Welcome to the Deep Dive. Now, if you're listening,
you probably already know that the first weekend
in October in Madison, Wisconsin... Well, it
isn't just another livestock show. No, definitely
not. It's the peak, the absolute undisputed Super
Bowl of the competitive dairy world. Exactly.
This is where genetics get showcased, where careers
take off, legacies are cemented. And really,
the roadmap for the next few years gets laid
out right there on those famous colored shavings.
And World Dairy Expo 2025, this year, it really
delivered. I mean, the sources we looked at,
they describe an atmosphere that was just...
Electric. Pure chaos and excitement. You hear
stories about grown farmers actually crying.
Wow. Yeah, it was more than just a show. It felt
like a real collision, you know. Dynasties, new
bloodlines, big strategies all coming together.
Okay, so our mission today really is to give
you a shortcut. You didn't have to be there for
six intense days at the Alliant Energy Center,
but you definitely need the takeaways. The genetic
shifts, the business lessons from that final
day drama. Right. We're boiling it down so you
can hopefully take these insights and, you know,
think about how they apply back on your own operation
pretty much right away. And if we're doing a
deep dive, we absolutely have to start with the
main event. The thing that stopped Madison Cold,
honestly, sent ripples, really, through the whole
global dairy scene. Uh -huh. The big white. The
reigning legend, the queen, Stony Point Joel
Bailey, she was dethroned. That's the headline,
isn't it? And you can't really grasp how big
of an upset this was without understanding Bailey's,
well, her reign. She wasn't just a cow. She was
almost mythology walking onto those shavings.
Yeah, she was a powerhouse. Yeah. For years.
She took the Supreme Champion title back in 2024.
And that itself was huge. Remember, she was the
first Jersey Supreme Champion since, what, 2016?
That's an eight -year gap. It really shows you
how tough it is for the, let's say, the smaller
breeds to compete against the scale of the Holsteins
sometimes. And just earlier that week, she'd
done it again. Clinched her third consecutive
Grand Champion Jersey title. Three years in a
row in the jersey breed, which is incredibly
competitive globally. Her handler, Nathan Thomas,
he even said she'd kind of moved beyond being
just a champion of her time. She was like an
institution. Yeah, she really represented the
best of the jerseys, but also that consistency,
right? Proven performance over multiple years.
When she walked into that supreme ring. You could
feel it. The sources suggest the feeling was
just, she's untouchable. The crowd was almost
expecting a coronation, another win, cementing
her as maybe one of the greatest expo champions
ever. Yeah. History had other plans. And interestingly,
a five -year -old cow of a, let's say, unexpected
color. This is where it gets really fascinating.
The new Supreme Champion, Golden Oaks, Temptress
Red E .T., a red and white, an unstoppable daughter.
The reaction must have been something. Oh, a
seismic. Apparently, when they announced Temptress
Red E .T. as Supreme, beating Bayley? Hmm. The
roar from the crowd wasn't just happy. It felt
like validation, like proof that top tier type
and quality can just smash through breed lines,
color perceptions, everything right there on
the biggest stage. A red and white taking the
overall supreme. That's a statement. It's a massive
statement. It says a lot about where genetics
are heading right now. And you mentioned strategy.
This wasn't just a random occurrence, right?
Not at all. This was the culmination of, believe
it or not, a three -year plan by the ownership
group. That's Milk Source, Fisher, Steinkrest,
and Crescent Mead. They didn't just stumble into
this. It was, you know, focused breeding, careful
management, showing strategy, all leading to
that ultimate prize. Three years of planning.
Wow. And think about this. What makes it even
more impressive for temptress ready tea? She
also had to beat the Holstein Grand Champion.
Ah, right. Who is reserve supreme. Exactly. Love
Hill sidekick Candy Cane. So to win supreme,
you're literally up against the absolute best
example of type from every single major dairy
breed. The fact that this red and white cow rose
above all of them, that I think is maybe the
most significant genetic takeaway from Madison
this year. Okay. Let's dig into that implication.
