WEBVTT 00:00:10.220 --> 00:00:14.039 Creeping across the pasture land. Got dirt on 00:00:14.039 --> 00:00:18.719 the boots and a working hand. From the milk house 00:00:18.719 --> 00:00:24.000 home to the auction call. These are the folks 00:00:24.000 --> 00:01:00.520 standing strong and tall. Yeah, this is... Hey 00:01:00.520 --> 00:01:03.520 there, and welcome to the Bullvine Podcast. I'm 00:01:03.520 --> 00:01:06.640 your host, and today, I've got a story that's 00:01:06.640 --> 00:01:09.560 going to stick with you. It's about empty barns 00:01:09.560 --> 00:01:12.420 that stayed full of hope, about families who 00:01:12.420 --> 00:01:14.659 kept breeding champions when there was nowhere 00:01:14.659 --> 00:01:17.340 to show them, and about a reunion that's been 00:01:17.340 --> 00:01:20.760 five years in the making. This is the story of 00:01:20.760 --> 00:01:24.140 Cremona's 80th edition, happening November 27th 00:01:24.140 --> 00:01:27.980 through 29th, 2025, and why it means absolutely 00:01:27.980 --> 00:01:30.849 everything to European dairy. So let me take 00:01:30.849 --> 00:01:33.329 you back to something Lorenzo Cicerani once said. 00:01:33.489 --> 00:01:36.390 He runs Sabiona Holsteins in Italy, and they've 00:01:36.390 --> 00:01:39.629 got 175 excellent cows. But here's what struck 00:01:39.629 --> 00:01:42.209 me. He didn't talk about genetics or championships. 00:01:42.769 --> 00:01:46.290 He said something much simpler. Quote, We want 00:01:46.290 --> 00:01:48.829 to breed beautiful cows that are productive and 00:01:48.829 --> 00:01:51.730 last a long time. Now those are simple words, 00:01:51.870 --> 00:01:55.469 right? But imagine, just imagine, holding on 00:01:55.469 --> 00:01:57.930 to that vision when those beautiful cows had 00:01:57.930 --> 00:02:00.719 nowhere to go. when productive only mattered 00:02:00.719 --> 00:02:03.959 in your own barn, when lasting a long time felt 00:02:03.959 --> 00:02:06.579 less like an achievement and more like waiting, 00:02:06.760 --> 00:02:09.300 just waiting for something that might never come 00:02:09.300 --> 00:02:12.900 back. You see, what happened to European dairy 00:02:12.900 --> 00:02:15.439 families over these past five years taught me 00:02:15.439 --> 00:02:18.379 something profound about human nature. It wasn't 00:02:18.379 --> 00:02:21.439 continuous closure that nearly broke them. No, 00:02:21.639 --> 00:02:24.699 it was something crueler. Hope, then heartbreak, 00:02:24.840 --> 00:02:27.300 then hope again. Let me paint you the picture. 00:02:27.800 --> 00:02:31.400 2020 hits. Pandemic. Exhibition halls go empty. 00:02:31.639 --> 00:02:36.039 2021, still empty. 2022, young handlers are practicing 00:02:36.039 --> 00:02:39.879 in vacant barns with no audience. Then 2023 arrives. 00:02:40.379 --> 00:02:43.159 Finally, families start preparing animals again. 00:02:43.419 --> 00:02:45.939 There's this renewed energy, this belief that 00:02:45.939 --> 00:02:49.080 normal is coming back. And then blue tongue strikes 00:02:49.080 --> 00:02:53.620 in 2024. England alone reported 196 cases by 00:02:53.620 --> 00:02:57.569 August 2025. Movement restrictions slam back 00:02:57.569 --> 00:03:01.129 into place, borders close, again. The exhibition 00:03:01.129 --> 00:03:03.090 that was supposed to mark their triumphant return, 00:03:03.389 --> 00:03:06.650 cancelled. Now, you've got to understand what 00:03:06.650 --> 00:03:08.590 this meant for families like the Beltraminos 00:03:08.590 --> 00:03:12.189 at Bell Holstein. Mauro Beltramino, he still 00:03:12.189 --> 00:03:14.349 gets emotional talking about how they started. 00:03:14.629 --> 00:03:17.770 He says, quote, Our first heifer impressed everyone 00:03:17.770 --> 00:03:20.870 back in 1987, and that moment sparked a dream. 