Services

Registration

The Canadian Milking Shorthorn registers its cattle through Holstein Canada. Registration applications and a list of fees are available in the list of Forms on the right of this page.

For online registration, members can use the forms accessible under Holstein Canada’s web login.  If you don’t already have an account, you’ll be asked to create an account login and password.  Using this login, you can complete online registrations, order NLID tags, and view your transactions.

Breeders should also be aware that the CMSS has an active genetic expansion and grade-up option for those with crossbred or previously unregistered cattle. Animals entering the CMSS herdbook enter with the purity percentage dictated by genes. Milking Shorthorn has one of the fastest and most accurate grade-up programs, with the minimum number of generations til purebred of four. Contact us today to see if this might fit for you! 

Membership

The CMSS has three membership options:

• Full Membership ($85) with all rights for registration, voting, and information access,
• Junior Membership ($25) for members under 18, and
• Associate Membership ($20) than ensures placement on our mailing list and copy of the annual breed magazine, The Improver. Contact the office for more details.

Classification

Classification for Milking Shorthorns in Canada is part of the Multi-Breed Classification System, administered by Holstein Canada. To get your cows classified for the first time, or to register for a mid-round visit, contact Holstein Canada.

Classification of Milking Shorthorns is tailored to the breed – our measurements and our trait weightings are part of the system. If you have feedback on classification, please contact either the CMSS office or the Holstein Canada classification department. 

Updated Classification Scorecard English | Francais (May 2018)

Shows and Sales:

The CMSS Virtual Show is held each year, with a deadline for entries in September.  For more information, visit the Virtual Show page.  

For the past few years, CMSS National Sale has been held as a remote online sale, featuring a selection of top pedigreed Milking Shorthorn animals from breeders across Canada. 

Sire Programs

The CMSS currently has a young sire program with the Semex Alliance. There are also sires available from several other AI units across the country. For pedigree information on available sires, go to our Available Sires page.

Master Breeder Rules

A single breeding unit must tally 4 points per average female registration per year, over a 12 year period.

Points are accumulated for animals born within this 12 year window, which starts 15 years before the year of application. For example, Master Breeder applications for 2024 would include animals born between 2009 and 2021.

Herds must have a minimum average of 5 registrations per year to be considered for a Master Breeder Award.

For a herd to qualify, the average classification score of animals bred during this time must be above breed average, and the average BCA of animals bred during this time must be above breed average for 8 of the 12 years.

Points are accumulated by:

• Star Brood Cows: 5 points
• EX cows: 2 pts (1 extra point if 3E or greater)
• VG 87-89: 1 point
• Class Leader: 2 pts
• Superior Production Awards : 2 pts
• Lifetime Production Awards : 2 pts (Level 1), 4 pts (Level 2), 6 pts (Level 3)
• Proven Sire with plus LPI: 5 pts

Star Brood Cow Rules

With the following conditions:

• 6 points for 1 star
• Differential from breed average used when no herd average present
• Average Comp BCA on best 3 lactations
• points are needed for both type and production to contribute to point total
• 2 progeny need to contribute point to receive a star
• Proven sires can contribute star brood points. Bulls with LPI greater than 1200 contribute 6 points. Bulls with LPI greater than 1350 contribute 9 points. Bulls with LPI greater than 1500 contribute 12 points.

For a listing of Star Brood Cows, click here.