Creeping across the pasture land. Got dirt on
the boots and a working hand. From the milk house
home to the auction call. These are the folks
standing strong and tall. Yeah, this is... Hello,
and welcome to the Bullvine Podcast. I'm your
host, and today I have a story for you that is
going to absolutely blow you away. It's a story
about passion, about vision, and about proving
that in the dairy industry, size isn't everything.
It's the story of Molly Westwood and her incredible
journey building Panda Holsteins. Picture this,
a 30 -cow operation in the UK. not focused on
pumping out gallons of milk, but on creating
some of the most elite genetics on the planet.
And get this, it's so successful that it's earned
its young founder master breeder status. This
isn't just a business, it's a revolution in red
and white. So grab a coffee, settle in, and let
me tell you how a young farm girl with a dream
is now shaping the future of Holstein Genetics
worldwide. Our story starts, as many great ones
do, on a dairy farm in the northern UK. Molly
Westwood grew up not on a fancy pedigree farm,
but a commercial one. But her dad, Andrew, taught
her something from day one that stuck with her.
As Molly told me, despite being a commercial
herd, he always used the best bulls and ensured
the cows were looked after like queens. You look
after the cows, and they will look after you.
Even as a kid, doing chores, the standard was
high. She remembers her dad telling her, You
make sure you clean those beds like it was your
own. If it's not good enough for you, it's not
good enough for the cows. That principle, it's
the bedrock of everything she does today. But
the real spark, the moment that changed everything,
came on Christmas Day when Molly was 14. She
didn't get a new phone or a video game. She got
a pedigree heifer named Hannesberry Charles Gem.
In her own words, this was the start of my passion
for the pedigree world. That next summer, Molly
was hooked. She halter broke Jem, learned to
clip, and convinced her parents to let her hit
the show ring. That first taste of competition
lit a fire in her. It wasn't long before she
was helping the family convert their entire commercial
herd to a registered pedigree operation. The
goal was twofold. Maybe show some home -bred
animals and add some serious value to the cattle
they already loved so much. But Molly had a bigger
vision. A global vision. She knew that to compete
on the world stage, she needed world -class experience.
So at just 16 years old, this self -described
homegirl, who was so shy she barely answered
the phone, made a bold move. A really bold move.
She told me, as soon as I had a taste of competition
with my show -calf gem, I wanted to breed the
best and become a breeder recognized worldwide
one day. I knew I had to work hard and take any
opportunities I could find. That opportunity
came from a family friend, Chris Perry, who offered
her a job at Morson Farms in Alberta, Canada,
one of the best Holstein operations in the world.
So she finished school, worked at a local pub
to save for the flight, and flew halfway across
the world. She admits she was shy, inexperienced,
a real homegirl. But as she says, having a connection
with cows, I knew I was going to be just fine.
and she was more than fine. Those four years
at Morson were her university. She worked with
the best of the best, learning from industry
giants. I remain eternally grateful to the Thalen
and Perry families, she reflects. I headed to
Canada as a young girl, but the time over there
helped me develop and shape into a young lady
who knew exactly what I wanted to do with a little
more experience on her belt. It was in Canada
that the seed for Panda Holsteins was truly planted.
And it all started with one cow. One evening,
Molly's boss drove her out to the heifer barns
to see some new arrivals. And there she was,
a heavily pregnant heifer named Stonedin Fool's
Gold Red. Molly recalls it vividly. This incredibly
balanced heifer with a super wide rump was the
type I'd always try and breed in the future.
But this cow had a secret weapon, the VRC gene.
This meant you could breed her to the absolute
best black and white bulls and still get a red
calf. It was a game changer. Molly watched Fool's
Gold calve and develop, and her admiration just
grew. So before she left Canada to return home
to the UK, she made a calculated investment.
She bought five embryos from Fool's Gold, bred
to a sire of her choice. She had them shipped
home with specific instructions for implanting.
