WEBVTT 00:00:10.220 --> 00:00:14.039 Creeping across the pasture land. Got dirt on 00:00:14.039 --> 00:00:18.719 the boots and a working hand. From the milk house 00:00:18.719 --> 00:00:24.000 home to the auction call. These are the folks 00:00:24.000 --> 00:01:01.320 standing strong and tall. Yeah, this is... Welcome 00:01:01.320 --> 00:01:03.659 back to the Bullvine Podcast. Today, we are diving 00:01:03.659 --> 00:01:06.420 into a story that should genuinely stop every 00:01:06.420 --> 00:01:08.739 single person listening right now, whether you're 00:01:08.739 --> 00:01:12.739 feeding calves or charting your next mating, 00:01:12.799 --> 00:01:14.840 because this isn't just history. No. This is 00:01:14.840 --> 00:01:17.120 the origin story of why you trust the numbers 00:01:17.120 --> 00:01:20.159 on your screen today. It's about a revolution 00:01:20.159 --> 00:01:22.760 sparked by a young man who fought the entire 00:01:22.760 --> 00:01:25.799 dairy industry's entrenched, you know, ingrained 00:01:25.799 --> 00:01:28.359 beliefs using nothing but mathematical analysis. 00:01:28.680 --> 00:01:30.620 And this is the kind of conversation that reminds 00:01:30.620 --> 00:01:32.680 us all why we got into dairy in the first place. 00:01:32.840 --> 00:01:35.540 I mean, that deep generational passion, yes, 00:01:35.719 --> 00:01:38.540 but also the intellectual rigor required to make 00:01:38.540 --> 00:01:41.840 meaningful, lasting progress. It's far too easy 00:01:41.840 --> 00:01:43.819 to look at advanced genomic selection, gender 00:01:43.819 --> 00:01:46.840 -sorted semen, and these massive global AI organizations 00:01:46.840 --> 00:01:50.120 and just assume we always had this power. But 00:01:50.120 --> 00:01:52.159 the foundations for this entire modern structure, 00:01:52.400 --> 00:01:55.400 the faith in data oversight, were laid by dramatic 00:01:55.400 --> 00:01:57.920 high -stakes decisions made over 50 years ago, 00:01:58.019 --> 00:02:00.760 starting with one particular speckled bull that 00:02:00.760 --> 00:02:03.280 literally nobody in the industry wanted. A story 00:02:03.280 --> 00:02:05.219 of incredible patience and, as we'll see, some 00:02:05.219 --> 00:02:07.530 pretty high -stakes drama. For sure. Absolutely. 00:02:07.849 --> 00:02:09.849 We're here to unpack that journey today. And 00:02:09.849 --> 00:02:11.990 if you want more stories like this, the history, 00:02:12.169 --> 00:02:14.509 the people, the breakthroughs shaping our farms, 00:02:14.610 --> 00:02:17.569 the true narrative behind the numbers, you know 00:02:17.569 --> 00:02:23.169 where to go. www .thebullvine .com. Let's get 00:02:23.169 --> 00:02:25.409 into the deep dive. Let's do it. Okay, let's 00:02:25.409 --> 00:02:27.349 unpack this pivotal moment in dairy history. 00:02:27.669 --> 00:02:30.650 We have to set the scene. It's the fall of 1967. 00:02:31.689 --> 00:02:35.530 A young bull arrives at CIEQ. That's the Centre 00:02:35.530 --> 00:02:37.770 d 'Insemination Artificielle du Québec. Yeah, 00:02:37.789 --> 00:02:40.169 one of the major cooperative AI centers in Canada 00:02:40.169 --> 00:02:43.669 founded to give Quebec farmers access to superior 00:02:43.669 --> 00:02:46.889 genetics. And on paper, this bull was, well, 00:02:46.930 --> 00:02:49.129 he was a geneticist's dream. Oh, a masterpiece. 00:02:49.770 --> 00:02:51.469 The pedigree showed what they called an almost 00:02:51.469 --> 00:02:54.069 unheard of alignment of excellence. He had three 00:02:54.069 --> 00:02:56.370 generations of sires who were AI proven, meaning 00:02:56.370 --> 00:02:58.310 their daughters had been officially tracked in 00:02:58.310 --> 00:03:00.409 the field, and they were proven positive for 00:03:00.409 --> 00:03:02.569 both production and confirmation indices. So 00:03:02.569 --> 00:03:04.990 it's a whole package. It's a whole package. This 00:03:04.990 --> 00:03:07.050 wasn't just a bull with a great family tree. 00:03:07.330 --> 00:03:10.050 This was a bull that statistically should have 00:03:10.050 --> 00:03:12.150 been a guaranteed success story for the young 00:03:12.150 --> 00:03:15.909 sire testing program CIEQ is just building. But 00:03:15.909 --> 00:03:18.819 then... The system and the human element just 00:03:18.819 --> 00:03:21.300 slapped them in the face. Here's the problem. 00:03:21.479 --> 00:03:25.000 And it had two parts that became these. Insurmountable 00:03:25.000 --> 00:03:28.840 obstacles. First, the standard photo of his dam, 00:03:29.000 --> 00:03:31.900 the cow who birthed him, was described as simply 00:03:31.900 --> 00:03:35.270 disappointing. Disappointing. Which is a... A 00:03:35.270 --> 00:03:37.289 very polite way of saying it was a bad picture. 00:03:37.469 --> 00:03:40.270 She lacked that extreme, sharp dairy character 00:03:40.270 --> 00:03:43.250 that breeders had prized for, I mean, generations. 00:03:43.610 --> 00:03:45.530 Right. The visual proof of production, the thing 00:03:45.530 --> 00:03:47.689 you could see with your own eyes, it just wasn't 00:03:47.689 --> 00:03:49.250 there in the snapshot. So that was the first 00:03:49.250 --> 00:03:51.689 hurdle, a subjective visual bias. But the second 00:03:51.689 --> 00:03:54.469 issue was, frankly, a massive industry -wide 00:03:54.469 --> 00:03:56.509 administrative nightmare. Yeah. She had a speckled 00:03:56.509 --> 00:03:58.370 coat pattern. And you have to mentally transport 00:03:58.370 --> 00:04:01.509 yourself back to that era, 1967, to really get 00:04:01.509 --> 00:04:04.090 why this created so much resistance. Oh, it's 00:04:04.090 --> 00:04:06.300 crucial. Before easy digital recording, before 00:04:06.300 --> 00:04:08.780 you could just upload a photo, breeders had to 00:04:08.780 --> 00:04:11.979 literally hand -draw every single spot on a calf 00:04:11.979 --> 00:04:14.000 for it to be registered with the Breed Association. 00:04:14.460 --> 00:04:16.920 Can you just imagine that? I mean, you're a busy 00:04:16.920 --> 00:04:19.100 farmer, you've just worked a full day, and now 00:04:19.100 --> 00:04:20.839 you have to sit down with a clipboard and a pencil. 00:04:21.100 --> 00:04:23.379 In bad lighting, probably. Yeah, trying to reproduce 00:04:23.379 --> 00:04:26.139 those mottled, irregular, messy markings accurately, 00:04:26.500 --> 00:04:29.279 spot by agonizing spot, just to get your papers 00:04:29.279 --> 00:04:32.160 filed. It sparked not just annoyance, but, like, 00:04:32.220 --> 00:04:35.600 outright dread. Breeders saw that speckled coat 00:04:35.600 --> 00:04:38.279 and immediately pictured hours hunched over paperwork. 00:04:38.680 --> 00:04:41.860 Absolutely. A bureaucratic nightmare tied directly 00:04:41.860 --> 00:04:44.279 to an aesthetic preference. Yeah. And the combination 00:04:44.279 --> 00:04:46.339 was enough to make the entire Quebec breeding 00:04:46.339 --> 00:04:48.980 community just turn their backs. A cleat indifference. 