Bos Dairy, on a Mission with Registered Jersey Genetics
Bos Dairy is on a mission. In its own words, the dairy is determined to breed “cow families you can count on.” If the dairy’s success in other avenues of business are key indicators, it will succeed with the cattle breeding mission as well.
Bos Dairy is three years into a five-year plan and has already reached several goals. Elite genomic females and males have been sold to genetics companies and Jersey breeders across the country, a thriving market for commercial cattle has been built, prize winners have been shown on the tanbark trail, and the Registered Jersey portion of the herd has continued to grow.
To showcase top cow families, Bos Dairy plans to hold a bi-annual sale featuring fancy show pedigrees and elite genomics. Co-hosted with The Franchise Kind, the first sale is on the books for June 3, 2023, in Columbus, Ohio.
The entity known as Bos Dairy LLC is two dairies owned and operated by Isaak and Lori Bos in Lovington, N.M. The original dairy, Bos Dairy, milks 5,400 Jersey crosses and is managed by Erik Hagedoom. The second dairy, Outlook Dairy, milks 5,200 Registered Jerseys and is managed by the couple’s son, Jerod. Their daughter, Helena, is the office manager for both dairies and Mark Brindeiro heads the genomics and genetics program.
From Holland to California to Oregon and Back
A great deal of Isaak’s success as a dairy entrepreneur can be attributed to his mindset and well-rounded experience, which includes work outside the dairy world.
He was born in Holland and emigrated to Escondido, Calif., with his family in 1977 when he was 10. When a neighboring dairy farmer heard he liked cows, he offered him a job. The enthusiastic 13-year-old was responsible for feeding calves and milking cows. In 1983, he moved to Oregon to work at Bonanza View dairy. More impactful than the additional cow knowledge was another event that changed his life. Here, in the bulk tank room, he met his future bride, Lori, who was charged with cleaning the room and farm offices and daughter of the farm manager.
In 1984, Isaak switched gears and returned to California to work in the greenhouse industry. A year later, he journeyed back to Holland to learn how to grow vegetables hydroponically. He established his own hydroponics business in California in 1986 and married Lori in 1987. The couple raised European cucumbers on two acres and sold wholesale to restaurants and to consumers at local farmers markets.
But when his love for cows tugged at his heart strings, he and Lori moved back to Washington in 1991 and established a dairy farm in the town of Outlook. They moved to the current farm in Lovington in 1996 when they were given opportunity to lease purchase a farm and double herd size.
They purchased the second dairy, Outlook Dairy, in 2007. They continued to grow the milking herd and broke the 5,000-cow milestone at Bos Dairy in March 2020.
Enacting the Plan
Bos Dairy was a Holstein dairy until 2004, when the first Jerseys joined the dairy. Initially, they bred Jersey crosses. Today, the plan is to transition the entire herd to Jersey. Target markets for Bos Dairy genetics include commercial cattle, elite genomics and show cows.
To improve overall herd genetics, Bos Dairy has adopted an extensive embryo transfer program. In 2019, they built an oocyte pick-up (OPU) and in-vitro fertilization (IVF) facility on the farm. By doing this, donor dams can be housed at home in Lovington and flushed more frequently, yielding more oocytes per cow. About 25 donor dams are flushed once every two weeks. Conception rates for embryos is 53%. The technology and facility have enabled Bos Dairy to make rapid genetic gains.
Service sire matings are made individually based on a female’s Dairy Mating Service (DMS) phenotypical evaluation, her pedigree, and her genomic evaluations. All females are genotyped and the herd is enrolled on REAP.
Though Bos Dairy had been breeding the bottom end of the herd to beef bulls, they have discontinued this practice and are now breeding all females to Jersey bulls. By focusing on reproducing the top end through OCU/IVF and inputting embryos in the lower end, they have found a ready market for all replacement animals.
Bos Dairy began showing as a means of networking and getting their name in front of potential buyers. Show cows are managed by Dusty and Nicole Schirm at their farm, The Franchise Kind, in Ashville, Ohio. Mark became friends with Dusty in 2017, so when Isaak expressed interest in showing, The Franchise Kind was an obvious choice when it came to finding a home for the Bos Dairy show cows.
Foundation Animals
Breeding “cow families you can count on” starts with a solid foundation of seed stock. For Bos Dairy, solid means deep pedigrees with multiple generations of Very Good or Excellent dams and proven transmitting ability.
Foundation genetics have come from Ahlems Farms Partnership, Hilmar, Cailf.; Evans Dairy, Buhl, Idaho; the Franchise Kind; Sunset Canyon Jerseys, Beaver, Ore.; Trans-Ova Genetics, Sioux Center, Iowa; and Wickstrom Jersey Farms, Hilmar. Purchases were also made from Brentwood Farms of Orland, Calif., including 47 100 head from the recent dispersal.
The first genomic purchase, Boyd Dashiell Portia 21515-ET, Very Good-86%, is a donor dam that has proven her merit. She has 24 registered progeny to date, many ranked on the top lists for genetic merit. Her son, Bos Isner Pardon-P-ET, is available through CRV. Two daughters rank among the top 500 for GJPI as do two granddaughters, including Bos Steno 1233, ranked #105 (+165 GJPI).
