Dec/2004   Who we Are! 

Dec/2004   Classification Highlights!

December 20, 2004 – The bells are ringing this holiday season as Excalibur Sires is chiming in with more ‘Sires of Excellence’ to bless the dairy producer with year round!

MD-Maple Lawn Manifest, 204HO2015, finished with an astounding mark of EX-93.  This is amazing to see as Manifest increased three points from an EX-90 only nine months ago.  Manifest’s pedigree tells the story how he came to be such a handsome young sire.  The combination of Marcrest Encore and the recently scored EX-96 EX-98-MS Fruendly-Acres Ljet Murphy may have been the perfect combination.  This bloodline is dripping with type and flowing with milk as the All-American Murphy also brings records over 41,000 pounds of milk, over 1600 pounds of fat, and near 1200 pounds of protein!  The initial results are in and Manifest’s daughters are coming in, looking spectacular, and milking the bulk tank full.

Budjon-JK Empower-ET, 204HO2020, is another exciting Marcrest Encore son that has a promising future ahead of him.  Empower left the day with a mark of EX-92; he also improved over his previous score from March.  Empower descends from the Wisconsin 2002 Cow of the Year Krull Broker Elegance EX-96 GMD DOM.  Elegance carries a top record of 40,950 pounds of milk, 1522 pounds of fat, and 1350 pounds of protein.  Empower also has tremendous parent averages of +2.70 type, +1.91 udder composite, and +1.23 feet and leg composite giving any dairy producer high hopes and milky dreams for the future.

The proven sire line-up yields similar results as Excalibur is pleased to announce that the young and exciting MD-Delight Storm Alanta, 204HO2014, has broken the glass ceiling by scoring a spectacular EX-90.  Alanta’s pedigree is deep with type and production with Storm as his sire and the famous brood cow, MS Kingstead Chief Adeen-ET 2E-94, as his dam.  When mentioning Adeen, one cannot fail to mention her full sister and Alanta’s aunt, Shoremar S Alicia, the recently scored EX-97 EX-99-MS icon!  With a unique aAa score of 516, Alanta is siring beautiful VG two-year-olds with udders so beautiful and strong it looks as if they have been placed by a welder!

There were also a couple of first time scores for Excalibur Sires.  The first score of EX-90 belonged to Sher-Est Mtoto Supreme-ET.  Supreme, 204HO2013, is an Mtoto son from a strong maternal line including a VG-88 GMD DOM dam, EX-90 GMD DOM grand-dam, EX-91 GMD third dam, and a 2E-91 DOM fourth dam.  Supreme is a bull to keep your eye on as he carries a SUPREME type along with a SUPREME feet and leg composite with both rank over +2.10.

Excalibur Sires offers only the top genetics the breed can find.  For more information about any of these sires or Excalibur Sires in general, please contact your local sales representative, contact the office direct at 507-282-7451 or visit online at www.excalsires.com.

Nov/2004   Proof Highlights

November 10, 2004 – Excalibur Sires could not be more pleased to announce the results of the November 2004 proofs.  The results of the proofs can only be explained as a broken record because time and time again Excalibur Sires cannot wait to share the new terrific results with the consumer.  As we settle in for the winter, take warmth in knowing you can find true genetic progress with Excalibur Sires now and in the future.  Excalibur Sires has over 400 proven bulls to choose from as well as 1000 young sires sampled per year giving Excalibur Sires extreme bull power!

The November proofs have maintained one of the strongest line-ups the company has ever had.  Excalibur Sires continues to have four of the top ten sires on the TPI list.  They are as follows:  Norman +1949, Laudan +1803, Merinit +1748, and Manager +1729.

Norman added five daughters this latest proof to strengthen his numbers.  Norman remains near the top of several statistical categories in the Holstein breed including TPI +1949, net merit of +740, and fat of +118 pounds.  This outcross sire with the aAa code of 564 makes Norman one of the elite outcross sires the industry has to offer.

The Mtoto sons continue to impress the market with solid type and production traits.  Merinit, the number seven TPI bull in the breed transmits over 1800 pounds of milk, 83 pounds of fat while carrying a low SCS with type and composites ranging from +1.33 to +1.81.