00:04:49.019 --> 00:04:50.959 They wouldn't touch this genetically stellar 00:04:50.959 --> 00:04:55.139 young bull, 73HO101 Senator. So CIAQ was left 00:04:55.139 --> 00:04:58.139 with this phenomenal genetic tool that was, for 00:04:58.139 --> 00:05:00.399 all intents and purposes, administratively toxic. 00:05:01.019 --> 00:05:03.079 what do you do what can you do they relegated 00:05:03.079 --> 00:05:06.959 him to the absolute last resort ciaq started 00:05:06.959 --> 00:05:10.120 using his semen only when a farmer explicitly 00:05:10.120 --> 00:05:14.240 requested a test bowl but and this is the key 00:05:14.240 --> 00:05:18.259 without Naming a specific choice. So they were 00:05:18.259 --> 00:05:20.300 basically sneaking him in the back door? Exactly. 00:05:20.360 --> 00:05:22.360 Just trying to accumulate enough daughters under 00:05:22.360 --> 00:05:24.620 official control to generate a proof, hoping 00:05:24.620 --> 00:05:26.439 the numbers would eventually speak louder than 00:05:26.439 --> 00:05:29.199 the speckles. And that right there, that's the 00:05:29.199 --> 00:05:32.060 setup for the entire revolution Robert Chacoin 00:05:32.060 --> 00:05:35.129 was attempting to orchestrate. This animal, Senator, 00:05:35.370 --> 00:05:37.810 dismissed because his coat pattern was too much 00:05:37.810 --> 00:05:39.990 work to draw, would ultimately prove that the 00:05:39.990 --> 00:05:42.350 future of dairy breeding lay not in what the 00:05:42.350 --> 00:05:44.610 eye could see, but in what the numbers revealed. 00:05:44.870 --> 00:05:47.670 The speckles faded away, but the indices, the 00:05:47.670 --> 00:05:50.089 scientifically generated data, that's what would 00:05:50.089 --> 00:05:51.509 eventually write him into the history books. 00:05:51.730 --> 00:05:54.009 So let's talk about the man who had the intellectual 00:05:54.009 --> 00:05:56.769 fortitude and, my goodness, the deep patience 00:05:56.769 --> 00:05:59.290 to wait for Senator's numbers. Robert Chacon, 00:05:59.490 --> 00:06:03.060 born in 1943. He grew up on a modest, highly 00:06:03.060 --> 00:06:05.560 diversified mixed farm in Saint -Pierre -de -Bégaud, 00:06:05.639 --> 00:06:07.879 Quebec. And when we say diversified, we mean 00:06:07.879 --> 00:06:10.819 it. This was a classic rural operation. They 00:06:10.819 --> 00:06:13.420 had laying hens. They maintained a small orchard. 00:06:13.420 --> 00:06:16.000 They produced maple syrup every spring. The full 00:06:16.000 --> 00:06:18.899 Canadian experience. Right. And the core, the 00:06:18.899 --> 00:06:21.399 non -seasonal income, came from a small herd 00:06:21.399 --> 00:06:24.769 of about 15 to 20 dairy cows. And those cows 00:06:24.769 --> 00:06:26.550 weren't just, you know, for local consumption. 00:06:26.709 --> 00:06:28.610 They were the backbone of the farm's economy. 00:06:28.810 --> 00:06:31.149 They produced this high quality milk that was 00:06:31.149 --> 00:06:33.329 sent directly to a Montreal dairy, which was 00:06:33.329 --> 00:06:36.290 a huge advantage at the time. A huge deal. The 00:06:36.290 --> 00:06:38.269 family received nearly double the local rate 00:06:38.269 --> 00:06:40.029 because they adhered to these strict hygiene 00:06:40.029 --> 00:06:43.350 protocols and provided consistent year round 00:06:43.350 --> 00:06:46.430 volume. It was rigorous work, but the reward 00:06:46.430 --> 00:06:48.910 was there. But for Robert, the cattle weren't 00:06:48.910 --> 00:06:51.699 just income. They were an absolute obsession. 00:06:52.060 --> 00:06:54.699 A barn kid through and through. The source material 00:06:54.699 --> 00:06:56.860 notes that when his family visited other farms, 00:06:56.939 --> 00:07:00.180 a neighbor, a family friend, whoever, his one 00:07:00.180 --> 00:07:02.459 and only request was always to see the herd. 00:07:02.779 --> 00:07:05.519 Not the tractors. No, not the latest machinery, 00:07:05.660 --> 00:07:08.379 not the fields. He was fixated on the animals, 00:07:08.519 --> 00:07:11.000 evaluating them constantly in his head. I think 00:07:11.000 --> 00:07:13.879 every farmer listening knows that feeling. That 00:07:13.879 --> 00:07:16.439 moment you realize, this is my thing. And that 00:07:16.439 --> 00:07:19.740 intensity in young Robert was noticed. His uncle, 00:07:19.920 --> 00:07:21.639 who happened to be a member of the Holstein Association 00:07:21.639 --> 00:07:24.339 of Canada, saw that spark. And that's when the 00:07:24.339 --> 00:07:27.300 crucial gift arrived. His uncle started passing 00:07:27.300 --> 00:07:29.519 along his copy of the Holstein -Friesian Journal. 00:07:29.680 --> 00:07:31.720 And Chicoine described that periodical later 00:07:31.720 --> 00:07:34.560 by saying, and I think this is so profound, for 00:07:34.560 --> 00:07:36.860 me, this was the most beautiful gift I could 00:07:36.860 --> 00:07:39.579 receive. Wow. Think about what that magazine 00:07:39.579 --> 00:07:41.540 represented back then. It wasn't entertainment. 00:07:41.740 --> 00:07:44.899 It was a printed database of genetic performance. 00:07:45.120 --> 00:07:47.560 It was the industry's aspirational blueprint. 00:07:47.720 --> 00:07:49.720 Exactly. And it wasn't enough just to read it. 00:07:49.759 --> 00:07:52.060 He immersed himself completely. He spent hours 00:07:52.060 --> 00:07:54.300 just poring over those pages, committing every 00:07:54.300 --> 00:07:57.480 detail to memory. The cow's names, their individual 00:07:57.480 --> 00:08:00.560 lactations, lifetime production figures, the 00:08:00.560 --> 00:08:03.350 butterfat percentages. He was essentially training 00:08:03.350 --> 00:08:05.790 himself to process high -volume, high -stakes 00:08:05.790 --> 00:08:08.209 performance data years before he ever took a 00:08:08.209 --> 00:08:10.769 university course in statistics. He was creating 00:08:10.769 --> 00:08:15.129 his own mental genetic database. And his parents, 00:08:15.290 --> 00:08:19.829 seeing this unwavering devotion, they made a 00:08:19.829 --> 00:08:21.970 life -changing proposition. They weren't just 00:08:21.970 --> 00:08:24.110 supportive. They were strategic. They made a 00:08:24.110 --> 00:08:27.149 deal with him. If Robert would handle all the 00:08:27.149 --> 00:08:30.779 paperwork, A big ask. A huge ask. Including the 00:08:30.779 --> 00:08:33.539 immense and time -consuming job of hand -drawing 00:08:33.539 --> 00:08:36.259 those animal portraits for registration. Remember 00:08:36.259 --> 00:08:38.120 the speckled coat problem we just talked about? 00:08:38.200 --> 00:08:40.740 Of course. If he did all that, they would transition 00:08:40.740 --> 00:08:44.200 their great herd to a registered purebred Holstein 00:08:44.200 --> 00:08:47.620 operation. That is a massive moment of trust 00:08:47.620 --> 00:08:50.340 and responsibility for a teenager. It gave him 00:08:50.340 --> 00:08:52.720 ownership over the herd's future and forced him 00:08:52.720 --> 00:08:54.620 to become fluent in the bureaucracy of breeding. 