00:03:21.289 --> 00:03:23.949 That dream carried three brothers through decades. 00:03:24.590 --> 00:03:26.650 It earned them grand championships at Cremona 00:03:26.650 --> 00:03:31.490 in 2004, victories at Swiss Expo in 2017. But 00:03:31.490 --> 00:03:35.009 dreams, dreams need stages, and for years, there 00:03:35.009 --> 00:03:37.889 were none. Here's what gets me. The Bell -Holstein 00:03:37.889 --> 00:03:40.949 family faced COVID -19, then Bluetongue, and 00:03:40.949 --> 00:03:44.310 somehow, somehow, these experiences only strengthened 00:03:44.310 --> 00:03:47.009 their resolve. Not because they're extraordinary, 00:03:47.289 --> 00:03:49.590 but because stopping would have meant surrendering 00:03:49.590 --> 00:03:52.939 something essential about who they are. I heard 00:03:52.939 --> 00:03:56.360 this story that really captures it. During the 00:03:56.360 --> 00:03:58.900 worst of the restrictions, breeders were practicing 00:03:58.900 --> 00:04:01.520 their fitting skills on the same animals week 00:04:01.520 --> 00:04:04.960 after week. Francesco Beltramino and his girlfriend 00:04:04.960 --> 00:04:08.180 Chiara, working in empty barns, maintaining muscle 00:04:08.180 --> 00:04:10.599 memory for competitions that might never return. 00:04:11.400 --> 00:04:14.199 One breeder told me they named these practice 00:04:14.199 --> 00:04:18.100 sessions, get this, rehearsals for hope. Dark 00:04:18.100 --> 00:04:21.990 humor? Maybe, but it kept them going. Now, sometimes 00:04:21.990 --> 00:04:24.389 the right person appears at exactly the right 00:04:24.389 --> 00:04:27.149 moment, and Nathan Thomas accepting the invitation 00:04:27.149 --> 00:04:30.850 to judge Cremona's 80th edition, that's one of 00:04:30.850 --> 00:04:33.810 those moments. Here's why Nathan matters so deeply. 00:04:34.009 --> 00:04:36.389 He doesn't run some massive operation with unlimited 00:04:36.389 --> 00:04:39.250 resources. Triple T Holsteins in Ohio milks about 00:04:39.250 --> 00:04:43.329 30 cows. 30. That's it. Yet from that small herd, 00:04:43.490 --> 00:04:46.149 working with his wife Jenny and their three kids, 00:04:46.560 --> 00:04:49.420 They've produced more than 150 All -American 00:04:49.420 --> 00:04:52.600 and All -Canadian nominations. Just weeks ago, 00:04:52.720 --> 00:04:56.379 at World Dairy Expo 2025, Nathan managed something 00:04:56.379 --> 00:04:59.600 extraordinary. Stony Point Joel Bailey claimed 00:04:59.600 --> 00:05:02.819 her third consecutive Grand Champion jersey title, 00:05:02.980 --> 00:05:05.720 three years running at the pinnacle of North 00:05:05.720 --> 00:05:08.959 American showing. She stood Reserve Supreme Champion 00:05:08.959 --> 00:05:12.560 this year. Golden Oak's Temptress Red ET took 00:05:12.560 --> 00:05:15.600 top honors. but that consistent excellence across 00:05:15.600 --> 00:05:18.740 multiple years, that's what dairy farming really 00:05:18.740 --> 00:05:22.079 demands. Not single moments of glory, but sustained 00:05:22.079 --> 00:05:25.240 dedication when glory seems impossible. When 00:05:25.240 --> 00:05:27.319 Nathan walks into Cremona's ring this November, 00:05:27.540 --> 00:05:30.199 he brings that understanding. He knows what it 00:05:30.199 --> 00:05:32.600 means for a family operation to compete globally. 00:05:32.800 --> 00:05:34.959 He understands the weight these animals carry. 00:05:35.160 --> 00:05:39.139 Not just genetics, but generations of hope. Okay, 00:05:39.279 --> 00:05:42.240 let me give you the numbers. The statistics tell 00:05:42.240 --> 00:05:46.420 one story. More than 800 elite animals from six 00:05:46.420 --> 00:05:50.319 European nations, 70 conference sessions, 200 00:05:50.319 --> 00:05:53.259 commercial exhibitors, the Italian Trade Agency 00:05:53.259 --> 00:05:56.019 coordinating delegations from over 20 countries. 