Manager, the number ten TPI bull in the breed who traces back to Sunnylodge Prelude Spottie VG-87 CAN 18*, has an unbelievable SCS of +2.60, solid type and composites ranging from +1.53 to +1.80 along with a unique aAa code of 162 to match up with those tricky aAa matings.  This well-rounded bull happens to be a mating sire of sons.

Another Mtoto son worth mention is a bull by the name of Mock.  Mock is a feet and leg specialist and has a FLC of +2.02.  He transmits a steep foot angle with legs that track correctly.  Mock is also a calving ease sire.  He is perfect for those heifers you want to freshen in with no problems and improve their genetics with positive production and type traits across the board.

Delano is another sire in the line-up turning some heads.  Delano’s daughters are deviating +1624 milk, +50 fat, and +56 protein.  When using Delano, the results will generally be big powerful cows that make milk very easily.  This can be seen by looking at his maternal line that starts with Nunesdale Starbuck Delmira 3E-95 DOM.  Four of his five previous dam’s are classified EX-94 or higher with Gold Medal Dam and Dam of Merit awards galore while one dam carries All-American honors!

Lerox is a sire that has quietly become a marquee sire in the Excalibur line-up.  With bloodlines tracing back to C Hanoverhill Tony Rae 3E-96 and the two-time Queen of the Breed Glenridge Citation Roxy EX-97 4E GMD, Lerox may prove to be one of the best transmitting sires available on the market today.  Lerox daughters tend to be deep, open ribbed animals with a strong udder cleft while pulling those pesky front teats back towards the center of the fore udder.  Lerox has 144 daughters in his proof making his +2.04 for type very appealing to most breeders.

Last but not least is Alanta, the Storm son from MS Kingstead Chief Adeen 2E-94.  Daughters of this young bull have an age adjusted score of 84.7!  This figure is higher than that of Durham 84.3, BW-Marshall 83.4, and Hi-Metro at 82.4.  With a family tree that includes the newly scored Shoremar S Alicia EX-97 EX-99-MS, only the 27^th cow to ever classify EX-97, his grand-dam C Aitkenbrae Starbuck Ada 2E-94 DOM and his well known dam, it is of no surprise to Excalibur that he is as special as has become.  Sires like Alanta and the rest of the line-up are the foundation of the ‘Sires of Excellence’ offered through Excalibur.    

For more information about Excalibur Sires please contact your local representative, call the office direct at 507-282-7451, or browse the Excalibur Sires website at www.excalsires.com.

Oct/2004    Excalibur Sires, Supporting Excellence at World Dairy Expo 2004

October 20, 2004 - Excalibur Sires was greatly honored to be asked to sponsor several of the most prestigious awards at the 2004 World Dairy Expo. In the all new International Junior Show, Excalibur sponsored both the Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion awards for the Holstein breed which were won respectively by Mactalla Leader Ida exhibited by Paul Skarka of  Ballston Spa, New York and Brett Byma of Ilion, New York. Excalibur also sponsored the Supreme Champion award for the International Junior show, which was won by Martin Cozzitorte of Gustine, California with his Jersey cow Llolyn Jade Griffen.

In the open show, Excalibur Sires sponsored the Champion rosettes for all 7 breeds. In addition, Excalibur also sponsored the most coveted award of the entire show, Supreme Champion of World Dairy Expo. This year’s winner was Hillcroft Leader Melanie, the champion Holstein, owned by Arethusa Farm of Litchfield, Connecticut.    

“Dairy farmers around the world have supported us and given us an opportunity to become a major player in today’s market. We feel that it is important that we give back to the industry, especially to the junior programs,” stated David Winkels owner of Excalibur Sires.

 More information about the Excalibur Sires line-up can be found by contacting your local sales representative or by contacting the Excalibur Sires office direct at 507-282-7451.