00:08:55.120 --> 00:08:57.379 But his intellectual curiosity didn't stop with 00:08:57.379 --> 00:08:59.960 cows. They also kept a small flock of bantam 00:08:59.960 --> 00:09:02.399 chickens, primarily for, you know, decoration 00:09:02.399 --> 00:09:05.000 and color in the yard. Right. But Robert turned 00:09:05.000 --> 00:09:07.360 them into his first rigorous, controlled scientific 00:09:07.360 --> 00:09:10.080 experiment. This is where the scientific seed 00:09:10.080 --> 00:09:13.000 truly took root, isn't it? His parents allowed 00:09:13.000 --> 00:09:15.139 him to build a completely separate, controlled 00:09:15.139 --> 00:09:18.440 flock. He would rigorously control the matings, 00:09:18.440 --> 00:09:21.980 observing precisely how traits, like color patterns 00:09:21.980 --> 00:09:24.700 and conformation, were passed on. It was a micro 00:09:24.700 --> 00:09:27.740 -scale model of applied genetics. And he realized 00:09:27.740 --> 00:09:31.059 that this small -scale precise control could 00:09:31.059 --> 00:09:33.740 be applied so much wider through the burgeoning 00:09:33.740 --> 00:09:37.379 technology of artificial insemination. He explained 00:09:37.379 --> 00:09:40.240 that those bantam chicken experiments demonstrated 00:09:40.240 --> 00:09:43.139 with certainty that a breeding male can influence 00:09:43.139 --> 00:09:46.080 an entire herd and even a whole segment of a 00:09:46.080 --> 00:09:49.019 population with the use of artificial insemination. 00:09:49.340 --> 00:09:51.720 That's the key takeaway from his youth. He saw 00:09:51.720 --> 00:09:54.120 the power of genetic leverage firsthand, not 00:09:54.120 --> 00:09:55.980 just in abstract theory, but in the tangible 00:09:55.980 --> 00:09:58.120 results of his own controlled breeding trials. 00:09:58.340 --> 00:10:00.659 He was ready to scale up his experiment from 00:10:00.659 --> 00:10:03.299 bantam chickens to the entire Quebec dairy population. 00:10:03.820 --> 00:10:07.600 And this deep, data -driven passion led him straight 00:10:07.600 --> 00:10:10.120 to Laval University in 1960. We have to set the 00:10:10.120 --> 00:10:11.879 political and social context for a moment here. 00:10:12.000 --> 00:10:14.019 Yeah, it's important. Quebec was undergoing its 00:10:14.019 --> 00:10:17.029 quiet revolution. a period of intense modernization, 00:10:17.330 --> 00:10:20.450 secularization, and a strong championing of science 00:10:20.450 --> 00:10:23.210 and rational education over the old ways. And 00:10:23.210 --> 00:10:25.710 the mandate for agriculture, driven by this new 00:10:25.710 --> 00:10:28.529 social philosophy, was clear. Productivity had 00:10:28.529 --> 00:10:31.389 to improve. Dramatically. So Chacon arrives, 00:10:31.570 --> 00:10:34.049 ready to learn, already obsessed with the legendary, 00:10:34.289 --> 00:10:36.590 high -producing, honor roll cows he'd memorized 00:10:36.590 --> 00:10:39.409 from the journal, but his university genetics 00:10:39.409 --> 00:10:42.159 courses. They delivered the intellectual bomb 00:10:42.159 --> 00:10:45.000 that shattered his old, visually driven worldview. 00:10:45.259 --> 00:10:48.200 The profound difference between phenotype and 00:10:48.200 --> 00:10:50.779 genotype. This distinction became the guiding 00:10:50.779 --> 00:10:53.679 star for the rest of his career. Phenotype, what 00:10:53.679 --> 00:10:55.440 you can see, the raw physical characteristics, 00:10:55.559 --> 00:10:57.779 the gross production totals, that's merely the 00:10:57.779 --> 00:10:59.919 expression of genetics. Right. It is, however, 00:11:00.100 --> 00:11:02.840 heavily masked, distorted, and influenced by 00:11:02.840 --> 00:11:05.750 environment and management. The cow's raw production 00:11:05.750 --> 00:11:08.649 isn't purely genetic merit. It's genetics plus 00:11:08.649 --> 00:11:10.909 everything else. Like feed quality, stall comfort, 00:11:11.129 --> 00:11:13.009 milking frequency, the skill of the herdsmen. 00:11:13.190 --> 00:11:17.230 All of it. And this realization that raw performance 00:11:17.230 --> 00:11:20.830 is unreliable must have been jarring for someone 00:11:20.830 --> 00:11:23.149 who spent his youth memorizing raw performance 00:11:23.149 --> 00:11:25.610 data. It's the moment he realized the numbers 00:11:25.610 --> 00:11:28.480 he loved could lie. They absolutely could. The 00:11:28.480 --> 00:11:30.799 source material gives a simple but powerful example 00:11:30.799 --> 00:11:34.799 of how this works. Take two bulls, A and B. Bull 00:11:34.799 --> 00:11:37.639 A's daughters average 8 ,000 kilograms of milk. 00:11:37.899 --> 00:11:41.000 Bull B's daughters average 7 ,500 kilograms. 00:11:41.460 --> 00:11:43.840 Easy choice. You pick bull A. If you're operating 00:11:43.840 --> 00:11:46.799 on intuition, you pick bull A every single time. 00:11:46.879 --> 00:11:49.480 It's a no -brainer. But the math says, wait a 00:11:49.480 --> 00:11:51.899 minute. If Bull A's daughters were being tested 00:11:51.899 --> 00:11:53.840 in these high -feeding, state -of -the -art, 00:11:53.840 --> 00:11:56.480 top -management, specialized purebred herds... 00:11:56.480 --> 00:11:59.279 The ones with unlimited resources. Exactly. While 00:11:59.279 --> 00:12:01.559 Bull B's daughters were only in average conditions, 00:12:01.580 --> 00:12:03.840 maybe in less sophisticated tied stall operations, 00:12:04.220 --> 00:12:06.440 then Bull B might actually carry the genetically 00:12:06.440 --> 00:12:09.019 superior blueprint. The environment for bullies' 00:12:09.039 --> 00:12:11.100 daughters just created a massive amount of noise 00:12:11.100 --> 00:12:13.539 that inflated the performance numbers. The real 00:12:13.539 --> 00:12:15.179 genetic difference, the enduring capability, 00:12:15.500 --> 00:12:17.639 was hidden in the context. You're the farmer 00:12:17.639 --> 00:12:19.559 translator here. What's the modern corollary? 