Visserdale Farm

In the Ayrshire breed, the VISSERDALE prefix is synonymous with quality and excellence in breeding. It is therefore not surprising to see this herd earn, for the second time, the Master Breeder Award. Originally from Holland, the Vissers began farming in Portland, Ontario in 1954. Ayrshire cows were present in the business from the beginning and always remained thereafter, and the Visser Family has always enjoyed working with this breed. Todd and his father, Ron, are the current owners of Visserdale Farms Ltd. and Todd represents the third generation operating this business. The herd is composed of 142 heads of cattle, of which 64 are cows in milk. The production average hovers at around 7,500 kg of milk, with excellent components of 4.36% fat and 3.46% protein. In terms of classification, the herd presents 4 EX 2E, 3 EX, 28 VG, 26 GP, and 13 G. Right from the beginning, the people at VISSERDALE have always favoured breeding complete cows who demonstrate a good balance between production and conformation. They also aim for breeding solid cows who will last over time in their herd. This philosophy will continue in the future as they also plan to increasingly produce animals displaying superior genomic values. The two animals who contributed the most to obtaining this title are: Visserdale Sally 2 ET VG-89, with a lifetime production 72,368 kg of milk, and Visserdale Sylvia ET VG, who presents a total production of 85,211 kg of milk. Other important animals are Visserdale Midas Julia 3 VG 4* and Visserdale Tor Starlette ET VG-88 2*. Currently, the best cow in the herd is Visserdale Selena 3 EX-*ELITE*; this remarkable Kamouraska Rockstar daughter won in 2014 the Wes McConnell Trophy, awarded to the cow with the highest composite BCA. Because the Vissers like to consign top animals at major sales events, Visserdale Selena 6 ET, the daughter of Selena 3 and Palmyra Tri-Star Reality, obtained the highest price at the 2014 Elite Sale, that being $8,200. Many embryos from the VISSERDALE Herd have been sold in various countries around the world, particularly in Denmark, Colombia, Finland, Sweden, the United-States, the United-Kingdom, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia. Todd has been involved in the breed as a member of the Breed Improvement Committee for 17 years. His father, Ron, was also involved, as director and president of the Leeds-Lanark Ayrshire Club for more than thirty years. For Todd and Ron Visser, receiving the Master Breeder Award is an enormous source of pride and a great success, one they would compare to winning a major sporting championship. This is a source of motivation to continue getting better and developing further their breeding expertise. The Ayrshire Breeders’ Association of Canada is pleased to present this Master Breeder Award to VISSERDALE FARMS LTD. Our sincere congratulations!