| Marlu Milady |
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| Written by Administrator | ||||||||||
| Sunday, 12 November 2006 | ||||||||||
Page 1 of 2 The 1960s saw the USA Jersey breed dominated by the "Zinnia" cow family from Marlu Farm, Lincroft NJ, owned by Maurice Pollak and managed in that era by Curtis Hobson. Marlu Farm rose to prominence as the result of two bulls. The first, Wonderful Advancer, gave them a foundation of cows to breed from that had traditional Jersey breed fertility and longevity at respectable levels of production. The second, Favorite Commando, added a world of "dairy" to the Advancer-bred cows, and things started happening. The family that rose to prominence from this cross we call the "Zinnia"s. Within this family was to develop a six-generation "Excellent" cow family over 100,000 pounds lifetime production, and from the Advancer-Commando cross came the centerpiece of the family, Marlu Milady, who held the national production record for Jersey cows for several years (1956 to 1964).
"Milady" among other offspring produced the main Marlu herdsire, Marlu Milestone, born in 1953, who became a leading sire in the breed and has defined the major bloodline of the breed up to the emergence of the sons of Secret Signal Observer (sire of "Chocolate Soldier" and "Quicksilver") in the 1970s. "Milestone" was a Smooth, Stylish bull who sired a modern shapely udder and maintained test% as he increased production. Every AI stud had to have at least one "Milestone" son; at Curtiss, the entire family of available "Milady" bulls from Marlu were assembled at one time. "Milestone" was promoted with a partner, Tymor Farms of NY (managed by Bob Lord) and later with an interest sold to Mayfield Farms of TN, on the basis of $100 per live calf for use of his semen (later raised to $200 after "Milestone" quit producing semen). This had the consequence of making fairly exclusive offspring, from some of the leading cows of the day. Among the daughters produced were Pixys Milestone Jody for David Kelley in Wisconsin, who had a leading herd of the "Tristram" line. In his dispersal this cow sold to Mayfield Farms and developed a family from whom several AI sires were used. The sire with an enduring impact is Jodys Imperial Surville, who was an active sire in the Canadian AI program, leaving sons like Valleystream JIS Juno and Meadowlawn J Imperial.
"Milady" had a full sister, Marlu Milady Zinnia, who was sold at the top of the 1956 Marlu Choice Sale to a Canadian buyer, Kingshurst Farms in Quebec. This cow produced the cow line that leads to Kingshurst Milad Zinnias, who is sire of Kinghurst Zinnias Bright (Supreme EX), dam of two of the Canadian AI foundation sires, Meadowlawn Bright Spot and Meadowlawn J Imperial. The bulls trace at least four times to either "Milady" or her full sister "Zinnia" and are among the last AI-system bulls to be a total outcross to Secret Signal Observer. The Marlu herd was managed on a grazing system, with cows on grass up to ten months per year in the coastal climate of the "Garden State". "Milady" in making her national record was advertised as never receiving more than 20 pounds of 14% grain daily, but had access to baled hay and grass free choice. She and her descendents were dominant among Jersey AI sires until the feeding shift away from grazing and toward higher-protein% grain rations and ensilage. On higher-energy rations, the "smoother" Marlu cattle would tank up too quickly and as a result were not as persistent compared to the taller-featured cattle coming from High Lawn and the West Coast. The partnership with Mayfield Farms of TN on "Milestone" probably added ten years of life to the "Milestone" bloodline, as it brought him the opportunity to cross against a great sire of Open frames and a Taller "modern" dairy-quality look. This was MF Lindale Beacon Bas, a Maurice Beatty bull Mayfields brought down from Canada and used extensively to modernize their herd. Among many of the good cows that resulted from the "Milestone" x "Beacon Bas" cross was Mayfield Milestone Doris (EX) whose son, Beauty Doris Master, was the first of several bulls of these bloodlines that modernized the Canadian Jersey through the Cooperative AI Programme. The latest descendant of "Milestone" to influence Canadian Jerseys is Duncan Belle, who carries five "Milestone" crosses. A blow to the "Milady" cow family also came with the identification of her grandson, Marlu Fashion Leader, as a carrier of the recessive "Limber Leg". This is a condition in which calves are unable to stand normally, as the nerve signals to the legs do not work to tense the muscles. "Fashion Leader" was sired by Marlu Commando Pattern (a son of Favorite Commando from another family) from one full sister to "Milestone", Marlu Milady Fashion Plate (EX). The KSU researchers working with the AJCC eventually traced the "Limber Leg" gene back to Favorite Commando. "Milady" had several full brothers, among them Marlu Commando Milkman *LL, and Favorite Advancer (herd sire for the Sweet Jerseys in OR) whose son Favorite Advancers Tristram came East to High Lawn as a herd sire in 1955. Bred quite similarly to the "Jody" cow (his dam was by Tristram Lord Basil), he sired two important bulls, Favorite Secret Triumph (sire of Favorite Saint) and Favorite Forester (sire of Forest Midnight). "Forester" sired size that was a couple decades ahead of his time, and is of note as sire of the third dam behind Highland Duncan Lester. It is worth note that the "Fashion Leader" bull mentioned, in spite of his "Limber Leg" status, has been an enduring influence for Jersey production. Willrich Mercury *LL is from a "Fashion Leader" dam and the "Flower" cow who is dam of Molly Brook Brass Major has as her third dam a daughter of a "Fashion Leader" son . Other Milady family bulls prominent in current sire lines include Marlu Miladys Supreme, a 75% brother to "Milestone", sire of the grandam of "Althea", and Marlu Milady Fashion Prince *LL, sire of the third dam of JS Quicksilver Royal. Therefore both of these are in pedigree when it includes Comfort Royal Alf (QS Royal son of Althea). In essence, the Marlu Farm bloodline was focused upon two cows: Imp Wonderful Snowdrop, the dam of Wonderful Advancer, and Imp Brampton Basilua, maternal grandam of Favorite Commando. When Marlu decided it needed an outcross (perhaps to escape Limber Leg? They had experience of *LL calves before anyone knew it was a recessive, and just blamed it on selenium deficiency, or too much close linebreeding) they went to related blood, and purchased from J Fred Davis the amazing show cow, Beacon Bas Patience, who was bred by their "Milestone" partner Mayfield Farms. J Fred was using her "Milestone" son, JFD Empire, but Marlu chose to breed her to an "Advancer" bull, Advancer Sleeping Jester, which produced the bull Fanfare of Marlu. This bull was a taller, flatter-boned compliment to the smoother, dairy but somewhat rounder boned Marlu cattle, but was not up to the "genetic trend" in the breed for milk volume as "Sleeper" was considered a show-type bull and his daughters were slower to mature into their full milking potential. Mayfield's had bred her to "Milestone" when sold to J Fred which resulted in a heifer, Milestone Bas Patience, who later produced the bull JFD Title (sired by a "Sleeper" son) who was the bull who made the Canadian Jersey "Tall" in one generation..
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| Last Updated ( Sunday, 12 November 2006 ) | ||||||||||
