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 --> 00:01:04.420 the bull buy Turn the bar Welcome to the Bullvine 00:01:04.420 --> 00:01:08.280 Podcast, where dairy history comes alive. I'm 00:01:08.280 --> 00:01:10.180 your host, and today we're bringing you something 00:01:10.180 --> 00:01:13.739 special, a story that spans continents, defies 00:01:13.739 --> 00:01:16.140 conventional wisdom, and proves that sometimes 00:01:16.140 --> 00:01:19.239 the greatest genetic revolutions start with what 00:01:19.239 --> 00:01:22.340 everyone else calls a defect. This is the three 00:01:22.340 --> 00:01:25.719 -legged bull, the untold story of how one calf 00:01:25.719 --> 00:01:29.659 changed the color of an entire breed. For the 00:01:29.659 --> 00:01:31.819 next hour, you're going to step into the boots 00:01:31.819 --> 00:01:34.280 of the visionaries, the risk -takers, and the 00:01:34.280 --> 00:01:36.540 believers who saw potential where others saw 00:01:36.540 --> 00:01:39.859 only problems. You'll stand in a crowded sale 00:01:39.859 --> 00:01:44.099 barn in 1972 and watch a man bet his career on 00:01:44.099 --> 00:01:47.900 a $60 ,000 gamble. You'll travel from the green 00:01:47.900 --> 00:01:50.159 valleys of Switzerland to the showgrounds of 00:01:50.159 --> 00:01:53.140 Paris, and you'll witness the birth of a genetic 00:01:53.140 --> 00:01:55.900 legacy that touches virtually every red and white 00:01:55.900 --> 00:01:59.290 Holstein walking the earth today. This is the 00:01:59.290 --> 00:02:02.370 story of Hanover Hill, Triple Threat Red. Whether 00:02:02.370 --> 00:02:05.010 you're milking a hundred head or managing thousands, 00:02:05.349 --> 00:02:07.489 whether you've been in this business for decades 00:02:07.489 --> 00:02:10.530 or you're just getting started, this story has 00:02:10.530 --> 00:02:13.330 something for you. Because at its heart, it's 00:02:13.330 --> 00:02:15.949 about seeing value where others see none. It's 00:02:15.949 --> 00:02:19.009 about patience. It's about persistence. And it's 00:02:19.009 --> 00:02:21.009 about the kind of stubborn belief that changes 00:02:21.009 --> 00:02:24.530 industries. So settle in, pour yourself a coffee. 00:02:24.919 --> 00:02:27.460 And let's go back to a time when red on a Holstein 00:02:27.460 --> 00:02:32.879 wasn't an asset. It was a liability. Let's begin. 00:02:33.180 --> 00:02:35.699 You feel it before you see it. That electric 00:02:35.699 --> 00:02:38.840 charge in the air. The kind of tension that only 00:02:38.840 --> 00:02:41.259 builds when serious money is about to change 00:02:41.259 --> 00:02:46.520 hands. It's the fall of 1972. Hanover Hill Holsteins. 00:02:46.639 --> 00:02:49.520 Port Crane, New York. And you're standing in 00:02:49.520 --> 00:02:51.639 a sale barn packed shoulder to shoulder with 00:02:51.639 --> 00:02:54.020 some of the most powerful names in dairy cattle 00:02:54.020 --> 00:02:56.939 breeding. The concrete floor is cold beneath 00:02:56.939 --> 00:03:00.020 your boots. The smell of hay and cattle and too 00:03:00.020 --> 00:03:02.580 many bodies in too small a space fills your nose. 00:03:02.879 --> 00:03:05.639 And everywhere you look, you see faces you recognize 00:03:05.639 --> 00:03:08.240 from the pages of Horde's Dairymen and Holstein 00:03:08.240 --> 00:03:11.699 World. This is Hanover Hill, the breeding establishment 00:03:11.699 --> 00:03:14.360 managed by the legendary R. Peter Heffering. 00:03:14.500 --> 00:03:17.780 The epicenter. The place where fortunes are made. 00:03:18.090 --> 00:03:21.930 and breed history is written already today tara 00:03:21.930 --> 00:03:25.789 hill's pride lucky barb an ex -94 cow and the 00:03:25.789 --> 00:03:28.550 dam of the red calf about to enter the ring has 00:03:28.550 --> 00:03:32.909 sold for an astonishing 122 000 a world record 00:03:32.909 --> 00:03:36.310 and now something else is different you can feel 00:03:36.310 --> 00:03:38.789 it in the way people are leaning forward in the 00:03:38.789 --> 00:03:40.729 hushed conversations that stop mid -sentence 00:03:40.729 --> 00:03:43.310 when the next lot number is called in the ring 00:03:43.310 --> 00:03:46.590 stands a six -month -old calf vibrant red coat 00:03:47.080 --> 00:03:49.860 good on his feet alert eyes taking in the crowd 00:03:49.860 --> 00:03:52.759 with an intelligence that seems almost unsettling 00:03:52.759 --> 00:03:56.180 for an animal so young and by every measure of 00:03:56.180 --> 00:03:59.099 conventional wisdom you've absorbed over 20 years 00:03:59.099 --> 00:04:01.360 in this business you know exactly what you're 00:04:01.360 --> 00:04:05.560 looking at a genetic liability see for as long 00:04:05.560 --> 00:04:07.919 as you can remember red and white on a holstein 00:04:07.919 --> 00:04:11.379 hasn't been just unfashionable it's been treated 00:04:11.379 --> 00:04:14.520 as a defect something you call something that 00:04:14.520 --> 00:04:17.220 bars an animal from the prestigious Maine herd 00:04:17.220 --> 00:04:20.259 book. Something the industry elite, the very 00:04:20.259 --> 00:04:22.579 people packed into this barn right now, have 00:04:22.579 --> 00:04:24.579 systematically bred against for generations. 00:04:25.240 --> 00:04:28.139 So why is everyone holding their breath? The 00:04:28.139 --> 00:04:30.800 bidding starts, and immediately, something unusual 00:04:30.800 --> 00:04:34.259 happens. The numbers climb past 10 ,000, past 00:04:34.259 --> 00:04:38.699 20, past 30. Your palms are sweating. This doesn't 00:04:38.699 --> 00:04:41.720 make sense. This is a red calf. A red calf should 00:04:41.720 --> 00:04:44.579 be selling for a fraction of this. $40 ,000. 00:04:45.339 --> 00:04:47.620 You watch a man near the front. You'll learn 00:04:47.620 --> 00:04:50.259 his name is Ken Young, from American Breeders 00:04:50.259 --> 00:04:52.920 Service's Dairy Cattle Breeding Staff, and you 00:04:52.920 --> 00:04:55.240 see him raise his paddle again. There's something 00:04:55.240 --> 00:04:58.300 in his face. Determination. Maybe desperation. 00:04:58.899 --> 00:05:01.500 You don't know it yet, but his boss, Dr. Robert 00:05:01.500 --> 00:05:03.980 Walton, authorized him to bid up to a certain 00:05:03.980 --> 00:05:07.079 limit. A limit he's about to shatter. $50 ,000. 00:05:07.160 --> 00:05:12.579 $55 ,000. $60 ,000. The Gavel Falls. World record 00:05:12.579 --> 00:05:15.290 for a red and white Holstein. And in that moment, 00:05:15.430 --> 00:05:18.250 standing in that crowded barn, watching a man 00:05:18.250 --> 00:05:20.750 who just bet his career on a red calf everyone 00:05:20.750 --> 00:05:23.509 else called a defect, you're witnessing something 00:05:23.509 --> 00:05:26.670 you don't fully understand yet. The trajectory 00:05:26.670 --> 00:05:30.490 of an entire breed is pivoting on its axis. When 00:05:30.490 --> 00:05:33.269 Dr. Walton demands an explanation for exceeding 00:05:33.269 --> 00:05:36.529 his authorization, Young will offer a reply that 00:05:36.529 --> 00:05:38.490 will echo through the halls of dairy breeding 00:05:38.490 --> 00:05:42.310 lore for the next 50 years. It was easier to 00:05:42.310 --> 00:05:44.449 ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission. 00:05:44.910 --> 00:05:47.649 Theme begins, something that suggests epic scope, 00:05:47.829 --> 00:05:51.329 generational legacy. That calf was Hanover Hill 00:05:51.329 --> 00:05:54.990 triple threat red. And this is his story. To 00:05:54.990 --> 00:05:57.310 understand what happened in that sale barn, you've 00:05:57.310 --> 00:05:59.310 got to understand the world that existed before. 00:05:59.610 --> 00:06:03.490 The rules, the prejudices, the ironclad consensus 00:06:03.490 --> 00:06:07.230 that made a $60 ,000 red calf seem not just unlikely, 00:06:07.410 --> 00:06:12.829 but impossible. Let's go back. It's 1955. You're 00:06:12.829 --> 00:06:15.110 a young dairy farmer, maybe second generation, 00:06:15.449 --> 00:06:17.670 working a hundred head operation somewhere in 00:06:17.670 --> 00:06:20.449 the Northeast. You know Holsteins. You've known 00:06:20.449 --> 00:06:22.870 them your whole life. Black and white cattle. 00:06:23.629 --> 00:06:26.170 Productive and profitable, the backbone of the 00:06:26.170 --> 00:06:30.629 American dairy industry. And then one morning, 00:06:30.730 --> 00:06:33.230 you walk into your barn and find something unexpected. 