It's been a Wild Ride for AltaWILDMAN
All good things come to an end, as must the career of world-renowned bull 11HO7464 AltaWILDMAN. A bull that did exactly what he was bred to do; AltaWILDMAN consistently sired high type and high milk production. No matter where this bull was used, his daughters were easily identifiable because of these signature characteristics.
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A ‘poster boy’ of sorts, AltaWILDMAN was one of the first graduates from the pioneering AltaAdvantage® progeny test program. Advantage® Consultant David Hill knew this sire was special after he inspected the first 35 AltaWILDMAN daughters. “Early AltaWILDMAN daughters easily out-milked and out-scored their herdmates. AltaWILDMAN made large framed, deep ribbed cows with great feet and legs. I always appreciated their great rear udders and teat placement.”
AltaWILDMAN’s intriguing pedigree had 2 crosses to one of the best brood cows ever in Maryland, Ladys-Manor Top Gun Jemini-ET, EX-93 by Cleitus. “Jemini was so long that she used to get stuck in the parlor at Ladys Manor. Not only was she big and long, she was also deep, open and dairy. In fact, all of the cows in the pedigree had a great balance of strength and dairy quality,” describes Alta Sire Analyst Mike Menendez, who purchased AltaWILDMAN.
Of all the BW Marshall sons, AltaWILDMAN was clearly the leader when it came to milk. Even today he remains +1425 lbs (627 kgs) for this trait on nearly 15,000 daughters! “AltaWILDMAN made more 100 lbs (45.5 kgs) two year olds than any bull I have encountered to date,” states Hill.
AltaWILDMAN was highly sought after around the world with over 840,000 units sold in a whopping 55 countries! The top 10 sales countries and respective number of units sold are listed in Table 1. AltaWILDMAN was notably popular in Brazil. According to Alta Brazil Dairy Manager, Fabio Fogaca, this bull was often praised for his ability to sire the “perfect Girlando” (a Brazilian breed of dairy cattle created by crossing a Gir with a Holstein.)
In addition to being a good semen producer, AltaWILDMAN also produced a highly fertile product. Throughout his entire proven career he maintained a ConceptPlus designation.
Always an AltaAdvantage® Showcase tour favorite, it’s estimated that over 50 AltaWILDMAN daughters have stood in Performance Pens over the years. Here, Alta CEO Cees Hartmans stands with an AltaWILDMAN daughter; Green Meadow Wyn 6318 Ex-90.
Ladys-Manor AltaWILDMAN will be a name that is heard in dairy circles around the world for many years to come. An iconic bull that made a lasting impression in many ways has now been put to rest.
Article by Lynsay Henderson, Marketing Specialist
