old cow that calls Chrome-View Farm home in Nottingham, Pennsylvania, has earned bragging rights as the U.S. lifetime milk production queen. The registered Holstein cow moved into the top spot with her record of 478,200 pounds of milk and 14,447 pounds of Fat and 12,576 pounds of Protein.
Alan and Pamela Mason own the 500-cow Registered Holstein herd at Chrome-View Farm and manage it along with their son, Paul Mason. According to herdswoman Sarah Cady, their focus is on selecting genetics that provide a balance of energy-corrected milk, longevity, and nicely built and easy to milk cows that thrive on preventive maintenance rather than treatment. That philosophy aligns with what GENEX, their genetic partner, provides through its Herd Genetic Line. The farm uses 100% GENEX semen.
The Mason family and Chrome-View Farm are GENEX cooperative members and have a long history with GENEX. For the better part of a couple decades, GENEX technician Tom Galbreath has serviced the herd. In fact, Tom was the one who bred 3044’s dam some 13+ years ago.
Herds such as Chrome-View are certainly a highlight for Tom in his years with the cooperative. “This is a farm that dots every i and crosses every t. They do a fantastic job on everything they do!” shares Tom.
Digging deeper into 3044’s story, you’ll find it’s an impressive illustration of the power of genetics and elite management.
Sarah shares, “3044 is a low maintenance cow and dislikes being bothered. Her preference is typical of most dairy cows: she’s content to spend her days eating and resting with no one interfering in her activities.”
3044 was sired by a prolific GENEX bull, 1HO08987 Cee-Whit Shottle CHARLES-ET, and multiple other GENEX sires populate her pedigree. Her grandsire is 1HO006738 Gem-Hill Amel Don-ET and third sire is 1HO05461 Co-op-INT-Ariel-TCG-ET.
Throughout her 10 lactations (yes, you read that right), 3044 has consistently bred back on first or second service (she settled first service 7 times).
Sarah additionally shares that balanced type selection allows cows like 3044 to stay in the Mason’s herd. “We make a conscious effort to select for cows with high dairy character, limited inbreeding, excellent udders, low somatic cell count, high first service conception rate and sound feet and legs. Our deep bedded sand facility and management style allows cows to easily stay in the herd 6-8 lactations, so we select for animals that can excel for many years.”
The management team and the dedicated team members at Mason’s Chrome-View Farm (pictured below) have helped drive the success of the entire herd. The current rolling herd average is 33,000 pounds of Milk with over 1,300 pounds of Fat and over 1,000 pounds of Protein. It’s certainly a story of the perfect combination of genetics and management to achieve next-level success!