00:06:33.829 --> 00:06:36.970 A calf born overnight to one of your best cows. 00:06:37.350 --> 00:06:40.959 Good confirmation. Strong legs. But instead of 00:06:40.959 --> 00:06:43.360 the familiar black and white pattern, this calf 00:06:43.360 --> 00:06:47.040 is red. Your stomach drops. You know what this 00:06:47.040 --> 00:06:49.399 means. You've heard the old -timers talk about 00:06:49.399 --> 00:06:52.199 it. Somewhere in your herd's genetics, hidden 00:06:52.199 --> 00:06:54.959 for generations, the red factor gene has been 00:06:54.959 --> 00:06:58.040 lurking. And now, it's expressed itself in the 00:06:58.040 --> 00:07:02.240 worst possible way. Because in 1955, and for 00:07:02.240 --> 00:07:05.680 decades before and after, red isn't just unfashionable. 00:07:05.819 --> 00:07:09.139 It's a disqualification. The Maine Holstein Herd 00:07:09.139 --> 00:07:12.100 Book won't accept this calf. No matter how good 00:07:12.100 --> 00:07:14.579 her confirmation, no matter how strong her dam's 00:07:14.579 --> 00:07:17.279 production records, that red coat marks her as 00:07:17.279 --> 00:07:19.899 defective, unmarketable to the elite breeding 00:07:19.899 --> 00:07:22.579 programs that drive the industry forward. You 00:07:22.579 --> 00:07:25.379 have two choices. Raise her as a commercial animal, 00:07:25.579 --> 00:07:28.000 knowing she'll never contribute to the genetic 00:07:28.000 --> 00:07:31.079 progress of the breed, or cull her now and move 00:07:31.079 --> 00:07:34.839 on. Most farmers choose the second option. And 00:07:34.839 --> 00:07:36.939 here's the thing you need to understand. the 00:07:36.939 --> 00:07:39.100 thing that made the red and white prejudice so 00:07:39.100 --> 00:07:43.000 insidious. It wasn't just superstition. It wasn't 00:07:43.000 --> 00:07:46.060 just aesthetic preference. It was a self -fulfilling 00:07:46.060 --> 00:07:49.800 prophecy. Think about it. For most of the 20th 00:07:49.800 --> 00:07:52.540 century, the absolute best genetics in the Holstein 00:07:52.540 --> 00:07:55.220 world, the highest -producing cows, the most 00:07:55.220 --> 00:07:57.680 prepotent sires, the animals that would shape 00:07:57.680 --> 00:08:00.339 the breed for generations, were all being developed 00:08:00.339 --> 00:08:03.810 exclusively in black and white programs. When 00:08:03.810 --> 00:08:06.389 a red calf was born, it was pushed to the margins, 00:08:06.629 --> 00:08:09.350 denied access to the elite bloodlines that were 00:08:09.350 --> 00:08:12.750 driving improvement. So naturally, red and white 00:08:12.750 --> 00:08:15.829 cattle fell behind. They produced less milk. 00:08:15.990 --> 00:08:18.569 They showed less type. They looked inferior. 00:08:18.949 --> 00:08:21.829 Because they were inferior, not by any fault 00:08:21.829 --> 00:08:24.209 of their own genetics, but because they'd been 00:08:24.209 --> 00:08:26.889 systematically starved of the same opportunities 00:08:26.889 --> 00:08:30.329 their black and white siblings received. It was 00:08:30.329 --> 00:08:33.519 a vicious cycle. Red cattle needed access to 00:08:33.519 --> 00:08:36.480 elite genetics to improve, but elite genetics 00:08:36.480 --> 00:08:39.059 wanted nothing to do with red cattle. By the 00:08:39.059 --> 00:08:42.059 1960s, red and white Holsteins existed on the 00:08:42.059 --> 00:08:45.419 absolute fringes of the dairy world, maintained 00:08:45.419 --> 00:08:49.000 by a handful of dedicated enthusiasts, largely 00:08:49.000 --> 00:08:51.080 ignored by the mainstream breeding industry, 00:08:51.320 --> 00:08:55.179 dismissed as a genetic curiosity at best, a genetic 00:08:55.179 --> 00:08:58.820 defect at worst. And if you were a red Holstein 00:08:58.820 --> 00:09:01.220 breeder in those years, If you were one of those 00:09:01.220 --> 00:09:03.700 stubborn few who loved that red coat and refused 00:09:03.700 --> 00:09:06.419 to give up on it, you faced a question that kept 00:09:06.419 --> 00:09:09.360 you awake at night. How do you improve a population 00:09:09.360 --> 00:09:12.279 when the very best bloodlines refuse to acknowledge 00:09:12.279 --> 00:09:16.080 you exist? The answer, it turned out, wouldn't 00:09:16.080 --> 00:09:18.419 come from the heartland of North American dairying. 00:09:18.639 --> 00:09:21.480 It wouldn't come from Wisconsin or California 00:09:21.480 --> 00:09:24.620 or the great dairy belts of the Midwest. It would 00:09:24.620 --> 00:09:28.139 come from an unexpected place, the green valleys 00:09:28.139 --> 00:09:31.090 of Switzerland. You're a young man in your 20s. 00:09:31.210 --> 00:09:34.909 It's 1968, and you've just graduated from Agricultural 00:09:34.909 --> 00:09:37.610 University in Switzerland with a degree and a 00:09:37.610 --> 00:09:40.029 mission that would seem absurd to most American 00:09:40.029 --> 00:09:42.970 breeders. Find the world's best red genetics. 00:09:43.289 --> 00:09:46.669 Bring them back to Europe. Your name is Jean 00:09:46.669 --> 00:09:49.250 -Louis Schrago, and you're about to spend the 00:09:49.250 --> 00:09:52.049 next four years proving that everyone who dismissed 00:09:52.049 --> 00:09:55.590 you was wrong. See, you understand something 00:09:55.590 --> 00:09:57.669 that the North American breeding establishment 00:09:58.090 --> 00:10:01.149 doesn't fully appreciate yet. Across Europe, 00:10:01.309 --> 00:10:04.629 in Switzerland, France, Germany, Holland, there's 00:10:04.629 --> 00:10:07.590 a growing market for red cattle. Traditional 00:10:07.590 --> 00:10:09.830 breeds like the Simmental and the German Red 00:10:09.830 --> 00:10:12.929 Pied have dominated for centuries. But they're 00:10:12.929 --> 00:10:15.929 dual -purpose animals, bred for both milk and 00:10:15.929 --> 00:10:19.250 meat. And as dairy operations modernize, farmers 00:10:19.250 --> 00:10:21.889 are looking for something different. They want 00:10:21.889 --> 00:10:25.330 specialized dairy cattle, high production, modern 00:10:25.330 --> 00:10:28.580 type. And many of them for reasons of tradition, 00:10:28.779 --> 00:10:31.419 consumer preference, or simple aesthetic choice, 00:10:31.659 --> 00:10:34.620 want those cattle to be red. The opportunity 00:10:34.620 --> 00:10:38.539 is enormous. The problem is supply. Europe's 00:10:38.539 --> 00:10:40.480 traditional red breeds don't have the genetic 00:10:40.480 --> 00:10:43.379 architecture for high -production dairying. And 00:10:43.379 --> 00:10:46.000 North America's elite Holstein genetics, the 00:10:46.000 --> 00:10:48.200 bloodlines that could transform European dairy 00:10:48.200 --> 00:10:51.220 farming, are locked behind a wall of black -and 00:10:51.220 --> 00:10:54.289 -white prejudice. But you've heard rumors. Stories 00:10:54.289 --> 00:10:56.649 about North American Holsteins that carry the 00:10:56.649 --> 00:10:59.769 red gene hidden in their pedigrees. Animals that 00:10:59.769 --> 00:11:02.610 look black and white but could produce red offspring 00:11:02.610 --> 00:11:06.269 if mated correctly. So you board a plane to North 00:11:06.269 --> 00:11:08.830 America and you begin the search that will consume 00:11:08.830 --> 00:11:11.990 the next several years of your life. Your search 00:11:11.990 --> 00:11:14.330 leads you to a place that makes your heart race 00:11:14.330 --> 00:11:18.330 just looking at it. Hanover Hill Holsteins, Port 00:11:18.330 --> 00:11:21.639 Crane, New York. arguably the most prestigious 00:11:21.639 --> 00:11:23.759 breeding establishment in the Holstein world. 00:11:24.139 --> 00:11:27.620 The farm sprawls before you, immaculate barns, 00:11:27.620 --> 00:11:30.220 manicured pastures, cattle that look like they 00:11:30.220 --> 00:11:33.580 stepped out of a show ring catalog. This is where 00:11:33.580 --> 00:11:36.120 legends are made, where cows sell for prices 00:11:36.120 --> 00:11:38.639 that would buy entire farms back home in Switzerland. 00:11:38.960 --> 00:11:40.919 And this is where you're about to make the most 00:11:40.919 --> 00:11:44.120 audacious proposal of your young career. The 00:11:44.120 --> 00:11:47.360 manager is R. Peter Heffering, a businessman, 00:11:47.679 --> 00:11:50.980 a pragmatist. A man who has built Hanover Hill 00:11:50.980 --> 00:11:53.240 into a global brand by understanding markets 00:11:53.240 --> 00:11:55.840 and meeting demand. You've studied his operation. 00:11:56.100 --> 00:11:58.799 You know what he values. But you also know something 00:11:58.799 --> 00:12:02.379 else. Hanover Hill's legendary cow family, the 00:12:02.379 --> 00:12:05.059 Barbs, descended from the incomparable John's 00:12:05.059 --> 00:12:09.480 Lucky Barb EX -97, carries a hidden secret. Somewhere 00:12:09.480 --> 00:12:11.840 in that bloodline lurks the red factor gene, 00:12:12.039 --> 00:12:14.440 passed silently from generation to generation, 00:12:14.700 --> 00:12:18.480 never expressed, but present. You walk into Heffering's 00:12:18.480 --> 00:12:21.039 office. You shake his hand, and then you make 00:12:21.039 --> 00:12:23.899 your pitch. Breed your finest cow, the great 00:12:23.899 --> 00:12:26.879 John's lucky barb herself, to a red factor bull. 00:12:27.320 --> 00:12:29.620 Create something the industry has never seen, 00:12:29.779 --> 00:12:32.480 a red calf carrying the genetic wealth of Holstein 00:12:32.480 --> 00:12:36.340 royalty. Heffering listens. His face is unreadable. 