It all started in 1993. We were wanting to expand our Fleckvieh herd and took the opportunity to purchase an adjacent, mainly pasture farm that spring. Later on that fall we were successful in obtaining the entire 100% Fleckvieh herd from Keith Bloder, Unity, Saskatchewan.

Our first order of business that summer was to get our new farm fenced. Wanting to get away from the old traditional barb wire/woven wire, we had to learn how to fence all over again when we went with the more modern high tinsel. Not knowing any better we fenced the perimeter and turned our cows out. However by mid August, pastures were worn out and we were starting to feed hay.

Our supplier of our new fencing material, (Andy McDonald), had mentioned ” rotational grazing”, a totally new concept to us here. Being frustrated with having to feed out hay that we had stored for winter use, something had to give.

The following spring I enrolled in a pasture management school at Owen Sound. The instructor whose name escapes me was from Rocky Mountain house, Alberta and was speaking from several years of rotational grazing experience. I must admit I was somewhat sceptical. However no matter how I tried, he had an answer for me. Cattle being turned into waist high grass? Answer – that is not waste, what they tramped down becomes fertilizer. I have been clipping or spraying weeds in our pastures? Answer, you are dealing with the symptom, the cause is over grazing. Do I need to re-seed our pastures? Answer, there is enough grass seed in the ground for the next 100 years. I could go on. However, wanting value from my course fee, I listened very carefully, but was certain this concept called “rotational grazing” probably would not work here at Dora Lee.

We started out by dividing our pastures into 20 acre paddocks, then into 10 acre paddocks. But really not much had changed after year two. We also started mixing trefoil seed into our free choice mineral during pasture season and had minimal response. We still had those nasty weeds in our pastures, and were still feeding hay come late August. By year 3 we were pleasantly surprised. Things began to change, less weeds – more grass !!!

Now, years later, cow paddocks are 5 acre parcels, bred heifer and first calve heifers are in 2 1/2 acre parcels. Maximum grazing is 5 days per paddock, no more weeds and yes, we are turning our cattle into waist high grass these days. Many areas of our pastures are yellow with trefoil flowers, spread and planted by our cow herd.

The summer of 2012, many say was the driest here in Ontario in 50 years. Our pastures were fine. They had the root systems in place to handle the drought. We now are feeding hay come mid November when our cows come in off grass for the winter. I do not know much about winter grazing, but we will be taking a look. It has been an interesting journey, something I have enjoyed very much.

Some good advice from my father many years ago, “man needs to stay on top of change and new technology.” Dad was right.

Thanks for listening.

May 27th, fences have all been checked, 80% of our cow herd and 100% of our heifers have been AI’ed, clean up bulls are back in their paddock and our pastures appear to be in excellent condition. But it’s time – time to open our corral gates wide and let our Fleckviehs go to grass for the summer and fall giving us time to reflect on years gone by.

It was back in 1985 when we realized we needed to turn our full blood Simmental herd over to 100% Fleckvieh cattle. We had been using Fleckvieh bulls back then, Maylta Paragon, Antonius and Sir Arnold 809G etc. and realized just what a difference a truly Fleckvieh herd would mean for us and where it could possibly lead us.

We had the privilege of attending the first Fleckvieh Fest in December 1988 in Edmonton, Alberta – we believe the first ever auction of Fleckvieh seed stock here in North America.

Meeting and getting to know Fleckvieh pioneers, John & Joan Rauch (Sim-Roc Simmentals), at the first Fleckvieh Fest was most certainly a high-lite for us. We were able to purchase our first Fleckvieh heifer from the Rauch’s – the first of many Fleckvieh heifers from across North America to come here to Dora Lee. May I suggest the rest is history?

Maternal calving is an important trait for us. In the past few years we have introduced genetics ranked in the top 5% for maternal strength, like ABR Sir Arnolds Image, DDD Broadway and Prostock Hugo. Polled genetics have also been added and play a big part here at Dora Lee.

We have seen many changes over the years. The introduction of Austrian and South African genetics has added diversification to our Fleckvieh genetic base here in the North American industry. Birth weighs have come down some what along with an improvement in calving ease. The groundless discrimination against animals with a broken color pattern has been an issue for us.

Fast forward to May 27, 2014. With our cows in their new digs, there is now time for us to sit on our veranda and watch these females do what Fleckviehs do best. As the dawn turns into morning, happiness is heading for the cow pasture on our gator to watch these magnificent Fleckvieh cows, simply put, do their thing with their 2014 models. For this old cowboy, this in enjoying life to the fullest. Yes!!! I believe dreams do come true. Thanks for listening.