00:12:19.639 --> 00:12:22.100 We see this every day. It's the constant struggle 00:12:22.100 --> 00:12:25.519 with comparison, right? Are you comparing a herd 00:12:25.519 --> 00:12:28.399 using robotic milkers and precision feed management 00:12:28.399 --> 00:12:31.799 in Wisconsin to a pasture -based operation in, 00:12:31.840 --> 00:12:35.539 say, Arizona? The raw kilograms are meaningless 00:12:35.539 --> 00:12:38.039 until you isolate the one variable that can truly 00:12:38.039 --> 00:12:41.759 be passed on, the genetic code. And the solution 00:12:41.759 --> 00:12:44.200 they embraced, the intellectual foundation that 00:12:44.200 --> 00:12:46.759 she coined championed, was contemporary comparison, 00:12:47.039 --> 00:12:50.240 or CC. Tell us exactly how this methodology worked 00:12:50.240 --> 00:12:53.360 to eliminate that noise. Well, CC was ingenious 00:12:53.360 --> 00:12:56.139 in its simplicity and its fairness. It ensured 00:12:56.139 --> 00:12:58.500 that the daughter of a test bull was only compared 00:12:58.500 --> 00:13:00.740 against her contemporaries, meaning daughters 00:13:00.740 --> 00:13:03.100 of other bulls of the exact same age. In the 00:13:03.100 --> 00:13:05.220 exact same herds. Who calved during the exact 00:13:05.220 --> 00:13:07.580 same season. That is the key. You're isolating 00:13:07.580 --> 00:13:10.200 them. By comparing them within the same environment, 00:13:10.320 --> 00:13:12.639 all those variables, the feed, the herdsman's 00:13:12.639 --> 00:13:14.679 talent, the weather, they just cancel each other 00:13:14.679 --> 00:13:17.259 out. What's left? What's left is the genetic 00:13:17.259 --> 00:13:20.700 contribution. The difference in production or 00:13:20.700 --> 00:13:23.419 confirmation between daughter A from testable 00:13:23.419 --> 00:13:27.320 X and daughter B from provable Y, both born within 00:13:27.320 --> 00:13:29.419 a couple months of each other, in the same barn, 00:13:29.580 --> 00:13:32.080 eating the same ration. that can really only 00:13:32.080 --> 00:13:34.460 be attributed to the quality of their sires. 00:13:34.559 --> 00:13:37.220 It created a level statistical playing field. 00:13:37.399 --> 00:13:39.860 Exactly. I love how the source describes this 00:13:39.860 --> 00:13:43.139 entire period for him as a conversion. It wasn't 00:13:43.139 --> 00:13:45.519 just learning a new technique. It was an emotional 00:13:45.519 --> 00:13:48.879 and philosophical shift. He was moving away from 00:13:48.879 --> 00:13:51.440 the intuition, the eye, the subjective impressions 00:13:51.440 --> 00:13:53.440 that had guided his grandfather's generation 00:13:53.440 --> 00:13:56.899 and fully embracing evidence and rigorous scientific 00:13:56.899 --> 00:13:59.940 analysis. It was a declaration that data would 00:13:59.940 --> 00:14:03.820 now be the supreme impartial judge. It was revolutionary 00:14:03.820 --> 00:14:06.039 and it took a phenomenal amount of internal conviction 00:14:06.039 --> 00:14:07.940 to push it forward in the face of, you know, 00:14:07.940 --> 00:14:10.460 decades of tradition. That conviction led him 00:14:10.460 --> 00:14:15.000 directly back to CIAQ in 1966. After completing 00:14:15.000 --> 00:14:17.559 his master's research, Robert Chacoin was tasked 00:14:17.559 --> 00:14:19.759 with establishing the Young -Syre testing program. 00:14:20.179 --> 00:14:22.580 He knew the mechanics, but he also brought a 00:14:22.580 --> 00:14:24.759 crucial modification learned from his studies 00:14:24.759 --> 00:14:28.159 under Dr. C .G. Charlie Hickman. Right. His research 00:14:28.159 --> 00:14:30.220 had exposed a weakness in early testing programs. 00:14:30.460 --> 00:14:33.019 When breeders focus purely on production numbers, 00:14:33.200 --> 00:14:36.080 the physical type, the conformation, it often 00:14:36.080 --> 00:14:38.419 regresses. You get cows that milk a ton but fall 00:14:38.419 --> 00:14:40.740 apart. Exactly. Structural problems, shorter 00:14:40.740 --> 00:14:43.720 longevity. Chacoin realized this wasn't sustainable. 00:14:43.960 --> 00:14:46.559 So he laid down a principle for the new program 00:14:46.559 --> 00:14:49.539 immediately. To be acceptable to dairy producers, 00:14:49.879 --> 00:14:52.379 one must offer young bulls that have the best 00:14:52.379 --> 00:14:54.759 possible indices in production, but they must 00:14:54.759 --> 00:14:56.840 also have attractive indices in conformation. 00:14:57.340 --> 00:14:59.279 The essential difficult balance in breeding, 00:14:59.500 --> 00:15:02.519 but the sheer historical inertia he faced was 00:15:02.519 --> 00:15:05.759 staggering. Oh, the enormous decades long problem 00:15:05.759 --> 00:15:07.879 was that the entire industry had spent 20 years 00:15:07.879 --> 00:15:11.200 preaching one single unwavering gospel. Use herd 00:15:11.200 --> 00:15:13.600 proven bulls. Right. Never risk your income on 00:15:13.600 --> 00:15:16.159 unproven genetics. It was an absolute commandment. 00:15:16.279 --> 00:15:19.059 Now, Chickawain, this young guy fresh out of 00:15:19.059 --> 00:15:21.879 university. had to convince those same -season 00:15:21.879 --> 00:15:25.179 farmers to consciously contradict that core teaching 00:15:25.179 --> 00:15:28.860 and reserve 40 % of their herds for unproven 00:15:28.860 --> 00:15:31.259 test bulls. Let's stop and really imagine that. 00:15:31.320 --> 00:15:34.259 Picture those packed, skeptical halls of weathered 00:15:34.259 --> 00:15:37.580 farmers in the late 60s. What was the mood in 00:15:37.580 --> 00:15:39.779 the room? What was the single most potent argument 00:15:39.779 --> 00:15:41.740 those farmers would have thrown back at him? 00:15:41.980 --> 00:15:44.080 It would have been all about risk and economics. 00:15:44.580 --> 00:15:47.580 The argument would be, my quota is based on proven 00:15:47.580 --> 00:15:51.129 production. If I use your unproven bull and his 00:15:51.129 --> 00:15:53.590 daughters turn out to be average or worse, I've 00:15:53.590 --> 00:15:56.070 wasted two years of feed, two years of management 00:15:56.070 --> 00:15:58.549 time, and I've potentially damaged my profitability 00:15:58.549 --> 00:16:00.769 for the next five years, all in your statistical 00:16:00.769 --> 00:16:03.049 promise. I'm not a research lab. I'm a business. 00:16:03.389 --> 00:16:05.490 Exactly. The skepticism must have been overwhelming. 00:16:05.830 --> 00:16:08.090 Chacoin himself called it a great challenge, 00:16:08.330 --> 00:16:10.309 and it clearly required more than just presenting 00:16:10.309 --> 00:16:13.269 a graph. He launched this campaign of patient, 00:16:13.330 --> 00:16:16.190 relentless persuasion. And it was fundamentally 00:16:16.190 --> 00:16:20.309 about... Education and trust. He wrote article 00:16:20.309 --> 00:16:22.870 after article explaining the contemporary comparison 00:16:22.870 --> 00:16:26.330 methodology in simple, accessible terms for industry 00:16:26.330 --> 00:16:29.029 magazines. He didn't just tell them what to do. 00:16:29.129 --> 00:16:31.830 He showed them the math behind why the numbers 00:16:31.830 --> 00:16:34.210 were superior to their eyes. And he traveled 00:16:34.210 --> 00:16:37.309 constantly. speaking at annual meetings, breed 00:16:37.309 --> 00:16:40.590 associations, across the incredibly vast Quebec 00:16:40.590 --> 00:16:43.730 territory. I mean, the source notes that sometimes 00:16:43.730 --> 00:16:46.250 the locations were so remote that he needed small 00:16:46.250 --> 00:16:48.669 aircraft to get there. He was literally flying 00:16:48.669 --> 00:16:50.690 into remote communities to meet farmers face 00:16:50.690 --> 00:16:53.049 -to -face, to listen to their concerns, and to 00:16:53.049 --> 00:16:55.590 build that trust required for that 40 % commitment. 