00:05:56.500 --> 00:05:59.079 But there's another story those numbers can't 00:05:59.079 --> 00:06:01.819 capture. Think about Sabiona Holsteins for a 00:06:01.819 --> 00:06:04.459 moment. 12 generations of home -bred excellence. 00:06:04.759 --> 00:06:08.620 Not 12 years. 12 generations. Each one building 00:06:08.620 --> 00:06:12.300 on what came before. Their current herd? 650 00:06:12.300 --> 00:06:16.019 milking cows producing 42 kilograms per day at 00:06:16.019 --> 00:06:20.160 4 % fat, 3 .55 % protein. They're pushing forward 00:06:20.160 --> 00:06:23.120 with robotic milking systems, adapting, evolving. 00:06:23.759 --> 00:06:26.759 Meanwhile, Bell Holstein chose a completely different 00:06:26.759 --> 00:06:30.800 path, and it's equally valid. No robots, no automation. 00:06:31.240 --> 00:06:33.600 Francesco still clips and fits cows with his 00:06:33.600 --> 00:06:36.459 girlfriend Chiara and cousin Cecilia. His brothers 00:06:36.459 --> 00:06:40.120 manage their herd. 15 excellent, 59 very good. 00:06:40.480 --> 00:06:42.660 with the same hands -on dedication their father 00:06:42.660 --> 00:06:45.720 taught them. Both approaches worked. Both survived. 00:06:46.060 --> 00:06:48.939 That's the lesson here. There's no single path 00:06:48.939 --> 00:06:51.800 through crisis, only the courage to keep walking 00:06:51.800 --> 00:06:55.740 whatever path you've chosen. What really hits 00:06:55.740 --> 00:06:58.160 me is realizing these families weren't just maintaining 00:06:58.160 --> 00:07:01.800 genetics. They were preserving identity. When 00:07:01.800 --> 00:07:03.740 you're the third, fourth, or twelfth generation 00:07:03.740 --> 00:07:06.639 carrying forward a legacy, your animals become 00:07:06.639 --> 00:07:09.399 more than business assets. They're living proof. 00:07:09.899 --> 00:07:12.160 that what your grandparents built still matters. 00:07:13.040 --> 00:07:15.740 Now picture this with me, young handlers across 00:07:15.740 --> 00:07:17.959 Europe spending three years learning to show 00:07:17.959 --> 00:07:21.439 cattle with no shows. Kids like Greta Beltramino 00:07:21.439 --> 00:07:23.980 at Bell Holstein, practicing in empty rings, 00:07:24.220 --> 00:07:27.019 posting videos to encourage each other, maintaining 00:07:27.019 --> 00:07:29.600 skills for competitions that kept getting canceled. 00:07:30.060 --> 00:07:32.680 The strength in this generation fills me with 00:07:32.680 --> 00:07:36.259 hope. They didn't just endure the absence, they 00:07:36.259 --> 00:07:40.170 prepared for the return. I love this story. One 00:07:40.170 --> 00:07:42.990 group of young handlers in Germany created a 00:07:42.990 --> 00:07:45.709 virtual showing league during lockdown. They 00:07:45.709 --> 00:07:47.930 were judging each other's animals via video, 00:07:48.170 --> 00:07:50.910 maintaining that competitive spirit when actual 00:07:50.910 --> 00:07:54.110 competition was impossible. Another group in 00:07:54.110 --> 00:07:56.649 the Netherlands? They practiced with stuffed 00:07:56.649 --> 00:07:58.930 animals when movement restrictions prevented 00:07:58.930 --> 00:08:02.250 them from accessing their cattle. Sounds absurd, 00:08:02.470 --> 00:08:06.250 right? Until you realize they were 17 years old. 00:08:06.569 --> 00:08:09.189 refusing to let their dreams die. These aren't 00:08:09.189 --> 00:08:11.689 just future farmers, they're the generation that 00:08:11.689 --> 00:08:14.449 learned resilience before they learned normalcy. 