This extremely cold , heavy snowfall winter many say, “the worst in the past year 25 years”, is finally in our rear view mirror. Almost daily on the national news we are reminded about global warming. Well, after this past winter it certainly makes a man wonder what all the fuss is about. Let’s face it, we simply would not be considered true Canadians if we did not complain sometimes about the weather.

Calving went reasonably well here, however we are not so sure if this is a positive thing, 5 sets of twins. We have calves on the ground this year by ABR Arnolds Image, Dr Duke, DLD Equinox, Anchor D Viper, DLD Eclipse, DLD Platinum and San Mar Pharo .

FGAF Wow Effect will be front and center in our breeding program this year as we now have a semen bank on him. Wow Affect is just, plain and simply put, will need to prove himself here and at Applecross in Alberta if indeed he was worth the serious investment we made last fall at the Gagnon sale in Quebec.

Another youngster we developed this winter, DLD Kaw-Liga 91A, has impressed us in our bull development facility and his genomic score is right were we want it to be. Kaw-liga is a polled son of the legendary bull, King Arthur. A bull we believe is perhaps the best Fleckvieh bull ever to set foot here on North American soil. Kaw-liga like his pen mate Wow Effect is going to have to “get it done” so to speak, over the next 2 or 3 year to earn the right to be corner stone genetics here.

As we approach Easter weekend , it is again time to count our many blessings, and spend quality time with friends and family. Betty and I will be traveling to Glencoe for an enjoyable Easter Sunday with Dave and Sarah and Ben and our 4 grandchildren.

To each and every one of you “Happy Easter”

Here’s a look at Dora Lee’s herd sire prospects. All are Full Fleckvieh and are all polled.

Dora Lee’s Ajax 66A is sired by our senior herd sire Equinox. Ajax has been a stand out since birth and a late addition to our bull calf development group. Ajax has that herd bull look about him, but we were reluctant or should I say indecisive as to whether or not to develop him as he is a little lighter in colour. We threw those thoughts out and at this point in time Ajax appears to be the most complete bull calf in our group. He has his sire’s length of spine and has a great butt end. He was born January 18th with an 93 lb birth weight. We believe that when Ajax arrives at his new home he will certainly make his mark and then some.
SOLD – Matt Swart, Brussels

Dora Lee’s Timothy FF51Z is sired by our Equinox bull and out of Porters 16T cow we purchased several years ago. 16T arrived here in the fall of 2007 as a polled outcross heifer calf with some old time proven genetics on the bottom side that include Siegfried and Herode. Timothy has been genomic evaluated, and is in the top 50% for feed efficiency and is homozygous polled. He was born December 28th. SOLD to Buzzard Hollow Ranch, Granbury, Texas.

Dora Lee’s Patrice FF4A is sired by San Mar Pharao and out of a Eclipse dam. Flossie 4U, Patrice’s dam is perhaps the darkest deep red Fleckvieh ever to walk our pastures and has turned a lot of heads when fellow breeders tour our herd. Patrice’s genomic score is impressive placing him in the top 20% for feed efficiency. He was born unassisted with a 95 lb birth weight. SOLD to Buzzard Hollow Ranch, Granbury, Texas.

Betty and I are so blessed to have our health and family and to enjoy our life style working with nature. 2013 has come and is almost gone. As time goes flying by, we wish to pause, if only for a moment, to say, “THANK YOU” to our family, to our friends and to our loyal customers, who have continued their support of our program over the years.

Its important to us to acknowledge our customers. We appreciate so much your kindness this past year.

Dennis & Jeanne Small, Alberta
Maurice Webb, Arkansas USA
Double Bar D Farms, Brian Valentine Saskatchewan
Gordon & Lynne Mac Donald, Ontario
Brian & Lynn Vail, Ontario
Leonard Nuhn, Ontario
Brad Cober, Ontario
Marvin Burkhart, Ontario
Lee Mc Bride, Ontario
Dwayne Horst, Ontario
Geraldine & Charles Norwood, Ontario
Michelle Mostrom, North Dakota USA
Jeff Knox, Australia

Your support gives us the opportunity to continue breeding and developing Fleckvieh seed stock, something we both have always enjoyed very much.