Bos Dairy also purchased heavily from elite sales like the All American and the National Heifer Sale. Another early genomic purchase was Vierra Chief 31350, consigned by Vierra Dairy of Hilmar in the National Heifer Sale in 2020. A donor dam at Bos Dairy, she has 26 registered progeny to date and still ranks among the 1.5% for genetic merit with a Genomic Jersey Performance Index (GJPI) of +121. Among her sons in A.I. are Bos Bronze Erik-ET, Bos Orbicularis Peter-ET, and JX Bos Gronk Grumpy Seth {5}-ET at CRV and Bos Elvis Jerod 1062-ET at Semex.
Several other genomic standouts at Bos Dairy hail from Trans-Ova bloodlines. Among them is TOG Warmingia 38960-ET, Very Good-84%, purchased in March 2021. She has 31 registered progeny, including a son, Bos Dusty 100141-P-ET, at Select Sires, and a daughter, Bos Dabo Wear It 1304-ET, ranked #217 for genetic merit with a GJPI of +160.
Another genomic star bred by Bos Dairy from Trans-Ova bloodlines is the breed’s former #1 polled heifer, Bos Isner Sand 728-P-ET. She is now owned by Vierra Dairy Farms and ranks #4 on the polled list with a GJPI of +174.
Bos Dairy has sent other bulls to A.I. as well, including Bos Leon-P-ET, at Semex. Other bulls slated to head to Semex are JX Bos Grad Doc Ian 100084 {6}-ET, JX Bos Gutz Don Lucas 10010 {6}-ET, JX Bos Gutz Gary 100094 {6}-ET, and JX Bos Steno Esteban 100089 {6}-ET. Bos Bronze Marky Mark-ET was chosen by CRV.
The first three show animals to call Bos Dairy home were purchased privately from The Franchise Kind: Marlau Andreas Jennette, Stadview Gentry Velocity, and Ehrhardt Nuance Swirl.
“Velocity” has helped to put Bos Dairy on the tanbark roadmap and solidified a working relationship with Dusty and Nicole. She was named Reserve All American Winter Calf in 2020 and then Reserve Junior Champion of The Jersey Event in 2021, holding her own with entries by prominent exhibitors Vierra Dairy and Ernest Kueffner and Terri Packard of Boonsboro, Md. Tracing six generations back to Avonlea D Jude Karmel, Excellent-94%, she earned a maximum score of Very Good-89% as a two-year-old and is knocking on the door of becoming a seventh-generation Excellent. She placed fifth in the senior two-year-old class at the International Jersey Show in October and was recently nominated All-American in the All-Breed Access contest.
“Swirl” hails from the Bri-Lin Rens Sofie cow family. Now a donor dam, she is stamping calves with great potential to follow in her footsteps in the show ring. “Swirl” appraised Very Good-87% six days fresh in June and will be rescored in January. She shows strong promise of returning to the show ring.
Another show favorite, Hi Poits Colton Teresa, recently raised to Excellent-91%, was initially purchased with The Franchise Kind. The senior three-year-old is the reigning Reserve Intermediate champion of the Ohio Spring Show.
A more recent purchase and a favorite of nearly everyone at Bos Dairy is MM Colton Fearless. The four-year-old received a maximum score of Excellent-91% this past June. Out of 2019 National Reserve Grand Champion, River Valley Excitation Flawless-ET, she came to Bos Dairy as a two-year-old and has two daughters that bear the Bos prefix.
A daughter of another well-known show cow, Big Guns Jamaica Vanilla, Excellent-95%, is influencing the herd as well. Big Guns Remake Vodka, Excellent-93%, has given Bos Dairy 33 registered progeny to date. Three daughters recently appraised Very Good as two-year-olds. Big Guns Varsity Swag-ET and Big Guns Andreas Vienna scored 87 points while Big Guns Andreas Viva-ET earned a final score of Very Good-86%. Another daughter, Big Guns VIP Vanessa-ET, was named GJPI Junior Champion of the All American Jersey Show in 2021 and will be scored for the first time in January. All are due to calve this year, in time for the 2023 show season.
And finally, Schulte Bros Colton Fancy Lady, Very Good-88%, is showing promise as well. A potential 12th generation Excellent, she was bred by Schulte Bros. of Watkins, Iowa, and continues the “Lady” lineage developed by Pleasant Nook Jerseys, Ayr, Ont. She stood fifth in the junior two-year-old class at the All American Jersey Show in November and was recently nominated All-American.
The Dairy Itself
Beyond show cows and elite genomics, the dairy itself is worth writing home about. Perhaps because of Isaak’s experience with other aspects of agriculture, the dairy pays special attention to crops and the ration. The family farms about 3,800 acres of ground growing corn and oats and some alfalfa.
Outlook Dairy has a state-of-the art indoor feed area with automatic doors and two stand-alone mixers. The facility also includes micro-mineral machines so they can mix their own formulations. Though it was expensive to build, it is worth its weight in gold. In New Mexico it isn’t uncommon for 40-mile-per-hour winds to erode a grain bin. By protecting grains from heat and wind, the facility has reduced loss and more than paid for itself.
Cows at both dairies are milked twice a day in identical parlors: double-40 parallel barns fitted with Beco equipment.
Heifers are raised in hutches, initially in about 2,000 calf hutches as individuals and then 120 super hutches as groups. Outlook Dairy is equipped with a 500-gallon milk mixer and automatic 14 bottle filler, automated bottle and nipple washer, and milk pasteurizer.
When they reach their mountaintop, perhaps Isaak and Lori will take on another challenge. Only time will tell. But for now, a love for cows, the ability to care for them, and opportunity to provide a wholesome food for community is enough to keep them on the dairy farm raising Registered Jerseys.
Family photo and cows in headlocks photo courtesy Andrew Hetke Photography.