00:08:14.829 --> 00:08:18.009 Through all of this, certain themes kept emerging 00:08:18.009 --> 00:08:21.589 from breeders across Europe. One Austrian breeder 00:08:21.589 --> 00:08:24.189 who maintained full show preparation despite 00:08:24.189 --> 00:08:27.290 no exhibitions for two years told me, excellence 00:08:27.290 --> 00:08:30.069 isn't about conditions, it's about standards 00:08:30.069 --> 00:08:33.929 you refuse to lower. An Italian farmer explaining 00:08:33.929 --> 00:08:36.809 why he kept his routine unchanged through restrictions 00:08:36.809 --> 00:08:39.809 said, the barn doesn't know there's no show next 00:08:39.809 --> 00:08:43.830 week. A Dutch operation on why they accelerated 00:08:43.830 --> 00:08:46.950 their breeding program during lockdown. We breed 00:08:46.950 --> 00:08:49.750 for our grandchildren's grandchildren. A few 00:08:49.750 --> 00:08:52.110 years of disruption doesn't change that timeline. 00:08:52.590 --> 00:08:55.289 And my favorite from a young German breeder on 00:08:55.289 --> 00:08:57.330 maintaining her program when everyone said to 00:08:57.330 --> 00:09:00.110 scale back, sometimes continuing, is the rebellion. 00:09:01.129 --> 00:09:05.960 Now, Picture November 27th, 2025 with me. Dawn 00:09:05.960 --> 00:09:09.179 breaking over Cremona Fierre. After years of 00:09:09.179 --> 00:09:12.159 stop -start disruption, pandemic, attempted recovery, 00:09:12.600 --> 00:09:15.980 blue tongue, more restrictions, finally, a normal 00:09:15.980 --> 00:09:18.580 morning. The first thing you'll notice is the 00:09:18.580 --> 00:09:21.899 sound. After so much silence, the mixture of 00:09:21.899 --> 00:09:24.779 cattle calling, equipment clanging, conversations 00:09:24.779 --> 00:09:28.259 in six languages, it creates a symphony of survival. 00:09:28.899 --> 00:09:32.070 Diesel engines warming up. Gates swinging open. 00:09:32.250 --> 00:09:35.389 That particular squeak of well -worn wheelbarrows 00:09:35.389 --> 00:09:37.210 that haven't been used for exhibition in too 00:09:37.210 --> 00:09:40.490 long. Cattle trucks arriving from six countries 00:09:40.490 --> 00:09:43.429 without restriction papers. Without extra health 00:09:43.429 --> 00:09:46.289 certificates. Without the constant fear that 00:09:46.289 --> 00:09:48.370 someone will call saying it's cancelled again. 00:09:48.950 --> 00:09:51.429 Families seeing friends they last embraced before 00:09:51.429 --> 00:09:54.470 everything changed. Nathan Thomas preparing to 00:09:54.470 --> 00:09:57.230 judge not just cattle, but resilience made visible. 00:09:58.159 --> 00:10:00.840 What strikes me as extraordinary is how ordinary 00:10:00.840 --> 00:10:03.759 it will seem to outsiders. Just another dairy 00:10:03.759 --> 00:10:07.000 show. Just farmers doing what farmers do. But 00:10:07.000 --> 00:10:10.580 you and I, we know better. Every animal entering 00:10:10.580 --> 00:10:13.700 that ring has already won. Every family competing 00:10:13.700 --> 00:10:16.559 has already triumphed simply by still existing, 00:10:16.740 --> 00:10:19.460 still breeding, still believing excellence matters, 00:10:19.600 --> 00:10:23.500 even when excellence had no audience. Think about 00:10:23.500 --> 00:10:26.159 what this means for different operations. For 00:10:26.159 --> 00:10:29.159 Sabiona, With nearly 500 excellent cows in their 00:10:29.159 --> 00:10:31.840 history, competing again proves their philosophy 00:10:31.840 --> 00:10:35.539 endures. For Bell Holstein, returning to international 00:10:35.539 --> 00:10:38.379 competition validates that traditional methods 00:10:38.379 --> 00:10:41.580 still matter in an automated world. The economic 00:10:41.580 --> 00:10:45.000 stakes are real. Embryo sales worth tens of thousands. 00:10:45.320 --> 00:10:48.580 AI contracts potentially worth hundreds of thousands. 00:10:48.860 --> 00:10:51.759 International recognition that opens new markets. 