There is a certain mystique about this great Fleckvieh breed we have worked with for so many years. They continue to impress us on a daily basis. Calving season is under way and 3 sets of twins are already here. When these momma cows come back into our calving area in the evening from feeding during the day, they make sure both offspring are fed and are treated as equals . YES, Mother Nature is very much “quite the lady”.

“It’s that time of year”, with a very special and important holiday season upon us. Time for family, friends, to give thanks for our many blessings. Time to enjoy the changing of the seasons and the beauty of nature.

Best wishes for a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year.

Introducing our New Herd Sire

Our never ending 364 day per year search for outcross polled genetics brought us to the Ferme Gagnon sale, September 28th, Cheneville, Quebec.

There was certainly an impressive set of Fleckvieh cattle on display that September day. However, the most intriguing lot for me was the very rare and seldom offered “pick of the 2013 born bull calves” . With 40 plus bull calves to chose from,” WOW” what an opportunity. We were looking for a polled outcross youngster that could perhaps have what it takes to help get us to the next level.

The calf that got me excited was” FGAF Wow Effect 016A”…. 94 lb birth weight, outstanding performance, with tremendous length of spine, a natural calf and out of perhaps the most complete Fleckvieh cow we have ever seen. Yes, Wow Effect is polled and has an extremely quite disposition, a big plus for us.

The next order of business was to out bid the packed sale ring full of Breeders from across Canada for the right to bring Wow Effect here to Dora Lee. We were successful and our new herd sire arrived here October 4th.

I am cautiously optimistic that Wow Effect has what it takes to once again raise the bar.
” Fullblood polled Fleckvieh genetics at their best”.

It’s that time of year, early September, bull calf selection for 2014 bull sales is in the final stages. Selecting the right bull calves for our repeat customer base is an extremely important for us as they will most likely require “outcross genetics”. A number of our customers will be using these young sires on heifers, so they will want “calving ease bulls”. Then there is the potential for first time customers – what might he or she be looking for?
We look forward to watching these calves grow and develop – we’ll keep you posted.

Dora Lee’s Ajax 66A is sired by our senior herd sire Equinox. Ajax has been a stand out since birth and a late addition to our bull calf development group. Ajax has that herd bull look about him, but we were reluctant or should I say indecisive as to whether or not to develop him as he is a little lighter in colour. We threw those thoughts out and at this point in time Ajax appears to be the most complete bull calf in our group. He was born January 18th with an 93 lb birth weight. We believe that when Ajax arrives at his new home next spring he will certainly make his mark and then some.

Dora Lee’s Image FF57A ‘s sire is the legendary Sir Arnold’s Image and he is out of a Star Palm heifer we imported from Texas. Giardia has done an impressive job on her first calf. Image has lots of eye pigmentation and is outcross to almost anything here in Canada. His genomic score for feed efficiency is very impressive placing him in the top 5% percent. We believe Image could be used successfully on heifers. He was born February 1st with a birth weight of 90lb.

Dora Lee’s Timothy FF51Z is sired by our Equinox bull and out of Porters 16T cow we purchased several years ago. 16T arrived here in the fall of 2007 as a polled outcross heifer calf with some old time proven genetics on the bottom side that include Siegfried and Herode. Timothy has been genomic evaluated, and is in the top 50% for feed efficiency and is homozygous polled. He was born December 28th.

Dora Lee’s Patrice FF4A is sired by San Mar Pharao and out of a Eclipse dam. Flossie 4U, Patrice’s dam is perhaps the darkest deep red Fleckvieh ever to walk our pastures and has turned a lot of heads when fellow breeders tour our herd. Patrice’s genomic score is impressive placing him in the top 20% for feed efficiency. He was born unassisted with a 95 lb birth weight.

Dora Lee’s Derby FF8A is sired by our Equinox bull and out of an Arnold’s Image sired dam Darby 8M. Darby has been a consistent producer weaning a big calf every year for the past 9 years. Derby has depth of pedigree with time proven genetics including Rickardstown Jumbo, Siegfried and Bold. Darby’s has a grand son working for Semex Canada. If by chance you may be looking for a herd sire from a proven dam with an awesome work record, Derby might be that missing piece.

It is with a great deal of pleasure for us to present our Dora Lee entries for our Fleckvieh Forum sale on October 5, at the Bar 5 sales facility, Markdale ON. These 2 bred heifers and an exceptional heifer calf showcase our breeding program. All three are polled and daughters of our senior herdsire Equinox. His offspring are long bodied, well muscled and are making excellent brood cows. Lydia has exceptional genomic test results for feed efficiency and average daily gain.

