Hanoverhill Starbuck
| Hanoverhill Starbuck | |
|---|---|
| Country | Canada |
| Breed | Holstein |
| Born | April 26, 1979 Port Perry, Ontario |
| Years active | 1985–1995 |
| Breeder | Hanover Hill |
| Owner | CIAQ |
| Died | September 17, 1998 (aged 19) Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec |
Hanoverhill Starbuck was a Canadian Holstein breeding bull. Calved in 1979, Starbuck was sired by RORA Elevation and purchased from Hanover Hills Holsteins by the Artificial Insemination Centre of Quebec (Centre d'insémination artificielle du Québec, CIAQ). Considered exceptional for conformation and genetics, Starbuck won numerous prizes at Holstein shows and through artificial insemination sired over 200,000 cows in dozens of countries, earning CIAQ $25 million. By 2000 it was estimated that most of the world's dairy cows were related to Starbuck, contributing significantly to inbreeding. Following its death in 1998, Starbuck was one of the first animals cloned for commercial purposes, though the clone's semen was never approved for sale.
Life and career
[edit]Starbuck was bred by master breeders Hanover Hill Holsteins of Port Perry, Ontario.[a] A purebred Holstein, he was calved on 26 April 1979. His sire was RORA Elevation and his dam was Anacres Astronaut Ivanhoe.[3] In May, Starbuck was purchased by CIAQ.[4] Starbuck was known for its "sturdy frame, feet and legs",[5] won at several Holstein shows around the world and was an agricultural celebrity.[6] The British Holstein Society Journal described Starbuck as "the sire that attracts endless superlatives – one of a kind, the greatest, phenomenal, the king, Mr. Excitement, or ... 'Simply the Best'."[7]
Through artificial insemination, Starbuck proved itself able to reliably sire high-quality milking cows: large, with consistent frames and body types, and high milk production[8] with elevated protein levels,[1] which met a trend in the dairy market for milk with higher protein and less fat.[9] Between 1985 and 1995, Starbuck sired over 200,000 female offspring (over 62,000 of these in Canada[10]: 5171 ) and 209 proven male offspring.[11] Several of his sons also became prominent breeding bulls, including Madawaska Aerostar,[9] Hanoverhill Raider, Hanoverhill Lieutenant and Hanover Hill Lincoln, each rated Class Extra Sire.[1] The CIAQ earned almost $25 million from the sale of 685,000 doses of Starbuck's semen in 45 countries.[12] By 2011, Starbuck had over 3.5 million descendants.[10]: 5171
Effect on inbreeding
[edit]The widespread use of Starbuck as a sire in the 1990s resulted in the effective population size of the Canadian Holstein herd dropping to a record low of 33 (an effective population of 50 is considered critical).[11] By 2000, it was estimated that most of the world's dairy cows were related to Starbuck.[13] Pedigree analysis revealed that 93% of Holsteins born in Canada between 2003 and 2005 were descendants of Starbuck,[10]: 5161 and 11% of total inbreeding was traced to Starbuck.[10]: 5169 Starbuck was also a significant contributor to inbreeding in the Holstein herds of the United States, Denmark, Germany, Luxemburg and Tunisia.[10]: 5174 Through diversification, the effective population of the Canadian Holstein herd had grown to 114 by 2007.[11]
Clone
[edit]Starbuck died on 17 September 1998 at the CIAQ complex in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec.[4] The previous month,[13] tissue and cell samples were taken and in December 1999, a cloned embryo was transplanted into a cow.[5] It took 68 attempts to successfully clone and implant the embryo, at a cost of about $50,000.[8] The cloning was conducted by a joint research team led by Lawrence Smith, through a partnership between CIAQ, Alliance Bovitag and the Université de Montréal Faculty of Veterinary Medicine.[6] The clone, Starbuck II, was born by Caesarean section on 7 September 2000.[b] It was the first bull cloned in Canada,[5] the first clone from a mature mammal in Canada and one of the first mammals cloned for commercial purposes.[8]
Starbuck II had 30 progeny through artificial insemination. Of these, the 19 females were studied through their development. They were clinically healthy and displayed normal behaviour, growth, health and bloodwork, though their heart rates, respiratory rates and body temperature were slightly lower than age-matched control animals.[14] Most of these animals were euthanized, though seven were kept at the University of Guelph for an extended study.[15] While Starbuck II was genetically identical to Starbuck[13] and there was interest in its semen from farmers, there was no government approval to sell semen from a cloned animal. Starbuck II's semen was collected and frozen for several years.[15] With the breeding industry shift toward genomics, Starbuck II was euthanized in 2010.[4]
Legacy
[edit]Use of Starbuck's frozen semen continued beyond its natural life.[5] A 2012 report in Ontario Farmer found several dairy farms across Eastern Canada were using Starbuck semen due to its well established breeding results, particularly to compensate for deficiencies in a cow's line or when a cow otherwise had difficulty carrying a calf to term.[16]
Taking its title from the bull, the comedy film Starbuck is about a man who learns that his sperm donations resulted in over 500 children.[17] It was the highest-grossing Canadian film of 2011.[18]
Footnotes
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ Hanover Hill was a 300-acre (120 ha) farm in Port Perry owned and operated by Peter Heffering and Ken Trevena.[1] They had been successful breeders in New York but as the American dairy industry placed singular emphasis on lactation index, in 1973 they moved their business to Canada where attitudes better aligned with their breeding approach based on heredity, type, style and longevity.[2]
- ^ Starbuck II's birth came three years after the groundbreaking cloning of the sheep Dolly, the first cloned mammal.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Hunt, Andrew (31 May 2024). "How Hanover Hill Holsteins Revolutionized the Dairy Breeding Industry". The Bullvine. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
- ^ Hunt, Andrew (5 March 2012). "Hanover Hill Holsteins: Peter Heffering 1931–2012". The Bullvine. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
- ^ "HOCANM352790 – Hanoverhill Starbuck". Brantford, Ontairo: Holstein Association of Canada. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
- ^ a b c Centre d'insémination artificielle du Québec (7 March 2016). "Hanoverhill Starbuck". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada. ProQuest 2316638188.