We know Unstoppable is a popular sire line, but
why is a red and white, specifically winning
Supreme, such a big deal for the industry, for
the listeners? Well, it fundamentally resets
market perceptions, doesn't it? For a long time,
the biggest premiums, the most intense genetic
chase was often focused on the black and white
Holsteins. And then, yeah, the jerseys like Bailey
represented. Right. Temptor's red ET winning
Supreme just instantly validates the quality
potential within red and white genetics, especially
that unstoppable influence. They're known for
power, function, amazing udders. It proves the
judges are prioritizing that functional excellence
and it can compete no matter the color. type
Trump's color, basically. In this case, absolutely.
You can probably expect to see, well, immediate
interest and maybe upward pressure on unstoppable
genetics now, red or black, just because of this
massive validation in Madison. The market definitely
watches Madison. And when a ceiling like that
gets broken, the money tends to follow, right?
It's a real signal for where future breeding
investments might go. Exactly. A bellwether moment.
OK, so let's shift gears a bit. We've got this
huge dynasty changing upset. Now let's look at
two really different paths to success that week.
Equally successful, but totally different approaches.
Yeah, this is a great contrast. We should talk
about the, let's call her the validated contender,
and then the sheer scale of a global empire and
pit that against, well, the perfect underdog
story. Let's start with the Holstein Grand Champion,
Love Hill sidekick Candy Cane. She ended up reserve
supreme champion right behind Temptra's Ready
Tea. That's right. She represents the absolute
peak of the Holstein breed, the world's largest
dairy breed population. A huge win for the Lamb
family from Oakfield, New York. She's a five
-year -old sidekick daughter, and her win there,
it just validates years of their hard work. And
Candy Kane, she wasn't exactly a surprise, was
she? She came into Madison with serious momentum.
Oh, definitely not a surprise. The sources tracked
her wins earlier in the year. She dominated the
Eastern Fall National, the Northeast Spring National.
Madison was kind of the ultimate confirmation.
It proved she wasn't just great in her region.
She was genuinely world class. And the sidekick
sire line itself. That's significant, too, isn't
it? Very significant. Sidekick is really valued
for transmitting that incredible structural correctness,
amazing feet and legs, great utter texture, all
things you need for longevity, but also absolutely
essential for winning on a type stage like Madison.
Right. I mean, to win Grand Champion Holstein
against, what is it, 467 other animals? You have
to be practically fault -free in your type. Candy
Cane clearly delivered that. So that's the proven
contender path. Now let's talk about the Empire.
Butler View Farm. They took home the Premier
Exhibitor banner. And that's not just about one
cow, is it? No. Premier Exhibitor is about comprehensive
dominance. It speaks to the depth of quality
across their entire string. And Butler View's
operation is... Well, it's kind of mind -boggling.
Their success was layered, right? They had the
intermediate champion and reserve grand champion
Holstein, West Edible Lambda Sadie. Correct.
And that Lambda influence is highly sought after
right now. Very modern, refined type. But the
real story with ButlerView is the sheer scale
behind those wins. Okay, unpack that scale. You
mentioned global reach. What does that actually
look like? We're talking owner Mike Dever operating
internationally. His team, their genetic pool,
it spans... Three or four different countries.
This isn't just hitting a few local sales. Right.
It's intense global collaboration, scouting genetics
worldwide, managing logistics across continents.
Debra mentioned flying over 400 ,000 miles in
just three years, basically scouting cattle.
400 ,000 miles. Wow. Yeah. That level of investment,
it spreads risk, gives them access to the absolute
deepest, most diverse elite genetics out there.
It lets them build a truly comprehensive breeding
program. Sounds complex, but obviously effective.
They pulled off something pretty rare, didn't
they? First, second, and third in one class?
That was the two -year -old class. And yes, winning
first, second, and third in a single class at
World Dairy Expo. Yeah. It's almost unheard of.
It's the ultimate signal of dominance. What does
that tell you specifically? It tells you they
have profound depth in their key cow families.
It shows incredible consistency in their breeding
philosophy and management. They aren't just relying
on one superstar animal. They have whole strings
of cattle that can compete at the very highest
level. They really represent that model of like
industrialized elite genetics on a global scale.