00:16:56.009 --> 00:16:57.970 He also strategically partnered with established 00:16:57.970 --> 00:17:00.990 figures like Raymond Corvo from Holstein, Canada, 00:17:01.210 --> 00:17:03.350 whose information days were already popular. 00:17:04.269 --> 00:17:06.250 Chacoin would explain the technical principles, 00:17:06.470 --> 00:17:09.410 which often sparked vigorous debate. I bet. One 00:17:09.410 --> 00:17:11.170 of his most controversial assertions was that 00:17:11.170 --> 00:17:13.329 a cow should only be a bull mother if she was 00:17:13.329 --> 00:17:15.710 positive compared to her contemporaries, regardless 00:17:15.710 --> 00:17:17.809 of her raw production totals. That must have 00:17:17.809 --> 00:17:20.450 gone over well. Oh yeah, it went against decades 00:17:20.450 --> 00:17:23.410 of tradition that just prized raw milk volume 00:17:23.410 --> 00:17:25.769 above all else. He also made sure he wasn't just 00:17:25.769 --> 00:17:28.269 arguing his own internal theory. He promoted 00:17:28.269 --> 00:17:30.410 the external University of Gulf research from 00:17:30.410 --> 00:17:33.470 Murray Hunt, which endorsed that specific 40 00:17:33.470 --> 00:17:37.589 % test bowl, 60 % proven sire split. He was using 00:17:37.589 --> 00:17:41.089 external validation to combat that internal skepticism. 00:17:41.269 --> 00:17:44.299 But the most ingenious long -term move the one 00:17:44.299 --> 00:17:46.619 that truly cemented the success and built loyalty, 00:17:46.920 --> 00:17:49.940 was the famed mailbox campaign. This is brilliant. 00:17:50.119 --> 00:17:52.920 From the very beginning, CIAQ made a deliberate 00:17:52.920 --> 00:17:55.559 strategic habit of mailing the pedigrees and 00:17:55.559 --> 00:17:58.759 photographs of each new young bull to every single 00:17:58.759 --> 00:18:01.319 breeder whose herd qualified for genetic evaluations. 00:18:01.799 --> 00:18:03.660 Wait, sending out pictures of every single bull, 00:18:03.720 --> 00:18:05.579 many of which would fail? That sounds like incredibly 00:18:05.579 --> 00:18:07.900 expensive marketing. How did that cost compare 00:18:07.900 --> 00:18:09.900 to the risk they were asking farmers to take? 00:18:10.099 --> 00:18:12.279 The cost was a fraction of the value they created. 00:18:12.400 --> 00:18:14.480 It wasn't just marketing. It was empowerment. 00:18:14.980 --> 00:18:17.740 The host reflects the breeders waited impatiently 00:18:17.740 --> 00:18:20.279 for the arrival by mail of the pedigrees. It 00:18:20.279 --> 00:18:22.380 was like a subscription to the future. They felt 00:18:22.380 --> 00:18:24.920 like shareholders in the discovery process. That 00:18:24.920 --> 00:18:27.880 is the critical psychological hook. It built 00:18:27.880 --> 00:18:30.740 a personal bond of loyalty to the program from 00:18:30.740 --> 00:18:33.240 one generation to the next. They weren't just 00:18:33.240 --> 00:18:35.319 passively receiving semen, they were actively 00:18:35.319 --> 00:18:38.559 studying the raw material. They felt invested. 00:18:38.980 --> 00:18:42.160 And that built a resilient program that could 00:18:42.160 --> 00:18:44.599 withstand the inevitable failures that come with 00:18:44.599 --> 00:18:47.819 testing unproven sires. And the reward for this 00:18:47.819 --> 00:18:50.730 patience and courage started to arrive. Of the 00:18:50.730 --> 00:18:52.690 first seven test bulls put through the program, 00:18:52.950 --> 00:18:55.890 three achieved the highly coveted X -ray status 00:18:55.890 --> 00:18:58.650 from Holstein Canada. And for anyone unfamiliar, 00:18:59.029 --> 00:19:02.150 what exactly does X -ray statuses signify in 00:19:02.150 --> 00:19:05.089 Canada? It's not just a high evaluation. It is 00:19:05.089 --> 00:19:07.829 an official designation awarded by Holstein Canada 00:19:07.829 --> 00:19:10.849 to sires who are truly breed leaders. It means 00:19:10.849 --> 00:19:12.930 the bull ranks in the elite top percentage for 00:19:12.930 --> 00:19:16.079 both genetic merit and reliability. So for a 00:19:16.079 --> 00:19:17.819 brand new program, having three out of seven 00:19:17.819 --> 00:19:19.940 reach that pinnacle immediately validated the 00:19:19.940 --> 00:19:22.200 entire methodology. It did. The momentum built 00:19:22.200 --> 00:19:24.319 quickly as the test bull's offspring started 00:19:24.319 --> 00:19:26.799 performing on the farm, and crucially for the 00:19:26.799 --> 00:19:29.220 purebred guys, winning at cattle shows. Which 00:19:29.220 --> 00:19:31.799 brings us full circle back to our speckled friend, 00:19:32.079 --> 00:19:35.640 Senator 73H0101, the ultimate proof that the 00:19:35.640 --> 00:19:39.519 data model worked. CIAQ acquired him in 1967 00:19:39.519 --> 00:19:42.339 at the Harris -Wilcox dispersal sale in New York. 00:19:42.730 --> 00:19:44.710 Chacoin's interest wasn't in the bull itself, 00:19:45.029 --> 00:19:47.849 but in the eloquent pedigree. And eloquent is 00:19:47.849 --> 00:19:49.650 the right word. Look at the names stacked behind 00:19:49.650 --> 00:19:53.509 him. Sevens, Burke Skylark, Osberndale Ivanhoe, 00:19:53.730 --> 00:19:56.690 Burke Govington DeCole. His maternal grandmother, 00:19:56.970 --> 00:19:59.849 mother, and sire were all connected to proven 00:19:59.849 --> 00:20:03.190 positive indices. Chiquin admitted he had never 00:20:03.190 --> 00:20:05.109 seen such a strong collection of proven indices 00:20:05.109 --> 00:20:07.730 on the male side of a pedigree before. But the 00:20:07.730 --> 00:20:09.890 dam's photograph was still the sticking point. 00:20:09.990 --> 00:20:13.190 It was terrible. So CIAQ did the sensible thing. 00:20:13.309 --> 00:20:15.230 They didn't trust the picture. They sent a team 00:20:15.230 --> 00:20:17.349 to the auction site to evaluate the mother in 00:20:17.349 --> 00:20:19.369 person. And their assessment was a resounding 00:20:19.369 --> 00:20:21.809 win for the numbers. They found shoes far superior 00:20:21.809 --> 00:20:23.809 to her photograph, especially a mammary system, 00:20:24.029 --> 00:20:26.369 which was excellent. The team was convinced, 00:20:26.450 --> 00:20:29.529 and CIAQ bought the young bull. But when Senator 00:20:29.529 --> 00:20:31.529 was offered to breeders, they still ignored him. 00:20:31.880 --> 00:20:36.079 Why? The three concerns just coalesced. The dam's 00:20:36.079 --> 00:20:38.660 mediocre photograph, her modest raw production 00:20:38.660 --> 00:20:41.940 records, and that dreaded speckled coat. It was 00:20:41.940 --> 00:20:44.759 too much effort, too much perceived risk, and 00:20:44.759 --> 00:20:48.359 too much administrative dread. So he sat in reserve, 00:20:48.640 --> 00:20:50.900 used only by those who didn't pick a specific 00:20:50.900 --> 00:20:53.259 bull. But the mathematical clock kept ticking. 00:20:53.710 --> 00:20:57.670 And in February 1973, six years later, the patient, 00:20:57.869 --> 00:21:01.009 persistent data started pouring in. Senator's 00:21:01.009 --> 00:21:03.269 first 22 daughters posted positive production 00:21:03.269 --> 00:21:05.609 and crucially positive confirmation results. 