WEBVTT 00:00:14.189 --> 00:00:20.969 Creeping over fields of green Remembering the 00:00:20.969 --> 00:00:27.269 faces The moments unseen The hands that built 00:00:27.269 --> 00:00:33.590 a dynasty The vision in their eyes Echoes in 00:00:33.590 --> 00:00:38.810 the auction bar Beneath an endless sky This is 00:00:38.810 --> 00:01:04.280 the bull buy Turn the bar Welcome back to the 00:01:04.280 --> 00:01:07.200 podcast. I'm your host, and today I have one 00:01:07.200 --> 00:01:09.459 heck of a story to share with you. It's about 00:01:09.459 --> 00:01:12.659 a bull whose impact on our industry is so profound 00:01:12.659 --> 00:01:15.859 that it'll blow your mind. Picture this. Every 00:01:15.859 --> 00:01:18.900 single registered Holstein on earth today. Every 00:01:18.900 --> 00:01:21.620 single one from the high -tech dairies of California 00:01:21.620 --> 00:01:25.040 to the pastures of New Zealand. From the ancient 00:01:25.040 --> 00:01:27.659 dairy regions of Europe to the emerging farms 00:01:27.659 --> 00:01:30.739 of Asia, they all trace back to one bull. One 00:01:30.739 --> 00:01:34.079 bull from a modest Wisconsin farm. His name was 00:01:34.079 --> 00:01:37.400 Johanna Ragapple Pabst, and this is his incredible 00:01:37.400 --> 00:01:40.700 story. Now before I dive in, let me paint you 00:01:40.700 --> 00:01:43.480 a picture that'll give you goosebumps. Imagine 00:01:43.480 --> 00:01:46.579 a Western Union boy pedaling his bicycle through 00:01:46.579 --> 00:01:49.480 the crisp Quebec countryside on an April morning 00:01:49.480 --> 00:01:53.280 in 1926. Telegraph wires are humming overhead 00:01:53.280 --> 00:01:56.299 as spring awakens the landscape around Hudson 00:01:56.299 --> 00:01:58.959 Heights. When he finally turns up that winding 00:01:58.959 --> 00:02:02.560 tree -shaded drive to Mount Victoria Farms, gravel 00:02:02.560 --> 00:02:05.519 crunching beneath his wheels, he's carrying 15 00:02:05.519 --> 00:02:08.719 words that would literally reshape Holstein history 00:02:08.719 --> 00:02:12.939 forever. Johanna Ragapple Pabst, sold for $15 00:02:12.939 --> 00:02:17.759 ,000. Congratulations, O .G. Clark. $15 ,000 00:02:17.759 --> 00:02:22.460 in 1926. That's over $200 ,000 in today's money 00:02:22.460 --> 00:02:25.500 folks. But this wasn't just about buying another 00:02:25.500 --> 00:02:28.259 champion bull. This was about capturing lightning 00:02:28.259 --> 00:02:31.740 in a bottle. The cornerstone of a vision so scientifically 00:02:31.740 --> 00:02:35.319 precise and audaciously ambitious that it bordered 00:02:35.319 --> 00:02:38.060 on the impossible. Let's rewind to where it all 00:02:38.060 --> 00:02:41.180 began, because every great story has humble beginnings. 00:02:41.580 --> 00:02:44.379 We're talking about a modest farm, three miles 00:02:44.379 --> 00:02:47.319 north of Hartford, Wisconsin, in the winter of 00:02:47.319 --> 00:02:51.919 1921. Philip Linker, at 69 years old, is feeling 00:02:51.919 --> 00:02:54.500 the weight of nearly seven decades spent working 00:02:54.500 --> 00:02:58.520 the land. He's built a respected 173 -acre Holstein 00:02:58.520 --> 00:03:01.439 operation, but he's gradually passing it to younger 00:03:01.439 --> 00:03:04.599 hands. Specifically, his son -in -law, Herbert 00:03:04.599 --> 00:03:07.360 Lepien, who married Linker's daughter Della and 00:03:07.360 --> 00:03:10.379 brought fresh energy to the partnership. Now 00:03:10.379 --> 00:03:12.719 here's where it gets interesting. On January 00:03:12.719 --> 00:03:16.520 24, 1921, in a barn filled with the familiar 00:03:16.520 --> 00:03:19.590 sounds of a working dairy, you know, the gentle 00:03:19.590 --> 00:03:22.169 lowing of cattle, the rhythmic swish of tails, 00:03:22.389 --> 00:03:25.830 the soft thud of hooves on wooden floors. Something 00:03:25.830 --> 00:03:29.009 extraordinary was taking shape. Princess Johanna 00:03:29.009 --> 00:03:32.069 Ragapple Pontiac, barely two years old herself 00:03:32.069 --> 00:03:35.629 and heavy with her first calf, was shifting restlessly 00:03:35.629 --> 00:03:38.789 in the deep straw bedding. When her labor began, 00:03:39.050 --> 00:03:41.110 no one could have predicted they were witnessing 00:03:41.110 --> 00:03:44.069 the birth of a legend. The calf that slipped 00:03:44.069 --> 00:03:47.169 into the world was a bull, black and white, sturdy 00:03:47.169 --> 00:03:50.139 and alert. with eyes that seemed to hold unusual 00:03:50.139 --> 00:03:53.360 intelligence. In that lamplit barn, as Herbert 00:03:53.360 --> 00:03:56.120 