OK, so that's the empire. Now, the complete flip
side, the story that probably resonates with
a lot of listeners who aren't operating with
quite that budget. Ronald Grandy. Ah, yes. Grandy
from Beaverton, Ontario. He showed up with about
the smallest string you could imagine for someone
making a real impact. Just four animals. Only
four. And he went four for four. A perfect record
in the classes he entered. Every animal he brought
won its class. Four for four. That's efficiency
and the highlight. The absolute highlight was
Echo Glenmaster Ivy. She's a winter yearling
Holstein, and she was crowned Supreme Champion
Heifer of the entire show. Supreme Champion Heifer
with one of only four animals brought. That's
incredible. And Grandy's reaction, it was apparently
very emotional, speechless, saying he never thought
it would happen, just on a big high. But here's
the key detail for listeners, the really interesting
part. How did he get Ivy? He bought her in March,
just a few months before the show at a Clark
Valley sale. March. So you've got Butler View
with this massive global machine built over years.
Decades, really. Immense resources, deep cow
families. And then you have Grandy winning the
biggest heifer prize with surgical precision,
buying one animal just months earlier. What's
the takeaway there for the average producer trying
to balance their budget with wanting... Top genetics.
Grandy's story is just the ultimate proof that
smart genetic investment can still absolutely
triumph over sheer volume or budget size. It
tells every listener that, yeah, the global empires
are powerful, but there's still immense value
in just having an eye for the right animal. Spotting
the potential. Exactly. Grandy saw the potential
in IV, the genetics, the physical makeup at a
regional sale back in March. And then crucially.
He and his team managed her perfectly in those
intervening months to bring out that potential.
So it proves you don't need to fly 400 ,000 miles
necessarily. Maybe you just need to find the
right animal at the right time closer to home.
If replacement heifers are costing, say, $3 ,000
to $4 ,000 on average, that's a big investment.
It has to pay off. Right. Grandy's win just confirms
that making a targeted buy of superior genetics,
if you manage it impeccably, can still go head
-to -head with the giants and sometimes win.
It's a really powerful message. for that small
or mid -sized farm, precision breeding, smart
buying, it can genuinely change your farm's future.
It validates spending carefully on the right
potential. Okay, let's shift from the winners
for a moment and talk about the judge. The person
who had to sort through all this incredible quality,
Aaron Eaton. That must have been an immense task.
Oh, unbelievable. A feat of concentration, endurance.
Judge Eaton handled 468 Holsteins in just two
days. Yeah, think about the mental focus required,
the physical stamina needed to maintain that
level of scrutiny, stay objective for hours on
end. The sources mentioned that in some classes,
like the junior three -year -olds, the quality
was running like 20 deep, just phenomenal depth.
And there was one class in particular that really
highlights the intensity, right? The winter calf
class. That class alone had 61 head in it. 61
winter calves. And it took Judge Eaton a full
90 minutes just to evaluate and place them. An
hour and a half for one class. Yeah. And think
about it, trying to sort 61 young, highly competitive
animals. It shows the extreme depth of quality
out there in Holsteins right now. And the challenge
for the judge isn't just finding the winner.
It's finding those tiny differences that separate,
say, the fifth place animal from the 10th. It
demands absolute consistency in what you're looking
for, utter structure, how they move. And all
that focus, all that pressure, it led to a really
poignant moment, didn't it? Something Judge Eaton
himself said choked him up. The longevity moment.
Ah, yes. the 16 -year -old cow. She walked into
the ring still looking competitive, still proud,
and the entire Coliseum gave her a standing ovation.
Just incredible. And she wasn't just old. She
had produced, what, 11 calves? 11 calves. That's
the stat that really hits home. A 16 -year -old
cow, 11 calves, still walking proudly at World
Dairy Expo. Judge Eaton talked about the dedication
behind that. It takes so much time and patience
and dedication. Let's unpack that. What does
that moment really say about the industry's core?
values versus maybe some of the modern economic
pressures? Well, it's a really important counterpoint,
isn't it? Especially when you consider how fast
genetics are changing. We know from the source
material that genomic testing is accelerating
genetic progress incredibly fast, like 87 .5
% faster than just back in 2010. Wow. 87 .5 %
faster. Yeah. And that speed, it often pushes
producers towards faster turnover. You know,
cull quicker, bring in the next high genomic
heifer. So the economic pressure is often to
replace maybe even before a cow reaches. peak
lifetime production. Often, yes. But that standing
ovation for the 16 -year -old cow with 11 calves,
it shows you where the heart of the industry,
or at least the ideal, still lies. It's with
persistence, with lifetime profitability. Right.
