Welcome, dairy enthusiasts, to another exciting
episode of the Bullvine Podcast. I'm your host,
Bella, and with me today is my co -host, Douglas.
We've got a fascinating story for you today about
a cow that literally changed the face of Holstein
breeding worldwide. That's right, Bella. Today,
we're diving deep into the legacy of comma star
Lori Sheik, a cow that some might call the cow
that built an empire. We'll explore how this
unassuming animal from Quebec, Canada, built
a global dairy empire that's still going strong
four decades later. Wow, Douglas, that sounds
incredible. What can our listeners expect to
learn today? We'll cover Lori Sheik's humble
beginnings, her remarkable achievements, and
the lasting impact she's had on the Holstein
breed. We'll also discuss how her breeding principles
are still relevant in today's genomic era and
what modern breeders can learn from her success.
I can't wait to get started. Let's jump right
in, shall we? Absolutely, Bella. Let's begin
with the story of how Lori Sheik came to be.
Picture this, folks. It's a chilly autumn day
in 1989. The first ever CommaStar sale is underway
in Quebec, and the atmosphere is electric. A
modest -looking black -and -white cow enters
the ring, and nobody expects much. But when the
gavel falls, jaws drop. This cow, Commestar Laurie
Chic, sells for a staggering $45 ,000. That's
quite a price tag for 1989. Who made such a bold
investment? It was a partnership between Commestar
and the Poussimier family from Belgium. Little
did they know, this purchase would reshape Holstein
breeding on a global scale. So, Bella, what made
Lori Sheik so special? Why are we still talking
about her today? Oh, Douglas, where do I even
begin? Lori Sheik's accomplishments are truly
mind -boggling. First off, she produced four,
yes, four millionaire bulls. That's Leader, Lee,
Leros, and Outside. Can you imagine having just
one bull reach that status in your breeding program?
That's incredible, Bella. Four millionaire bulls
from one cow family? That's unheard of. But wait,
there's more. Lori Sheik herself earned 23 brood
cow stars, which is near record achievement.
And her daughter, Laura Black, went even further
with 24 stars. For our listeners who might not
be familiar, brood cow stars are awarded based
on the performance of a cow's offspring. It's
a measure of how well a cow passes on her positive
traits. 23 and 24 stars are exceptional numbers.
Absolutely, Douglas. It's like having a Hall
of Fame player whose kid becomes an even bigger
star. But Laurie Sheik's influence goes beyond
just her immediate family. How so, Bella? Well,
her genetics have spread to 51 countries worldwide.
And get this, at Bois Seigneur Holstein in Belgium,
about 70 % of their current herd traces back
to Laurie Sheik. That's not just influence, that's
a genetic takeover. That's remarkable, Bella.
It really shows the global impact of smart breeding
decisions. But I'm curious about the man behind
this breeding program. Who was responsible for
creating Lori Sheik? Ah, that would be Marc Comtois.
And his story is just as inspiring as Lori Sheik's.
Marc wasn't some corporate genetic wizard with
fancy degrees. He was a farm kid, but the real
turning point came in 1985 when he spotted a
cow named Elisa Anthony Lee. What was so special
about this cow? Well, as Marc Comtois himself
once said, I've always believed that exceptional
cows build exceptional herds. When I saw Elisa
Anthony Lay, I recognized a cow that could be
the foundation for something special. But even
I couldn't have predicted just how special her
daughter would become. And that daughter was
Lori Sheik, born in December 1986. Exactly, Douglas.
Lori Sheik was the result of a breeding decision
that broke all the rules. How so, Bella? Well,
you might think Lori Sheik came from the trendiest,
most fashionable genetics of her day. But that
wasn't the case at all. Her sire, Puget Sound
Sheik, wasn't a household name. He was born in
1972 and classified Very Good 85. For our listeners,
a classification of Very Good 85 is respectable,
but not exceptional. It's on a scale where excellent
is the highest, followed by very good, good plus,
good, and fair. Right, Douglas. And while Laurie
Sheik's dam, Elisa Anthony Leia, was exceptional
with an excellent classification in 15 brood
stars, this pairing represented Mark's independent
thinking rather than following the crowd. So
Mark wasn't breeding to what was popular. He
was breeding what he believed would work. Exactly.