Lepion toweled the newborn dry and helped him 00:03:56.120 --> 00:03:59.379 to his unsteady feet, there was no fanfare, no 00:03:59.379 --> 00:04:02.539 proclamation of greatness. Just another Holstein 00:04:02.539 --> 00:04:05.120 calf taking his first breaths on a Wisconsin 00:04:05.120 --> 00:04:08.659 dairy farm. But folks, what happened next revealed 00:04:08.659 --> 00:04:12.060 the true measure of both cow and calf. Fresh 00:04:12.060 --> 00:04:15.110 from delivering her son, Princess Johanna Ragapple 00:04:15.110 --> 00:04:18.230 Pontiac stepped into the test stall for her seven 00:04:18.230 --> 00:04:21.310 -day official trial. In that week, as winter 00:04:21.310 --> 00:04:23.629 winds howled across the Wisconsin countryside, 00:04:24.089 --> 00:04:26.709 she produced 26 pounds of butter equivalent, 00:04:26.970 --> 00:04:29.930 a staggering performance for any cow, let alone 00:04:29.930 --> 00:04:33.029 a first -calf heifer. The numbers told a story 00:04:33.029 --> 00:04:35.970 that every cattleman understood. This young mother 00:04:35.970 --> 00:04:38.569 possessed something special, and if genetics 00:04:38.569 --> 00:04:41.730 held true, her bull calf might possess it too. 00:04:42.209 --> 00:04:45.040 Eight months later, On a warm summer day, when 00:04:45.040 --> 00:04:48.259 the corn stood tall in Wisconsin fields, County 00:04:48.259 --> 00:04:51.180 Agent Milton Button paid what seemed like a routine 00:04:51.180 --> 00:04:54.339 visit to the Linker Lepion operation. Now Button's 00:04:54.339 --> 00:04:57.100 job was to help farmers improve their herds, 00:04:57.120 --> 00:04:59.939 and his trained eye could spot potential where 00:04:59.939 --> 00:05:02.819 others saw just another calf. When he watched 00:05:02.819 --> 00:05:05.420 that young bull move across the pasture, the 00:05:05.420 --> 00:05:08.040 way he carried himself, the breadth of his chest, 00:05:08.319 --> 00:05:11.079 the length of the stride, something just clicked. 00:05:11.639 --> 00:05:14.399 That's a good bull, Button told Herbert Lepien 00:05:14.399 --> 00:05:17.100 that day. Those words would prove absolutely 00:05:17.100 --> 00:05:21.060 prophetic. Someone should buy that calf. Six 00:05:21.060 --> 00:05:23.879 miles south of Hartford, Joe Peek was building 00:05:23.879 --> 00:05:27.019 dreams of his own. His farmhouse perched on a 00:05:27.019 --> 00:05:29.839 hillside southeast of town, looking out over 00:05:29.839 --> 00:05:32.560 the rolling countryside toward Holy Hill, that 00:05:32.560 --> 00:05:34.720 religious shrine that drew pilgrims from across 00:05:34.720 --> 00:05:37.699 the region. Peek had recently committed himself 00:05:37.699 --> 00:05:41.279 to Holstein Cattle. purchasing 14 heifer calves 00:05:41.279 --> 00:05:44.600 at a Fond du Lac sale. Youngsters ranging from 00:05:44.600 --> 00:05:47.660 six weeks to eight months old, costing him anywhere 00:05:47.660 --> 00:05:52.439 from $60 to $150 each. Like any beginning breeder 00:05:52.439 --> 00:05:55.360 worth his salt, Peek knew his next decision would 00:05:55.360 --> 00:05:58.480 shape his entire program, selecting a herd sire. 00:05:58.680 --> 00:06:01.279 Feeling the weight of inexperience, he enlisted 00:06:01.279 --> 00:06:04.259 Milton Button's guidance. Together they canvassed 00:06:04.259 --> 00:06:06.860 the countryside, inspecting herds and evaluating 00:06:06.860 --> 00:06:10.089 prospects. When Button recommended the Lepian 00:06:10.089 --> 00:06:13.250 calf, Peek didn't hesitate. The young bull who 00:06:13.250 --> 00:06:15.769 arrived at Peek Spring Stock Farm that summer 00:06:15.769 --> 00:06:18.310 stepped into a world where excellence was expected 00:06:18.310 --> 00:06:21.649 and hard work was the only currency that mattered. 00:06:21.889 --> 00:06:24.569 In the white farmhouse kitchen, nine -year -old 00:06:24.569 --> 00:06:27.430 Anna Peek was already mixing warm milk for calves 00:06:27.430 --> 00:06:30.149 on cold mornings, learning the rhythms of farm 00:06:30.149 --> 00:06:32.569 life that would shape her character. She had 00:06:32.569 --> 00:06:35.389 no way of knowing that one of those calves The 00:06:35.389 --> 00:06:37.870 gentle giant who followed her around the barnyard 00:06:37.870 --> 00:06:40.810 like an oversized pet would one day change the 00:06:40.810 --> 00:06:43.610 world. Anna would later remember a detail that 00:06:43.610 --> 00:06:46.550 makes me smile. Do you pour the warm water into 00:06:46.550 --> 00:06:49.170 the milk or the milk into the warm water when 00:06:49.170 --> 00:06:51.750 feeding calves? She would ask visitors decades 00:06:51.750 --> 00:06:54.230 later, her eyes still bright with the memory, 00:06:54.410 --> 00:06:57.829 if you do it wrong, the calf gets diarrhea. Such 00:06:57.829 --> 00:07:00.370 was the practical wisdom of farm children in 00:07:00.370 --> 00:07:03.730 an era when every detail mattered. Joe Peek had 00:07:03.730 --> 00:07:06.490 ambitious plans for his young bull. Each fall, 00:07:06.689 --> 00:07:10.189 he would rent a boxcar, outfit it with 2x6s screwed 00:07:10.189 --> 00:07:12.810 into the walls to secure the cattle, partition 00:07:12.810 --> 00:07:15.709 all stalls, and install water and feed barrels. 