David and Julie Winkels (4th and 5th from right) representing Excalibur Sires

Sponsor of the highest honor, Supreme Champion of World Dairy Expo 2004

Julie and Ben Winkels (3rd and 4th from right) representing Excalibur Sires

Sponsor of the highest honor of the Junior Show, Supreme Jr. Champion of World Dairy Expo '04

Adam Johnson (far right) representing Excalibur Sires

Sponsor of the Grand Champion Holstein of the Open Show

 Tina Suhr (2nd from right) representing Excalibur Sires

Sponsor of the Grand Champion Jersey of the Junior show

Adam Johnson (3rd from left) representing Excalibur Sires

Sponsor of the Grand Champion Holstein of the Junior Show

Oct/2004    Invest in our Best - A Tremendous Success

October 28, 2004 - At this year's World Dairy Expo a new and very exciting program was launched: Invest in Our Best Silent Auction. A silent auction was held during World Dairy Expo, with all the proceeds going to fund the new International Junior Show. Well over $14,000 was raised from the sale of 26 lots; these lots ranged from frozen semen and embryos to limited edition framed prints. All of the items sold were donated, so each sale resulted in a substantial net profit for the youth program.

Tom Morris volunteered his services to run a live close to the auction on Saturday October 2. Excalibur Sires of Rochester, Minnesota was the single largest consignor donating 100 units of semen from several of the VERY highest TPI bulls in the Holstein breed. The retail value of this semen was over $4000.00. "I had approached John Rozum in February 2004 about the possibility of an auction at Expo with the proceeds to benefit Expo’s youth programs," stated David Winkels, owner of Excalibur Sires. “Talk is cheap, and I felt we should put our money where our mouth is. When I proposed the idea to John I knew it was extremely important, and to get the project rolling, for Excalibur to set a standard for others to follow. We have a very strong commitment to give back to the dairy industry that we enjoy being part of, especially the youth that are our future.”  

With the HUGE success enjoyed by this years event, Investing in our Best is destined to become a permanent fixture at World Dairy Expo.  Selections for the 2005 auction, which promises to be bigger and better, are already under way and any company or individual that would like to donate items should contact Lisa Behnke Marketing Manager at World Dairy Expo 608-224-6455.

Pictured are David Winkels (right) of Excalibur Sires and John Bierbaum (left).  Excalibur Sires was the largest consignee of the “Invest in our Best” at the 2004 World Dairy Expo.  Bierbaum was the purchaser of several lots including some of the semen consigned by Excalibur Sires.

Sep/2004    Tina Suhr Joins Excalibur as Executive Assistant

ROCHESTER, MINNESOTA – Sept 7, 2005 –Excalibur Sires is pleased to announce that Tina Suhr has joined the Excalibur team as the Executive Assistant. This position is based out of the Excalibur Sires headquarters in Rochester, Minnesota.  Tina’s major duties will include:  taking orders from sales representatives, managing the inventory, and helping the sales representatives with any other requests that may come along.

Tina lives on a 90 cow dairy operation, Zumbro Ridge Farms, with her husband Doug and two daughters, Sierra and Gabrielle.  On top of their responsibilities with the dairy operation, they have 600 acres of corn, beans, and alfalfa for feed and cash crop.  Outside of her position with Excalibur Sires, Tina enjoys spending her time with her family, friends, and those most important in her life.

Tina grew up on a dairy farm near Peterson, Minnesota, and later moved to a hobby farm later in her childhood.  Tina graduated from Chosen Valley High School in 1991 and Riverland Technical College in 1992.  In 1993 she married her husband Doug and shortly thereafter moved to and took over managing the third generation family dairy farm in Kasson, Minnesota. 

Excalibur Sires, based in Rochester, Minnesota, is the fastest growing A.I. company in North America.  In cooperation with global partners, Excalibur Sires progeny tests over 1000 Holstein young sires a year.  For more information, please contact your local representative, call the office direct at 507-282-7451, or visit us online at www.excalsires.com.

Aug/2004    Proof Highlights

September 3, 2004 - Excalibur Sires could not be more pleased to announce the fantastic results of the August 2004 proofs.  This August Excalibur was once again amazed at the fine balance of type and production that the ‘Sires of Excellence” give to the customer.  Excalibur Sires now has 30 bulls over 1500 TPI, over 400 proven bulls to choose from as well as 1000 young sires sampled per year giving Excalibur Sires extreme bull power!

The August proofs have given Excalibur Sires one of the strongest line-ups the company has had.  A remarkable four of the top ten on the TPI list are those of Excalibur; this includes three of the top five.  They are as follows:  Norman +1999, O-Man +1942, Laudan +1817, Sosa +1807, Merinit +1770, Jesther CV +1762, Morty +1761, Murphy +1749, Duce +1745, and Manager +1741.