- ^ a b c d e "Quebec team clones calf from world-famous bull". Toronto Star. Reuters. 16 September 2000. p. A31. ProQuest 438184301.
- ^ a b "Starbuck II unveiled in Quebec as first bull cloned in Canada". Moose Jaw Times-Herald. Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. The Canadian Press. 21 September 2000. p. 5. ProQuest 345201675.
- ^ "Cloned calf Starbuck II makes debut". Times & Transcript. Moncton, New Brunswick. The Canadian Press. 21 September 2000. ProQuest 422798098.
- ^ a b c Hooper, Barrett (16 December 2000). "The perfect stud: Starbuck, the greatest Holstein sire in recent history, made his Quebec owners so much money that when he died, they were determined to clone him. Meet Starbuck II". Saturday Night. Vol. 115, no. 32. Toronto. p. 46. ISSN 0036-4975. ProQuest 222414182.
- ^ a b Ferry, Jon (8 September 1991). "Demand for a leaner kind of milk". Toronto Star. Reuters. p. F6. ProQuest 436482362.
- ^ a b c d e Stachowicz, K.; Sargolzaei, M.; Miglior, F.; Schenkel, F. S. (October 2011). "Rates of inbreeding and genetic diversity in Canadian Holstein and Jersey cattle". Journal of Dairy Science. 94 (10). American Dairy Science Association: 5160–5175. doi:10.3168/jds.2010-3308. ISSN 0022-0302. PMID 21943766.
- ^ a b c Carrier, Alexandra; Gilbert, Isabelle; Leclerc, Pierre; Duchesne, Mario; Robert, Claude (9 May 2023). "Characterization of the genetic pool of the Canadienne dairy cattle breed". Genetics Selection Evolution. 55 (32): 32. doi:10.1186/s12711-023-00793-3. PMC 10170705. PMID 37161364.
- ^ Pacatte, Rose (25 March 2013). "Starbuck the hilarious tale of moral dilemmas and unintended consequences". National Catholic Reporter. Kansas City, Missouri.
- ^ a b c McIlroy, Anne (21 September 2000). "Quebec centre clones stud bull that was cash cow for lab". The Globe and Mail. Toronto, Ontario. p. A8. ProQuest 387166874.
- ^ Ortegon, H.; Betts, D. H.; Lin, L.; Coppola, G.; Perrault, S. D.; Blondin, P.; King, W. A. (1 January 2007). "Genomic stability and physiological assessments of live offspring sired by a bull clone, Starbuck II". Theriogenology. 67 (1): 116–126. doi:10.1016/j.theriogenology.2006.09.035. PMID 17074384.
- ^ a b McIlroy, Anne (15 October 2005). "Care for a tasty cloneburger?". The Globe and Mail. Toronto, Ontario. p. A1. ProQuest 383619161.
- ^ Atkinson, Suzanne. "When old genetics still work – There are a bunch of Starbuck daughters still milking in Ontario". Ontario Farmer. London, Ontario: Postmedia Network. p. 58. ProQuest 2179296014.
- ^ Knight, Chris (23 September 2011). "Give a little, get a lot". National Post. Toronto. p. PM4. ProQuest 893965672. Archived from the original on 29 June 2013. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
- ^ Quan, Danielle Ng See (29 February 2012). "Starbuck wins Golden Reel Award". Playback. Toronto, Ontario: Brunico Communications. Retrieved 19 July 2024.