three Mclntosh herds do well

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33454, 8 February 1974, Page 7

three Mclntosh herds do well

Among dairymen, and particularly those in the Friesian world, the name Mclntosh is well known and with good reason as indicated by the results for the 1972-73 herd testing season.

In that season one of their herds had the distinction of being the highest producer in the country for herds of more than 120 cows — and it is believed that its performance may not have been bettered before — and another Mclntosh herd headed the lists for herds of more than 70 cows and set a new national record for herds of that size. A third Mclntosh herd was the top producer in the Christchurch testing group. The herds involved are those of two brothers and a cousin and their families. They are all on town milk supply. Of the three herds, that with the highest fat production for the season was the Glenlea herd of Messrs F. A. Mclntosh and Sons, of Flaxton. For 81 cows in 300 days it had an average of 6321 b of fat and 15,0561 b of milk with a 4.2 per cent test. This herd, which has been under test since just before World War 11, had the highest average in the 1972-73 season for herds of more than 70 cows in New Zealand and it set a new record for fat production

for herds of that size — • the previous best performance was 6031 b of fat for • 80 cows. i Five cows in the Glenlea [ herd averaged more than ■ 8001 b of fat and 19 topped . the 7001 b mark. The top producer was . Glenlea G.P. Buttercup i VHC with a record of 9011 b , of fat from 19,4971 b of milk and a 4.6 per cent , test. It was her sixth Jacta- , tion of more than 7001 b , and in eight lactations she has averaged 7151 b. She is . incidentally the dam of [ Glenlea Linmack Butterfly producing 5821 b of fat as a two-year-old and winner of the Canterbury Oaks last year. : The second highest fat ■ producer and the top milk : producer was Glenlea i Dekol Adele VHC with a production of 20,1791 b of i milk and 8891 b of fat and a : 4.4 per cent test. > All of the cows doing : better than 8001 b of fat are descended from Glenlea Ormsby Butterqueen VHC, 1 who was top cow in the Kaiapoi group in ',957-58. I The Riverbrae herd of Mr R. G. Mclntosh, ■ brother of Mr F. A. Mclntosh, and his son Mr K. T. ' Mclntosh, at Prebbleton had a fat average of 6091 b for their 72 cows from | 15,2691 b of milk with a 4 ; per cent test in 298 days. • Theirs was the top herd "in I the Christchurch testing i group. i They had three cows which topped the 8001 b mark for fat and 11 doing between 700 and 8001 b. Their top performer was a rising nine-year-old, Delaware SP Saphire VHC, with 8421 b of fat, 19,6111 b | of milk and a 4.3 per cent 1 test for 305 days. The runner-up in this i herd and also top milk producer was Riverbrae BP Diamond VHC, which did 8251 b of fat from 21,1881 b of milk with a 3.9 per cent test. She is by Riverbrae i Brab President, which was sold to Australia in 1970, and young milking stock in the herd are by Glenray Mac Napoleon, a six-year-old now in Australia with a : rating of plus 26 and a , daughter production ex-. ■ pectancy of 7391 b of fat, ! 17,5721 b of milk and a 4.21 per cent test. And the final herd is the Ashley herd of Mr G.

P. Mclntosh, a cousin of Messrs F. A. and R. G. Mclntosh, and his son at Waikuku with 121 cows. It had an average of 13,5961 b of milk, 5641 b of fat and a 4.2 per cent test for 293 . days. Its performance was the best for herds in New Zealand with more than 120 cows and its figures are ! believed to be the highest 1 ever attained by a herd of that size. ’ Thirteen members of this big herd produced more ' than 7001 b of fat and their average was 7551 b. The top '■ performer was Ashley L.I.C. ' Echo, a five-year-old doing ' 16,9901 b of milk and 8121 b ■ of fat with a 4.8 per cent * test in 305 days. The highest milk producer was Ashley L.I. Grace, also five : years old, which produced ; 21,9091 b of milk with 7801 b '■ of fat and a 3.6 per cent test. Both of these cows ■ are by Pukeroro Isar Loader. ■ The best three-year-old in 1 the Ashley herd was Ashley 1 S.M.L. Echo with 15,2071 b

of milk, 7131 b of fat and a 4.7 per cent test. Between them the three Mclntosh herds had 274 pedigree Friesians under test and their over-all average was 595.91 b of fat. All of the herds have exported animals to Australia, as well as making sales! to all parts of the country,) and have performed well ini the show ring. The Mclntosh family have been milking cows for many years. They were using early milking machines powered by steam in the early days of this century. The original 'Mclntosh: was the late Kenneth Mcln-i tosh, who arrived in Canterbury in the Mystery; in 1859 and settled at Kaiapoi and then in 1872 shifted to Southbrook. He was noted not as a dairy farmer but as a breeder of Clydesdales and an agricultural farmer. Mr J. G. Mclntosh, son of Mr G. P. Mclntosh, is a fifth generation Mclntosh.