Norman is no longer a secret in the Holstein breed; he is the top TPI bull in the country at +1999.  His unique aAa of 564, milk of +2302, net merit of $776, fat of +118, PTAT of +2.75 and feet and leg composite of +2.44 make Norman a breed leader in most every category imaginable.  Norman’s daughters are phenomenal animals; Excalibur Sires President David Winkels said,

“I saw most of the Norman daughters in July, and they are simply incredible!  They are big, tall, strong cows that give a lot of milk.  I was especially impressed with five daughters that I saw milking 120 to 140 pounds per day with their second calf.  Their udders were still in great shape and they ALL had a strong crease down the middle, despite the high production.”

Excalibur Sires also introduced four new Mtoto sons to the line-up that average +1684 TPI.  The most impressive of these four sons is Manager.  He joins the line-up with a +1741 TPI and is the grandson of the 1988 Canadian Cow of the Year, Sunnylodge Prelude Spottie VG-87 18*.  Along with a stellar TPI, Manager is a type improver with type and udder composite both equaling +1.80 or more.  With 92 daughters in this early proof, Manager is reliable and will soon be an international sire of sons.

The other three Mtoto sons are impressive as well.  Merinit leads the pack for TPI at +1770 TPI, +1900 milk, and +83 fat.  Minister and Mock also have solid numbers for TPI, reliability and type traits.  All three of these Mtoto sons have well balanced proofs and will be able to improve any herd that they are used in.

Alanta is another sire joining the Excalibur Sires line-up and appears to be on track to be one of the most influential bulls ever available.  David Winkels commented, “His daughters don’t have nice udders, they have fantastic udders!  I saw about 25 Alanta daughters in July and they make your mouth water when you look at them.”  This is comes as no surprise as his dam is MS Kingstead Chief Adeen, one of the most prolific brood cows in recent memory.  Alanta has had a number of sisters score VG-89 with their first calf.  His initial numbers show is daughters deviating +1434 milk, +56 fat, and +50 protein with promising type in his future.  Alanta’s full-brother has a +2.84 PTAT and a +3.55 udder composite.

Jun/2004    Excalibur Sires Donates MN State Show Awards

Minnesota State Holstein Show Champions 2004
At left is Poplar-Bend Durham Molly-Reserve Senior & Reserve Grand Champion and at right Pine-Shelter Cheyenne Lee, Senior & Grand Champion & Best Bred & Owned of Show.
Pictured from left to Right are: Melissa Klein, Waubasha County Dairy Princess, David Winkels, Excalibur Sires, Banner Sponsor, Steve Searles, Pine Island at halter of Molly, Molly Rebecca Alberts, Pine Island at halter of Cheyenne, Judge Callum McKinven, Ben Winkels, and Melissa Fortsch, Olmstead County Dairy Princess

Junior Champions Minnesota State Holstein Show 2004
At left is Xcaret Durham Aleece-ET, Reserve Junior Champion and at right, Mohrfield Leduc Anika-ET, Junior Champion. From left to right are David Winkels, Excalibur Sires, Banner Sponsor, Mark Vacek at halter of Aleece, Ben Winkels, Curtis Day at halter of Anika, and Judge Callum McKinven.

May/2004  Proof Highlights

May 24, 2004 - Excalibur Sires could not be more pleased to announce the fantastic results of the May 2004 proofs.  Excalibur Sires now has 26 bulls over 1500 TPI, over 400 proven bulls to choose from as well as 1000 young sires sampled per year.

Norman is taking the breed by “Storm.”  He is an outcross to most American bloodlines, with aAa of 564 yielding strength/substance/width; he will cross perfectly with 90 percent of the Holstein population.  The new proofs have increased his milk to +2215, TPI to +1910, net merit to +744, and fat to +115.  Norman has also sired four excellent 3-year-olds to maintain his type proof while increasing his udder composite.  Norman will be adding numerous daughters to significantly raise his reliability within the next year.  Norman has come to us in the same stage of his life as another sire you may recognize, Tri-Day Adolph.

Laudan continues to impress producers with his TPI increasing to +1818.  Not only did his TPI increase, but also did his type +2.43, udder composite +2.18, net merit +$640, as well as milk, protein, somatic cell score and reliability.  Laudan remains the hottest flush sire in the world.  His sons and daughters will be sought out by A.I. organizations around the globe.

