The World’s Highest Milk
Producer Ever
DOUG SAVAGE
HAN HOPMAN
The 15-year-old Canadian cow Gillette
E Smurf EX-91 has become the world’s
highest producing dairy cow ever. With
official lifetime production figures of
214,686 kg milk (473,168 lb.) 3.6% fat
3.1% protein, Smurf has eclipsed the
figure of 471,900 lb. established by US
cow Tacoma Mark My-Word. To put
that volume of milk in perspective, that
is equivalent to 7 tractor-trailer tanker
INDEPENDENT
Bred and developed at Ferme Gillette, near
Embrun, close to Canada’s capital Ottawa in
eastern Ontario, Smurf has been a problemfree cow throughout her career. ‘She’s an independent cow that looks after herself,’ comments owner Louis Patenaude. ‘She’s not one
that likes pampering, though she is not difficult
to work with either. She just eats whatever is
put in front of her. I think it is her tremendous
persistency that has made her such a great
producer. She has never had mastitis, and has
never had a foot infection. Life would be too
easy if we had a barn full of cows like her.’
age. However, she had wonderful fertility and
calved again at 3.04, 4.04, 5.04, 6.04 and 7.05.
Her top 305-day figures of 21,684 kg 3.4%
3.0% came at 7.05, though from her third lactation onwards she has consistently made 305day figures hovering around 20,000 kg.
CHRISSY FAMILY
Born in September 1996, Smurf is sired by
Rocky-Vu Emperor, a Blackstar brother to the
famous Rocky-Vu Rotate Exctasy Ebony EX94. Smurf’s dam was a VG Lindy out of a VG
Tab daughter of Maeford Starbuck Chrissy EX,
who was also dam of the bull Gillette Carlton,
while the next dam was the family foundation cow Montmaple Christina EX. Smurf has
been milked 3 times per day throughout her
career, though her exceptional production ability was not immediately apparent. Calving for
the first time at 2.03, her first lactation of 305
days 11,664 kg was actually below herd aver-
SENTIMENTAL REASONS
A powerful, deep-bodied cow, Smurf was already 15 years when she classified EX-91 last
year. She has produced 9 calves: 2 heifers and
7 bulls. Her Champion daughter classified EX90 at Gillette. Smurf must have aborted late on
her 9th lactation and was then induced for her
current much lower-than-average 10th lactation. ‘We might take an IVF flush from her next
summer,’ comments Louis. ‘She is older genetics now, but for sentimental reasons it would
be nice to try for an extra calf from our World
Production Champion.’ Smurf is a long way
from finished yet! l
Global top-4 for lifetime milk production
Gillette Smurf
Tacoma My-Word
Maciel #289
Rohes Roxy
473,168 lb.
471,900 lb.
465,223 lb.
460,000 lb.
loads of milk, or almost one million glasses of milk – all produced from one cow!
Totally unfazed by her world-beating
performance, Smurf continues to produce at around 40 kg/day and has now
already passed the 215,000 kg mark.
Perhaps the most exciting part of all is
that she is due to calve again in May –
with a bull calf by Windhammer – and
may extend her astonishing production
figures much further yet.
Gillette Smurf: the new
World Champion for Lifetime
Production
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