00:12:36.740 --> 00:12:38.980 And then he gives you an answer that lands like 00:12:38.980 --> 00:12:41.720 a punch to the gut. There's no red and white 00:12:41.720 --> 00:12:44.759 market. He's not unkind about it. He's not even 00:12:44.759 --> 00:12:48.840 wrong, from his perspective. In 1968, the North 00:12:48.840 --> 00:12:51.419 American market for red genetics is microscopic. 00:12:52.000 --> 00:12:54.460 Why would the manager of the most successful 00:12:54.460 --> 00:12:57.059 Holstein operation in the world divert resources 00:12:57.059 --> 00:13:00.960 to produce animals he can't sell? You leave Hanover 00:13:00.960 --> 00:13:03.320 Hill that day with nothing but a handshake and 00:13:03.320 --> 00:13:05.759 a polite rejection. Most people would accept 00:13:05.759 --> 00:13:08.879 that answer. Most people would move on, find 00:13:08.879 --> 00:13:11.620 another avenue, adjust their expectations to 00:13:11.620 --> 00:13:15.419 match reality. But you're not most people. You've 00:13:15.419 --> 00:13:17.919 seen the future. You've calculated the European 00:13:17.919 --> 00:13:20.620 demand. You know, with a certainty that borders 00:13:20.620 --> 00:13:23.360 on obsession, that the genetics locked inside 00:13:23.360 --> 00:13:26.480 those Hanover Hill barns could transform an entire 00:13:26.480 --> 00:13:30.240 continent's dairy industry. All you need is patience. 00:13:31.039 --> 00:13:35.240 And a plan. You fly back to Switzerland. But 00:13:35.240 --> 00:13:38.399 you don't give up. You keep working. Keep building 00:13:38.399 --> 00:13:41.340 relationships. Keep waiting for the moment when 00:13:41.340 --> 00:13:43.860 the market catches up with your vision. That 00:13:43.860 --> 00:13:48.039 moment will come in 1971. Three years have passed. 00:13:48.320 --> 00:13:52.120 It's 1971, and you're standing in a hotel lobby 00:13:52.120 --> 00:13:55.059 in upstate New York, surrounded by a delegation 00:13:55.059 --> 00:13:57.720 of European farmers you've personally assembled 00:13:57.720 --> 00:14:00.799 for this trip. This is your proof of concept. 00:14:01.100 --> 00:14:04.220 You're walking, talking evidence that the market 00:14:04.220 --> 00:14:07.840 Peter Heffering dismissed in 1968 has grown into 00:14:07.840 --> 00:14:10.879 something he can't ignore. You've spent three 00:14:10.879 --> 00:14:14.019 years cultivating these relationships. Swiss 00:14:14.019 --> 00:14:17.480 farmers, German buyers, French breeding cooperatives, 00:14:17.620 --> 00:14:20.460 men who represent thousands of cows and millions 00:14:20.460 --> 00:14:23.460 of dollars in potential genetics purchases, men 00:14:23.460 --> 00:14:26.159 who are specifically, explicitly looking for 00:14:26.159 --> 00:14:29.460 red genetics with modern dairy type. And now 00:14:29.460 --> 00:14:32.299 you're going back to Hanover Hill. The reception 00:14:32.299 --> 00:14:35.139 is different this time. Heffering sees the delegation. 00:14:35.539 --> 00:14:38.860 He understands what it represents. Three years 00:14:38.860 --> 00:14:41.419 ago, You were a young Swiss graduate with a dream. 00:14:41.759 --> 00:14:44.600 Today, you're a conduit to an entire continent 00:14:44.600 --> 00:14:47.759 of buyers. Over lunch, the conversation turns 00:14:47.759 --> 00:14:50.980 to genetics, to possibilities, to the question 00:14:50.980 --> 00:14:53.159 that's been burning in your mind for three years. 00:14:53.399 --> 00:14:55.480 And then Heffering asks the words you've been 00:14:55.480 --> 00:14:58.600 waiting to hear. All right then, who would you 00:14:58.600 --> 00:15:02.440 recommend? This is the moment, the culmination 00:15:02.440 --> 00:15:04.740 of three years of planning, relationship building, 00:15:04.840 --> 00:15:07.639 and strategic patience. And you have an answer 00:15:07.639 --> 00:15:11.250 ready. An answer so specific, so unconventional, 00:15:11.429 --> 00:15:13.470 that it will change the course of breed history. 00:15:14.309 --> 00:15:17.269 Roybrooke Telstar, even heffering's eyes widen 00:15:17.269 --> 00:15:20.509 slightly. Telstar is a titan of the Canadian 00:15:20.509 --> 00:15:23.370 breed, a superstar celebrated for transmitting 00:15:23.370 --> 00:15:25.809 refinement, dairy character, and exceptional 00:15:25.809 --> 00:15:29.090 udders with silky texture. His daughters are 00:15:29.090 --> 00:15:32.190 legendary, show ring prima donnas, with the kind 00:15:32.190 --> 00:15:34.389 of type that commands premium prices worldwide. 00:15:35.600 --> 00:15:37.820 But here's what most North American breeders 00:15:37.820 --> 00:15:40.659 don't know. What you've discovered through years 00:15:40.659 --> 00:15:43.179 of pedigree research and quiet conversations 00:15:43.179 --> 00:15:46.179 with Canadian geneticists. Telstar carries a 00:15:46.179 --> 00:15:49.440 rare genetic variant. A peculiar trait that's 00:15:49.440 --> 00:15:51.779 been largely overlooked because it so rarely 00:15:51.779 --> 00:15:54.120 expresses itself in black and white populations. 00:15:54.740 --> 00:15:57.740 The black -red gene. It's different from the 00:15:57.740 --> 00:16:00.220 true recessive red gene that most breeders know 00:16:00.220 --> 00:16:03.220 about. The black -red gene, sometimes called 00:16:03.220 --> 00:16:06.850 Telstar Red, causes something unusual red born 00:16:06.850 --> 00:16:09.210 animals that progressively darken as they mature 00:16:09.210 --> 00:16:12.389 eventually appearing almost black a chameleon 00:16:12.389 --> 00:16:15.730 effect that's confused breeders for years and 00:16:15.730 --> 00:16:18.370 you know that the barb family john's lucky barb 00:16:18.370 --> 00:16:20.710 her daughters her granddaughters carries the 00:16:20.710 --> 00:16:25.029 other red gene the true recessive if you combine 00:16:25.029 --> 00:16:28.210 them if you mate telstar to a barb daughter you 00:16:28.210 --> 00:16:30.409 could create something the breed has never seen 00:16:30.409 --> 00:16:33.649 a red calf that carries both genetic variants 00:16:34.250 --> 00:16:36.850 an animal that can reliably produce red offspring 00:16:36.850 --> 00:16:39.350 while transmitting the elite type and production 00:16:39.350 --> 00:16:42.850 of Holstein royalty. But there's a problem, a 00:16:42.850 --> 00:16:45.389 logistical nightmare that would stop most breeders 00:16:45.389 --> 00:16:48.470 in their tracks. Telstar isn't in North America 00:16:48.470 --> 00:16:52.429 anymore. In 1967, Japanese buyers paid a record 00:16:52.429 --> 00:16:55.529 price to export him to Japan. His semen is on 00:16:55.529 --> 00:16:57.750 the other side of the Pacific Ocean, and the 00:16:57.750 --> 00:16:59.769 cost of importing it back will be astronomical. 00:17:00.210 --> 00:17:03.720 You make the calls. You work the contacts. And 00:17:03.720 --> 00:17:06.299 eventually, you locate two precious units of 00:17:06.299 --> 00:17:08.700 Telstar semen available for purchase in Japan. 00:17:09.079 --> 00:17:15.319 The price? $2 ,500 for two units. In 1971, that's 00:17:15.319 --> 00:17:17.759 more than many farmers earn in a month. It's 00:17:17.759 --> 00:17:19.980 an absurd amount of money for frozen semen from 00:17:19.980 --> 00:17:22.160 a bull that most people have already forgotten 00:17:22.160 --> 00:17:25.779 about. You tell Heffering it's a deal. And then 00:17:25.779 --> 00:17:29.059 you make one more recommendation. One more stroke 00:17:29.059 --> 00:17:31.849 of strategic genius. that will prove crucial 00:17:31.849 --> 00:17:34.930 to everything that follows. Rather than using 00:17:34.930 --> 00:17:38.029 the aging John's Lucky Barb herself, the legendary 00:17:38.029 --> 00:17:41.349 EX -97 matriarch who founded the family, you 00:17:41.349 --> 00:17:43.509 advise Heffering to use her greatest daughter, 00:17:44.109 --> 00:17:48.009 Tara Hill's pride Lucky Barb EX -94, a formidable 00:17:48.009 --> 00:17:51.089 cow in her prime, sired by the strength and longevity 00:17:51.089 --> 00:17:55.329 specialist Elbank Admiral Ormsby Pride, a cow 00:17:55.329 --> 00:17:58.450 who carries the true recessive red gene. The 00:17:58.450 --> 00:18:00.950 genetic math is elegant. Telstar contributes 00:18:00.950 --> 00:18:03.849 the rare black -red gene. The dam contributes 00:18:03.849 --> 00:18:07.869 the true recessive red. Together, you're creating 00:18:07.869 --> 00:18:11.250 something unprecedented, an elite red calf carrying 00:18:11.250 --> 00:18:13.789 the accumulated genetic wealth of two of the 00:18:13.789 --> 00:18:16.049 most powerful bloodlines in Holstein history. 