Leif is a new sire to the Excalibur Sires line-up.  Much like Laudan, Leif is another Lukas son.  Leif has 75 first crop daughters giving him a TPI of +1645, net merit of +$557 with a +0.21 percent increase in fat at +81 pounds.  Leif builds them tall and strong with phenomenal rear udders and a superb udder cleft.  For a solid dairy cow, Leif is the new sire of choice.

Delano is a bull that comes from a tremendous dam in Nunesdale Starbuck Delmira 3E-95 DOM.  Delmira is the type of cow that makes a dairyman’s mouth water.  Along with her breath-taking looks, she is a producer to boot.  With records over 37,000 pounds of milk and 1,500 pounds of fat, she is the complete Holstein dairy cow.  If you wonder what his offspring look like, just take a look at his mother.  Delano daughters are extremely deep in the body; possess tremendously strong and wide front ends with that extra special boost of solid production.

Duke continues to improve significantly for production traits with the addition of new daughters.  By doubling the offspring in his production proof, his milk, fat, protein, net merit and TPI have all increased.  Much like his production, his type proof improved drastically with nearly a 0.20 increase in each his type, udder composite, and feet and leg composite.  With the addition of 71 daughters, his reliability also increased significantly.  We expect Duke to remain among the most consistent sires in our tremendous line-up.

Apr/2004    Excalibur Sires Score Excellent

April 15, 2004 – On March 6^th Excalibur Sires three sires received new classification scores.  Reflecting the superb genetics carried in the Excalibur Sires proven and young sire line-ups, Stormin Norman, Empower, and Manifest all scored excellent. 

Highland-H Stormin Norman, 204HO1010, entered the day with an already tremendous score of EX-93, but was that much better and was raised to an excellent score of EX-94.  Stormin Norman is a Storm son from a VG-87 Astre.  Stormin Norman is one of the exciting additions to the proven line-up with a tremendous TPI +1732, fat +91, net merit $596, milk +1886, and type +2.16.

Budjon-JK Empower-ET, 204HO2020, is an exciting young sire that has a promising future ahead of him.  Empower left the day as an EX-90 Holstein young sire.  Empower is an Encore son out of the Wisconsin 2002 Cow of the Year Krull Broker Elegance EX-96 GMD DOM.  Elegance carries a top record of 40,950 milk, 3.7% 1522 fat, and 3.3% 1350 protein.  Empower also has tremendous parent averages of +2.70 type, +1.91 udder composite, and +1.23 feet and leg composite.

MD-Maple Lawn Manifest, 204HO2015, also finished with an excellent day.  Manifest, EX-90, is an Encore son from the EX-96 Fruendly-Acres Ljet Murphy.  Murphy was an All-American Aged Cow in 2001 with a top record of 41,640 milk, 3.9% 1633 fat, and 2.9% 1198 protein.  Manifest has two spectacular bloodlines behind him and with them come off the chart parent averages yielding +2.53 type, +2.27 udder composite, and +1.36 feet and leg composite.

Excalibur Sires offers only the top genetics the breed can find.  This is proven through the spectacular standards that are met time and time again by the proven and young sire line-ups.  For more information on Excalibur Sires contact your local sales representative or contact the office direct at 507-282-7451 or online at www.excalsires.com.

Apr/2004    Norman Sires 3 Excellent 3-Yr-Olds

April 19, 2004 – Excalibur Sires is absolutely thrilled to announce the proven results of yet another diamond in the rough.  Highland-H Stormin Norman has become a true ‘Sire of Excellence’ by producing three daughters in his progeny test group; each daughter classified excellent as a three-year-old.  These daughters include:  Highland-H Norman Sunshine EX-91 EX-MS, Highland-H Norman Tabasco EX-90 EX-92MS, and Highland-H Norman Carla EX-90.

Highland-H Norman Sunshine EX-91 EX-MS is currently producing in her second lactation calving in at three years and two months.  In her first test since calving, she produced 100 pounds.  In her first lactation, Sunshine produced in 321 days 27,850 milk, 3.9% 1007 fat, and 3.2% 887 protein at two years and two months of age.