00:07:15.990 --> 00:07:19.189 This rolling barn would carry his hopes and dreams 00:07:19.189 --> 00:07:22.649 to county fairs across the upper Midwest, where 00:07:22.649 --> 00:07:25.529 cattle were judged not just on production records, 00:07:25.730 --> 00:07:28.589 but on that indefinable quality called type, 00:07:28.750 --> 00:07:32.430 the visual embodiment of dairy perfection. At 00:07:32.430 --> 00:07:36.209 Walworth County Fair in 1922, as summer heat 00:07:36.209 --> 00:07:38.870 shimmered over the show rings and the air hung 00:07:38.870 --> 00:07:42.069 heavy with the scent of cattle and hay, Johanna 00:07:42.069 --> 00:07:45.569 Rag Apple Pabst made his public debut. Judge 00:07:45.569 --> 00:07:48.449 A .C. Oosterhuis examined the senior yearling 00:07:48.449 --> 00:07:51.170 class with the careful attention of a man who 00:07:51.170 --> 00:07:54.029 understood that his decisions could make or break 00:07:54.029 --> 00:07:56.829 a breeder's dreams. When he pointed to the bull 00:07:56.829 --> 00:07:59.829 from Hartford, placing him first and naming him 00:07:59.829 --> 00:08:03.120 junior champion, Joe Peek felt that first flutter 00:08:03.120 --> 00:08:06.439 of vindication. But, Wisconsin State Fair later 00:08:06.439 --> 00:08:09.259 that season brought humility, fifth place in 00:08:09.259 --> 00:08:11.980 a class of seven, a showing that might have discouraged 00:08:11.980 --> 00:08:14.839 a lesser man. As Peek led his bull from the ring 00:08:14.839 --> 00:08:17.939 that day, his jaw set with determination. He 00:08:17.939 --> 00:08:20.540 turned to Herbert Lepien, whose own bull had 00:08:20.540 --> 00:08:22.980 placed second, and made a declaration that would 00:08:22.980 --> 00:08:26.000 echo through Holstein history. This is a good 00:08:26.000 --> 00:08:28.959 bull. I'll get him in shape next year, and then 00:08:28.959 --> 00:08:32.100 I'll show the boys a thing or two. And boy, did 00:08:32.100 --> 00:08:35.519 he ever show them. True to his word, Peek transformed 00:08:35.519 --> 00:08:39.279 his bull into a phenomenon. The 1923 season saw 00:08:39.279 --> 00:08:42.720 Johanna Rag Apple Pabst emerge as something unprecedented 00:08:42.720 --> 00:08:45.919 in Holstein circles. At Illinois State Fair, 00:08:46.120 --> 00:08:48.899 as the orchestra played and spectators filled 00:08:48.899 --> 00:08:51.600 the grandstand, the massive bull from Wisconsin 00:08:51.600 --> 00:08:54.559 moved into the ring with surprising grace for 00:08:54.559 --> 00:08:57.440 his size. When the judge's final decision came, 00:08:57.720 --> 00:09:01.019 grand champion. The crowd erupted. The same scene 00:09:01.019 --> 00:09:03.179 played out at Waterloo Dairy Cattle Congress 00:09:03.179 --> 00:09:06.159 and the Pacific International Livestock Exposition. 00:09:06.340 --> 00:09:09.019 But here's what captured hearts across dairy 00:09:09.019 --> 00:09:11.580 country. The tradition that developed around 00:09:11.580 --> 00:09:14.940 these victories. Wherever Joe Peek or his mentor 00:09:14.940 --> 00:09:18.279 John Hetz led Johanna Ragapple Pabst into a show 00:09:18.279 --> 00:09:20.879 ring, The house orchestra would strike up on 00:09:20.879 --> 00:09:23.700 Wisconsin, the state anthem. As those familiar 00:09:23.700 --> 00:09:25.980 notes filled the arena and the black and white 00:09:25.980 --> 00:09:28.620 giant stepped onto the tan bark, spectators would 00:09:28.620 --> 00:09:31.080 rise to their feet, caught up in the pageantry 00:09:31.080 --> 00:09:34.659 of it all. The 1924 season brought something 00:09:34.659 --> 00:09:37.480 that had never been seen before in Holstein competition. 