Semex - Canadian Holstein Icon, Startmore Rudolph, Passes Away At Age 15
Published:September 26, 2006
Source :Semex Alliance
73HO1965 Startmore RUDOLPH EX Extra GM, one of the most popular sires in the world, passed away on September 22, 2006 at 15 years of age. Owned by the Centre d’insémination artificielle du Québec (CIAQ), one of the co-owners of The Semex Alliance, this member of the elite group of “millionaire sires” produced 1,495,303 doses of semen throughout his career.
Born from a mating between Madawaska Aerostar, EX Extra and Startmore Rachelle VG 14*, one of Butlerview Mattador’s best daughters, Rudolph became the indisputable star of a cow family that had already made the headlines on several occasions during the 1980s. Numerous superlatives could be used to describe the phenomenal career of Startmore Rudolph and the exceptional performance of his progeny. This icon and ambassador of the Canadian Holstein lived 15 years in the barns of CIAQ, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec. The spectacular performance of his first-lactation progeny helped him become the #1 LPI sire in Canada at his first official proof obtained in July 1996. He maintained this dominant position 11 times between 1996 and 2001.
The quality of his offspring was largely recognised by breeders in more than 50 countries in the world where his semen doses were sold. He thus marked the Holstein breed in Canada and around the world with his abilities to transmit productivity, longevity, health and fertility traits to his daughters. All types of dairy producers, from the breeders of elite animals to large dairy herd operators, have greatly benefited from the performance of Rudolph daughters and grandaughters in their herds.
Mario Séguin, Sire Analyst for The Semex Alliance, who at the time purchased Rudolph on CIAQ’s behalf adds , “I believe that we will see more and more females in the breed with Rudolph in their pedigree, just like we saw with Starbuck and Aerostar. Today, Rudolph daughters are especially valued for their incomparable brood cow abilities : many of them are stars brood cows, Gold Medals & Dams of Merit and have proven sons that stand among the top-ranking sires in several countries."
In retrospect, it is easy to see that Rudolph was well ahead of his time when he obtained his first official Canadian genetic evaluation that ranked him # 1 on the LPI list in July 1996. His genetic profile still remains exemplary in 2006 with the recent development and use of many new functional traits. Rudolph excels for many of those traits such as daughter fertility & disease resistance, including somatic cell score.
