SUNDERLAND — Things are going well for Murray Stone. When he learned his son was coming home from Kemptville College to farm a little over a year ago, he doubled the size of the milking herd from 30 to about 60 cows.

The rapid expansion didn’t hurt his milk production as he had feared. His herd has a BCA (breed class average) of 215, about 10 per cent more than the average. That’s the first tribute to his skill as a cowman.

The second tribute came when he was awarded a Master Breeder Shield, the highest award for a Holstein breeder.

Stone attributes much of his success to the great bull Comestar Leader. "Two-thirds of the herd can be traced to Leader," he says. One of his great cows, Valcroft Leader Martha, was classified Excellent five times, which means she held on to her youthful looks through her 10 years. She has sired two Very Good daughters and her daughters beget beautiful calves. But Martha, as they say in the typing pool, is not just a pretty face. She has a lifetime milk production average of almost 90,000 kilograms.

The farm has a junior two-year-old nominated All Canadian. Valcroft Leader Fran was named All Canadian milking yearling in 1998, the year she placed third in her class at the Royal.

If you’re looking for classical Holsteins, you need go no further than his barn. Four are classified as Excellent for conformation, 24 Very Good and 26 Good Plus.

This is the farm’s second shield but the first for Stone as a manager. Of the award, he says: "This is a family achievement. We all dug in. It’s a real honour to be recognized by your peers."