And boy, did it work. This unconventional pairing
created a genetic perfect storm that would redefine
what was possible in Holstein breeding. Now,
Bella, I understand that Lori Sheik had some
pretty remarkable daughters. Can you tell us
about them? Absolutely, Douglas. While Lori Sheik
had 18 very good daughters, which is impressive
in itself, three in particular stand out. All
three were sired by Tomar Blackstar and became
the genetic highways that spread Lori Sheik's
influence globally. Who were these daughters
and what made them so special? First, we have
Laura Black, classified Very Good 87 with 24
brood stars. She gave us the bulls Lee and Leros,
which combined production punch with dairy strength
that commercial farmers loved. That's an impressive
combination. Strong production with good confirmation
is what every dairy farmer dreams of. Next, we
have Elle or Black. Also very good 87, but with
16 brood stars. She produced Outside, a bull
that completely transformed how we think about
udders in modern Holsteins. For our listeners
who might not know, before Outside, the Holstein
breed struggled with udders that couldn't hold
up through multiple lactations. Outside's daughters
changed that forever with high, wide rear udders
and exceptional center support. Exactly, Douglas.
And finally, we have Lousen Black, very good
87 with 23 brood stars. She gave us Stormatic,
creating a line that uniquely excels in both
genomic rankings and show rings. That's quite
a feat, Bella. Usually, we see animals that excel
either in genomics or in the show ring, but rarely
both. As a friend of mine who judges major shows
likes to say, they look as good as they test,
and they test as good as they look. That's rare.
Now, Bella, I understand there's an interesting
international aspect to this story. Can you tell
us about the Belgian connection? Oh, absolutely,
Douglas. This is one of my favorite parts of
the Laurie Chic story. When the Poussimier family
from Belgium spotted Laurie Chic's potential
at that 1989 sale, they faced a major roadblock.
Belgian regulations wouldn't let them import
live cattle from Canada. So how did they overcome
this challenge? They got creative, Douglas. They
bought partial ownership of Lori Sheik herself
and imported her embryos instead. Talk about
thinking outside the box. That's quite innovative.
How did this decision pan out for them? It triggered
what became known as Black Star Mania at Boiseñor
Holstein. They crossed Lori Sheik daughters with
Tomar Black Star and struck genetic gold. One
standout offspring was Black Lord Du Bois Seigneur,
who produced over 100 ,000 kilograms of milk
in her lifetime. For our American listeners,
that's over 220 ,000 pounds of milk. That's an
exceptional lifetime production. Indeed, Douglas.
And the impact of this decision is still felt
today. Jonas Pusimir, who now runs the operation
his parents started, says that about 70 % of
their current herd traces back to Lori Sheik.
That's incredible, Bella. It really shows how
one smart purchase can completely transform a
herd's future. Absolutely, Douglas. And it's
not just about the numbers. The Lori Shake lineage
has shown remarkable consistency and adaptability
across generations. Can you elaborate on that,
Bella? Of course. When we track key metrics across
generations, we see that while most families
show regression toward breed average over time,
The Lori Sheik line has maintained, and often
improved upon, elite performance across nearly
four decades. That's fascinating. Can you give
us some specific examples? Certainly. Let's look
at the maternal line classification progression.
We start with Elisa Anthony Lee, Lori Sheik's
dam, who was excellent 15 -star. Then Lori Sheik
herself was very good 88 with 23 stars. Her three
key Black Star daughters were all very good 87.
And if we jump to a modern descendant, La Madonna,
she's excellent 94 with 21 stars. For our listeners,
that's an exceptional classification score. Excellent
94 is near the top of the scale. Exactly, Douglas.
And it's not just about classification. The family
has maintained superiority. through different
eras of genetic evaluation, from the classification
-focused 1980s through the production index era
of the 1990s, the balanced LPI -TPI approach
of the 2000s, and into today's genomic evaluation
systems. That's remarkable adaptability, Bella.
