Live from World Dairy Expo, this is The Bullvine,
your daily dose of dairy news. Welcome to The
Bullvine podcast, and if you weren't in Madison
yesterday, you missed dairy history being rewritten
in real time. I'm talking 3 ,000 farmers on their
feet, judges hands shaking, and a 10 -year -old
cow that just made every culling decision you've
ever made look dead wrong. Welcome to episode
381, our World Dairy Expo Day 4 emergency recap.
Because when lightning strikes twice in the same
show ring, we drop everything to bring you the
story. Picture this. Iroquois Acres' John Calley
walks into the ring. She's 10 years old. Seven
lactations deep. Most cows her age, their memory's
in a cull list. But here's the kicker. She's
pumping 60 kilos of milk daily. Not at peak.
Not on special feed. Every single day. Judge
Alan Spud Paulson, and this guy's been judging
since jades and jetways were popular, he watches
her move and says, quote, she gets around like
a three -year -old. Think about that for a second.
While you're culling at three lactations, and
don't lie, most of you are, this cow is winning
her second grand championship at the most competitive
show on the planet. And here's what should really
blow your mind. She was dry for an entire year
doing IVF work. produced 58 quality embryos,
then came back, calved without needing a bottle
of calcium, and dominated 379 younger animals.
Now here's where it gets crazy. Owner Brian Pacheco,
he's in California. The cow, she's in Canada
with a guy named Callum. That's 2 ,000 miles
of trust, people. No daily check -ins, no micromanaging,
just a decade -long handshake deal built on what
Pacheco calls honesty and integrity. Listen to
what Callum said about the championship moment.
And remember, this is a tough Canadian who's
seen it all. When I got pulled second, I'm like,
I gotta work extra hard here to try to get into
first. Then the yodellers started singing. When
the judge shook my hand, I was pretty emotional,
actually. It's hard to explain the feeling. When
was the last time you trusted someone 2 ,000
miles away with your best cow? When was the last
time that trust paid off with a grand championship?
But Callie wasn't the only story yesterday. The
brown Swiss breed just announced it's not playing
games anymore. Jake Hushon from New Generation
Genetics couldn't believe what he was seeing.
Quote, When I was a kid, 30 winter calves was
big. Now we're at 60. New Generation dominated
with 14 class winners from 10 different sires.
Hilltop Acres Daredevil took premier sire for
the second time. That's five consecutive years
a new generation bull has won. But here's the
real story. They had a full -blooded embryo imported
from Switzerland standing right there. They're
not just riding the genomics wave. They're fighting
its biggest weakness, genetic bottlenecks. Let's
talk economics, because that's what matters when
you're milking cows, not showing them. Replacement
heifers right now, $3 ,500 to $4 ,500 if you
can find them. Callie's been producing for seven
lactations at 60 kilos daily. Do the math. Average
cow, 2 .8 lactations, maybe $8 ,000 lifetime
profit. Callie, seven lactations and counting,
easily $28 ,000 plus in profit. Your potential?
That's the question you should be asking. Brian
Pacheco, who's also the Brown -Swiss Association
president, heard the buzz in the stands. In the
past, there were five or six good cows. Now there's
15 to 25 really good cows. Translation, the genetic
ceiling is rising so fast that yesterday's champions
wouldn't make today's final cut. Quick fire round
on the other championships because excellence
was everywhere yesterday. Red and White Junior
Show, Milk Source Shea Red ET took junior champion.
The heifer quality was so deep, past champions
were placing in the teens. Cow classes continue
this morning. Watch for fireworks. Milking Shorthorn
Jr. show. Lazy M money laundering ETP dominated.
The breeds having a renaissance. Traditional
looks. Modern production. Money daughters catching
every judge's eye. Both breeds showed the same
pattern. Quality exploding. Competition fierce.
Old rules dying. Here's what nobody wants to
say out loud. Most of you are culling wrong.
Dead wrong. You're following vet advice that
might be costing you $50 ,000 annually. You're
believing genomics companies that profit when
you buy more semen, not when you keep cows longer.
Judge Paulson faced it yesterday, having to place
state fair champions in the 20s and 30s. He said,
quote, one of the toughest things, looking somebody
in the eye to put them 50 first. When excellence
becomes average, average becomes extinction.
So here's your homework. And if you don't do
this, you're leaving money on the table. 1. Go
to your barn right now. Look at every cow over
5 years old. Calculate what she's actually producing
versus her replacement cost. 2. Stop culling
on age. Start culling on economics. If she's
producing and breeding, she stays. Period. 3.
Find partners you trust. The California -Canada
partnership proves distance means nothing if
trust is real. 4. Question everything. If a 10
-year -old cow can beat youth at World Dairy
Expo, what other rules are actually lies? Look,
yesterday at World Dairy Expo wasn't just another
Wednesday. It was the day the industry's biggest
lie got exposed. That lie? That older cows can't
compete. That three lactations is enough. That
youth always beats experience. Iroquois Acres'
John Calley didn't just win a championship. She
proved that with the right genetics, management,
and partnership. the impossible becomes inevitable.
It's a feeling you just don't soon forget, Brian
Pacheco said. And he's right, but not because
of the banner. Because yesterday reminded us
why we got into dairy in the first place. Not
for quick turnover. Not for following rules.
For excellence that transcends time. The champions
have been crowned. The partnership celebrated.
The genetics evaluated. But if you're still culling
at three lactations after hearing this, you're
not just wrong. you're voluntarily going broke.
This is Andrew from The Bullvine saying, Yesterday
wasn't history. It was prophecy. And if you're
not listening, you're already behind. Hit subscribe
right now. Share this with every dairy farmer
you know. And check the show notes at thebullvine
.com for the full breakdown, championship results,
and that profitability calculator. Next episode,
we're going behind the scenes with new generation
genetics on those Swiss embryo imports. you won't
want to miss it. Until then, keep questioning
everything.