00:21:05.890 --> 00:21:08.109 I can only imagine the relief and quiet triumph 00:21:08.109 --> 00:21:10.170 in Chicoine's office that day. The vindication 00:21:10.170 --> 00:21:12.089 must have been incredible. They had risked capital 00:21:12.089 --> 00:21:13.990 and credibility on a statistical promise that 00:21:13.990 --> 00:21:15.930 the rest of the industry mocked. It was a monumental 00:21:15.930 --> 00:21:18.960 victory. CIAQ immediately pulled him out of the 00:21:18.960 --> 00:21:20.940 reserve pool and put him fully back into service. 00:21:21.059 --> 00:21:24.779 And by 1978, the vindication was absolute. Senator 00:21:24.779 --> 00:21:27.279 was officially awarded extra bowl status. But 00:21:27.279 --> 00:21:29.759 the story takes a tragically sharp turn here. 00:21:30.119 --> 00:21:32.460 Just as elite breeders across the world were 00:21:32.460 --> 00:21:35.140 finally noticing him, his use was strengthening, 00:21:35.279 --> 00:21:37.740 and then Senator was removed from the stud due 00:21:37.740 --> 00:21:40.680 to doubtful results on a health test. Oh no. 00:21:40.980 --> 00:21:43.519 His semen reserves were quickly exhausted. The 00:21:43.519 --> 00:21:45.319 timing just couldn't have been worse. That is 00:21:45.319 --> 00:21:49.450 heartbreaking. Years of work validated market 00:21:49.450 --> 00:21:53.089 triumphal cut short by a health hiccup. But as 00:21:53.089 --> 00:21:55.869 we know, genetics has a longer memory than markets 00:21:55.869 --> 00:21:58.089 or short -term health tests. Let's trace that 00:21:58.089 --> 00:22:00.930 legacy because it's extraordinary. He sired pro 00:22:00.930 --> 00:22:03.349 -laid Ruth Senator, who captured grand champion 00:22:03.349 --> 00:22:05.829 honors at the Quebec Provincial Exhibition in 00:22:05.829 --> 00:22:08.670 1981. This wasn't just a win, it was an inspiration. 00:22:09.480 --> 00:22:11.900 Legendary breeder Pierre Boulet even credits 00:22:11.900 --> 00:22:15.099 his lifelong passion for Holsteins to his adolescence 00:22:15.099 --> 00:22:17.839 spent helping care for that very cow. And she 00:22:17.839 --> 00:22:20.059 quite often reflected that even if Senator had 00:22:20.059 --> 00:22:22.480 only sired that one female who inspired the career 00:22:22.480 --> 00:22:24.680 of the now legendary Pierre Boulet, he would 00:22:24.680 --> 00:22:27.039 have done useful work. But it went much, much 00:22:27.039 --> 00:22:30.220 further. His genetics became foundational. Crucially, 00:22:30.339 --> 00:22:33.339 his genes traced directly through Comastar Laurie 00:22:33.339 --> 00:22:37.299 Sheik. A huge name. A huge name. A cow whose 00:22:37.299 --> 00:22:40.609 third dam was sired by Senator. Chacoin himself 00:22:40.609 --> 00:22:43.549 called her the best -kept secret of Quebec Holstein 00:22:43.549 --> 00:22:46.309 breeding of the last 50 years because her descendants 00:22:46.309 --> 00:22:49.450 formed the bedrock of so many modern elite pedigrees. 00:22:49.589 --> 00:22:52.029 And his influence traces right up to the modern 00:22:52.029 --> 00:22:55.039 show ring. Eastside Louisville Gold Missy, Grand 00:22:55.039 --> 00:22:58.079 Champion in 2011, traces back to Senator twice. 00:22:58.880 --> 00:23:02.019 Rosiers Blexie Goldwyn, Grand Champion in 2017, 00:23:02.420 --> 00:23:04.980 has a maternal ancestor sired by a Senator's 00:23:04.980 --> 00:23:07.160 son. And Chicoine estimated that more than 50 00:23:07.160 --> 00:23:09.759 % of contemporary Canadian subjects whose ancestry 00:23:09.759 --> 00:23:12.519 goes back to that era feature Senators' presence 00:23:12.519 --> 00:23:14.769 in their pedigree. Half the Canadian Holstein 00:23:14.769 --> 00:23:17.250 population carries the DNA of the speckled bull 00:23:17.250 --> 00:23:19.069 nobody wanted because he was too much trouble 00:23:19.069 --> 00:23:21.529 to draw on paper. That is the ultimate triumph 00:23:21.529 --> 00:23:24.769 of data over subjective impression. But Senator's 00:23:24.769 --> 00:23:27.589 success only solved one problem. Chacoin still 00:23:27.589 --> 00:23:29.670 faced another, even more stubborn tradition, 00:23:29.970 --> 00:23:32.829 the sacred star -brewed cow rule. Tell us about 00:23:32.829 --> 00:23:35.430 that rule because it was untouchable for decades. 00:23:35.869 --> 00:23:39.289 It was absolute institutional dogma. For decades, 00:23:39.589 --> 00:23:42.009 the industry standard was that a potential test 00:23:42.009 --> 00:23:44.500 bull's mother, Had to be classified, at least. 00:23:45.700 --> 00:23:47.920 Very good. Often around 10 years old. Why so 00:23:47.920 --> 00:23:50.420 old? Because without modern superovulation techniques, 00:23:50.799 --> 00:23:53.200 you needed time and age to prove her breeding 00:23:53.200 --> 00:23:56.140 value through her natural offspring. The logic 00:23:56.140 --> 00:23:59.420 was, don't gamble on an unproven young cow. But 00:23:59.420 --> 00:24:02.019 the result was that... the industry was constantly 00:24:02.019 --> 00:24:04.420 breeding from the oldest generation, meaning 00:24:04.420 --> 00:24:07.940 genetic progress was inherently slow. When Chicoine 00:24:07.940 --> 00:24:09.960 once asked a prominent breeder for an exception, 00:24:10.319 --> 00:24:13.279 the reaction was immediate and absolute refusal. 00:24:13.660 --> 00:24:16.339 It was out of the question. No discussion. And 00:24:16.339 --> 00:24:18.720 this belief was so deeply ingrained that even 00:24:18.720 --> 00:24:21.809 CIAQ an organization now steeped in data confidence, 00:24:22.069 --> 00:24:25.369 felt restricted. It took them 20 years, two decades 00:24:25.369 --> 00:24:27.990 of successful program history, to finally build 00:24:27.990 --> 00:24:29.990 the institutional confidence to challenge this 00:24:29.990 --> 00:24:32.750 rule. Think about the opportunity cost, all the 00:24:32.750 --> 00:24:34.589 elite genetics they might have missed in that 00:24:34.589 --> 00:24:37.250 20 -year window. It's staggering. The audacious 00:24:37.250 --> 00:24:40.430 test finally came when CIAQ dared to test Sons 00:24:40.430 --> 00:24:43.869 from a promising young, primiparous cow, a first 00:24:43.869 --> 00:24:46.150 -calf heifer, who was classified only good plus 00:24:46.150 --> 00:24:49.779 at 84 points. Nowhere near the traditional Very 00:24:49.779 --> 00:24:52.019 good threshold. That decision must have caused 00:24:52.019 --> 00:24:54.779 serious political anxiety. You can just hear 00:24:54.779 --> 00:24:56.460 the arguments. We're going to use a good plus 00:24:56.460 --> 00:24:59.000 damn. If this fails, we destroy the credibility 00:24:59.000 --> 00:25:02.220 we spent 20 years building. It was a huge organizational 00:25:02.220 --> 00:25:06.000 risk. And the payoff for that audacity. Two bulls 00:25:06.000 --> 00:25:08.380 emerged. Commissar Lee and Commissar Top Gun. 00:25:08.539 --> 00:25:11.960 Both achieved extra bull status. But Comstar 00:25:11.960 --> 00:25:14.680 Lee, that bull became one of the most used bulls 00:25:14.680 --> 00:25:16.619 in the entire history of the Holstein breed. 