Junior Owned Cow Honored as 2017 Star of the Breed

BRATTLEBORO, Vt., June 5, 2018 – The esteemed Star of the Breed award was introduced in 2007 to acknowledge an elite Registered Holstein® cow that embodies outstanding production combined with exceptional type. This year, Holstein Association USA presents the Star of the Breed distinction to Smith-Crest-TW SH Virgie-ET. At the time of recognition, Virgie was owned by 21-year-old Paul Grulke of Mayville, Wis. Her balance, depth of body and front-end strength are attributes Paul says he admires about Virgie. He began working with her as a Junior Holstein project alongside Matt and Travis Smith of Smith-Crest Holsteins. During her last lactation, calving in at six years and four months of age, on two-time a day milking, Virgie produced 44,710 pounds of milk, with 1,784 pounds of fat and 1,296 pounds of protein. Classified Excellent-95 2E, Virgie is a cow to be admired by any Registered Holstein breeder. Currently a junior at University of Wisconsin-Platteville, Paul is majoring in dairy science with a minor in agriculture business. He enjoys finding the best mating for each cow, while learning how genetics evolve over time. After graduation, he plans to pursue a career in genetics. His aspirations include being a herdsman or owning his own dairy farm where he could focus on breeding high-type animals. Smith-Crest-TW SH Virgie-ET will be honored during the 2018 Holstein Association USA’s Annual Meeting, July 2-3 in Acme, Michigan. Registration is available at www.holsteinusa.com. About the Award 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, be in a herd enrolled in the TriStarSM program and have an official classification score. Once the eligible cows are determined, the following calculation is used to determine the award recipient: Combined Mature Equivalent (ME) Fat and Protein + Age Adjusted Classification Score x (Breed Average ME CFP/ Breed Average Age Adjusted Score). For more information about the Star of the Breed Award,

visit www.holsteinusa.com/awards/animals.html.

Holstein Association USA, Inc., www.holsteinusa.com, provides products and services to dairy producers to enhance genetics and improve profitability–ranging from registry processing to identification programs to consulting services. The Association, headquartered in Brattleboro, Vt., maintains the records for Registered Holsteins® and represents approximately 30,000 members throughout the United States.