It really speaks to the fundamental quality of
these genetics. Absolutely, Douglas. And it's
not just in traditional dairy setups. Lori Sheik's
descendants are excelling in modern, high -tech
environments too. How so, Bella? Well, Comestar
itself has embraced the future, transitioning
to robotic milking in 2020 with seven Delaval
V300 robots. Lori Sheik's descendants are adapting
beautifully to being milked by robots instead
of human hands. That's a great point, Bella.
It shows that these genetics aren't just about
history. They're relevant to the future of dairy
farming, too. Now, Douglas, I know you've done
some research on how Laurie Sheik's breeding
principles can be applied in today's genomic
era. Can you share some insights with our listeners?
Absolutely, Bella. You might wonder if breeding
lessons from the 1980s still apply in our genomic
selection era. They absolutely do. Maybe now
more than ever. That's interesting, Douglas.
How so? Well, Bella, Lori Sheik's success offers
a framework that works beautifully alongside
modern genomic tools. There are a few key principles
that today's breeders can apply. I'm all ears,
Douglas. What are these principles? First, look
beyond the numbers for maternal strength. While
genomic indexes give us incredible prediction
power, they don't tell the whole story of maternal
potential. When evaluating potential brood cows,
pay special attention to family consistency across
generations, balanced trait profiles, and cross
-system performance. Can you break that down
a bit more, Douglas? Sure, Bella. By family consistency,
I mean looking for maternal lines that show stable
transmission of key traits across generations,
just like we saw with Lori Sheik's family. For
balanced trait profiles, prioritize females with
well -rounded attributes over those that excel
in just one area. And by cross -system performance,
Look for families that maintain excellence regardless
of how they're measured. Classification, production
indexes, or genomics. I see. So it's about looking
at the bigger picture, not just chasing the highest
numbers. Exactly, Bella. In fact, I have a practical
tip for our listeners. Create a maternal scorecard
that tracks genetic transmission strength across
three generations of any potential foundation
female. A truly prepotent maternal line will
show consistency in trait expression regardless
of what sires were used. That's a great tip,
Douglas. Are there any real -world examples of
farms successfully applying these principles
today? Absolutely, Bella. Boisenior Holstein
in Belgium is a perfect example. They've masterfully
blended traditional maternal evaluation with
modern genomic tools. While they use genomic
testing, They value good mothering ability more
than just high production numbers. They select
for traits and bloodlines proven to work rather
than relying on a single bull or chasing the
highest genomic indexes. That's fascinating,
Douglas. Do we know what specific bulls they're
using in their program? According to the bull
vines coverage, Chief and Lambda are currently
their top sires. Their breeding goals integrate
both milk production excellence and show competition
success. Exactly the kind of balanced approach
that made the Laurie Sheik line so successful.
So the key takeaway is that genomics are powerful
tools, but they work best when paired with time
-tested maternal selection principles. Exactly,
Bella. It's about combining the best of both
worlds, cutting -edge technology with proven
breeding philosophy. Now, Douglas, as we wrap
up our discussion, what do you think are the
key lessons that today's breeders can learn from
the lorry chic phenomenon? That's a great question,
Bella. I think there are four main takeaways.
First, focus on females, not just fancy bulls.
Marc Comtois built a dynasty by identifying exceptional
brood cows rather than chasing the hottest sires.
The maternal side matters a lot. Second, sometimes
your best partners are oceans away. The Belgium
connection supercharged Laurie Chic's impact.
Don't be afraid to look globally for collaboration.
Third, breed for adaptability, not trends. Laurie
Chic's family has thrived through multiple evaluation
systems and management styles. That's more valuable
than being temporarily hot under one system.
And finally, genetic transmission is everything.
Those 23 brood cow stars represent extraordinary
prepotency. Look for animals that reliably pass
their traits to the next generation, not just
ones that look good themselves. Those are excellent
points, Douglas. It really emphasizes the importance
of long -term thinking in breeding programs.
Absolutely, Bella. In our industry's relentless
pursuit of the next big thing, maybe that's the
most valuable lesson Laurie Sheik offers. True
genetic excellence isn't measured in momentary
spotlight, but in generational impact. Well,
folks. That brings us to the end of today. That's
all for this week's episode of the Bullvine Podcast.
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