00:09:38.179 --> 00:09:41.620 Absolute perfection. Johanna Ragapple Pabst went 00:09:41.620 --> 00:09:44.419 undefeated in both class and grand championship 00:09:44.419 --> 00:09:47.840 competition. Wisconsin State Fair, Illinois State 00:09:47.840 --> 00:09:50.820 Fair, Waterloo, the National Dairy Show, all 00:09:50.820 --> 00:09:53.419 fell before his supremacy like dominoes in a 00:09:53.419 --> 00:09:56.299 perfectly orchestrated game. Too thick in the 00:09:56.299 --> 00:09:59.179 pants, his detractors muttered in the barns after 00:09:59.179 --> 00:10:02.039 the shows, but nobody seemed able to beat him. 00:10:02.240 --> 00:10:05.620 His consistency was remarkable, not just in winning, 00:10:05.740 --> 00:10:08.519 but in his demeanor. While other bulls of his 00:10:08.519 --> 00:10:11.379 era were notorious for their unpredictable temperament, 00:10:11.460 --> 00:10:14.519 requiring skilled handlers and constant vigilance, 00:10:14.820 --> 00:10:18.000 Pabst had become the peak family pet. as gentle 00:10:18.000 --> 00:10:20.559 with nine -year -old Anna as he was commanding 00:10:20.559 --> 00:10:22.679 in the show ring. Now here's where the story 00:10:22.679 --> 00:10:25.539 gets really exciting. While Johanna Ragapple 00:10:25.539 --> 00:10:27.960 Pabst was dominating show rings from Wisconsin 00:10:27.960 --> 00:10:31.080 to Oregon, his first daughters in Joe Peek's 00:10:31.080 --> 00:10:33.980 modest herd were quietly revolutionizing expectations 00:10:33.980 --> 00:10:37.100 about what a bull could transmit to his offspring. 00:10:37.480 --> 00:10:39.980 Every daughter that freshened stepped into the 00:10:39.980 --> 00:10:42.379 test stall, and their performance was extraordinary. 00:10:43.210 --> 00:10:46.190 They averaged over 18 pounds of butter in seven 00:10:46.190 --> 00:10:49.429 days as junior two -year -olds, with two exceeding 00:10:49.429 --> 00:10:52.529 25 pounds, figures that ranked among the very 00:10:52.529 --> 00:10:55.549 best of their time. More significantly, these 00:10:55.549 --> 00:10:58.789 daughters were consistently testing 4 % butterfat 00:10:58.789 --> 00:11:01.830 or better, inheriting that remarkable trait from 00:11:01.830 --> 00:11:05.330 their grandam. In an era when most Holstein herds 00:11:05.330 --> 00:11:08.110 struggled to maintain butterfat percentages above 00:11:08.110 --> 00:11:13.259 3 .5%, 4 % milk was like finding gold. This combination 00:11:13.259 --> 00:11:16.019 of show ring dominance and proven transmitting 00:11:16.019 --> 00:11:19.379 ability created perfect market conditions. Bulls 00:11:19.379 --> 00:11:22.259 with such show credentials were rare. Bulls with 00:11:22.259 --> 00:11:24.639 daughters proving themselves in the test barn 00:11:24.639 --> 00:11:28.080 were rarer still. Bulls with both? Virtually 00:11:28.080 --> 00:11:30.659 non -existent. Word spread through the Holstein 00:11:30.659 --> 00:11:33.200 community with the efficiency of a telegraph 00:11:33.200 --> 00:11:36.139 network. In farm kitchens across the Dairy Belt, 00:11:36.299 --> 00:11:38.940 breeders poured over Holstein Friesian World 00:11:38.940 --> 00:11:42.500 and Farmer's Advocate. Studying the production 00:11:42.500 --> 00:11:45.100 reports and show results that told the story 00:11:45.100 --> 00:11:48.159 of the bull from Hartford, 400 miles northeast, 00:11:48.480 --> 00:11:51.279 in the quiet evenings at Mount Victoria Farms, 00:11:51.379 --> 00:11:54.000 Thomas Bassett McCauley could often be found 00:11:54.000 --> 00:11:56.820 in his study, lamplight illuminating the pages 00:11:56.820 --> 00:11:59.899 of Holstein herd books and back issues of agricultural 00:11:59.899 --> 00:12:04.000 publications. This Montreal insurance magnate 00:12:04.000 --> 00:12:06.200 approached his hobby with the same analytical 00:12:06.200 --> 00:12:08.600 precision that had made him president of Sun 00:12:08.600 --> 00:12:11.490 Life Assurance Company. one of North America's 00:12:11.490 --> 00:12:14.409 largest financial institutions. His experiments 00:12:14.409 --> 00:12:17.250 with corn breeding had opened his eyes to possibilities 00:12:17.250 --> 00:12:19.929 that most cattle breeders of his era couldn't 00:12:19.929 --> 00:12:24.409 even imagine. Between 1924 and 1928, Macaulay 00:12:24.409 --> 00:12:27.809 maintained between 100 and 170 separate corn 00:12:27.809 --> 00:12:31.370 plots annually, each planted with seed from a 00:12:31.370 --> 00:12:34.070 single selected ear, each carefully isolated 00:12:34.070 --> 00:12:36.990 to prevent cross -pollination. His methodical 00:12:36.990 --> 00:12:39.700 approach grounded in Mendelian genetics, had 00:12:39.700 --> 00:12:42.519 convinced him that specific, predictable characteristics 00:12:42.519 --> 00:12:44.799 could be developed through strategic