00:18:16.410 --> 00:18:18.769 Heffering agrees. The semen is imported from 00:18:18.769 --> 00:18:21.549 Japan, the mating is made, and then you wait. 00:18:22.089 --> 00:18:27.880 April 24, 1972. Spring in upstate New York. The 00:18:27.880 --> 00:18:29.799 kind of morning when the air still carries a 00:18:29.799 --> 00:18:32.660 chill, but the sun promises warmth. When the 00:18:32.660 --> 00:18:35.039 pastures are greening up and the worst of winter 00:18:35.039 --> 00:18:37.880 feels like a distant memory. In a calving pen 00:18:37.880 --> 00:18:40.420 at Hanover Hill Holsteins, Tara Hill's pride 00:18:40.420 --> 00:18:43.779 lucky barb is in labor. You're not there. You're 00:18:43.779 --> 00:18:46.380 hundreds of miles away in Wisconsin, where you've 00:18:46.380 --> 00:18:48.640 been working to convince American Breeders Service 00:18:48.640 --> 00:18:51.640 of the potential for red genetics, building relationships, 00:18:52.079 --> 00:18:54.779 selling a vision, waiting for news from New York. 00:18:55.400 --> 00:18:58.130 The phone call comes early. And when you hear 00:18:58.130 --> 00:19:00.549 the words, you feel something shift inside your 00:19:00.549 --> 00:19:03.730 chest. Four years of planning. Four years of 00:19:03.730 --> 00:19:06.250 patience. Four years of being told there's no 00:19:06.250 --> 00:19:09.289 market, no future, no point. It's a bull calf. 00:19:09.829 --> 00:19:13.069 And he's red. You don't wait. You don't sleep. 00:19:13.250 --> 00:19:16.309 You get in your car and drive. Hours of highway 00:19:16.309 --> 00:19:18.970 stretching ahead of you. The radio playing songs 00:19:18.970 --> 00:19:21.470 you don't really hear. Your mind racing through 00:19:21.470 --> 00:19:24.190 calculations and possibilities. And the sheer 00:19:24.190 --> 00:19:27.660 improbability of what you've helped create. When 00:19:27.660 --> 00:19:30.039 you finally arrive at Hanover Hill, when you 00:19:30.039 --> 00:19:31.960 walk into that barn and see the calf for the 00:19:31.960 --> 00:19:34.900 first time, you find yourself struggling to speak. 00:19:35.319 --> 00:19:39.359 He's small, delicate. His coat is a vibrant red 00:19:39.359 --> 00:19:41.920 that seems to glow in the barn light. And his 00:19:41.920 --> 00:19:45.420 eyes, alert, intelligent, taking in everything 00:19:45.420 --> 00:19:48.299 around him with a focus that seems almost unsettling 00:19:48.299 --> 00:19:50.980 for an animal so young. His eyes seem to look 00:19:50.980 --> 00:19:53.700 right through you. You'll describe him later 00:19:53.700 --> 00:19:57.329 as looking like a small deer. Delicate. alert, 00:19:57.450 --> 00:20:00.710 unmistakably special. But you know something 00:20:00.710 --> 00:20:02.490 that the people standing around you don't fully 00:20:02.490 --> 00:20:05.529 appreciate yet? This isn't just a pretty calf. 00:20:05.769 --> 00:20:08.390 This is a genetic revolution wrapped in a red 00:20:08.390 --> 00:20:12.170 coat. The first elite Holstein ever born that 00:20:12.170 --> 00:20:15.230 can reliably produce red offspring while transmitting 00:20:15.230 --> 00:20:17.710 the type and production of the breed's most celebrated 00:20:17.710 --> 00:20:20.549 bloodlines. He doesn't look like a liability. 00:20:20.869 --> 00:20:24.279 He looks like the future. Before we return to 00:20:24.279 --> 00:20:27.599 that sale barn in the fall of 1972, you need 00:20:27.599 --> 00:20:29.859 to understand the world that this calf was about 00:20:29.859 --> 00:20:32.920 to enter. The high -stakes, high -dollar business 00:20:32.920 --> 00:20:37.619 of elite cattle genetics. By 1972, the artificial 00:20:37.619 --> 00:20:40.400 insemination industry had transformed dairy farming 00:20:40.400 --> 00:20:43.500 from a local enterprise into a global genetic 00:20:43.500 --> 00:20:46.700 marketplace. Companies like American Breeders 00:20:46.700 --> 00:20:49.619 Service, where Ken Young worked under Dr. Taff, 00:20:49.680 --> 00:20:52.079 Robert Walton, had built international networks 00:20:52.079 --> 00:20:54.960 for collecting, freezing, and distributing semen 00:20:54.960 --> 00:20:58.599 from elite sires to farms around the world. Think 00:20:58.599 --> 00:21:01.480 about what that meant. A single exceptional bull, 00:21:01.640 --> 00:21:04.160 housed at a collection facility in Wisconsin 00:21:04.160 --> 00:21:07.660 or New York, could sire tens of thousands of 00:21:07.660 --> 00:21:10.740 daughters across dozens of countries. His genetic 00:21:10.740 --> 00:21:13.240 influence could spread faster and further than 00:21:13.240 --> 00:21:15.559 any natural breeding program could ever achieve. 00:21:15.920 --> 00:21:19.410 The economics were staggering. A proven sire 00:21:19.410 --> 00:21:21.809 with exceptional daughter performance might generate 00:21:21.809 --> 00:21:24.650 millions of dollars in semen sales over his productive 00:21:24.650 --> 00:21:27.470 lifetime. The companies that controlled these 00:21:27.470 --> 00:21:31.650 bulls, ABS, Cemex, Select Sires, wielded enormous 00:21:31.650 --> 00:21:33.990 influence over the genetic direction of entire 00:21:33.990 --> 00:21:37.410 breeds. And the competition for elite genetics 00:21:37.410 --> 00:21:41.049 was fierce. When a truly exceptional animal appeared, 00:21:41.250 --> 00:21:44.170 a calf with the pedigree, the conformation, the 00:21:44.170 --> 00:21:47.119 potential to reshape the breed, the major AI 00:21:47.119 --> 00:21:49.680 companies would battle for acquisition rights. 00:21:50.460 --> 00:21:53.359 Sale prices climbed into territory that would 00:21:53.359 --> 00:21:56.559 have seemed absurd just a decade earlier. But 00:21:56.559 --> 00:21:58.200 here's what you need to understand about that 00:21:58.200 --> 00:22:02.559 market in 1972. It was almost entirely focused 00:22:02.559 --> 00:22:05.980 on black and white genetics. The major AI companies 00:22:05.980 --> 00:22:08.660 had built their catalogs, their customer relationships, 00:22:09.019 --> 00:22:11.779 their entire business models around the assumption 00:22:11.779 --> 00:22:15.339 that Holstein meant black and white. Red genetics? 00:22:16.000 --> 00:22:19.779 A niche market at best. A curiosity. Something 00:22:19.779 --> 00:22:22.339 that might interest a few European buyers, but 00:22:22.339 --> 00:22:24.220 nothing that would move the needle for a major 00:22:24.220 --> 00:22:27.559 American genetics company. So when the Hanover 00:22:27.559 --> 00:22:30.359 Hill sale catalog landed on desks at ABS headquarters 00:22:30.359 --> 00:22:33.880 in DeForest, Wisconsin, announcing that a red 00:22:33.880 --> 00:22:36.740 Telstar Sun from the Barb family would be offered 00:22:36.740 --> 00:22:39.440 for public sale, the initial reaction was probably 00:22:39.440 --> 00:22:43.119 skepticism. A red calf. From elite bloodlines, 00:22:43.140 --> 00:22:46.190 sure. But red? What could something like that 00:22:46.190 --> 00:22:49.269 possibly be worth? Ken Young, however, saw something 00:22:49.269 --> 00:22:52.329 different. For months, Jean -Louis Schrago had 00:22:52.329 --> 00:22:54.990 been lobbying ABS to invest in red genetics, 00:22:55.190 --> 00:22:57.309 pointing to the European demand that was growing 00:22:57.309 --> 00:22:59.809 every year. And when Young looked at that pedigree, 00:22:59.930 --> 00:23:02.789 Telstar on the Barb family, he saw not just a 00:23:02.789 --> 00:23:06.210 calf, but a strategic opportunity. He requested 00:23:06.210 --> 00:23:08.809 authorization from Dr. Robert Walton to bid on 00:23:08.809 --> 00:23:11.109 the calf. And Walton, after some discussion, 00:23:11.369 --> 00:23:14.640 gave him a number. A ceiling. a rational defensible 00:23:14.640 --> 00:23:17.480 limit based on the known market value of red 00:23:17.480 --> 00:23:20.579 genetics. That number was nowhere close to $60 00:23:20.579 --> 00:23:25.859 ,000. It's the day of the sale, fall 1972, and 00:23:25.859 --> 00:23:27.900 you can feel the tension building before the 00:23:27.900 --> 00:23:31.579 first lot even enters the ring. The Hanover Hills 00:23:31.579 --> 00:23:34.880 sale is always an event, but this year feels 00:23:34.880 --> 00:23:37.599 different. Word has spread about the red calf, 00:23:37.839 --> 00:23:41.119 the Telstar Sun out of Pride Lucky Barb. Breeders 00:23:41.119 --> 00:23:43.220 have traveled from across the country to see 00:23:43.220 --> 00:23:46.539 him. European buyers, many of them contacts that 00:23:46.539 --> 00:23:48.599 Jean -Louis Schrago has been cultivating for 00:23:48.599 --> 00:23:51.460 years, are scattered throughout the crowd. You 00:23:51.460 --> 00:23:54.619 find a spot near the ring. Around you, the who's 00:23:54.619 --> 00:23:57.539 who of the Holstein world is assembled. You recognize 00:23:57.539 --> 00:24:00.380 faces from magazines, from conventions, from 00:24:00.380 --> 00:24:02.579 the elite shows where breed history is written, 00:24:02.720 --> 00:24:05.400 one champion at a time. And somewhere in that 00:24:05.400 --> 00:24:07.759 crowd, Ken Young of American Breeders Service 00:24:07.759 --> 00:24:10.480 is doing math in his head. Running calculations. 