00:10:52.679 --> 00:10:55.700 But that's not what November 27th through 29th 00:10:55.700 --> 00:10:58.679 is really about. It's about Mauro Beltramino 00:10:58.679 --> 00:11:01.259 seeing his life's work validated. It's about 00:11:01.259 --> 00:11:03.600 young handlers finally experiencing what they've 00:11:03.600 --> 00:11:06.700 only imagined. It's about Nathan Thomas placing 00:11:06.700 --> 00:11:09.120 classes that represent not just this moment, 00:11:09.240 --> 00:11:12.759 but all the moments that led here. As I'm recording 00:11:12.759 --> 00:11:16.340 this on October 18th, 2025, just weeks before 00:11:16.340 --> 00:11:19.200 Cremona opens, I'm struck by how this story speaks 00:11:19.200 --> 00:11:23.039 to everyone facing their own storms. market volatility, 00:11:23.279 --> 00:11:27.080 family succession challenges, technology changes 00:11:27.080 --> 00:11:30.039 threatening traditional methods, climate pressures 00:11:30.039 --> 00:11:33.340 rewriting the rules. The lesson from Europe's 00:11:33.340 --> 00:11:36.399 dairy families is profound yet simple. Keep going. 00:11:36.659 --> 00:11:39.419 Not because success is guaranteed, but because 00:11:39.419 --> 00:11:42.820 the act of continuing is success itself. The 00:11:42.820 --> 00:11:44.860 barn that saved their dreams wasn't a building. 00:11:45.019 --> 00:11:48.059 It was belief, maintained through pandemic isolation, 00:11:48.519 --> 00:11:50.379 sustained through blue -tongue restrictions, 00:11:50.960 --> 00:11:53.460 preserved through every logical reason to quit. 00:11:53.679 --> 00:11:56.500 The rhythm of European dairy life, broken so 00:11:56.500 --> 00:11:59.919 many times, will finally resume November 27th 00:11:59.919 --> 00:12:03.600 through 29th, not back to normal, forward to 00:12:03.600 --> 00:12:06.360 something deeper. These families now know they 00:12:06.360 --> 00:12:09.000 can survive anything. That knowledge changes 00:12:09.000 --> 00:12:12.139 you, makes you both more grateful and more determined, 00:12:12.360 --> 00:12:15.220 more aware of fragility, but also more certain 00:12:15.220 --> 00:12:18.259 of strength. When I think about what awaits at 00:12:18.259 --> 00:12:21.470 Cremona, Lorenzo Cicerani, seeing his family's 00:12:21.470 --> 00:12:24.070 12th generation of breeding validated. Young 00:12:24.070 --> 00:12:26.690 handlers like Greta Beltramino experiencing their 00:12:26.690 --> 00:12:30.429 first full international exhibition. Nathan Thomas 00:12:30.429 --> 00:12:33.250 recognizing excellence forged through adversity. 00:12:33.990 --> 00:12:36.470 These moments remind me why this industry matters 00:12:36.470 --> 00:12:40.309 beyond economics. November 27th through 29th, 00:12:40.330 --> 00:12:45.149 2025, Cremona, Italy. Be there if you can. Not 00:12:45.149 --> 00:12:47.169 for the genetics, though they'll be magnificent. 00:12:47.509 --> 00:12:50.049 Not for the business, though opportunities will 00:12:50.049 --> 00:12:52.850 abound. Be there to witness what humans can endure, 00:12:53.029 --> 00:12:55.789 what communities can preserve, and what hope 00:12:55.789 --> 00:12:59.409 can build when it refuses to die. Some moments 00:12:59.409 --> 00:13:01.870 remind us who we are, what we're capable of, 00:13:01.970 --> 00:13:05.049 and why we do what we do. This is one of those 00:13:05.049 --> 00:13:08.289 moments, and I cannot wait to see how it unfolds. 00:13:08.509 --> 00:13:10.590 Thanks for listening to the Bullvine Podcast. 00:13:10.970 --> 00:13:13.450 If this story moved you, share it with someone 00:13:13.450 --> 00:13:16.250 who needs to hear it, because sometimes the barn 00:13:16.250 --> 00:13:19.039 doesn't know there's no show next week. And that's 00:13:19.039 --> 00:13:22.360 exactly why we keep going. Until next time, keep 00:13:22.360 --> 00:13:25.059 believing in excellence, even when excellence 00:13:25.059 --> 00:13:26.000 has no audience.