An animal that gives you 11 lactations, that's
phenomenal lifetime production value, or LPV.
And LPV sometimes gets overlooked when everyone's
chasing the short -term genomic index value,
the GIV. There's a point. That 16 -year -old
cow. She embodies the ideal. She must have incredible
structural soundness, persistent fertility, the
ability to keep producing year after year. It's
such a powerful emotional reminder that breeding
for soundness, for longevity, that's often the
real key to long -term stability on the farm.
It really grounds the whole spectacle, doesn't
it? Even while you have the Butler views chasing
cutting -edge global genetics, Madison pulls
everyone back to that fundamental truth. Patience,
dedication to good type, that's what Bill's enduring.
value. And that dedication, that commitment,
it flows right into the next generation, doesn't
it? The torchbearers. We saw that clearly in
the Junior Show. Yeah, the Junior Show is always
a highlight, always emotional. But this year,
when lucky Merjack Aselia won Supreme Champion,
the reaction from the Schmacher sisters, Tessa
and Stella, just jumping into each other's arms,
pure joy. That kind of raw emotion, it tells
you about the sacrifice involved. The sources
mention, you know, years of 5 .45 a .m. wake
-up calls, missing school dances, things like
that. These aren't just kids having fun with
cows. They're essentially running small businesses
already. They're showing the commitment level
you need to be a future leader in this industry.
They really earn those moments. And what struck
me about the Schmacher sisters' win was the kind
of cow they won with. Their supreme champion
was a lifetime production cow. Yes. That choice
is so telling. It really reveals the values being
instilled in this next generation. They could
have gone for a flashy heifer, maybe something
with sky -high index numbers, but they chose
to champion a cow known for sustained production
over many years. So that core wisdom, that lifetime
quality equals profitability, it's getting passed
down. It seems so. They're focused on sustainability,
on building for the future, not just chasing
a quick ribbon. Which is really encouraging to
see. And we saw that family focus again with
the Reserve Supreme, right? Right. Toplin Wishful
Thinking ET, shown by the top siblings Tanner,
Brennan, Marissa, and Logan. That group hug photo
said it all. Family effort. Absolutely. Success
at this level, it's so often tied to that multi
-generational support and commitment. It takes
a village or at least a dedicated family. And
speaking of lifetime commitment and dedication,
those core values were really honored formally
later in the week with the Klusendorf Award.
Ah, the 83rd Klusendorf. A huge honor in the
industry. Recognizing not just skill, but character,
sportsmanship, dedication over a lifetime. And
this year it went to Clark Woodmancy. 40 years
in the business, partnerships with legendary
cows like Hazel. That's a serious legacy built
on unwavering commitment. And Woodmancy delivered
maybe the quote of the week. Something that should
probably be... like you said, taped up in every
bar. And he said, it's a 365 day deal. Simple,
but profound. Everyone in that Coliseum, whether
they owned a global empire or were a small strategic
buyer like Grandy, they knew exactly what he
meant. Totally resonates. It's the universal
truth of doing dairy farming at a high level.
Let's really break that down for the listener.
It's a 365 day deal. Everyone knows farming is
every day. But in the context of winning at Madison.
What's the deeper layer there? I think it speaks
to relentless consistency, absolute discipline.
The success you see under the lights in Madison,
that's just the tiny tip of the iceberg. It's
the result of meticulous, nonstop effort happening
all year round. Right. It means hitting those
nutrition targets perfectly every single day,
constant health monitoring, catching issues early,
patiently training animals from the time they're
calves, and maybe most crucially, continuous
genetic evaluation. Always thinking about the
next generation every single day. You can't just
cram for World Dairy Expo in September. Exactly.