00:24:11.039 --> 00:24:13.799 Weighing the potential value of a genetic revolution 00:24:13.799 --> 00:24:16.980 against the very real limits of his authorization 00:24:16.980 --> 00:24:21.859 from Dr. Walton. The sale begins. Lot after lot 00:24:21.859 --> 00:24:24.799 enters the ring. The prices are strong. This 00:24:24.799 --> 00:24:27.359 is Hanover Hill, after all. But nothing extraordinary. 00:24:27.859 --> 00:24:30.539 The crowd is waiting. You can feel them waiting. 00:24:30.819 --> 00:24:34.839 Everyone knows what's coming. Then comes the 00:24:34.839 --> 00:24:37.799 moment that proves the dam's value. Tara Hill's 00:24:37.799 --> 00:24:40.950 pride lucky barb. the red calf's mother, classified 00:24:40.950 --> 00:24:44.670 EX94, enters the ring. The bidding is fierce. 00:24:44.970 --> 00:24:48.829 When the gavel falls, she's sold for $122 ,000, 00:24:49.190 --> 00:24:52.670 a world record for a Holstein cow. The crowd 00:24:52.670 --> 00:24:55.069 buzzes with excitement, but they're still waiting, 00:24:55.269 --> 00:24:57.869 because the next lot is the one everyone came 00:24:57.869 --> 00:25:00.829 to see. And then the red calf enters the ring. 00:25:01.049 --> 00:25:04.589 He's six months old now, still vibrant red, though 00:25:04.589 --> 00:25:06.829 if you look closely, you might notice the color 00:25:06.829 --> 00:25:09.480 seems somehow richer. deeper than it was at birth 00:25:09.480 --> 00:25:13.480 he walks with confidence good on his feet alert 00:25:13.480 --> 00:25:15.880 eyes scanning the crowd like he knows exactly 00:25:15.880 --> 00:25:19.180 what's at stake the auctioneer begins his chant 00:25:19.180 --> 00:25:22.539 and immediately something unusual happens multiple 00:25:22.539 --> 00:25:25.480 paddles go up not one or two cautious bidders 00:25:25.480 --> 00:25:28.240 testing the waters multiple from different corners 00:25:28.240 --> 00:25:31.519 of the barn ten thousand dollars fifteen twenty 00:25:31.519 --> 00:25:34.700 you're watching ken young now you see him raise 00:25:34.700 --> 00:25:37.599 his paddle see the determination in his face 00:25:38.039 --> 00:25:40.480 And you see something else. Something that looks 00:25:40.480 --> 00:25:42.920 almost like fear. Because the number is climbing. 00:25:43.279 --> 00:25:46.559 Fast. Faster than anyone expected. Faster than 00:25:46.559 --> 00:25:49.119 any red calf has ever sold in the history of 00:25:49.119 --> 00:25:53.559 the breed. 30 ,000. 35. You don't know it yet, 00:25:53.700 --> 00:25:56.140 but Young has already blown past his authorization 00:25:56.140 --> 00:25:59.240 from Dr. Walton. He's in territory that his boss 00:25:59.240 --> 00:26:01.940 never approved. Territory that could cost him 00:26:01.940 --> 00:26:05.140 his job if this bet doesn't pay off. 40 ,000. 00:26:05.220 --> 00:26:09.230 And still he keeps bidding. 45. 50. The crowd 00:26:09.230 --> 00:26:11.849 is buzzing now. People are standing, craning 00:26:11.849 --> 00:26:14.089 their necks. This isn't just a sale anymore. 00:26:14.369 --> 00:26:17.130 This is history being made. This is the moment 00:26:17.130 --> 00:26:19.369 when everything the industry believed about red 00:26:19.369 --> 00:26:22.269 genetics is being challenged by cold hard cash. 00:26:22.789 --> 00:26:28.309 55 ,000. $60 ,000. The gavel falls. Ken Young 00:26:28.309 --> 00:26:30.509 has just paid more for a red and white Holstein 00:26:30.509 --> 00:26:33.250 than anyone has ever paid for a red and white 00:26:33.250 --> 00:26:36.670 Holstein. By a margin so large that the previous 00:26:36.670 --> 00:26:39.809 record seems almost quaint by comparison. And 00:26:39.809 --> 00:26:42.490 somewhere in DeForest, Wisconsin, phones are 00:26:42.490 --> 00:26:45.009 about to start ringing. The call from Wisconsin 00:26:45.009 --> 00:26:48.109 comes within hours. Dr. Robert Walton, head of 00:26:48.109 --> 00:26:51.049 ABS's dairy cattle breeding program, wants answers. 00:26:51.269 --> 00:26:54.250 You can imagine the conversation. The numbers. 00:26:54.430 --> 00:26:57.589 The justification. The cold sweat on Ken Young's 00:26:57.589 --> 00:27:00.230 neck as he explains why he exceeded his authorization 00:27:00.230 --> 00:27:03.380 to secure a red calf. the very color the industry 00:27:03.380 --> 00:27:06.660 has dismissed for decades. But Young has Jean 00:27:06.660 --> 00:27:09.539 -Louis Schrago's vision backing him up. For years, 00:27:09.680 --> 00:27:12.579 Schrago has been pressing ABS to invest in red 00:27:12.579 --> 00:27:15.359 genetics, pointing to the growing European demand, 00:27:15.640 --> 00:27:18.420 the untapped market potential. And when Young 00:27:18.420 --> 00:27:21.079 tells Walton about the pedigree, a Telstar son 00:27:21.079 --> 00:27:23.640 out of the legendary Barb family, he's betting 00:27:23.640 --> 00:27:26.400 that Walton will see what he sees. And then Young 00:27:26.400 --> 00:27:29.880 delivers the line that will become legend. It 00:27:29.880 --> 00:27:32.180 was easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask 00:27:32.180 --> 00:27:36.039 for permission. Walton isn't pleased, not at 00:27:36.039 --> 00:27:39.119 first, but the purchase is made, the papers are 00:27:39.119 --> 00:27:42.359 signed, and Triple Threat is loaded onto a trailer 00:27:42.359 --> 00:27:45.339 bound for the ABS facilities in DeForest, Wisconsin. 00:27:45.839 --> 00:27:48.420 What happens next will test everyone's faith 00:27:48.420 --> 00:27:52.119 in that $60 ,000 gamble. Within months of his 00:27:52.119 --> 00:27:55.200 arrival at ABS, something strange begins to happen. 00:27:55.500 --> 00:27:58.420 The vibrant red calf you saw in that sale ring 00:27:58.700 --> 00:28:02.359 starts to change. At first, it's subtle, a darkening 00:28:02.359 --> 00:28:04.859 around the edges, a deepening of shade that you 00:28:04.859 --> 00:28:07.700 might attribute to winter coat or lighting. But 00:28:07.700 --> 00:28:10.400 by six months after the sale, there's no denying 00:28:10.400 --> 00:28:13.480 it. By nine months of age, Triple Threat has 00:28:13.480 --> 00:28:16.420 turned almost completely black, retaining only 00:28:16.420 --> 00:28:18.940 a few reddish hairs in his ears and tail switch. 00:28:19.259 --> 00:28:21.940 The black -red gene, inherited from Telstar, 00:28:22.160 --> 00:28:24.779 has expressed itself in the most confusing way 00:28:24.779 --> 00:28:28.569 possible. Your $60 ,000 Red Bull now looks like 00:28:28.569 --> 00:28:32.269 a black and white Holstein. Dr. Walton, as he'll 00:28:32.269 --> 00:28:35.130 later recall, is really upset with both Schrago 00:28:35.130 --> 00:28:37.990 and Young at this point. The whole premise of 00:28:37.990 --> 00:28:40.549 the purchase, elite genetics in a red package 00:28:40.549 --> 00:28:43.490 for the European market, seems to be unraveling 00:28:43.490 --> 00:28:46.730 before everyone's eyes. But here's what the skeptics 00:28:46.730 --> 00:28:49.289 don't understand yet. The color change is only 00:28:49.289 --> 00:28:51.849 superficial. Triple Threat's genetics remain 00:28:51.849 --> 00:28:54.859 unchanged. When bred to cows carrying the true 00:28:54.859 --> 00:28:57.839 recessive red gene, he will consistently produce 00:28:57.839 --> 00:29:01.200 red offspring. Approximately half of his red 00:29:01.200 --> 00:29:03.559 -coated offspring will exhibit the same darkening 00:29:03.559 --> 00:29:06.839 phenomenon, born red, turning black as they mature. 00:29:07.240 --> 00:29:10.440 The chameleon effect becomes a trademark, a visual 00:29:10.440 --> 00:29:13.039 signature of his lineage that breeders will learn 00:29:13.039 --> 00:29:16.740 to recognize across generations. And so the work 00:29:16.740 --> 00:29:20.579 begins. Semen collection. Distribution. The slow 00:29:20.579 --> 00:29:23.220 process of proving a sire through his daughters. 