Black & White Days in the Anniversary Year – A Great Success

The Osnabrueck Herdbook was founded in 1901 and therefore celebrated its 125th anniversary during the 47th International Osnabrück Black & White Days at the traditional date on the last weekend of January.

At the breeders’ reception on Friday, Chairman Hajo Leyschulte welcomed around 500 guests from Germany and abroad. Despite challenging winter weather conditions and the currently tense milk market situation, there was still a great deal of interest in OHG’s most important Holstein show event of the year.

Judge Zsolt Körösi

The Hungarian judge, Zsolt Körösi, selected three very well-balanced heifers with excellent udders from the three heifer classes for the final round: HaH Dörte, an Allgaud daughter from Schulze Holstein GbR, KKH Lambda Tessa from Kolckhorst-Kahle and GNH Happen Miss Dior from Milchhof Kilver. He chose KKH Lambda Tessa as the winner because of her even firmer udder attachment and slightly more height in the rear udder area compared to HaH Allgaud Dörte. He gave preference to this Schulze heifer because of her slightly more body and more central ligament compared to the white GNH Miss Dior from Milchhof Kilver, who had already won several awards in type competitions.

Junior champion – KKH Tessa
Kolckhorst-Kahle in Haltern

Reserve junior champion – HaH Dörte
Schulze Holstein GbR in Vennermoor

Intermediate Age Classes – Second & Third Calvers

The intermediate age category, including second- and third-calving cows, was particularly strong this year. In the final set, the 2023 Champion Heifer GNH Oceana (Milchhof Kilver) placed ahead of the 2024 Champion Heifer, the red and white Karolina from Schulze Holstein GbR. However, for the ultimate Champion Pair, Judge Körösi chose the younger second-calving cows with higher udder floors and a superior combination of dairy character with strength and udder attachment: BIL Europa (Chrushabull × MILTON) from Bielefeld-Dalvers GbR took top honors, while BAL Alligator Poesie from Jürgen Ballmann secured the Reserve Champion position.

Intermediate champion — BIL Europa
Bielefeld-Dalvers GbR in Dalvers

Reserve intermediate champion – BAL Poesie
Ballmann in Vennermoor

OHG genetics particulary successful in older show cows

In the older cow classes, two light-coloured ROYCE daughters, which had already been presented in the progeny group with second-calf cows in 2023, emerged as the winning duo for the final selection due to their outstanding quality and firmness in udder attachment. The SUNTRO P dam Rekord from Timmering-Brandl Milch KG, now in her fifth lactation, was the clear winner for Zsolt Körösi due to her advantages in body and type, ahead of the fourth-calf Lisa from Lübbert in Schledehausen. Lisa, in turn, beat the class winner in the oldest cow class, Missouri Wasa from Kettmann (reserve winner at the last Black and White Days), into third place due to her strength in the fore udder attachment.

Older cow champion — ROYCE daughter Rekord
Timmering-Brandl Milch KG in Vehs

Older cows reserve champion — ROYCE daughter Lisa
Lübbert in Schledehausen

CARUSO and MIRCO impressed with 10 daughters each

For more than a year now, the two bulls CARUSO (Chilton x Gymnast) and MIRCO (Mick x Reserve) have been among the group of very successful OHG daughter-tested bulls and continue to rank high in the top lists. Above all, however, they impress with their very complete, flawless breeding value profiles. In terms of conformation, the two bulls are quite different and complement each other perfectly.

With the CARUSOs, Zsolt Körösi was impressed by the correctness of the feet and legs and the firmly attached udders of these strong, but only slightly medium-framed cows.

The MIRCO daughters impress with their stylish appearance, good strength and width, and extremely firm, highly productive udders with ideal teat placement and length.

Both breeders, Joachim Hehmann for CARUSO and Sheri and Jason Danhof for MIRCO, who originated from an embryo import, were honoured on site for their breeding achievements. Both cow families will continue to have a major influence on the OHG programme in the future with bulls such as MIKE (Migel from a half-sister to Caruso) as well as NEXO and MILO (both from full sisters to Mirco).

Honouring breeder Joachim Hehmann for CARUSO

Honouring breeders Sheri and Jason Danhof for MIRCO

Outstanding Top Genetics Auction

The range of animals on offer at this year’s Top Genetics Auction was highly appealing to prospective buyers from both Germany and abroad in all segments, from calved heifers and type cattle to, above all, top genomic animals. Despite the recent decline in cattle prices, all 10 calved heifers sold for between €5,000 and €5,800. The sale of the nine top genomic animals was particularly fast-paced, with seven of them alone fetching top prices of over €12,500. The absolute top seller was the red-and-white, homozygous polled Sundance PP (Handout P x Borax Red), which also impressed with a top RZG value of 161 and went to a German breeding organization. She was sold for €31,000, making her the top seller at this auction, just like her great-grandmother Sunny P in 2020.

Top seller at auction – €31,000 – Sundance PP by Klowersa in Kl. Bokern