Dora Lee’s Tasha FF 98Z
Polled 100% Fleckvieh- born December 9, 2012 – birth weight 96

Tasha has been a stand out since birth, turning heads as folks tour our pastures. While attending the Buzzard Hollow sale in May, 2008, Fred had three flush mate sisters in the sale ring , selling one and retaining the other two. Tonika has impressed us from day one, moving quickly to the top of our leader board. We believe Tasha has it all, a blend of African and time proven genetics from our Equinox bull. Take this impressive heifer calf home and breed her to the bull of your choice. It is our belief that she is the best heifer calf born here for some time. We also believe that Tasha will produce for her new owner like her mother has for us. When Tasha steps into our sale ring October 5th, it will be with a great deal of pride for Betty and I.
” Fullblood Fleckvieh genetics at their best.”
Sold to Knox Farms, Australia

Dora Lee’s Lydia FF 46Z
Polled 100% Fleckvieh – born January 20, 2012 – birth weight 95
Bred AI February 28 to Sanmar Polled Pharao – no exposure

Lydia is out of a very productive and fertile female (Lindsay) who calves early every year and settles first service each year.
Lydia’s genetics on her bottom side go back to a female we imported from the U.S. Lydia’s genomic score is very impressive placing her top 5% for ADG and top 10% for RFI (feed efficiency). Wow!!! She is sired by our Equinox bull who just plain and simply put, is making his mark here, across Canada and abroad. We believe Lydia will follow in her mother’s foot steps with a tremendous upside, with her whole life still ahead of her. These good ones are certainly hard for us to part with. Opportunity knocks. ” Fullblood Fleckvieh Genetics at their best”
Sold to Norwood Family Farm, Ontario

Dora Lee’s Lady Asha FF 22Y
Polled 100% Fleckvieh – born Decenber19, 2011 – bw 98
bred AI April 5 and again April 27 to Sanmar Polled Pharao – no exposure

Lady Asha comes from a strong cow family that has worked extremely well for us and is a grand daughter of one of our foundation females, SRN Ms Western 2Y. She is sired by our Equinox bull who is getting it done not only here in Canada, but also in the U.S, Sweden and South Africa. We believe that this is a winning combination. Lady Asha showcases her awesome length with lots of natural muscling. We have used the Pharao bull on our heifers with great success. If by chance you may be looking for a powerful female with a family history of producing those top end bulls and heifers, we believe Lady Asha has what it takes to raise the bar.
“Fullblood Fleckvieh Genetics at their best”
Sold to Michelle Mostrom, North Dakota

Taking Polled Fleckieh Genetics to the Next Level

It was back in 1998 when we came to the conclusion that our industry needed polled genetics as several our long term customers were starting to inquire about the possibility of polled Fleckvieh cattle. It was time to start the process of incorporating the polled gene into our Fleckvieh herd. Our first order of business was to create an environment for the production and development of polled cattle.

It all started with the development of our Eclipse bull, and he most certainly got the ball rolling as we started down the road of polled or bust. However we soon began to realized we needed additional blood lines from outside of our herd. The search began and first of many heifer calves brought here was Smith Built Lolla the high selling Female ($12000.00) at the December Fleckvieh weekend in Alberta 2001. Since then an additional 13 polled heifer calves have been brought here to Dora Lee. We have sourced outcross heifers from across Canada and to the south, Tennessee and Texas. Most of these new additions have contributed to our vision of elite polled genetics and our goal of ” taking polled to the next level.

We wish to acknowledge the many original Fleckvieh Breeders from across Canada and the United States who back in 1970’s, had the foresight to import into North America several fullblood Fleckvieh bulls and females from Germany and Austria. Sires, to mention a few, are the likes of King Arthur, Wellhouse Kestrel, Siegfried, Star Palm, Iglhoff and LJ B Jade semen from New Zealand.
We have incorporated these Legendary, time proven genetics into our herd and have direct polled daughters of these sires and granddaughters of Siegfried and Iglhoff either working in our herd or being developed to come into our herd.

Over the years we have set up a rotational grazing system in our pastures, to give these genetics the opportunity to grow and develop on a roughage ration. We continue our 364 day search for those outcross polled genetics as we continue down this road.

We have listened very carefully to the nay-sayers. However, that has not changed our vision or our direction. We simply had to find a way and we believe we have. ” Fullblood Fleckvieh polled genetics at their best.”