De La Tour Farm

The De La Tour prefix was officially created in the early 1980s, but it was only by the end of the 1990s that the herd became predominantly composed of purebred animals. Berthier and Madone were the instigators behind the arrival of Ayrshires amidst the mixed Holstein herd. The breed’s rustic character and average stature were the main attractive features that triggered this change. Alain joined the business after completing his collegial studies in 2005 and later purchased shares in 2012, thus becoming the 4th generation to own this farm. Alain is the crops and barn manager, his main passion being genetics. Madone takes care of the administration and farm work, while Berthier is responsible for the machinery. The Farm displays the following classification: 1 EX, 13 VG, 21 GP, and 10 G; the production average hovers around 8,000 kg, with about forty cows in milk. In 2012, a business decision was made to rebuild the barn to improve the comfort of both the cows and the owners. Cows have remained in tie-stalls, but heifers are now in free-stalls, still within the same building. Ayrshire cows are appreciated for the quality of their udders and legs, and of their milk. Their sought-after cow features a moderate size, remarkable legs, and excellent health traits. Temperament also constitutes, in their opinion, one of the most important traits, because however good and pretty a cow may be, she must also be pleasant to be around. A unique feature to the De La Tour herd is the fact that no less than 8 cow families helped them win this Master Breeder Award. Out of these, the De l’érable Nuisance’s descendants, mainly De la tour Cornélius Hélice VG 88 and De la tour T-Bruno Bamby EX 90, contributed more than 30% of the points. The descendants of Du grand Rang Mistral Zone and of De la tour Attraction Jojo and her daughters, namely De la tour Potter Riki EX 91 3E, also provided more than 30% of the points. This herd is the result of many bloodlines coming together. Their original brood cows still have some representatives. The remainder originates, for the most part, from a few cows they purchased from neighbouring farms. Embryo transfers are used, but only every 2 or 3 years. The Rimouski Regional Show is the only show they take part to, more for the social aspect than the competition itself. Two of their bulls have also been acquired by the CIAQ. This Award is a source of great pride for them, since their herd is relatively young – about 25 years old – and they already have 8 brood cows to their name. It is every breeder’s goal to receive this title, which attests to the quality of their choices. It is their sustained efforts on genetics that have made possible for them the acquisition of this Master Breeder Award, since no elite animal was ever purchased and since it took a few generations for the cows they had purchased to achieve their desired outcomes. They wish to continue their balanced breeding to obtain productive animals, capable of producing over a long period of time while maintaining good health, and, above all, to produce milk of the highest quality featuring good components.   Ayrshire Canada offers its most sincere congratulations to Ferme DE LA TOUR for its Master Breeder Award.