selection 00:12:44.799 --> 00:12:48.019 and inbreeding. If it worked with corn, Macaulay 00:12:48.019 --> 00:12:50.100 reasoned, with the logic of a mathematician, 00:12:50.460 --> 00:12:53.340 why not with cattle? His vision was breathtaking 00:12:53.340 --> 00:12:56.659 in its precision. To develop a Holstein bloodline 00:12:56.659 --> 00:13:00.220 genetically pure for three crucial traits — superior 00:13:00.220 --> 00:13:03.460 show type, excellent udders, and a consistent 00:13:03.460 --> 00:13:07.440 butterfat test of 4 % or better. This wasn't 00:13:07.440 --> 00:13:10.179 the casual dream of a gentleman farmer. This 00:13:10.179 --> 00:13:13.159 was a scientifically designed project that would 00:13:13.159 --> 00:13:16.179 require the same methodical approach that had 00:13:16.179 --> 00:13:19.419 guided his insurance career. To evaluate Johanna 00:13:19.419 --> 00:13:22.379 Ragapple Pabst firsthand, McCauley dispatched 00:13:22.379 --> 00:13:25.419 Joseph I. Chandler to the modest farmstead near 00:13:25.419 --> 00:13:28.419 Hartford. Chandler's train pulled into Hartford 00:13:28.419 --> 00:13:31.490 on a crisp Wisconsin morning. and the short drive 00:13:31.490 --> 00:13:34.070 to the Peak Farm revealed the stark contrast 00:13:34.070 --> 00:13:36.870 between his urban Montreal background and this 00:13:36.870 --> 00:13:40.110 rural heartland. At Peak Springs Stock Farm, 00:13:40.269 --> 00:13:43.029 with its modest white farmhouse overlooking the 00:13:43.029 --> 00:13:45.490 countryside, Chandler found himself face -to 00:13:45.490 --> 00:13:47.889 -face with the bull whose reputation had traveled 00:13:47.889 --> 00:13:51.250 over 1 ,000 miles. What he discovered exceeded 00:13:51.250 --> 00:13:54.750 even Macaulay's optimistic expectations. Here 00:13:54.750 --> 00:13:57.460 was the Top Show Bull of the Day. barely five 00:13:57.460 --> 00:14:00.340 years old and fit for many more years of service 00:14:00.340 --> 00:14:04.159 his massive frame spoke of masculine power while 00:14:04.159 --> 00:14:06.700 his gentle demeanor revealed a temperament ideally 00:14:06.700 --> 00:14:09.840 suited for handling but it was the data that 00:14:09.840 --> 00:14:12.659 convinced chandler's business mind upwards of 00:14:12.659 --> 00:14:15.259 a dozen daughters averaging four percent test 00:14:15.259 --> 00:14:18.580 on official work all under ordinary farm conditions 00:14:18.580 --> 00:14:22.259 colonel o .g clark's holstein classic was conceived 00:14:22.259 --> 00:14:25.379 as more than just an auction It was the breed's 00:14:25.379 --> 00:14:28.259 first major promotional extravaganza, designed 00:14:28.259 --> 00:14:31.279 to capture national attention and elevate the 00:14:31.279 --> 00:14:35.419 entire Holstein industry. With 450 head cataloged, 00:14:35.440 --> 00:14:38.399 it was the largest sale in volume to that time, 00:14:38.519 --> 00:14:42.980 averaging $391 per head in an era when many good 00:14:42.980 --> 00:14:46.580 cows sold for less than $200. The sale venue 00:14:46.580 --> 00:14:48.980 buzzed with excitement as cattlemen gathered 00:14:48.980 --> 00:14:52.139 from across North America Gourmet meals accompanied 00:14:52.139 --> 00:14:55.279 by orchestra music followed each day's selling, 00:14:55.440 --> 00:14:58.179 creating an atmosphere more reminiscent of a 00:14:58.179 --> 00:15:01.419 society gathering than a farm auction. But everyone 00:15:01.419 --> 00:15:04.059 understood what they were witnessing. History 00:15:04.059 --> 00:15:07.100 in the making. When Johanna Ragapple Pabst's 00:15:07.100 --> 00:15:10.019 moment came, the arena fell silent except for 00:15:10.019 --> 00:15:13.120 the familiar strains of On, Wisconsin, as Joe 00:15:13.120 --> 00:15:15.779 Peek led his champion into the ring for the final 00:15:15.779 --> 00:15:19.370 time. The bidding began conservatively. but quickly 00:15:19.370 --> 00:15:22.049 escalated as the significance of the moment became 00:15:22.049 --> 00:15:25.990 clear. When the hammer finally fell at $15 ,000, 00:15:26.370 --> 00:15:29.389 the assembled crowd rose as one, giving three 00:15:29.389 --> 00:15:32.509 lusty cheers for Canada. It was a record price 00:15:32.509 --> 00:15:35.049 that wouldn't be matched until the wartime boom 00:15:35.049 --> 00:15:38.450 of 1942, but here's a detail that reveals the 00:15:38.450 --> 00:15:41.169 human drama. Twelve -year -old Ellis Knutson, 00:15:41.330 --> 00:15:44.509 hired to care for cattle at the sale, overheard 00:15:44.509 --> 00:15:47.009 Colonel Clark's blunt response when Joe Peek 00:15:47.009 --> 00:15:49.269 suggested reducing the commission because of 00:15:49.269 --> 00:15:52.889 the publicity. Nonsense. On the last $5 ,000, 00:15:53.309 --> 00:15:56.389 Chandler and I were the only two bidding. When 00:15:56.389 --> 00:15:59.210 the train carrying Johanna Ragapple Pabst pulled 00:15:59.210 --> 00:16:03.269 into Hudson Heights Station in April 1926, it 00:16:03.269 --> 00:16:05.409 carried more than just another expensive bull. 00:16:05.570 --> 00:16:08.049 It carried the future of the Holstein breed. 