An icon in the global Holstein industry, Lowell Lindsay dedicated his 53-year professional career to elevating Canadian dairy cattle to be the elite, coveted source for genetics around the world. A perfectionist with a keen eye, he set the standard on numerous fronts as a sire analyst, judge, mentor and ambassador for Canadian agriculture.
Lowell was first hired as an AI technician in 1958, becoming a sire analyst for United Breeders in 1970. In the mid 1970s, his lasting legacy on the Canadian dairy industry took a huge leap up when he was instrumental in organizing the first group of Canadian cattle to participate in the World Dairy Expo. This was a major first step in elevating Canadian Holsteins as world leaders, and had a lasting impact for Canadian breeders and the industry.
As a visionary, Lowell was the first to buy bulls from foundation cow families of the Holstein breed including Glenridge Citation Roxy, the Laurie Sheiks at Comestar, the Gypsy Grands at Braedale, and Sher-Est Rudolph Stress at Stantons.
As a skilled sire analyst, Lowell put Canadian genetics in high demand, selling millions of doses of semen around the world, building economic impact and a stellar reputation for the Canadian dairy industry. Sires he selected have been named Premier Sire at dairy cattle shows around the world, including 13 times at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair and nine times at the World Dairy Expo. Lowell’s sire selection reached star status when two of the bulls he selected reached Millionaire Sire Status by producing and selling one million doses – a feat very few sires in the world ever accomplish.
He judged his first show, a local fall fair, in 1960. He added more than 200 shows to the list in the years since, travelling the world on judging assignments throughout the United States, Japan, Brazil, Argentina, Germany, England, Scotland, Ireland and Spain. At every event, in every country, Lowell proudly represented and promoted Canadian agriculture and Canadian dairy genetics, establishing Canada as the world source for elite dairy genetics.
Today’s modern style of clipping and fitting dairy cattle for the show ring trace back to Lowell and his fine techniques to help cattle show their best in the ring.
As a true leader, Lowell dedicated endless hours mentoring Canadian and international youth, setting them on a course to become influential in the global dairy industry. He is a founding member of the Canadian Classic 4-H Junior Dairy Show, the Ontario Dairy Youth Trust Fund and the Ontario Dairy Discovery Fund.
Around the province, across the country and around the world, Lowell Lindsay has left a lasting legacy of global excellence for the Canadian dairy industry.
