Creeping over fields of green Remembering the
faces The moments unseen The hands that built
a dynasty The vision in their eyes Echoes in
the auction bar Beneath an endless sky This is
the bull buy Turn the bar Hey everyone, welcome
back to the Bullvine Podcast. I'm your host,
and today I want to share with you one of the
most fascinating and cautionary tales in Holstein
breeding history, the story of SWD Valiant. This
is a story that has everything, triumph, controversy,
hidden genetic time bombs, and lessons that every
breeder needs to understand. So grab your coffee,
settle in, and let me take you back to 1973 in
Wisconsin. Picture this. It's 1973, and Mike
Bystry, the herd manager at SWD Dairy in Wisconsin,
is standing in the barn looking at a tall, rangy
cow named Allied Admiral Rose Vivian. Now Vivian
had some real challenges. Her udder scored only
good plus, which wasn't exactly what you'd call
impressive, but Mike looked at her and said,
Chief's still an easy choice for her. That single
decision, to breed Chief to this less -than -perfect
cow. would create one of the most influential
bulls in Holstein history and fundamentally change
how we think about breeding. Here's the thing,
though. Chief wasn't exactly the popular choice
at ABS for producing sons. In fact, sire analyst
Steve Maurer had serious reservations. He said
they preferred not to use Chief on daughters
of Irvington Pride Admiral because, and I quote,
most of the time you ended up with too much udder.
And Vivian? She was exactly that. a pride admiral
daughter with utter issues. But sometimes in
breeding, lightning strikes twice. That mating
produced a bull calf born in June 1973, and by
December, young Valiant arrived at ABS in DeForest,
Wisconsin, to begin what would become a legendary
career. Now, here's where the story gets really
exciting. For nearly five years, Valiant developed
in the ABS system. and the industry waited for
his first proof. When those numbers came out
in July 1978, they literally stopped conversations
in co -ops from Wisconsin to California. Listen
to these numbers. Plus 1 ,541 pounds of milk,
plus 44 pounds of fat, and a type score of plus
1 .99. You have to understand, back then, bulls
typically excelled in either production or type,
never both. But Valiant delivered everything
breeders thought they wanted. The excitement
was absolutely infectious. Semen that started
at just $25 a dose quickly climbed to $100, then
$150, and by the time of his death in 1984, it
hit $225. Breeders around the world were clamoring
for his genetics. And his daughters? They were
spectacular. They milked like machines and looked
like movie stars. You could walk into any barn
and instantly spot a valiant daughter. They had
this presence, this authority about them, that
was unmistakable. But Valiant wasn't just siring
great daughters. He was creating this network
of sons that would dominate AI studs for decades.
The numbers tell an incredible story. By January
1987, 31 of the top 100 TPI bulls were Valiant
sons, and 98 of the top 400 carried his genetics.
Think about that level of influence. Fisher Place
Mandingo became the first bull in history to
sell a million doses of semen. A million doses.
That's a milestone that highlights just how enormous
the demand for valiant genetics became. Then
there was Hanover Hill Inspiration, who became
what we started calling a millionaire sire, and
his genetic line eventually gave us legends like
Goldwyn, Shottle, and Storm. Other sons like
Tesk home Valiant Rocky, known simply as Tesk,
became incredibly popular, with over 46 ,000
daughters. Stardell Valiant Wynken was so successful
internationally that the royalties from his semen
sales actually saved his breeder's farm from
foreclosure during the 1980s farm crisis. This
was breeding success on a scale the industry
had never seen before. But here's where the story
takes a darker turn, and this is the part that
every modern breeder needs to understand. All
this genetic concentration came with hidden costs.
You see, Valiant's sire, Chief, was carrying
what we now call Holstein haplotype 1, or HH1,
a lethal recessive genetic defect that causes
pregnancy loss when calves inherit copies from
both parents. Now, modern research has shown
that Valiant himself wasn't actually a carrier
of this specific mutation. But here's the critical
point. His widespread use helped concentrate
other genetic risks in the population. When you
have that level of genetic influence, with nearly
100 of the top 400 bulls tracing back to one
sire, you're creating genetic bottlenecks that
can amplify both positive and negative traits.
The HH1 defect alone is estimated to have caused
over 500 ,000 spontaneous abortions in Holstein
cattle worldwide. with economic losses of approximately
$420 million to the dairy industry. But it wasn't
just about one genetic defect. Breeders started
seeing patterns they couldn't explain, conception
rates that should have been higher, udder problems
that seemed to cluster in certain family lines.