00:16:08.509 --> 00:16:11.250 Perched on its wooded plateau overlooking Lake 00:16:11.250 --> 00:16:14.120 of Two Mountains, Mount Victoria commanded a 00:16:14.120 --> 00:16:16.799 view that had captivated T .B. Macaulay when 00:16:16.799 --> 00:16:20.679 he first purchased the property in 1899. Macaulay 00:16:20.679 --> 00:16:22.700 had prepared for this moment with characteristic 00:16:22.700 --> 00:16:25.759 precision. The bull was housed in a special, 00:16:25.940 --> 00:16:28.899 open -faced, two -story barn built specifically 00:16:28.899 --> 00:16:32.440 for him, situated in a small paddock north of 00:16:32.440 --> 00:16:35.580 the main garnyard. From his quarters, Johanna 00:16:35.580 --> 00:16:37.919 Ragapple Pabst could survey the rolling Quebec 00:16:37.919 --> 00:16:40.940 countryside like a monarch overseeing his domain. 00:16:41.500 --> 00:16:43.799 a fitting metaphor for what he would become. 00:16:44.100 --> 00:16:47.039 The breeding strategy Macaulay implemented was 00:16:47.039 --> 00:16:49.980 as methodical as his corn experiments. Around 00:16:49.980 --> 00:16:52.659 the Mount Victoria cow stable, Macaulay could 00:16:52.659 --> 00:16:55.600 be seen with his trademark index cards, each 00:16:55.600 --> 00:16:58.500 containing numbers, flowcharts, and diagrams 00:16:58.500 --> 00:17:01.919 pertaining to individual herd members. His actuarial 00:17:01.919 --> 00:17:04.359 background had taught him that complex problems 00:17:04.359 --> 00:17:07.619 required systematic data collection and analysis. 00:17:08.039 --> 00:17:10.740 He approached genetics like an insurance calculation. 00:17:11.390 --> 00:17:13.990 seeking to reduce risk by concentrating proven 00:17:13.990 --> 00:17:16.849 genetics while tracking every variable that might 00:17:16.849 --> 00:17:19.730 affect outcomes. The offspring were collectively 00:17:19.730 --> 00:17:23.210 called Rag Apples, with individual names typically 00:17:23.210 --> 00:17:26.690 beginning Montvic Rag Apple, followed by a fourth 00:17:26.690 --> 00:17:30.009 name. Before many years had passed, any Holstein 00:17:30.009 --> 00:17:32.769 breeder hearing Rag Apple would correctly assume 00:17:32.769 --> 00:17:35.269 the reference was to a descendant of Johanna 00:17:35.269 --> 00:17:38.569 Rag Apple Pabst. What made Johanna Rag Apple 00:17:38.569 --> 00:17:41.759 Pabst genetically potent wasn't accident, it 00:17:41.759 --> 00:17:44.119 was the result of deliberate line breeding strategies. 00:17:44.519 --> 00:17:47.319 His pedigree featured six crosses to the dominant 00:17:47.319 --> 00:17:50.799 sire Pontiac Corndyke and four crosses to another 00:17:50.799 --> 00:17:55.000 titan, Henger Voldekol. Approximately 36 % of 00:17:55.000 --> 00:17:57.799 his genetic inheritance derived directly from 00:17:57.799 --> 00:18:00.819 these four exceptional sires, a concentration 00:18:00.819 --> 00:18:03.859 of proven genetics that dramatically increased 00:18:03.859 --> 00:18:06.579 the likelihood his offspring would inherit and 00:18:06.579 --> 00:18:09.589 transmit desirable traits. The results exceeded 00:18:09.589 --> 00:18:12.910 even Macaulay's ambitious expectations. Daughter 00:18:12.910 --> 00:18:15.309 after daughter emerged with the combination of 00:18:15.309 --> 00:18:18.529 traits he sought – superior type, excellent udders, 00:18:18.630 --> 00:18:22.089 and 4 % or better butterfat test. Sons proved 00:18:22.089 --> 00:18:25.650 equally valuable, with bulls like Montvik Pathfinder, 00:18:25.930 --> 00:18:28.990 Montvik Chieftain, and dozens of others carrying 00:18:28.990 --> 00:18:31.890 their sire's genetic potency to herds across 00:18:31.890 --> 00:18:35.730 North America. Johanna Ragapple Papp's life at 00:18:35.730 --> 00:18:38.769 Mount Victoria was productive but destined to 00:18:38.769 --> 00:18:42.029 be brief. The end came suddenly in late 1933. 