Highland-H Norman Tabasco EX-90 EX-92MS is also in her second lactation with three test days to her credit.  These three tests are a result of her calving at three years and seven months and are 111 pounds, 120 pounds, and 137 pounds respectively.  The final records for her first lactation came in 365 days when she produced 24,222 milk, 3.9% 949 fat, and 3.3% 788 protein at two years and three months.

The final daughter is Highland-H Norman Carla EX-90.  At two years and three months, for a total of 365 days she produced 29,803 milk, 4.3% 1283 fat, and 3.4% 1016 protein.  To follow this excellent production, she has calved in at three years and five months and on her first test day she produced 124 pounds of milk.

Excalibur Sires offers only the top genetics the breed can find.  This is proven through the spectacular standards that are met time and time again by the proven and young sire line-ups.  For more information on Stormin Norman or Excalibur Sires contact your local sales representative, the office direct at 507-282-7451 or online at www.excalsires.com.

Apr/2004    Adolph - New World Record

April 16, 2004 - Tri-Day Adolph-ET is believed to be the ONLY BULL in North America to have five first crop daughters score EXCELLENT as 3 year olds; McCullough Adolph Morgan EX-90, Ziems TDA Sonya EX-92, McCullough Adolph Amy EX-90; Milbro Adolph EX-90, and McCullough Adolph Verona EX-92. Tri-Day Adolph-ET EX-94 has an amazing ability to transform rather ordinary ugly ducklings into beautiful, elegant show winners. All of the EXCELLENT daughters were from dams scored below 83 points, with some as low as 73 points!

“We really do not know what Adolph's real genetic capabilities are at this point. He was simply used on bottom end cows as a clean up bull,” says David Winkels, owner of Excalibur Sires. Imagine what this bull can do when he is used on good cows, the results should be mind boggling. In fact, reports of second crop Adolph daughters are flooding in and are all the same; they are tall, long heifers with a lot of strength and power with show type style to burn.

A perfect example is Mt Glen Adolph Alisha, his first daughter to be CHAMPION at a NATIONAL SHOW. Alisha was 1st Spring yearling and Junior Champion at the Southern Spring National. Excalibur Sires is extremely confident that she is the first of many champions to be sired by Adolph.  His ability to sire National Show Champions comes, as no surprise to Excalibur, from his family as Adolph has 7 full sisters that have been nominated All-American.  This includes four-time All-American Tri-Day Adeen EX-93 and All-time All-American, four-year-old cow, Tri-Day Ashlyn EX-96. Ashlyn was also Grand Champion and Supreme Champion at World Dairy Expo in 2001. She was All-Canadian four-year-old that same year.

Also to his credit, Adolph’s excellent daughters have had some tremendous show ring accolades.  McCullough Adolph Morgan EX-90 was the first Senior Three-Year-Old and Best Udder at the South Central Pennsylvania Show in 2003.  Ziems TDA Sonya EX-92 has also shown well and placed as the first Junior Three-Year-Old at the New York State Fair in 2003 as well as the first Junior Two-Year-Old at the Eastern Spring National in 2002.  Milbro Adolph EX-90 placed second in the Junior Show at Eastern Fall National 2003, Junior Show NAILE in Louisville 2003, as well as the Pennsylvania Championship Show.  As a result, Milbro Adolph EX-90 was nominated Junior All-American Junior Three-Year-Old.

More information about Adolph and the rest of the Excalibur line-up can be found by contacting your local sales representative, contacting the Excalibur Sires office direct at 507-282-7451, or by browsing the Excalibur Sires website at www.excalsires.com.

Feb/2004    Proof Highlights

Excalibur Sires could not be more pleased to announce the fantastic additions, as well as the continued success of our already proven sires, in the new February 2004 line-up.  Excalibur Sires now has 29 bulls over 1500 TPI, over 400 proven bulls to choose from as well as 1000 young sires sampled per year.

Laudan is the newest bull to the line-up. Laudan is a dairyman’s dream come true. Laudan ranks in with TPI at +1787; making him higher than Morty at +1768, BW Marshall at +1764, Titanic at +1733 and Champion at +1676.  No matter how you dissect him, he is the bull for you to choose.  Laudan ranks in at +2.40 type, +2.44 foot and leg composite, +2.11 udder composite with a +$614 net merit all from his progeny test group of 128 daughters.  He is simply the hottest new bull in the world.  His sons and daughters will be sought out by A.I. organizations around the globe.

