Holstein Association USA is pleased to announce Bur-Wall Buckeye Gigi and Idee Shottle Lalia as 2013 Star of the Breed recipients.
To be eligible for the Star of the Breed award, a cow must place in the top five in her class at a National Holstein Show in the award year, be in a herd enrolled in the TriStar program and have an official classification score. Once the eligible cows are determined, the following calculation is used to decide the award recipient: Combined ME Fat and Protein + Age Adjusted Classification Score x (Breed Average ME Combined Fat & Protein/Breed Average Age Adjusted Classification Score).
This recognition is given annually to a Holstein that exemplifies outstanding production combined with exceptional type. For the first time since the award started seven years ago, there is a tie. Both cows have a Mature Equivalent Combined Fat and Protein (ME CFP) of 2991, each classified 2E-94, with an age adjusted score of 94, and both placed fifth in their respective classes at a National Holstein show.
Gigi is bred and owned by the Behnke Family, Bur-Wall Farm, Brooklyn, Wis. In her third lactation she produced 52,190 pounds of milk, with 3.9 percent fat (2,040 pounds) and 2.9 percent protein (1,532 pounds) on a 365 day record. Wallace Behnke bought Gigi’s dam, Ventur-Ohmi Goodluck Gypsy, as a calf in 2004. Gypsy had a strong pedigree behind her, with eight generations of Very Good and Excellent dams on her maternal side.
As a calf, Gigi was shown as a 4-H project animal by a nephew of Behnkes. She did well in the showring, placing first in her class at the county fair, but she really developed after she calved in. At the 2011 Midwest Spring National Show she placed third in the Four-Year-Old class and was awarded Best Udder. Gigi has calved three times, with three exceptional daughters, two of which have calved and classified Very Good as two-year-olds. In January of 2013, she classified EX-94 as a six-year-old, earning her second “E” recognition.
Lalia was bred by Idee Holsteins of Hunter River, Prince Edward Island, Canada, and is currently owned by Milk Source LLC, Kaukauna, Wis. Lalia is classified 2E-94 and in her most recent lactation, she produced 48,240 pounds of milk, with 4.5 percent fat (2,191 pounds) and 3.1 percent protein (1,484 pounds) in 365 days.
Before she came to the United States, Lalia made her mark on the show scene in 2009 as a milking yearling. That year, she was awarded Honorable Mention All-Canadian Milking Yearling, Reserve All-Quebec Milking Yearling, and Third Milking Yearling at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. The Milk Source group bought Lalia in 2011 as a three-year-old cow. “She is a beautifully framed cow,” says Milk Source partner, Jim Ostrom.
Lalia currently has 16 registered daughters, from four sires. Lookout Goldwyn Lalia scored VG-87 as a two-year-old and was nominated All-Canadian Milking Yearling in 2013. Three of her other daughters have classified Very Good in Canada, and Milksource Fever Lemon stood third Intermediate Calf at Expo Richmond, Canada in 2013.
For more information about the Star of the Breed Award, visit www.holsteinusa.com/awards/animals.html.
