Belaw Milan Elm 11 EX90-2E 11* with a lifetime yield of 109 tonnes of milk has been a phenomenal cow for our 200 strong Belaw herd over the last fifteen plus years.
Born in December 2000 she is sired by the Mountain son Genus Milan, and is one of only seven of his UK daughters to score EX. Elm 11 herself is the epitome of longevity, now in her twelfth lactation and served again to Flagship she started life as a 'slow burning' heifer at G78 and with a 305 day yield of 5152kg at 3.65% fat and 3.37% protein, but simply getting better year on year. In terms of classification she went to be a GP82 second calver, then to VG85 in her fourthth, to VG88 in her ninth and then scored EX90 with EX91 feet and legs and EX93 dairy strength in both her tenth and eleventh lactations. Her production similarly improved with age and it certainly was passed on to her daughters, she has a best record in her sixth of 12,288kg in 305 days at 4.11% fat and 3.18% protein.
Elm 11 was herself one of two EX daughters from the Rothrock Tradition Leadman daughter Belaw Leadman Elm 8 EX90-2E who also had longevity with 11 completed lactations herself.
Without doubt though the greatest impact Milan 11 has left on the Belaw herd has been in her progeny, sufficiently so to elevate her to 11 * brood cow status- all by naturally born daughter - perhaps a UK record? She has had six daughters of which four are EX and the other two VG, while her last natural calf was a son born in September 2014 by Pesky, although a very late in life flush to Seagull Bay Silver has resulted in one bull - Belaw Selver born in March 2016.
As mentioned though her daughters are having a massive impact; her eldest daughter Belaw Jayson Elm 15 EX91-5E has five lactations over 12,000kg, up to 14,167kg at 4.01% fat and 3.0% protein and is also LP100, who in turn has bred two EX Shottle's (the best of which is EX93-3E has given 93 tonnes and has three VG daughters, including a 63T VG87 Roy daughter), a VG86 Shottle and a 2015 Bookem. Then she had Belaw Convincer Elm 16 EX94-5E who is also LP100, with six lactations over 11,000kg and two were even over 15,000kg, she also has five daughters the best of which is the EX91 Belaw Shogun Elm 35. Her third EX daughter is Belaw Shottle Elm 18 EX94-5E with seven lactations over 10,000kg and also five females including Belaw Homestead Elm 28 EX90-2E. Also with five 10,000kg plus yields is Elm 11's fourth daughter Belaw Champion Elm 27 EX90-3E who only has one daughter a GP82 Shottle. Then finally her last two daughters were both Shottle's again, Belaw Shottle Elm 40 VG87 is now fresh at the time of writing in her fourth with 9238kg at 4.36% fat and 3.46% protein in her third, with as yet uncalved daughters by Boulder, Pirate and Nadal, while Belaw Shottle Elm 44 VG85 has two 10,000kg plus lactations and calved her third in July 2016 to Grafeeti.
Perhaps we'll only get a cow like Elm 11 once in our lifetime at Belaw but the legacy that she is leaving with such prolific high producing and high performing offspring here at the farm is a tremendous credit to Dad and all the staff.