00:29:23.799 --> 00:29:26.240 Triple Threat's physical challenges aren't done 00:29:26.240 --> 00:29:28.599 testing the faith of those who believed in him. 00:29:29.079 --> 00:29:31.099 You're about five years into Triple Threat's 00:29:31.099 --> 00:29:33.799 career at ABS when you notice him favoring his 00:29:33.799 --> 00:29:37.660 front leg. The lameness progresses. Within months, 00:29:37.720 --> 00:29:41.339 the verdict is clear. Permanent injury. The damage 00:29:41.339 --> 00:29:43.339 is severe enough that he can barely put weight 00:29:43.339 --> 00:29:46.039 on the limb. The bull who was supposed to change 00:29:46.039 --> 00:29:49.160 the breed can barely walk. For most animals, 00:29:49.630 --> 00:29:52.650 This would be the end. A three -legged bull at 00:29:52.650 --> 00:29:55.369 a semen collection facility? The logistics alone 00:29:55.369 --> 00:29:57.950 seem impossible. The humane thing would be to 00:29:57.950 --> 00:30:00.190 retire him, to use what semen you've already 00:30:00.190 --> 00:30:03.190 collected, and move on. But you watch him hobble 00:30:03.190 --> 00:30:05.329 into the collection room, and something remarkable 00:30:05.329 --> 00:30:08.849 happens. The moment his work begins, triple threat 00:30:08.849 --> 00:30:12.450 comes alive. His libido remains unimpaired. His 00:30:12.450 --> 00:30:15.970 seminal quality never wavers. Day after day, 00:30:16.349 --> 00:30:18.970 Year after year, this three -legged bull produces 00:30:18.970 --> 00:30:22.009 semen with the best of them. A living advertisement 00:30:22.009 --> 00:30:24.750 for the constitutional vigor and will to live 00:30:24.750 --> 00:30:28.069 that he's passing to his daughters. And those 00:30:28.069 --> 00:30:30.769 daughters? They're starting to hit the ground 00:30:30.769 --> 00:30:33.210 across North America and Europe. And they're 00:30:33.210 --> 00:30:36.710 everything Schrago predicted. And more. In a 00:30:36.710 --> 00:30:39.109 world where type matters, where the physical 00:30:39.109 --> 00:30:41.609 structure of a cow determines her longevity, 00:30:41.970 --> 00:30:45.200 her productivity, her commercial value. Triple 00:30:45.200 --> 00:30:48.299 Threat's daughters are revelations. At a time 00:30:48.299 --> 00:30:50.859 when many red and white cattle lack the scale 00:30:50.859 --> 00:30:53.059 and refinement of their black and white counterparts, 00:30:53.559 --> 00:30:55.700 these daughters carry what breeders will call 00:30:55.700 --> 00:30:58.660 the elegant Hanover Hill look. They're tall, 00:30:58.839 --> 00:31:02.099 long -necked, angular. Their mammary systems 00:31:02.099 --> 00:31:05.119 show exceptional texture and strong suspensory 00:31:05.119 --> 00:31:08.259 ligaments. Their feet and legs, the foundation 00:31:08.259 --> 00:31:10.700 that determines how long a cow can stay in the 00:31:10.700 --> 00:31:13.819 milking string, are outstanding. But it's not 00:31:13.819 --> 00:31:16.720 just type. Triple Threat's daughters are component 00:31:16.720 --> 00:31:20.240 specialists. In an era when many sires chase 00:31:20.240 --> 00:31:22.819 sheer milk volume, his daughters consistently 00:31:22.819 --> 00:31:25.319 produce milk with higher butterfat percentage, 00:31:25.660 --> 00:31:28.759 a trait inherited from both sides of his pedigree. 00:31:29.119 --> 00:31:31.880 In markets where milk is priced on components, 00:31:32.140 --> 00:31:34.980 this makes them exceptionally profitable. And 00:31:34.980 --> 00:31:37.720 there's something else, something harder to quantify 00:31:37.720 --> 00:31:41.339 but impossible to ignore. Triple Threat's daughters 00:31:41.339 --> 00:31:44.700 don't just produce, they reproduce. They're fertile. 00:31:44.779 --> 00:31:47.559 They're durable. They stay in the herd year after 00:31:47.559 --> 00:31:50.559 year, calving without difficulty, bouncing back 00:31:50.559 --> 00:31:53.099 from setbacks, passing on their qualities to 00:31:53.099 --> 00:31:55.940 the next generation. He seldom sires a mediocre 00:31:55.940 --> 00:31:58.900 daughter, breeders will say. And as the proof 00:31:58.900 --> 00:32:02.099 accumulates, daughter after daughter, herd after 00:32:02.099 --> 00:32:05.619 herd, the skeptics begin to fall silent. Dr. 00:32:05.660 --> 00:32:07.619 Walton will later reflect on it with wonder. 00:32:08.160 --> 00:32:11.279 It was a remarkable story, and he was a most 00:32:11.279 --> 00:32:14.680 remarkable character. The three -legged bull 00:32:14.680 --> 00:32:17.319 from Hanover Hill is proving to be worth every 00:32:17.319 --> 00:32:20.839 penny of that $60 ,000 gamble. And his best daughters? 00:32:21.019 --> 00:32:23.299 They're about to become legends in their own 00:32:23.299 --> 00:32:25.880 right. The true measure of a dairy sire isn't 00:32:25.880 --> 00:32:28.880 found in his own statistics. It's found in his 00:32:28.880 --> 00:32:31.519 daughters. And Triple Threat's daughters are 00:32:31.519 --> 00:32:33.759 about to rewrite the definition of what a red 00:32:33.759 --> 00:32:37.039 and white Holstein can be. Let's start with Nandette 00:32:37.039 --> 00:32:40.759 TT Speckle Red. She's a show cow, a force of 00:32:40.759 --> 00:32:44.150 nature in the ring. In 1981 and again in 1984, 00:32:44.650 --> 00:32:47.549 she's named All -American Red and White, the 00:32:47.549 --> 00:32:50.369 highest honor in the show world. When she walks 00:32:50.369 --> 00:32:53.289 into a ring, judges take notice. When she leaves, 00:32:53.450 --> 00:32:56.049 they remember. But Speckle's real legacy isn't 00:32:56.049 --> 00:32:58.430 her own championships. It's what she passes on. 00:32:58.930 --> 00:33:01.730 Her daughter, Stookie Elm Park Black Rose, will 00:33:01.730 --> 00:33:03.890 become Grand Champion at the Royal Winter Fair 00:33:03.890 --> 00:33:06.910 in 1995, one of the most prestigious cattle shows 00:33:06.910 --> 00:33:10.740 in the world. And the line continues. Black Rose 00:33:10.740 --> 00:33:13.680 to Lavender Ruby Red Rose. Red Rose to a cow 00:33:13.680 --> 00:33:15.799 who will become arguably the most influential 00:33:15.799 --> 00:33:20.440 Red Holstein of the 21st century. KHW Regiment, 00:33:20.500 --> 00:33:22.740 Apple Red. They'll call her the Million Dollar 00:33:22.740 --> 00:33:25.619 Cow. And when geneticists trace her pedigree 00:33:25.619 --> 00:33:28.200 back, they'll find triple threat as her great 00:33:28.200 --> 00:33:31.059 -great -grandsire. The three -legged bull's DNA, 00:33:31.339 --> 00:33:33.579 flowing through four generations of exceptional 00:33:33.579 --> 00:33:36.420 females, culminating in a cow who will reshape 00:33:36.420 --> 00:33:39.369 modern Red Holstein breeding. but speckle is 00:33:39.369 --> 00:33:42.430 just one branch of the dynasty. Consider Tora 00:33:42.430 --> 00:33:46.890 triple threat Lulu, classified EX96, gold medal 00:33:46.890 --> 00:33:49.990 dam, reserve grand champion at the Royal Winter 00:33:49.990 --> 00:33:54.450 Fair in 1981. A brood cow's brood cow, the kind 00:33:54.450 --> 00:33:56.710 of animal that produces excellence with almost 00:33:56.710 --> 00:34:00.109 monotonous consistency. Her most important contribution, 00:34:00.430 --> 00:34:04.380 a son named Hanover Hill Inspiration. And here's 00:34:04.380 --> 00:34:06.940 where Triple Threat's legacy transcends the red 00:34:06.940 --> 00:34:10.000 and white population entirely. Inspiration will 00:34:10.000 --> 00:34:12.199 be used heavily in the mainstream black and white 00:34:12.199 --> 00:34:15.159 population. Through him, Triple Threat's genetics 00:34:15.159 --> 00:34:18.400 will permeate the entire breed, reaching herds 00:34:18.400 --> 00:34:21.500 that never explicitly sought red genetics, carried 00:34:21.500 --> 00:34:23.760 silently through generation after generation 00:34:23.760 --> 00:34:27.099 of elite cattle. The bull who was dismissed as 00:34:27.099 --> 00:34:29.559 a genetic curiosity is now influencing cattle 00:34:29.559 --> 00:34:33.050 that don't even carry his color. And then there's 00:34:33.050 --> 00:34:36.449 Hanover Hill TT Roxette. If you know anything 00:34:36.449 --> 00:34:39.369 about Holstein breeding, you know the Roxy family. 