Stormin Norman is another new addition to Excalibur with a fantastic future ahead of him.  He is an outcross to most American bloodlines, with aAa of 654 yielding substance/strength/width; he will cross perfectly with 90 percent of the Holstein population.  This sire brings both production and type to the table making him a complete bull.  In the next year, Stormin Norman will be adding numerous daughters to significantly raise his reliability.  Stormin Norman has come to us in the same stage of his life as another sire you may recognize, Tri-Day Adolph.

Delano is a bull that comes from a tremendous dam in Nunesdale Starbuck Delmira EX-95 DOM.  If you wonder what his offspring look like, just take a look at his mother.  Delano daughters are extremely deep in the body, possess tremendously strong and wide front ends with solid production no less.

Zelati II comes into this proof as the highest fat bull in the breed ranking in with a phenomenal +110 pounds of fat.  Zelati II is also the top net merit sire at Excalibur at +$623.  Zelati II is no slouch when it comes to TPI, he ranks in at a stellar +1675.

Duke continues to improve significantly for production traits with the addition of new daughters.  By adding offspring, we expect Duke’s type to also improve as these new daughters are scored.

Apostel and Marino remain on the Excalibur line-up as your bulls of choice for calving ease and milk production.  Born under little stress, their daughters mature into milk pumping machines as Apostel is a solid +1834 for milk and Marino is right with him at +1869.  Along with their milk, you find a low somatic cell sire to improve your animal health and milk quality.

Startit RC *CV now has 223 daughters in his first crop.  Few sires can even come close to this amazing number of first crop daughters.  Startit RC continues to be a red carrier type sire that cannot be ignored.  He comes from a family of six dams that average 90 points at classification with incredible production.

Juote continues to amaze with his unbelievable fat percentage at +0.15.  Overall, Juote is another one or our 29 sires to have a TPI over +1500.  Juote ranks in at +1544 TPI with calving ease to boot.

Merry is no longer associated only with Christmas.  Merry can now be regarded as a milk machine with +1731 milk in his latest proof.  This aAa 615 sire is a calving ease specialist with reliability to believe in.

Radium is another calving ease sire that continues to improve.  He also ranks in with high TPI at +1643, high net merit at +$554, and a low somatic cell score.

Stopper is a Storm son from an EX-91 Raider that excels in feet and legs.  This aAa 612 sire has excellent components with a +0.11 percent fat test and is a flat-out beautiful bull.

Ruling is yet another calving ease sire that continues to improve his production traits.  This latest proof has increased his TPI, fat, net merit and milk.  Ruling now ranks in with +1638 TPI, +77 fat, +$597 net merit and +1661 milk.

Strunz holds steady this February.  This aAa 652 sire, just like Elevation, is a TPI sire ranking in at +1630.  On top of his solid type traits and great reliability comes yet another high net merit bull ranking in at +$542.

Jan/2004    Adam Johnson Joins Excalibur!

January 19, 2004 - Excalibur Sires is pleased to announce that Adam Johnson has joined the Excalibur team as the Communications Specialist. This position is based out of the Excalibur headquarters in Rochester, Minnesota.  Adam’s major duties will include:  company newsletters, press releases, web-site design, and the designing of promotional materials.

Adam grew up on a registered Holstein dairy operation, Smaland Dairy Farm, in Algoma, Wisconsin.  On the farm, Adam headed the herd mating program and during this five year period, his program raised the herd BAA% by almost five points.  He graduated this last December from the University of Wisconsin – River Falls with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing Communications with an emphasis in Animal Science.  While attending college, Adam was very active with the UWRF Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow as well as different aspects of campus government.  For his efforts, he was nominated for the highest non-academic achievement a student can earn, the Chancellor’s Award.

Excalibur Sires, in cooperation with its partners, progeny tests over 1000 young sires per year.  Their focus is to work with high scoring cattle, with high genetic merits as well.  Many of the top cow families in the breed are represented in their sire line up.  More information about Excalibur Sires can be found on the web at www.excalsires.com, or you can call Excalibur Sires direct at 507-282-7451.