00:18:42.549 --> 00:18:45.309 At 12 years of age, while moving in his paddock 00:18:45.309 --> 00:18:47.509 overlooking the Quebec countryside he'd called 00:18:47.509 --> 00:18:50.430 home for seven years, the Great Bull broke his 00:18:50.430 --> 00:18:54.109 leg at the stifle. The injury was so severe that 00:18:54.109 --> 00:18:57.430 euthanasia was the only humane option. By then, 00:18:57.529 --> 00:18:59.910 however, his influence was already spreading 00:18:59.910 --> 00:19:02.859 far beyond the borders of Mount Victoria. When 00:19:02.859 --> 00:19:05.519 the Mount Victoria herd was dispersed in 1942, 00:19:05.960 --> 00:19:09.259 all but two of the 89 lots offered were home 00:19:09.259 --> 00:19:12.119 -bred descendants of Johanna Ragapple Pabst. 00:19:12.279 --> 00:19:15.640 The dispersal scattered his progeny across North 00:19:15.640 --> 00:19:19.059 America like seeds from a rare plant, each carrying 00:19:19.059 --> 00:19:21.359 the potential to influence Holstein genetics 00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:24.099 for generations to come. Now here's where this 00:19:24.099 --> 00:19:27.670 story becomes absolutely mind -blowing. In 1958, 00:19:28.049 --> 00:19:30.750 when TB, Macaulay's memory was honored by the 00:19:30.750 --> 00:19:33.210 dairy industry with the hanging of his portrait 00:19:33.210 --> 00:19:35.769 in the Pioneer Room at the Dairy Shrine Club. 00:19:35.970 --> 00:19:39.910 It was announced that over 90 % of Canadian Holsteins 00:19:39.910 --> 00:19:42.269 were descendants of Mount Victoria breeding. 00:19:42.470 --> 00:19:45.190 But that was just the beginning, folks. Today, 00:19:45.430 --> 00:19:48.670 nearly a century after Johanna Ragapple Papps 00:19:48.670 --> 00:19:51.109 stepped off that train at Hudson Heights, the 00:19:51.109 --> 00:19:53.910 scope of his genetic influence defies comprehension. 00:19:54.720 --> 00:19:57.579 No registered Holstein exists anywhere on earth 00:19:57.579 --> 00:19:59.940 that does not trace back to this bull. None. 00:20:00.240 --> 00:20:02.880 Not in the high -tech dairies of California's 00:20:02.880 --> 00:20:05.539 Central Valley. Not in the grass -fed systems 00:20:05.539 --> 00:20:08.460 of New Zealand. Not in the ancient dairy regions 00:20:08.460 --> 00:20:11.180 of Europe, where the breed originated. Not in 00:20:11.180 --> 00:20:13.700 the emerging dairy industries of Asia and South 00:20:13.700 --> 00:20:16.519 America. This represents something unprecedented 00:20:16.519 --> 00:20:20.130 in livestock breeding. the complete genetic transformation 00:20:20.130 --> 00:20:23.329 of a global breed by a single individual. In 00:20:23.329 --> 00:20:26.509 every barn, in every pasture, in every milking 00:20:26.509 --> 00:20:29.150 parlor where Holstein cattle convert feed to 00:20:29.150 --> 00:20:32.309 milk, the genetic essence of Johanna Ragapple 00:20:32.309 --> 00:20:35.809 Pabst flows through their veins. Walk into any 00:20:35.809 --> 00:20:38.630 modern dairy operation today, and you're witnessing 00:20:38.630 --> 00:20:41.329 the living fulfillment of TB McCauley's vision. 00:20:41.509 --> 00:20:44.950 The 4 % butterfat that he pursued with such scientific 00:20:44.950 --> 00:20:48.299 dedication is now routine. The combination of 00:20:48.299 --> 00:20:50.779 type, utter quality, and production that seemed 00:20:50.779 --> 00:20:54.440 so ambitious in 1926 has become the baseline 00:20:54.440 --> 00:20:56.799 from which modern Holstein breeding programs 00:20:56.799 --> 00:21:00.319 advance toward even greater goals. In a basement 00:21:00.319 --> 00:21:03.480 office of a modern dairy farm, a young breeder 00:21:03.480 --> 00:21:06.660 studies genomic evaluations on her computer screen, 00:21:06.900 --> 00:21:09.700 making mating decisions with precision that would 00:21:09.700 --> 00:21:12.559 have amazed even T .B. Macaulay. The technology 00:21:12.559 --> 00:21:15.339 is revolutionary. SNP chips that read genetic 00:21:15.339 --> 00:21:17.700 code, computer algorithms that predict production 00:21:17.700 --> 00:21:20.599 potential, satellite -guided feed delivery systems, 00:21:20.839 --> 00:21:23.259 robotic milking equipment that operates around 00:21:23.259 --> 00:21:25.740 the clock. Yet the fundamental principles that 00:21:25.740 --> 00:21:28.200 guide her decisions echo directly back to those 00:21:28.200 --> 00:21:30.980 index cards Macaulay carried around his cow stable. 