00:34:39.690 --> 00:34:43.510 Founded by Glenridge Citation Roxy EX97, often 00:34:43.510 --> 00:34:45.550 considered the greatest brood cow in the history 00:34:45.550 --> 00:34:48.250 of the breed, the Roxys have dominated show rings 00:34:48.250 --> 00:34:51.769 and breeding programs for decades. Roxette is 00:34:51.769 --> 00:34:55.050 the bridge, the strategic conduit that introduces 00:34:55.050 --> 00:34:58.309 the red gene into that legendary lineage. Through 00:34:58.309 --> 00:35:00.929 her granddaughter, Golden Oak's Perk Ray Red, 00:35:01.369 --> 00:35:03.909 Winner of the 2012 Holstein International Red 00:35:03.909 --> 00:35:06.590 Impact Award, Triple Threat's genetics merge 00:35:06.590 --> 00:35:08.849 with what many consider the greatest cow family 00:35:08.849 --> 00:35:11.530 in Holstein history. And for those who still 00:35:11.530 --> 00:35:13.730 believe that red cows can't compete on production, 00:35:14.010 --> 00:35:17.510 consider Selcrest T. Roseanne Red. Her record, 00:35:17.710 --> 00:35:23.949 40 ,340 pounds of milk, 4 .7 % butterfat, 1 ,880 00:35:23.949 --> 00:35:26.789 pounds of fat. In an era when production skeptics 00:35:26.789 --> 00:35:29.469 dismiss red and whites as pretty but unproductive, 00:35:29.960 --> 00:35:33.119 Roseanne stands as living proof that Triple Threat's 00:35:33.119 --> 00:35:35.340 daughters can go toe -to -toe with the highest 00:35:35.340 --> 00:35:38.559 producing black and whites in the breed. Four 00:35:38.559 --> 00:35:41.860 daughters. Four branches of a dynasty that will 00:35:41.860 --> 00:35:45.059 reshape the breed for generations. But Triple 00:35:45.059 --> 00:35:46.880 Threat's impact doesn't stop at the Canadian 00:35:46.880 --> 00:35:50.559 border. Across the Atlantic, his genetics are 00:35:50.559 --> 00:35:53.639 about to revolutionize an entire continent. In 00:35:53.639 --> 00:35:56.099 Europe, Triple Threat's genetics arrive like 00:35:56.099 --> 00:35:59.150 a thunderclap. For centuries, European dairy 00:35:59.150 --> 00:36:02.010 farmers have relied on traditional breeds. The 00:36:02.010 --> 00:36:05.250 Cemental in Switzerland, the Red Pied in Germany, 00:36:05.429 --> 00:36:09.070 the MRY in Holland. These are dual -purpose animals, 00:36:09.409 --> 00:36:12.130 bred for both milk and meat, and they've served 00:36:12.130 --> 00:36:15.090 their farmers well. But the economics are changing. 00:36:15.909 --> 00:36:18.510 Specialization is the future, and farmers who 00:36:18.510 --> 00:36:20.989 want to stay competitive need cattle that can 00:36:20.989 --> 00:36:23.329 produce at levels their traditional breeds simply 00:36:23.329 --> 00:36:27.969 can't match. They need Holsteinization. The systematic 00:36:27.969 --> 00:36:30.510 infusion of North American Holstein genetics 00:36:30.510 --> 00:36:33.550 into their native populations. And for those 00:36:33.550 --> 00:36:35.590 who want to maintain the red color that their 00:36:35.590 --> 00:36:38.550 markets prefer, the color that consumers associate 00:36:38.550 --> 00:36:41.670 with quality, with tradition, with trust, they 00:36:41.670 --> 00:36:44.909 need triple threat. His semen flows into Switzerland, 00:36:45.150 --> 00:36:48.389 France, Germany, Holland. Farmers who've never 00:36:48.389 --> 00:36:50.809 heard of Hanover Hill, who couldn't find Wisconsin 00:36:50.809 --> 00:36:53.949 on a map, are suddenly breeding their best cows 00:36:53.949 --> 00:36:56.949 to a three -legged bull. from upstate New York. 00:36:57.130 --> 00:37:00.889 And the results are transformative. It's 1979. 00:37:01.469 --> 00:37:04.449 You're standing in the USA Pavilion at the Paris 00:37:04.449 --> 00:37:07.389 Agriculture Show, and you're witnessing the culmination 00:37:07.389 --> 00:37:10.110 of Jean -Louis Chirago's decade -long mission 00:37:10.110 --> 00:37:13.949 to promote red Holstein genetics in Europe. Around 00:37:13.949 --> 00:37:16.530 you stand four of Triple Threat's finest Swiss 00:37:16.530 --> 00:37:19.570 daughters, including Gwek's triple tulip red. 00:37:20.130 --> 00:37:23.949 Tulip is a cow unlike almost any other. In Switzerland, 00:37:24.429 --> 00:37:27.309 She's achieved a classification score of EX 98, 00:37:27.690 --> 00:37:30.889 a nearly unprecedented feat. Only one other cow 00:37:30.889 --> 00:37:33.150 in Swiss history has ever reached that summit. 00:37:33.389 --> 00:37:35.949 And she's standing right in front of you, proof 00:37:35.949 --> 00:37:38.210 that Triple Threat's genetics can produce type 00:37:38.210 --> 00:37:40.550 that rivals the best black and whites in the 00:37:40.550 --> 00:37:44.030 world. The European breeders are transfixed. 00:37:44.190 --> 00:37:47.789 The quality is undeniable. These daughters prove 00:37:47.789 --> 00:37:50.210 everything Schrago has been saying for years. 00:37:50.730 --> 00:37:53.010 But something else is happening at this show. 00:37:53.469 --> 00:37:55.889 something you won't understand until weeks later 00:37:55.889 --> 00:37:59.750 when the horror of it becomes clear. French veterinarians, 00:37:59.789 --> 00:38:02.369 suspicious of this new dairy breed being promoted 00:38:02.369 --> 00:38:05.489 so aggressively, make a decision that will haunt 00:38:05.489 --> 00:38:08.449 the Red Holstein movement for years. The four 00:38:08.449 --> 00:38:11.250 Swiss cows are intentionally infected with IBR, 00:38:11.449 --> 00:38:15.030 infectious bovine rhinotracheitis. When Schrago 00:38:15.030 --> 00:38:17.269 returns to Switzerland, a country that maintains 00:38:17.269 --> 00:38:20.530 IBR -free status, he receives devastating news. 00:38:21.150 --> 00:38:23.289 Swiss authorities demand immediate slaughter 00:38:23.289 --> 00:38:25.750 of all four animals to protect the national herd. 00:38:25.949 --> 00:38:29.190 Three of them are killed within days. But Tulip, 00:38:29.230 --> 00:38:32.489 the EX -98 cow, the living proof of Triple Threat's 00:38:32.489 --> 00:38:35.269 transformative power, Schrago refuses to let 00:38:35.269 --> 00:38:38.730 her die. He makes desperate phone calls, calls 00:38:38.730 --> 00:38:41.349 in every favor he's built over a decade in the 00:38:41.349 --> 00:38:44.349 business. And then, salvation arrives in the 00:38:44.349 --> 00:38:47.590 form of Anton van Nieuwenhuizen. a Dutch breeder 00:38:47.590 --> 00:38:49.989 who was so impressed by Tulipe at the Paris show 00:38:49.989 --> 00:38:52.690 that he's willing to buy her, infect it or not, 00:38:52.849 --> 00:38:55.389 and bring her to Holland, where IBR regulations 00:38:55.389 --> 00:38:58.510 are different. Tulip crosses the border into 00:38:58.510 --> 00:39:02.030 Holland. She survives the disease. And for the 00:39:02.030 --> 00:39:04.889 next several years, until she dies at the remarkable 00:39:04.889 --> 00:39:08.070 age of 15, she serves as a living advertisement 00:39:08.070 --> 00:39:10.210 for the triple threat bloodline across Europe, 00:39:10.429 --> 00:39:13.570 producing offspring, winning admirers, proving 00:39:13.570 --> 00:39:15.889 that the red Holsteins from North America represent 00:39:15.889 --> 00:39:19.429 the future of European dairy breeding. The tragedy 00:39:19.429 --> 00:39:22.230 at Paris doesn't stop the revolution. It only 00:39:22.230 --> 00:39:26.030 delays it. In France, Triple Threat establishes 00:39:26.030 --> 00:39:30.010 the foundational Ouse EX96 and Rolls EX96 cow 00:39:30.010 --> 00:39:33.610 families. Both become national champions. Both 00:39:33.610 --> 00:39:36.150 found dynasties that remain prominent in European 00:39:36.150 --> 00:39:40.420 breeding decades later. In Germany, His genetics 00:39:40.420 --> 00:39:42.960 accelerate the evolution of the traditional German 00:39:42.960 --> 00:39:45.880 Red Pied into the modern, high -producing German 00:39:45.880 --> 00:39:49.659 Red Holstein. The utter quality and angularity 00:39:49.659 --> 00:39:52.099 needed to transform dual -purpose animals into 00:39:52.099 --> 00:39:54.760 elite dairy machines come directly from that 00:39:54.760 --> 00:39:57.840 three -legged bull in Wisconsin. In Holland, 00:39:57.960 --> 00:40:00.780 Van Nieuwenhuis' rescue of Tulip sparks one of 00:40:00.780 --> 00:40:03.340 the most ambitious Red Holstein crossing programs 00:40:03.340 --> 00:40:07.219 in Europe, transforming the traditional MRY breed 00:40:07.610 --> 00:40:10.010 with genetics traced directly back to Triple 00:40:10.010 --> 00:40:14.210 Threat. The European invasion is complete. A 00:40:14.210 --> 00:40:16.769 bull who was dismissed as a genetic defect in 00:40:16.769 --> 00:40:20.530 1972 has become the primary engine of continental 00:40:20.530 --> 00:40:25.489 transformation. Triple Threat dies in 1982. He's 00:40:25.489 --> 00:40:28.570 approximately 10 years old. His body has finally 00:40:28.570 --> 00:40:30.809 surrendered to the accumulated toll of years 00:40:30.809 --> 00:40:34.010 spent working on three legs, the strain on his 00:40:34.010 --> 00:40:36.530 remaining limbs, the constant effort of simply 00:40:36.530 --> 00:40:39.510 staying upright. But the semen collected over 00:40:39.510 --> 00:40:42.150 a decade of service will continue working for 00:40:42.150 --> 00:40:45.889 years to come. And his genetic legacy? It's already 00:40:45.889 --> 00:40:48.829 immortal. When the final numbers are tallied, 00:40:48.989 --> 00:40:52.550 triple threat will be proven on over 18 ,000 00:40:52.550 --> 00:40:56.409 daughters in more than 6 ,000 herds. Numbers 00:40:56.409 --> 00:40:59.469 that would be impressive for any sire. For a 00:40:59.469 --> 00:41:02.230 bull purchased as an experiment in a color the 00:41:02.230 --> 00:41:05.420 industry had rejected for generations, They're 00:41:05.420 --> 00:41:08.400 extraordinary. The men who made it possible will 00:41:08.400 --> 00:41:10.960 go on to build on what they started. Jean -Louis 00:41:10.960 --> 00:41:13.400 Schrago, the Swiss visionary who was told there 00:41:13.400 --> 00:41:16.239 was no market for red genetics, is hired by ABS 00:41:16.239 --> 00:41:19.099 as European manager shortly after the triple 00:41:19.099 --> 00:41:22.800 threat purchase. Vindication for years of persistence. 