Premium Apple Crisp Lilly-Red
Grand Champion
International Red & White Show 2024
Butlerview Farm
Butlerview had a word-perfect day in the Red & White Holstein show on the coloured shavings at WDE today, while another family a few aisles away was reeling from the emotions of experiencing its first banner moment.
Butlerview Farm, from Chebanse, IL, now own the back-to-back Grand Champion Red & White Holstein after its imposing and spine-tinglingly good five-year-old Premium Apple Crisp Lilly-Red EX-94 carved up her age class, before going all the way under judge Kevin Doeberiener (West Salem, Ohio) and his associate Adam Hodgins (Kincardine, Ontario, Canada).
Meanwhile, Jay and Kristy Ackley and Donald and Danette Simpson (East Liberty, OH) was still absorbing what their first banner at the biggest dairy show on earth meant for their family. Their six-year-old and over winner Glaustar Calif All Out-Red-ET is the 2024 Reserve Grand Champion.
BUTLERVIEW ROCKING
First to the Butlerview camp’s campaign. The pressure of preparing a defending champion was easily absorbed by the experienced Butlerview crew. With Mike Deaver strapping Lilly – who Jeff Butler described with a smile as an “experienced grizzled veteran” – she was in safe hands. While Lily has a mind of her own, it wasn’t Mike’s first rodeo either, and he kept her on-point all day.
Jeff Butler said they were hopeful that she would get it done.
“But you know that everything has to go right for it to happen,” he said. “They have to calve in without any problems and get through the heat of the summer. It’s never easy.”
Regarding the pressure of preparing a defending champion?
“We handle it fine, because we put more pressure on ourselves, and we don’t pay a whole lot of attention to others. There is always pressure.”
Butlerview bought Lilly privately at WDE last year on the Tuesday before the show from Juniper Farm (Gray, ME).
“I saw her for the first time at Pierre Boulet’s sale, and I remember her selling that day. We bought her a year later privately. He said that the people who bred her didn’t classify a lot.
Regardless of that she has Apple on the top and bottom of her pedigree. She is the granddaughter of KHW Regiment Apple-Red EX-96, and she is sired by Siemers Oct Apple Crisp-RC, whose great granddam is also Apple-Red.
The team were taking a few hours to enjoy the victory before they started their plans for Supreme Champion tomorrow. Further out than that Lilly has gone over her days after being bred, and they are planning to show her at The Royal. Jeff didn’t rule out her also running in the black & White and the Red & White show.
Demand for her embryos is already high.
“We will be IVF flushing her right after the Royal. While she doesn’t have a lot of classification scores, because of her uniqueness as an individual there is a lot of interest,” Jeff said.
For judge Doeberiener, the Grand Champion was decisive.
“For me she has the advantage of the openness and angularity and dairyness throughout. A cow that has a little more length of frame. A cow that has a lot of ring presence, and she shows a little more quality to that mammary system today.
“She’s got a deeper crease, more veination on that rear udder. Taking nothing away from Reserve. A cow that you love the balance. You love the symmetry to her udder. It is that balance and that little depth to that rear flank to give her the advantage over that first placed four-year-old in Honourable Mention.”
RESERVE CHAMPION WON’T EVER BE SOLD
Glaustar Calif All Out-Red-ET
1st place Aged Cow
International Red & White Show 2024
Glaustar Calif All Out-Red-ET
For Jay and Kristy Ackley, the tears were flowing freely as they enjoyed their first banner moment.
They bought Glaustar Calif All Out-Red-ET three years ago. Last year she finished third in the six years and over last year, but for the last three years she has anchored the winning dam and daughter combination at WDE, and she has collected Honourable Mention All-American.
The couple milk 160 Holsteins and Jerseys on 4500 acres. Both acknowledged Jay’s parents, Robert and Kathleen, who ignited their passion for show cows. Robert passed away 12 years ago.
“He meant a bunch to us, he loved showing, and he loved the dairy industry,” Jay said.
“Dad was the inspiration for us to keep going in this industry, and to push to be at the top.”
Kristy added, “She calved in August 28 with a bull calf, and once we stretched her bag at home, she knew it was game time,” Kristy said. “She travelled good, and she got in here and knew what to do, and she just got it rolling.
“Full credit to that girl for being a gamer.”
Jay added, “We’re just so happy and we have a great team of friends. The dairy industry is so good for friendships. The money means nothing, it’s the friendships you build. That’s all that matters. We had so many people congratulate us and we’re just so happy.”
At home, Out-Red is the “queen bee”.
“She knows she’s the boss, and she knows she made it this year. We have semen in her to breed her for next year, but I don’t ask anymore of her. If she wants to just be a baby momma, I’m fine with it,” Kristy said.
“And, just in case anyone is wondering: “She’s not for sale,” Jay said.
Butlerview’s Jeff and Jim Butler were also on the Junior Champion Red & White, Milksource A Tierney-Red-ET. The two other partners include Clarkvalley and Pierre Boulet. The trio bought her privately from Milksource.
“Those guys are two of our great friends, and we all happened to come to the show together, and Pierre saw her in the wash rack, and he came and got me, and we looked at her, and then we asked Milksource for a price, and we decided we were going to buy her. She’s turned out really well, she’s got a great family, and we’re so happy she won.”
