The science of cows

The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair arrived in Toronto, and it brought cows.

At the far end of the Ricoh Coliseum, past the vendors and the petting zoo, hundreds of cows stand, sleep, eat or wander to sheering stations while onlookers of every age take pictures and mutter about the smell.

Farmers quietly turn over the hay with pitchforks, or chat around the many radios playing everything from top ten hits to hair metal.

The cows are the attraction, but according to Julien Chavot, sire analyst for Semex, the fair represents a major business opportunity.

“Some of these animals are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars,” said the 44-year-old from Embrun, Ont., “This little calf, her mother won here last year. So this calf, we sold her for $25 thousand.”

The cattle industry revolves around genetics and heritage.  Manuel Gutierrez of Quality Farms and Adam Hunt, a sales rep for an Ohio-based genetics company, said that each cow acquires an index comprising production statistics, health scores and appearance, among other attributes.

“We have histories of indexes back to when cows were first registered in Canada 120 years ago,” said Gutierrez, a herdsman from Vaughan, Ont.

The 31-year-old pointed out that the elite, award-winning cows at the fair are the product of nine or 10 generations of genetic cultivation.

The indexes aren’t merely a determinant in present success, said Hunt, but a scientific factor in the worth of future offspring.

“You have heritage going back, and then heritage planning for the future,” said Hunt, 37, “You can do a genomic profile of a calf, and know within about 75 per cent of certainty how productive that animal is going to be.”

Hunt attributes the rise of Quebec cattle farms, who have a large presence at the Toronto fair, to the growth of the genetics industry.

“It’s a more vibrant market of genetics in Quebec,” he said, “Central Ontario used to be the hotbed for the best cattle in the world.  Since all the genetics have been sold to customer outside of Ontario, now those genetics are everywhere.”

While science plays a large role, hard work is still paramount in the age of genetics.  The preparation process for next year begins the day the Royal finishes.

“It’s like taking care of your kids,” said Neil Hunter, 38, owner of the Napanee, Ont. farm Hometown Jerseys, “You spend all year on it, and when you do a really good job taking care of them, they respond.”

Gabriel Marois compares the rigorous routine to the off-season of a hockey player.

“The cow is always on preparation, like an athlete,” said the 25-year-old apprentice at a Saint-Georges, Que. farm.

All of this work and breeding, even in vitro fertilization, goes toward increasing the worth of the livestock.

“The average cow might be worth $2500 today.  We’re trying to make her worth $200 thousand by proving that she can win two, three years in a row—proving that she is exceptional,” said Hunter.

“We’re taking care of them the way you like to take care of yourself.  We pamper them the same, and when you do a good job, they respond,” he said.