A 'legend' bull which sired thousands of daughters has produced the next generation of cattle in a Kiewa Valley dairy herd.
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Bundalong Marks Medallion has become the first bull to achieve Holstein Australia's Legend of the Breed status with 180 of his offspring living proof of the "farmer's favourite" genetics on Lincoln and Louise George's property at Upper Gundowring.
The bull died in June, just short of his 14th birthday, and also became the first bull in Australia to be cremated.
The popular bull produced more than 500,000 straws of semen in his lifetime.
Mr George said Medallion produced "beautiful black cows with high udders that were awesome to milk".
"I've probably had 400-500 doses of Medallion and he has made milking machines," he said.
"You could see why he was known as the farmer's favourite.
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"The first year I used 300 doses of sexed Medallion that resulted in about 100 cows and they were so good I just kept on using him."
Medallion has 180 daughters in the herd that peaks at 280 and calves three times a year, always using artificial insemination.
"I only use the best bulls from around the world and Medallion was right up there with the best of them," Mr George said.
The Legends of the Breed award was totally justified, according to Mr George.
"It was no surprise," he said.
"He's one of those bulls that people are going to say I wish I'd used more of him."
Genetics Australia's breeding and genetics manager Peter Thurn said few bulls had had the impact of Medallion.
"His ability to produce a cow that suits Australian conditions was unparalleled," he said.
"The consistency of his daughters and their magnificent udders cannot be matched. If I had to choose one bull to exemplify our breeding program and goal, it would be Medallion.
"Very few bulls have been held in such high regard by the farming community.
"His breeding value contains many thousands of daughters and he still ranks amongst the breed's best for mammary systems and farmer likeability."
Mr Thurn said many commercial farmers were milking multiple daughters of Medallion and still have more to milk in coming years.
Holstein Australia chief executive Graeme Gillan said the Legends of the Breed award was introduced to recognise bulls that made major contributions to the industry over generations.
"Medallion was a bull that fit the picture," he said.
"If he hadn't died, he'd still be in high demand."