00:25:16.779 --> 00:25:19.640 We're talking 1 .5 million doses of his semen 00:25:19.640 --> 00:25:22.480 distributed globally. A global legend. Produced 00:25:22.480 --> 00:25:24.960 by a dam, the old industry rules would have dismissed 00:25:24.960 --> 00:25:27.299 out of hand. Simply because she hadn't achieved 00:25:27.299 --> 00:25:30.160 an arbitrary age and classification target. That 00:25:30.160 --> 00:25:32.359 proved definitively that true genetic value can 00:25:32.359 --> 00:25:34.400 be identified in youth if you trust the rigorous 00:25:34.400 --> 00:25:37.240 data analysis. It was the final nail in the coffin 00:25:37.240 --> 00:25:39.609 of the wait -and -see approach. Now, the success 00:25:39.609 --> 00:25:42.269 of the Young Sire program, combined with superstars 00:25:42.269 --> 00:25:45.109 like Hanover Hill Starbuck, created a rare commodity 00:25:45.109 --> 00:25:47.950 in cooperative agriculture, a massive revenue 00:25:47.950 --> 00:25:51.690 surplus for CIAQ. And Chicoine, ever the visionary, 00:25:52.049 --> 00:25:55.170 immediately saw the next frontier. If they had 00:25:55.170 --> 00:25:58.269 mastered the male side through data, the female 00:25:58.269 --> 00:26:00.769 side reproduction fertility, embryo quality, 00:26:00.990 --> 00:26:04.509 deserved the same intense scientific focus. This 00:26:04.509 --> 00:26:06.910 led directly to the birth of Bovatek in 1986. 00:26:07.690 --> 00:26:09.890 Their initial mandate wasn't commercial. It was 00:26:09.890 --> 00:26:12.950 clear research. Improve frozen embryo fertility 00:26:12.950 --> 00:26:15.710 rates, which were a huge, frustrating challenge 00:26:15.710 --> 00:26:18.250 at the time, a focus that still resonates today. 00:26:18.430 --> 00:26:20.609 But every innovation creates waves of resistance. 00:26:21.519 --> 00:26:24.500 Bovatec faced immediate pushback. The vet faculty 00:26:24.500 --> 00:26:26.579 at the University of Montreal wanted to control 00:26:26.579 --> 00:26:29.559 the research funds. Local vets feared a new competitor, 00:26:29.759 --> 00:26:31.799 and breeders worried Bovatec would eventually 00:26:31.799 --> 00:26:34.279 compete with them in the emerging embryo market. 00:26:34.420 --> 00:26:36.859 It was a political minefield. The solution wasn't 00:26:36.859 --> 00:26:39.519 brute force. It was masterful diplomacy and structure. 00:26:39.940 --> 00:26:42.539 Chacoin structured Bovatec as a subsidiary with 00:26:42.539 --> 00:26:45.160 its own independent board, insulated from CIAQ's 00:26:45.160 --> 00:26:47.779 day -to -day operations. And they appointed a 00:26:47.779 --> 00:26:50.000 diplomatic general manager, Anne Louise Carson, 00:26:50.220 --> 00:26:52.759 whose specific task was to smooth those tensions. 00:26:53.259 --> 00:26:55.859 When we look at the state of genomics and embryo 00:26:55.859 --> 00:26:58.900 transfer today, that original investment in female 00:26:58.900 --> 00:27:02.720 -side research was absolutely prophetic. If Bovitek 00:27:02.720 --> 00:27:05.579 was born from prosperity, the other great structural 00:27:05.579 --> 00:27:08.359 legacy, the CEMEX alliance, was truly forged 00:27:08.359 --> 00:27:11.150 in existential crisis. The groundwork started 00:27:11.150 --> 00:27:14.190 earlier, in 1988, when Chicoine met Doug Blair 00:27:14.190 --> 00:27:17.109 of Western Breeder Service. They recognized a 00:27:17.109 --> 00:27:20.230 vulnerability. Small, regional AI centers are 00:27:20.230 --> 00:27:22.529 financially exposed during lean years. Right. 00:27:22.609 --> 00:27:25.130 If one center hit a dry spell, they could face 00:27:25.130 --> 00:27:26.809 collapse while their partners were thriving. 00:27:27.049 --> 00:27:29.730 The solution they developed was brilliant. An 00:27:29.730 --> 00:27:31.789 income -sharing arrangement based on each center's 00:27:31.789 --> 00:27:34.069 share of the national numbers. It pooled resources 00:27:34.069 --> 00:27:37.089 to smooth fluctuations. This concept was realized 00:27:37.089 --> 00:27:39.269 as GenXL in 1990, and it worked immediately. 00:27:40.230 --> 00:27:42.710 CIAQ, which had been flying high with Starbuck, 00:27:42.809 --> 00:27:44.990 found itself briefly without StarSuns while its 00:27:44.990 --> 00:27:47.089 partners found them. The alliance supported them, 00:27:47.190 --> 00:27:49.769 proving the concept. But then, the landscape 00:27:49.769 --> 00:27:52.690 shifted dramatically. Western breeders acquired 00:27:52.690 --> 00:27:55.710 landmark genetics, forming AltaGenetics, and 00:27:55.710 --> 00:27:58.069 suddenly had its own international distribution 00:27:58.069 --> 00:28:01.069 network. They announced their intent to leave 00:28:01.069 --> 00:28:03.990 the Cemex Canada export structure. This instantly 00:28:03.990 --> 00:28:06.150 plunged the remaining Canadian partners into 00:28:06.150 --> 00:28:09.190 crisis. The Canadians demanded a majority stake 00:28:09.190 --> 00:28:12.369 in any merged entity to maintain control. Alta 00:28:12.369 --> 00:28:15.650 refused. The negotiations collapsed. And this 00:28:15.650 --> 00:28:17.970 is where the drama peaked. The Alta board chairman 00:28:17.970 --> 00:28:20.509 announced their positions were irreconcilable. 00:28:20.650 --> 00:28:23.349 And hours later, the general manager of Cemex 00:28:23.349 --> 00:28:25.869 Canada, who had supported Alta's proposal, tendered 00:28:25.869 --> 00:28:28.430 his resignation and, in a moment of sheer political 00:28:28.430 --> 00:28:31.710 drama, just walked out. The same day. You're 00:28:31.710 --> 00:28:33.150 kidding. The same day negotiations collapsed. 00:28:33.269 --> 00:28:35.150 He just walked out. Wow. So the whole thing just 00:28:35.150 --> 00:28:36.869 collapses into chaos. The source says it was 00:28:36.869 --> 00:28:39.569 quite a dramatic situation. We did not have a 00:28:39.569 --> 00:28:41.930 clearly defined plan for the future. That is 00:28:41.930 --> 00:28:43.970 a crisis. It was a moment of true necessity. 00:28:45.089 --> 00:28:47.369 Chacoin and his remaining partners realized that 00:28:47.369 --> 00:28:49.890 fragmentation meant the end of Canadian genetics 00:28:49.890 --> 00:28:52.269 global competitiveness. They had to act faster 00:28:52.269 --> 00:28:54.490 than the market could react. So what was the 00:28:54.490 --> 00:28:57.829 tactical move? Chacoin and Gordon Sauter championed 00:28:57.829 --> 00:29:01.029 a radical solution. They decided to pool the 00:29:01.029 --> 00:29:03.970 ownership of all bulls into a single new entity, 00:29:04.130 --> 00:29:06.970 not just the income stream, but the actual genetic 00:29:06.970 --> 00:29:09.230 assets. So it wasn't just a partnership you could 00:29:09.230 --> 00:29:12.210 leave. No. The Cimex Alliance, founded January 00:29:12.210 --> 00:29:15.769 1, 1997, was structured precisely to make departure 00:29:15.769 --> 00:29:18.970 extremely difficult, anticipating future consolidation 00:29:18.970 --> 00:29:21.529 pressures. They unified their genetic future 00:29:21.529 --> 00:29:24.670 in a moment of existential crisis. It's the ultimate 00:29:24.670 --> 00:29:27.130 example of necessity creating a structure designed 00:29:27.130 --> 00:29:29.710 for the long game. That single decision, born 00:29:29.710 --> 00:29:32.769 from desperation, is why CEMEX is still a dominant 00:29:32.769 --> 00:29:35.349 global force today. And speaking of the long 00:29:35.349 --> 00:29:37.349 game, we have to talk about Sunny Lodge Janus. 