Second Master Breeder Success for Sundborgs

Ruth Sundborg states, “I think when you have a passion for something, you’re going to do well,” and of her husband, Fred, and their son, Kevin, she continues “and they both have it in spades.” It is that passion that has led the Sundborg family of Suntor Holstein Farm to its second Holstein Canada Master Breeder award.

Quite the achievement, especially considering that Fred is initially from Greenfield Park and that Suntor Holsteins was only purchased by his father in 1962. His father was a mechanic, but having experienced the Depression, he always maintained that “if you have a piece of land, you’ll always eat.” The family came out to the farm on the Seigneurial Side Road on weekends for some time until eventually moving there for good in 1964. They started out with a few beef cattle, but it was in venturing over to their neighbors, Jack and Rosemary Mason’s farm that Fred got interested in wanting to milk cows. When he finished high school, he used what money he had to buy a dozen grade Holstein heifer calves and by 1973 he had realized his dream of milking cattle. Though he had no farming experience prior to the move to the farm, he has worked steadily to build up a wealth of knowledge on the topic. “You grow as you go along,” he says. And grow is exactly what the farm has done. By 2001, Fred was receiving word that Suntor Holsteins had won Master Breeder for the preceding year.

The press release announcing the 21 recipients for the 2014 year states that “the Master Breeder program has become the most coveted Holstein Canada award.” Fred says, “It’s a rare thing to win. You can’t buy it.” It might not be bought through a monetary exchange, but their hard work and investment in making smart breeding decisions that will lead their herd to prosper is beyond the shadow of a doubt what has earned the Sundborg family the distinguished accolade. 

They received the news on a day like any other.  The phone rang when Fred and Kevin were still out choring. As Ruth spoke with the caller she began to be puzzled at all the questions being asked about how the family was and whether everyone was home and such, until finally the caller asked if she could keep a secret. She said yes and that’s when she was informed by Holstein Canada that they had won Master Breeder. The two were quick to draw up a plan of action for informing the others. As they walked in after finishing up in the barn, Ruth snuck off and called Holstein Canada back. Seconds after she hung up the phone was ringing with them calling back to share the news with Fred and Kevin. Kevin says of their family’s achievement: “It’s very humbling to be [granted] an award of this calibre for doing what you like to do.”

The father and son duo both are committed not only to maintaining their herd and carrying out all the responsibilities that farming entails, but they also strive to keep up with what’s going on in the dairy industry. One way in which this manifests itself is their decision to use genomics to help them make quality breeding choices. With genomics being a relatively recent development in the farming community, it was risky for them to jump on bandwagon with it right from the start. However, as Kevin tours the barn pointing out all of the animals in the herd with which genomics has helped contribute to more successful breeding decisions, it’s clear that it was the right choice for them. He sums up the goal that guides them through all of their decisions quite simply by saying: “Whatever we accomplish, [we’re] just trying to make it better.” Fred echoes that philosophy as he states: “It doesn’t matter what cow you’ve got, you [want] to improve her.”

The Master Breeder announcement is always made in January and based on the previous year’s achievements. A provincial ceremony for the seven 2014 year winners from Quebec will be held in February, while a national one will take place in Fredericton, N.B in April. What an appropriate decoration for the family to be accepting as the 2015 year also signifies the official ownership of the farm being transferred from father to son. The two landmark occurrences happening simultaneously is purely coincidental, but surely signifies a successful future on the horizon for Suntor Holsteins.