It's the complete opposite of a quick fixer luck.
Woodman sees, quote, it brings all the glamour
back down to earth. It reminds everyone listening
that the supreme champion cow, she's built through
the quiet, sometimes mundane, hard work back
in the barn when nobody's watching. It's the
daily grind. It's the discipline of keeping good
records, the commitment to things like hoof health,
the patience to let an animal mature properly
over years, that relentless day -in, day -out
consistency. That's what really makes a champion.
Yeah, consistency truly is the backbone. OK,
let's bring it all together now. Let's pivot
right back to you, the listener. All these results,
the drama, the emotions from World Dairy Expo
2025. Why does this actually matter to your operation,
maybe miles away from Madison? Well, first and
foremost, Madison sets the direction for the
market. It defines what genetics are hot, what
traits are being prioritized. We saw clearly
three major genetic trends confirmed or boosted.
OK, what were they? One, the red and white breakthrough
with temptress red ET. Two, the continued dominance
of functionally correct lines like Sidekick,
shown by Candy Cane. And three, the success of
refined, modern type seen through lines like
Lambda, which Butlerview showcased. And these
winners. These winners, they immediately influenced
demand and pricing for semen, embryos, and elite
breeding stock. If you're selling genetics, you
need to know that the bar for red and white excellence
just got significantly higher. They command new
respect, potentially new premiums. The market
reacts fast. Yeah. Madison is like the stock
market ticker for dairy genetics. Pretty much.
Second big takeaway, investment justification.
Look at Ronald Grandy's perfect run. Right, the
4 for 4 guy. With replacement heifers costing
what they do and pressure to improve quickly,
every dollar you spend on genetics has to count.
Grandi proved that being a smart, strategic buyer
spotting potential and managing it perfectly
can yield massive returns. It shows that targeted
investment can compete with huge budgets. It's
the blueprint for making your genetic dollars
work smarter. Makes sense. And the third point.
Comes back to that 16 -year -old cow. That standing
ovation. Mondevity. Exactly. It reinforces the
value of the long game. Even with genomics pushing
for rapid turnover, the ultimate admiration,
the deepest respect, goes to the animal that
delivers profitability year after year through
soundness and fertility. If your goal is true,
long -term economic stability on your farm, you
have to keep prioritizing those structural traits
that let a cow reach that kind of age and lifetime
production. That LPV often outweighs short -term
genomic gains. So genetics, smart investment,
and valuing longevity. Those are the core takeaway.
I think so. And underlying it all was the sense
of community, too. The sources mention how even
fierce competitors ended up hugging, celebrating
together afterwards. Yeah, it wasn't just about
winning, but about the industry itself. It felt
like a celebration of progress, of evolution.
You saw the supreme torch pass from Bailey, the
established Jersey legend, who still had an incredible
run to temptress red ET, this powerful modern
red and white. It symbolizes that constant drive
to breed a better cow, more efficient, more sound,
more profitable. World Dairy Expo 2025 definitely
made some legends, validated different ways to
succeed, and absolutely set the genetic trends
we'll be watching for the next few years. It
really does set the pace. And it grounded everyone
again with that fundamental truth from Clark
Woodmansey. It's a 365 -day deal. No shortcuts
to the top. So why does Madison really matter
to you, the producer listening right now? Focus
on your own farm, your own bottom line. It matters
because the genetics that win on those colored
shavings today, the daughters of sires like Sidekick,
Lambda, Unstoppable, those are the genetics that
will be influencing your milk check, your herd's
performance, your benchmarks come 2030. What
happens in Madison doesn't stay in Madison. Not
at all. The decisions made in that ring directly
shape the future productivity and profitability
potential for the entire industry. Which brings
us to the final question for you, the listener,
to think about today as you head back to the
barn or the office. Based on everything we saw
play out in Madison, the rise of elite red and
white genetics, the proof that smart, smaller
scale investment works, the deep appreciation
for longevity. Are you currently setting up your
breeding program based on yesterday's champions
or are you strategically breeding for tomorrow's
milk check? Something important to consider as
you plan those next meetings. Thanks for going
on this deep dive with us.