00:21:31.519 --> 00:21:34.400 Identify superior genetics, concentrate then 00:21:34.400 --> 00:21:36.799 through strategic breeding, measure the results, 00:21:37.059 --> 00:21:39.779 and build systematically toward clearly defined 00:21:39.779 --> 00:21:42.849 goals. Behind every great bull stands a network 00:21:42.849 --> 00:21:45.490 of human decisions, insights, and commitments 00:21:45.490 --> 00:21:48.710 that make greatness possible. Philip Blinker's 00:21:48.710 --> 00:21:51.549 dedication to quality bulls, even without formal 00:21:51.549 --> 00:21:54.569 testing programs. Herbert Lepien's foresight 00:21:54.569 --> 00:21:58.009 and his eye for a superior sire. Milton Button's 00:21:58.009 --> 00:22:00.549 recognition of exceptional potential in an eight 00:22:00.549 --> 00:22:03.569 -month -old calf. Joe Peek's relentless dedication 00:22:03.569 --> 00:22:06.910 to show ring excellence. His willingness to invest 00:22:06.910 --> 00:22:09.569 in fitting and travel. and his prophetic words 00:22:09.569 --> 00:22:12.589 about showing the boys a thing or two. His daughter 00:22:12.589 --> 00:22:15.109 Anna's childhood memories of feeding a gentle 00:22:15.109 --> 00:22:17.650 giant who would follow her around the barnyard, 00:22:17.849 --> 00:22:20.450 never knowing she was caring for a future legend. 00:22:21.109 --> 00:22:24.089 Most significantly, T .B. McCauley's revolutionary 00:22:24.089 --> 00:22:27.289 vision, an insurance man's mathematical approach 00:22:27.289 --> 00:22:29.970 to genetics, combined with unlimited resources 00:22:29.970 --> 00:22:33.069 and unwavering commitment to specific, measurable 00:22:33.069 --> 00:22:36.750 goals. From a modest Wisconsin farm to global 00:22:36.750 --> 00:22:39.680 genetic dominance, From a record -breaking $15 00:22:39.680 --> 00:22:43.579 ,000 sale to influence worth billions in modern 00:22:43.579 --> 00:22:46.200 breeding programs. From one man's scientific 00:22:46.200 --> 00:22:49.539 vision to an industry that feeds the world. The 00:22:49.539 --> 00:22:53.099 story of Johanna Rag Apple Pabst reminds us that 00:22:53.099 --> 00:22:55.980 sometimes the most profound changes begin with 00:22:55.980 --> 00:22:58.740 the simplest recognition of excellence. This 00:22:58.740 --> 00:23:01.940 is a good bull. Joe Peek said after that disappointing 00:23:01.940 --> 00:23:04.740 fifth -place showing at Wisconsin State Fair 00:23:04.740 --> 00:23:08.900 in 1922. In barns around the world today, as 00:23:08.900 --> 00:23:11.859 Holstein calves take their first steps and farmers 00:23:11.859 --> 00:23:14.440 plan their breeding programs for the next generation, 00:23:14.759 --> 00:23:18.240 that recognition continues. Every Holstein alive 00:23:18.240 --> 00:23:21.200 today carries his blood. Every glass of milk, 00:23:21.359 --> 00:23:24.619 every slice of cheese, every dairy product consumed 00:23:24.619 --> 00:23:28.220 anywhere on earth bears his influence. The bull 00:23:28.220 --> 00:23:31.279 who changed everything continues to change everything, 00:23:31.539 --> 00:23:35.000 one generation at a time, one calf at a time. 00:23:35.319 --> 00:23:38.579 one farm at a time his genetic legacy flowing 00:23:38.579 --> 00:23:40.799 through the veins of the breed that feeds the 00:23:40.799 --> 00:23:44.059 world so there you have it bullvine family the 00:23:44.059 --> 00:23:47.140 incredible story of johanna rag apple papst the 00:23:47.140 --> 00:23:49.640 bull whose genetic fingerprint is literally in 00:23:49.640 --> 00:23:52.539 every holstein on earth today from that cold 00:23:52.539 --> 00:23:55.819 january morning in a wisconsin barn to the global 00:23:55.819 --> 00:23:58.519 dairy industry that feeds billions of people 00:23:59.019 --> 00:24:02.400 His legacy reminds us that excellence, once recognized 00:24:02.400 --> 00:24:05.440 and properly developed, has the power to transform 00:24:05.440 --> 00:24:08.299 the world. Next time you see a Holstein cow, 00:24:08.559 --> 00:24:11.819 remember this story. Remember that gentle giant 00:24:11.819 --> 00:24:14.420 who followed nine -year -old Anna Peek around 00:24:14.420 --> 00:24:17.660 the barnyard. Remember T .B. Macaulay's scientific 00:24:17.660 --> 00:24:20.319 vision. Remember Joe Peek's determination to 00:24:20.319 --> 00:24:22.940 show the boys a thing or two. Thanks for joining 00:24:22.940 --> 00:24:25.279 me on this incredible journey through Holstein 00:24:25.279 --> 00:24:28.509 history. Until next time, keep breeding for excellence. 00:24:28.849 --> 00:24:31.569 And remember, sometimes the most extraordinary 00:24:31.569 --> 00:24:34.009 legacies start with the simplest observation. 00:24:34.470 --> 00:25:11.170 This is a good bull. Tell the tale, tell the 00:25:11.170 --> 00:25:15.230 tale, the Beaumont legends live here.