The pieces didn't fit together until we developed
DNA testing decades later. Here's something that
really drives home the complexity of genetic
progress. If you look at Valiant's modern genetic
evaluations today, they tell a completely different
story than his historical reputation. Today's
numbers from ABS Global show minus 699 kilograms
for milk, minus 3 .17 for type, and minus 2 .84
for mammary system. A young producer looking
at these figures today would think, why are we
even talking about this bull? But here's what's
crucial to understand. Those negative numbers
don't mean Valiant was genetically inferior.
They mean the average Holstein cow born in 2020
is genetically superior to him by that amount.
His proof has become a measuring stick for how
far we've come. It's exactly like comparing a
1980s computer to your smartphone. The old technology
wasn't bad for its time, it was revolutionary.
But progress moved on, and that's actually a
good thing. The show ring aesthetic of the 1980s
that Valiant embodied, tall, sharp, stylish isn't
what we're selecting for anymore. Today's functional
type rewards completely different traits. Strong,
shallow udders that can handle multiple lactations,
moderate size for efficiency, and durability
over flash. Those deep, impressive udders that
made valiant daughters champions, they're now
understood to be functional challenges linked
to higher somatic cell counts, shorter productive
life, and more injury risk. Today, We're dealing
with the same fundamental challenges Valiant's
era faced, but we have far better tools. DNA
testing has completely transformed our approach.
We can identify genetic issues before they spread.
We can track genetic diversity in real time and
avoid the kind of concentration we saw with the
Valiant era. We're not just looking at what genes
do, we're looking at what they might do in combination
with other genes. The difference today is that
we can see genetic connections before they become
problems. We're not just hoping a mating will
work. We're calculating the probability. Current
industry focus emphasizes cow families that can
produce efficiently across multiple lactations,
handle varying feed qualities, and adapt to different
management systems. That's sustainability. Not
just environmental, but genetic sustainability.
So what does the Valiant story teach us? First,
Genetic power comes with genetic responsibility.
Every mating decision we make is a vote for the
future of the breed. Second, extraordinary genetic
potential must be balanced with wisdom, caution,
and a deep understanding of consequences. And
third, even the best genetics can carry hidden
costs. But with today's tools, we don't have
to fly blind anymore. My advice to you is clear.
Use DNA testing to screen for genetic markers
like HH1. Work with your AI provider to maintain
genetic diversity in your breeding program. Monitor
genetic scores to balance production with health
traits. And here's the big one. Don't put more
than 30 % of your matings to any single bull,
no matter how good he looks. Walking through
Holstein herds today, Valiant's influence is
everywhere. Recent research shows his name appears
55 times in the pedigree of popular sires like
Farnier Delta Lambda. His genetic fingerprint
runs through countless contemporary bloodlines.
But his real legacy isn't in the pedigrees. It's
in how we think about breeding. The Valiant story
taught us that genetic progress isn't always
linear, and that today's solution can become
tomorrow's challenge if we're not careful about
diversity. The dairy producers who bred DeValiant
made rational, informed choices based on the
best available science of their time. They weren't
reckless. They were progressive. What we learned
wasn't about avoiding great genetics, but about
balancing genetic merit with genetic diversity.
The Valiant story is ultimately about the power
of a single animal to shape a global breed, for
better and for worse. His negative proofs on
a modern genetic base aren't an indictment of
his quality. They're a metric of the incredible
progress the breed has made, progress he himself
helped to initiate. We're not just talking about
genetic theory here. This is about real money,
the kind that shows up in your monthly milk check
and your feed bills. After what we learned from
the Valiant era, managing genetic risk isn't
just smart breeding. It's essential for your
farm's future profitability and sustainability.
That mating decision made back in 73 continues
to teach us that in breeding, as in all of farming,
today's best decisions lead to tomorrow's success.
Thanks for joining me today on the Bullvine Podcast.
Remember, every breeding choice you make today
shapes the future of your herd and our industry.
Stay curious, stay informed, and keep making
those thoughtful decisions that drive our industry
forward. Until next time, this is the Bullvine,
reminding you that great breeding isn't just
about great genetics, it's about great judgment.
Turn the volume high. For the icons of the ages,
they never will die. From the show ring thunder
to the quiet strength they knew. Hear their stories
now. Coming right on. Legends live here.