00:41:23.480 --> 00:41:26.260 He spends a decade developing semen sales across 00:41:26.260 --> 00:41:29.579 Europe before founding his own company, ABC Genetics, 00:41:29.719 --> 00:41:33.300 in 1984. Ken Young's rogue bid becomes the stuff 00:41:33.300 --> 00:41:36.090 of industry legend. a case study entrusting your 00:41:36.090 --> 00:41:38.530 instincts when conventional wisdom says you're 00:41:38.530 --> 00:41:42.429 wrong. Dr. Robert Walton, who was not too pleased 00:41:42.429 --> 00:41:44.889 at the time of the purchase, later acknowledges 00:41:44.889 --> 00:41:47.150 that it was probably one of the best investments 00:41:47.150 --> 00:41:50.329 ABS ever made. Schrago and Young were forgiven 00:41:50.329 --> 00:41:53.090 many times over the years, Walton will reflect. 00:41:55.250 --> 00:41:58.130 Peter Heffering continues building Hanover Hill 00:41:58.130 --> 00:42:01.280 into a global powerhouse. The farm that produced 00:42:01.280 --> 00:42:03.420 Triple Threat will go on to produce generations 00:42:03.420 --> 00:42:06.960 of influential cattle, but few will match the 00:42:06.960 --> 00:42:09.519 three -legged bull's impact on breed history. 00:42:09.719 --> 00:42:12.559 And the prejudice against red genetics? It doesn't 00:42:12.559 --> 00:42:15.320 disappear overnight. But Triple Threat's daughters 00:42:15.320 --> 00:42:17.880 and their daughters and their daughters after 00:42:17.880 --> 00:42:20.380 them make it increasingly difficult to maintain. 00:42:21.059 --> 00:42:24.179 How do you dismiss a color as defective when 00:42:24.179 --> 00:42:26.900 cows wearing that color are winning championships, 00:42:27.219 --> 00:42:30.159 setting production records, founding dynasties 00:42:30.159 --> 00:42:33.179 you can't if you're standing in a modern dairy 00:42:33.179 --> 00:42:36.039 barn today running your hands over the top line 00:42:36.039 --> 00:42:38.579 of a red and white holstein with exceptional 00:42:38.579 --> 00:42:42.079 type and high butterfat components you're touching 00:42:42.079 --> 00:42:45.300 triple threats legacy if you're reviewing genomic 00:42:45.300 --> 00:42:47.860 proofs and see the ranger red lineage dominating 00:42:47.860 --> 00:42:50.860 the rankings bulls like three star o ranger red 00:42:50.860 --> 00:42:54.239 and hooger horse dgo rubles red carrying triple 00:42:54.239 --> 00:42:56.559 threats genetics multiple times in their pedigrees 00:42:57.050 --> 00:42:59.230 you're seeing his DNA still moving the needle 00:42:59.230 --> 00:43:01.829 on profitability five decades after his birth. 00:43:02.630 --> 00:43:05.610 The numbers tell part of the story, but the deeper 00:43:05.610 --> 00:43:08.309 legacy lives in names every Holstein breeder 00:43:08.309 --> 00:43:12.170 knows. KHW Regiment Apple Red, the million -dollar 00:43:12.170 --> 00:43:15.230 cow, traces directly back through speckle to 00:43:15.230 --> 00:43:18.710 triple threat. The Roxy family, widely considered 00:43:18.710 --> 00:43:20.849 the greatest cow family in Holstein history, 00:43:21.250 --> 00:43:24.889 carries his red gene through Roxette. Hanover 00:43:24.889 --> 00:43:27.449 Hill inspiration, used heavily in black and white 00:43:27.449 --> 00:43:29.849 populations worldwide, came from his daughter 00:43:29.849 --> 00:43:33.389 Lulu. Think about what that means. Triple Threat's 00:43:33.389 --> 00:43:35.909 genetics didn't just elevate the red and white 00:43:35.909 --> 00:43:38.969 population. They permeated the entire mainstream 00:43:38.969 --> 00:43:42.170 breed, reaching herds that never explicitly sought 00:43:42.170 --> 00:43:45.010 red genetics, carried silently through generation 00:43:45.010 --> 00:43:49.050 after generation of elite cattle. The story of 00:43:49.050 --> 00:43:51.730 Hanover Hill Triple Threat Red is at its heart 00:43:51.730 --> 00:43:54.579 a story about vision. about seeing potential 00:43:54.579 --> 00:43:57.800 where others see only defects, about having the 00:43:57.800 --> 00:44:00.360 patience to let the market catch up with your 00:44:00.360 --> 00:44:03.139 understanding of value. Jean -Louis Schrago saw 00:44:03.139 --> 00:44:05.880 the future of European dairy farming in a color 00:44:05.880 --> 00:44:09.019 that North American breeders dismissed. Ken Young 00:44:09.019 --> 00:44:11.579 saw a genetic opportunity that justified breaking 00:44:11.579 --> 00:44:14.480 the rules. Dr. Walton saw that sometimes forgiveness 00:44:14.480 --> 00:44:16.980 is more valuable than permission. And Triple 00:44:16.980 --> 00:44:20.679 Threat himself? He saw, or perhaps simply embodied, 00:44:21.119 --> 00:44:23.340 the resilience that would become his greatest 00:44:23.340 --> 00:44:26.719 legacy. A bull who changed color, but not genetics. 00:44:27.000 --> 00:44:30.639 A bull who lost a leg, but not his purpose. A 00:44:30.639 --> 00:44:33.219 bull who faced every obstacle the industry could 00:44:33.219 --> 00:44:35.820 throw at him and kept producing excellence anyway. 00:44:37.019 --> 00:44:40.300 Barn door opening, morning light. So the next 00:44:40.300 --> 00:44:42.400 time you're walking your barn at dawn, checking 00:44:42.400 --> 00:44:44.760 on a fresh heifer with that elegant frame and 00:44:44.760 --> 00:44:48.059 correct feet and legs, ask yourself, where did 00:44:48.059 --> 00:44:50.599 these genetics come from? Trace the pedigree 00:44:50.599 --> 00:44:53.539 back far enough, and you may find yourself standing 00:44:53.539 --> 00:44:58.320 in a crowded sale barn in 1972, watching a man 00:44:58.320 --> 00:45:01.159 bet his career on a red calf the world called 00:45:01.159 --> 00:45:04.320 a defect, witnessing the moment when everything 00:45:04.320 --> 00:45:07.260 the industry believed about color and value was 00:45:07.260 --> 00:45:11.739 challenged by a single falling gavel. You may 00:45:11.739 --> 00:45:13.980 find yourself standing in the presence of Triple 00:45:13.980 --> 00:45:16.900 Threat, the three -legged bull who changed the 00:45:16.900 --> 00:45:20.159 color of a breed forever. Some animals are born 00:45:20.159 --> 00:45:23.440 into a world that's ready for them. Others have 00:45:23.440 --> 00:45:25.699 to change the world to make room for what they 00:45:25.699 --> 00:45:28.940 carry inside. Triple Threat was born into prejudice. 00:45:29.219 --> 00:45:31.960 He lived through skepticism. He worked through 00:45:31.960 --> 00:45:34.679 disability. And he left behind a legacy that 00:45:34.679 --> 00:45:37.199 touches virtually every red and white Holstein 00:45:37.199 --> 00:45:40.539 walking the earth today. Not bad for a genetic 00:45:40.539 --> 00:45:43.559 defect. And that's the story of Hanover Hill 00:45:43.559 --> 00:45:46.480 Triple Threat Red. the three -legged bull who 00:45:46.480 --> 00:45:50.300 changed the color of a breed forever. Thank you 00:45:50.300 --> 00:45:52.360 for spending this time with us on the Bullvine 00:45:52.360 --> 00:45:55.179 Podcast. If this episode resonated with you, 00:45:55.340 --> 00:45:58.340 if it made you think differently about the genetics 00:45:58.340 --> 00:46:01.800 in your own herd, or reminded you why you got 00:46:01.800 --> 00:46:04.579 into this business in the first place, we'd love 00:46:04.579 --> 00:46:07.900 to hear from you. Share this episode with a fellow 00:46:07.900 --> 00:46:11.079 breeder. Leave us a review and visit thebullvine 00:46:11.079 --> 00:46:13.639 .com for more stories, insights, and analysis 00:46:13.639 --> 00:46:16.239 from the front lines of dairy genetics, because 00:46:16.239 --> 00:46:19.000 every cow has a pedigree, but the great ones, 00:46:19.199 --> 00:46:23.239 they have a story. Until next time, keep breeding 00:46:23.239 --> 00:46:25.619 forward. This has been the Bullvine Podcast. 00:46:26.099 --> 00:46:57.519 Thanks for listening. Tell the tale, tell the 00:46:57.519 --> 00:47:01.559 tale The Beaumont legends live here