Blackstone Genetics - The nextGENeration
Zach Damrow grew up on a small farm in Wisconsin where they milked 25-30 Ayrshire and milking short horn cattle. The cattle were milked in a small tie stall barn and a large portion of their diet was grazing pasture in the summer months. The Damrow’s owned enough ground they were able to put up their own hay for the winter and fed the cows a grain ration at milking time.
Zach calls the small rural town in Dodge County Wisconsin his hometown. Growing up, he attended a small high school in Hustisford Ford. There were about 30 kids in his graduating class and probably about one third of them were involved in agriculture. Upon graduation Zach went on to play basketball at Marian University in Fond du Lac. He then finished up his bachelor’s degree in education at Minot State University in North Dakota.
The dairy farm that Zach grew up on is quite small in comparison to what he is doing today. In 2014 he moved out west to work at Seagull Bay Dairy. He found his wife, Danielle, in Idaho as well, and they were married in 2016. She works as a fifth-grade schoolteacher. Although Danielle didn’t grow up around dairy cattle, Zach found her background in education, something they both had in common and something that he liked about her. They now have 2 boys ages 6 and 3.
In 2014 Zach established Blackstone genetics and continues to breed Ayrshire and Milking Shorthorn cattle with some of the genetics from his father’s herd. His cattle are meant for the showring and to be a productive part of the milking herd. You can follow Blackstone Genetics on Facebook and fitter_zach on Instagram for animal availibility and to follow their breeding program!
Q: Why do you think investing in genetics is important in our modern-day agriculture production systems?
A: What we prioritize here at Seagull Bay is genetics. There are still a lot of people out there that think that the environment in which you raise cattle is more important, but there is enough data out there that suggests that genetics is a really important part in raising productive animals. Especially when you look at milk production and reproduction, and now there is even knowledge behind genetics and feed efficiency.
When I first started working at Seagull Bay, our sister dairy was using the ProCross breeding program and those cattle were outperforming the first generation of our true genomic offspring. Over the past ten years we have continued to focus on the Holstein genetics and the Procross outperforming the Holsteins has pretty much been negated.
Q: What advantages are there to the Ayrshire breed?
A: Ayrshires are by far my favorite dairy breed, but I am a little bit biased right off the bat, because they are the breed of cattle I grew up with. For me they have always been extremely hardy, extremely vigorous, and one thing I have focused on personally with my own breeding program is mobility. I want cows that have good feet and legs that can last a long time. Growing up we had a grazing tie-stall operation, our cattle grew up in a very different environment than most do today. A lot of our cows lived to be 7-8-9 years old. Transferring that into a large operation there are a lot of different variables, but in our Pro Cross we use a lot of Viking Red which has a lot of similar genetics to the Ayrshire. They have a lot of good mobility with feet and legs and their fertility is pretty good too. Mainly those are the qualities I like in Ayrshires, but I also like showing cattle too, and feet/legs and mobility are also very important in the show ring.
Q: What are your goals with Black stone genetics?
A: I am trying to create animals that will excel in the show ring. I am able to keep some animals in our commercial herd here, and I am able to look at things with a little more perspective than my dad did when I was growing up. He always said,” Feed them like Holsteins and they will milk like Holstiens". Where my Ayrshires here are fed and housed with Holsteins, I have been able to see that comparison firsthand. My cattle here have milked way better than anything we had growing up grazing on pasture. I do pay attention to their fat and protein production. The cattle I keep in the herd here don’t make as much milk flow as the Holsteins, so I try to make sure that the components make up for that.
I have been primarily trying to sell my animals as heifers. That way they can get out and be productive milk cows for whomever buys them. The people that buy them are purchasing them as show cattle. I have sold some cattle into Pennsylvania and Maryland that have done very well at some National Shows. I enjoy going to World Dairy Expo and being able to see animals I have produced perform well for other people.
Q: Why is it important for the dairy industry to invest in 4-H and breed shows? How do these events help to prepare the next generation of producers?
A:Growing up in Wisconsin Dairy Youth Activities were in abundance. I was involved in 4-H from Cloverbuds up until I graduated from High School. Dodge County Jr. Holstein Association had our own activities we could still participate in when we were too old for 4-H. Youth are the future of the dairy industry. Throughout the United States different pockets are better at supporting youth activities than others. Out here in the Intermountain West there are not as many dairy related activities as I had as a kid back in Wisconsin. There are a lot larger commercial dairies out here and the dynamic is completely different. I still think it is something that needs more focus in this area.
The Magic Valley and Treasure Valley have their replacement heifer programs, Cache Valley in Northern Utah also has a replacement heifer program. Some counties have heifer programs where kids will sell their animals for that year.
Last year for the first time in 30 years, Idaho had a judging team competing at World Dairy Expo. Idaho ranks high in a lot of dairy statistics, and for me I think it’s important to see youth involvement continue to grow.
We do a lot of farm tours here, and recently we had some high school students come, and I was able to show and explain to them about the smaXtec boluses that we use and explain that a job in the dairy industry isn’t just those of us working on the farm. In everything from processing to record keeping technology is very involved. We need people to run computer systems and create things like the bolus that can measure information for us. Dairy Farmers aren’t the ones doing those things, and chances are that person doing them has never even seen a dairy cow. 4-H and other diary youth programs could help introduce people to the industry that may not have exposure in other way, and it may lead to career opportunities for them down the road.
Thank you, Zach, for sharing your passion of genetics and the next generation with us. We appreciate your dedication to genetic improvement and your service to the youth in your area!
Written by: Mariah Gull, M.S.