00:29:37.490 --> 00:29:40.430 This shows how Chacoin's vision operated on timescales 00:29:40.430 --> 00:29:43.690 that dwarf any single human career. In late spring 00:29:43.690 --> 00:29:46.490 of 1972, Chacoin stopped at Sunny Lodge Farm. 00:29:46.690 --> 00:29:49.539 He noticed a cow. Sunny Lodge Janice, with a 00:29:49.539 --> 00:29:51.980 good udder, concentrated on the strong rag apple 00:29:51.980 --> 00:29:54.539 line. He recognized an opportunity for a carefully 00:29:54.539 --> 00:29:56.759 targeted line breeding mating. He proposed a 00:29:56.759 --> 00:29:59.660 contract mating to Nona Mifon Matt, whose pedigree 00:29:59.660 --> 00:30:02.140 was also rich in that same rag apple line. That 00:30:02.140 --> 00:30:04.980 first mating produced Sunny Lodge Jester. He 00:30:04.980 --> 00:30:07.140 was a modest success, positive in production 00:30:07.140 --> 00:30:09.900 and confirmation. But he was critically negative 00:30:09.900 --> 00:30:13.079 for size when breeders wanted big animals. His 00:30:13.079 --> 00:30:16.059 popularity suffered. Decent bull, not a game 00:30:16.059 --> 00:30:18.049 changer. But they repeated the mating the following 00:30:18.049 --> 00:30:21.029 year, which produced a heifer, Sunny Lodge Fond 00:30:21.029 --> 00:30:23.269 Vicky. Now, hold on to that name. Sunny Lodge 00:30:23.269 --> 00:30:25.950 Fond Vicky, born in 1974. Fast forward decades. 00:30:26.619 --> 00:30:30.019 On January 3, 2000, Sunny Lodge fawn Vicki became 00:30:30.019 --> 00:30:32.559 the seventh dam of Braydale -Goldwyn. Wait, seven 00:30:32.559 --> 00:30:35.680 generations? A single calculated breeding decision 00:30:35.680 --> 00:30:39.160 in 1972 rippled through 28 years and seven female 00:30:39.160 --> 00:30:41.299 generations to help produce Braydale -Goldwyn, 00:30:41.380 --> 00:30:44.500 a bull who became a true global genetic legend. 00:30:44.720 --> 00:30:46.660 It's the ultimate testament to the longevity 00:30:46.660 --> 00:30:48.910 of genetic planning. Jacoyne's small notebook 00:30:48.910 --> 00:30:52.029 entry about Sunny Lodge Janus in 1972 was influencing 00:30:52.029 --> 00:30:54.630 millions of dollars of market value, thousands 00:30:54.630 --> 00:30:57.269 of pedigrees almost three decades later. That 00:30:57.269 --> 00:30:59.250 is a timescale almost no other industry has to 00:30:59.250 --> 00:31:01.940 operate on. The lesson there is clear. Your most 00:31:01.940 --> 00:31:03.980 important breeding decision today may not reveal 00:31:03.980 --> 00:31:06.880 its significance for decades. It truly is a generational 00:31:06.880 --> 00:31:09.019 commitment. All right, Jake, someone's listening 00:31:09.019 --> 00:31:11.220 to this deep dive right now, maybe stuck in a 00:31:11.220 --> 00:31:13.680 snowdrift or making a high -stakes decision on 00:31:13.680 --> 00:31:16.440 their next mating strategy. What's the one thing 00:31:16.440 --> 00:31:19.119 from Robert Chacoin's incredible journey they 00:31:19.119 --> 00:31:21.099 should sit with? It comes down to his guiding 00:31:21.099 --> 00:31:23.539 philosophy in every crisis, whether it's technical, 00:31:23.740 --> 00:31:26.960 political, or financial. Necessity is the law. 00:31:28.340 --> 00:31:31.000 This means that when you are in a genuinely difficult 00:31:31.000 --> 00:31:34.279 situation, finding the best possible evidence 00:31:34.279 --> 00:31:36.779 -based solution is the only rule you must adhere 00:31:36.779 --> 00:31:39.579 to, without hesitation, regardless of tradition. 00:31:39.859 --> 00:31:42.779 It's pragmatism driven by data, not by sentiment. 00:31:43.140 --> 00:31:45.460 Exactly. If the data tells you the speckled bull 00:31:45.460 --> 00:31:47.960 is superior, you use him. If the crisis demands 00:31:47.960 --> 00:31:50.769 you pool all your assets, you do it. And I think 00:31:50.769 --> 00:31:53.029 the underlying lesson reinforced by Senator and 00:31:53.029 --> 00:31:54.890 the star -brewed cow challenge is that the principle 00:31:54.890 --> 00:31:57.369 that vindicated him trusting a statistical index 00:31:57.369 --> 00:32:00.369 over a subjective impression or photograph is 00:32:00.369 --> 00:32:03.210 the exact foundation that powers every single 00:32:03.210 --> 00:32:05.950 genomic decision you make today. That faith in 00:32:05.950 --> 00:32:08.049 the numbers is a direct legacy of this period. 00:32:08.490 --> 00:32:11.150 Absolutely. And building on that, don't throw 00:32:11.150 --> 00:32:13.769 in the towel too quickly if a sound data -backed 00:32:13.769 --> 00:32:17.170 plan doesn't yield immediate results. CIAQ's 00:32:17.170 --> 00:32:19.829 big push to recruit milk recording herds initially 00:32:19.829 --> 00:32:22.390 produced no star bulls for several years. It 00:32:22.390 --> 00:32:25.490 felt like a failure. But that patience was vindicated 00:32:25.490 --> 00:32:27.869 later when that effort yielded global legends 00:32:27.869 --> 00:32:31.009 like Startmore Rudolph and Mauflin Storm. Your 00:32:31.009 --> 00:32:34.089 strategy might be sound, but the timeline for 00:32:34.089 --> 00:32:36.390 the reward in genetics is often longer than any 00:32:36.390 --> 00:32:39.079 human anticipates. Stick with the data. It's 00:32:39.079 --> 00:32:41.339 a reminder that we are always playing the longest 00:32:41.339 --> 00:32:43.660 of games in dairy. It is. That's another story 00:32:43.660 --> 00:32:45.839 from the Bullvine podcast. These are the pioneers, 00:32:46.180 --> 00:32:48.200 the pragmatists, and the people building the 00:32:48.200 --> 00:32:50.400 future of dairy by learning the deepest lessons 00:32:50.400 --> 00:32:52.420 from the past. If you are looking for the next 00:32:52.420 --> 00:32:54.460 piece of insight or another great story about 00:32:54.460 --> 00:32:56.740 the people and science shaping our farms, find 00:32:56.740 --> 00:33:01.259 more at www .thebullvine .com. Next time, we're 00:33:01.259 --> 00:33:03.220 talking to a producer applying these complex 00:33:03.220 --> 00:33:05.660 genetic lessons on a commercial scale, showing 00:33:05.660 --> 00:33:08.099 how Chacoin's vision is shaping everyday profitability. 00:33:08.500 --> 00:33:09.920 Subscribe so you don't miss it.