When she finally got back to the UK for good,
she found out all five embryos had taken. The
first calf born was a red heifer. I thought I
had hit the jackpot, she remembers. That red
heifer was named Lexi. She was followed by two
black heifers, Allie and Alexa, and two bulls.
That summer, while Lexi stayed home, Molly took
the two black sisters on the road, and they dominated.
They won top honors at major national shows like
the All Breeds All Britain Calf Show. It was
instant validation. The three original Heffers
went on to score VG88 as a three -year -old,
EX90 as a four -year -old, and even EX93 as a
five -year -old. And Lexi, the red one? She calved
out at VG88 as a two -year -old and had her own
incredible show career. This was the proof of
concept. This was the birth of Panda Holsteins.
But Molly wasn't about to build a traditional
dairy. I have never wanted to milk hundreds of
cows, she emphasizes. I love working with animals,
and seeing progression from my input, breeding
and developing the best Holstein genetics has
always been my herd slogan. So, she went to the
bank. Not with a plan to sell milk, but with
a plan to sell elite genetics. It took two years
of planning applications and mortgage meetings.
Our bank had never seen a five -year business
plan like mine, she told me. I had to explain
that I was not a typical dairy farmer. and Panda
Holstein's income does not rely on fluctuating
milk prices. Can you imagine that conversation?
But she did it. At just 23, she secured her first
loan and built a barn designed for her unique
vision. The initial model was genius. She'd calve
30 commercial heifers a year and sell them freshly
calved to the top end of the commercial market.
These were recipient heifers bought from high
-health farms with a quick 12 -month turnover
to keep costs low. Meanwhile, she was flushing
her elite pedigree animals to create embryos
for her own herd, and crucially, for sales. This
allowed her to invest in one new special cow
family every single year. She wasn't chasing
what was popular. She was looking for, as she
says, the special hidden gem nobody has over
-marketed, one I can add value to, and most importantly,
is different. Then, the world changed. COVID
and Brexit hit. Before that, Molly was selling
80 % of her embryos and elite animals to Europe.
She knew she had to adapt. I felt I had only
scratched the surface proving our genetics, she
explains. I wanted to show the longevity, ability
to milk, and solid brood cows we were producing.
So, in 2022, she sold one of her best show cows,
Panda Pure Gold Red, they called her Goldie,
to a European buyer. She took that money and
reinvested it right back into the farm, building
a dedicated calf barn. The next year, she expanded
again, building facilities for milking cows and
investing in a second -hand Delaval robot. By
2024, the transformation was complete. She now
has the capacity to milk 30 elite show cows in
absolute comfort. Deep straw beds, spacious loafing
areas, the works. It's a setup designed for champions.
And the robot? That allows her to milk her show
cows three times a day for optimal udder health
and embryo production. all without needing extra
staff. It's a sustainable, efficient model that
has diversified her income. Now it comes from
milk from 30 cows, sales of 20 to 25 heifers
a year, 10 to 15 recipient sales, and a booming
global embryo business. She's turned a challenge
into an even stronger business. Now, let's talk
about the color red. Because at Panda Holstein's,
it's not just a color, it's a statement. 95 %
of Molly's herd is either red or a red carrier.
I have always loved Rand Ws, she says. They are
the minority of the Holstein breed, but can compete
against the Band Ws on so many levels. I love
topping the Band W classes with a red. She's
had to fight against old stereotypes. Somebody
once said to me, red Holsteins are no good. They
don't give any milk, and they are non -comparable
to the black and whites. Well, she says with
a laugh. I love to prove people wrong. And has
she ever. In just eight years, Panda Holsteins
has bred and developed nine excellent and 41
very good females. The Fool's Gold family, that
foundation line from Canada, has become royalty.
Remember Lexi, the first red heifer? Molly flushed
her and got 32 grade A embryos. This launched
her international embryo sales. That line produced
Panda Heart of Gold Red, the 2018 All -Britain
Rand W Champion. Molly sold her to a farm in
Northern Ireland where she scored EX92 and became
an eight -star brood cow. The success just kept
cascading. Molly kept a crushable daughter of
Hardy's named Goldie. She followed in her mother's
footsteps, winning at the National UK Dairy Day
and becoming the 2022 All -Britain Champion.
After Goldie was sold to an international syndicate
and moved to Italy, Molly focused on her Red
Lambda daughter, Panda Lamborghini Red. And what
do you think happened? She calved in late 2023
and won her class at the 2024 National UK Dairy
Day. That's four consecutive generations from
this one family winning at this massive show.
Today, the original red heifer Lexi has produced
13 VG or EX daughters and 23 VG or EX granddaughters
living in over seven countries. She's now a 14
-star brood cow. It's simply incredible. And
it's not just the Fool's Gold family. There's
Panda Autumn Ocalibra Red EX95 -3E, a granddaughter
of the world champion Ocalibra, who has produced
over 80 ,000 kilograms of milk and has nine VG
or EX daughters. And maybe the most remarkable
achievement of all, in 2023, Panda's Golden Rose
Jordi Rita Red became the first animal in the
world to complete 21 generations of excellent
classification. 21 generations. That's not luck.
That's a masterclass in breeding. Molly's philosophy
is key. She told me, corrective mating is key
and pays off in the long run. She's not chasing
trends. She's building balanced, functional,
beautiful cows. She follows cow families for
years before investing. I only invest if it adds
to our portfolio, she says. I see no point investing
in something with the same target market as something
else at home. This dedication has not gone unnoticed.
In 2017, she was named Young Farmer of the Year
at the Food and Farming Industry Awards, presented
at the House of Commons. And last year, she achieved
what many breeders work their entire lives for.
She was awarded Master Breeder status. She describes
it as, one of my greatest achievements, proving
the families I have invested in over the past
10 years have stood the testing times. Of course,
this doesn't happen without a support system.
She credits her parents, Andrew and Sharon, as
her biggest influences. Her dad is still her
business partner, handling the crops while she
handles the cows. And her late mother, who sadly
passed away from motor neuron disease last year,
was her number one fan. She's also a huge advocate
for getting involved, especially in organizations
like Holstein Young Breeders or HYB. She says
it's the best place to learn and meet people,
and now she's the one giving back. teaching younger
members how to clip, show, and judge. Because,
as she wisely puts it, they are the future, and
the way I see it, they could be future customers.
So what's next for this trailblazer? She's not
slowing down. She's planning to develop her 30
-cow nucleus herd and leverage females she owns
in Canada and the U .S. to bring in new bloodlines.
But the big date on the calendar is July 1, 2025.
That's the pathway of panda sale. It will be
a showcase of 10 years of breeding, offering
her very best animals, with 95 % being red or
red carrier. She told me that after the sale,
her numbers will be a bit lower, but the core
foundation cows will remain, ready to build the
next chapter. And the long -term goal? Molly
states it with absolute clarity and ambition.
Long -term for Panda, we aim to have the world's
most elite Rand W selection of cattle. My next
goal is to breed the first EX97 Rand W cow in
the UK. And you know what? I have absolutely
no doubt she will do it. Molly Westwood's story
is more than just inspiring. It's a strategic
masterpiece. She's proven that with a clear vision,
a deep understanding of genetics, and an incredible
amount of hard work, you don't need a mega dairy
to make a global impact. She's a pioneer who
has single -handedly elevated the prestige of
red and white Holsteins. She looked at the rulebook,
saw a different path, and built a legacy, one
red heifer at a time. Thanks for tuning in to
the Bullvine Podcast. I hope Molly's story has
left you as inspired as it left me. It's a powerful
reminder that sometimes the biggest revolutions
start with the smallest, most focused of dreams.
Until next time, I'm your host, wishing you all
the best.