Creeping over fields of green Remembering the
faces The moments unseen The hands that built
a dynasty The vision in their eyes Echoes in
the auction bar Beneath an endless sky This is
the bull buy Turn the bar Welcome to the Bullvine
Podcast, where dairy history comes alive. I'm
your host, and today we're bringing you something
special, a story that spans continents, defies
conventional wisdom, and proves that sometimes
the greatest genetic revolutions start with what
everyone else calls a defect. This is the three
-legged bull, the untold story of how one calf
changed the color of an entire breed. For the
next hour, you're going to step into the boots
of the visionaries, the risk -takers, and the
believers who saw potential where others saw
only problems. You'll stand in a crowded sale
barn in 1972 and watch a man bet his career on
a $60 ,000 gamble. You'll travel from the green
valleys of Switzerland to the showgrounds of
Paris, and you'll witness the birth of a genetic
legacy that touches virtually every red and white
Holstein walking the earth today. This is the
story of Hanover Hill, Triple Threat Red. Whether
you're milking a hundred head or managing thousands,
whether you've been in this business for decades
or you're just getting started, this story has
something for you. Because at its heart, it's
about seeing value where others see none. It's
about patience. It's about persistence. And it's
about the kind of stubborn belief that changes
industries. So settle in, pour yourself a coffee.
And let's go back to a time when red on a Holstein
wasn't an asset. It was a liability. Let's begin.
You feel it before you see it. That electric
charge in the air. The kind of tension that only
builds when serious money is about to change
hands. It's the fall of 1972. Hanover Hill Holsteins.
Port Crane, New York. And you're standing in
a sale barn packed shoulder to shoulder with
some of the most powerful names in dairy cattle
breeding. The concrete floor is cold beneath
your boots. The smell of hay and cattle and too
many bodies in too small a space fills your nose.
And everywhere you look, you see faces you recognize
from the pages of Horde's Dairymen and Holstein
World. This is Hanover Hill, the breeding establishment
managed by the legendary R. Peter Heffering.
The epicenter. The place where fortunes are made.
and breed history is written already today tara
hill's pride lucky barb an ex -94 cow and the
dam of the red calf about to enter the ring has
sold for an astonishing 122 000 a world record
and now something else is different you can feel
it in the way people are leaning forward in the
hushed conversations that stop mid -sentence
when the next lot number is called in the ring
stands a six -month -old calf vibrant red coat
good on his feet alert eyes taking in the crowd
with an intelligence that seems almost unsettling
for an animal so young and by every measure of
conventional wisdom you've absorbed over 20 years
in this business you know exactly what you're
looking at a genetic liability see for as long
as you can remember red and white on a holstein
hasn't been just unfashionable it's been treated
as a defect something you call something that
bars an animal from the prestigious Maine herd
book. Something the industry elite, the very
people packed into this barn right now, have
systematically bred against for generations.
So why is everyone holding their breath? The
bidding starts, and immediately, something unusual
happens. The numbers climb past 10 ,000, past
20, past 30. Your palms are sweating. This doesn't
make sense. This is a red calf. A red calf should
be selling for a fraction of this. $40 ,000.
You watch a man near the front. You'll learn
his name is Ken Young, from American Breeders
Service's Dairy Cattle Breeding Staff, and you
see him raise his paddle again. There's something
in his face. Determination. Maybe desperation.
You don't know it yet, but his boss, Dr. Robert
Walton, authorized him to bid up to a certain
limit. A limit he's about to shatter. $50 ,000.
$55 ,000. $60 ,000. The Gavel Falls. World record
for a red and white Holstein. And in that moment,
standing in that crowded barn, watching a man
who just bet his career on a red calf everyone
else called a defect, you're witnessing something
you don't fully understand yet. The trajectory
of an entire breed is pivoting on its axis. When
Dr. Walton demands an explanation for exceeding
his authorization, Young will offer a reply that
will echo through the halls of dairy breeding
lore for the next 50 years. It was easier to
ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission.
Theme begins, something that suggests epic scope,
generational legacy. That calf was Hanover Hill
triple threat red. And this is his story. To
understand what happened in that sale barn, you've
got to understand the world that existed before.
The rules, the prejudices, the ironclad consensus
that made a $60 ,000 red calf seem not just unlikely,
but impossible. Let's go back. It's 1955. You're
a young dairy farmer, maybe second generation,
working a hundred head operation somewhere in
the Northeast. You know Holsteins. You've known
them your whole life. Black and white cattle.
Productive and profitable, the backbone of the
American dairy industry. And then one morning,
you walk into your barn and find something unexpected.
A calf born overnight to one of your best cows.
Good confirmation. Strong legs. But instead of
the familiar black and white pattern, this calf
is red. Your stomach drops. You know what this
means. You've heard the old -timers talk about
it. Somewhere in your herd's genetics, hidden
for generations, the red factor gene has been
lurking. And now, it's expressed itself in the
worst possible way. Because in 1955, and for
decades before and after, red isn't just unfashionable.
It's a disqualification. The Maine Holstein Herd
Book won't accept this calf. No matter how good
her confirmation, no matter how strong her dam's
production records, that red coat marks her as
defective, unmarketable to the elite breeding
programs that drive the industry forward. You
have two choices. Raise her as a commercial animal,
knowing she'll never contribute to the genetic
progress of the breed, or cull her now and move
on. Most farmers choose the second option. And
here's the thing you need to understand. the
thing that made the red and white prejudice so
insidious. It wasn't just superstition. It wasn't
just aesthetic preference. It was a self -fulfilling
prophecy. Think about it. For most of the 20th
century, the absolute best genetics in the Holstein
world, the highest -producing cows, the most
prepotent sires, the animals that would shape
the breed for generations, were all being developed
exclusively in black and white programs. When
a red calf was born, it was pushed to the margins,
denied access to the elite bloodlines that were
driving improvement. So naturally, red and white
cattle fell behind. They produced less milk.
They showed less type. They looked inferior.
Because they were inferior, not by any fault
of their own genetics, but because they'd been
systematically starved of the same opportunities
their black and white siblings received. It was
a vicious cycle. Red cattle needed access to
elite genetics to improve, but elite genetics
wanted nothing to do with red cattle. By the
1960s, red and white Holsteins existed on the
absolute fringes of the dairy world, maintained
by a handful of dedicated enthusiasts, largely
ignored by the mainstream breeding industry,
dismissed as a genetic curiosity at best, a genetic
defect at worst. And if you were a red Holstein
breeder in those years, If you were one of those
stubborn few who loved that red coat and refused
to give up on it, you faced a question that kept
you awake at night. How do you improve a population
when the very best bloodlines refuse to acknowledge
you exist? The answer, it turned out, wouldn't
come from the heartland of North American dairying.
It wouldn't come from Wisconsin or California
or the great dairy belts of the Midwest. It would
come from an unexpected place, the green valleys
of Switzerland. You're a young man in your 20s.
It's 1968, and you've just graduated from Agricultural
University in Switzerland with a degree and a
mission that would seem absurd to most American
breeders. Find the world's best red genetics.
Bring them back to Europe. Your name is Jean
-Louis Schrago, and you're about to spend the
next four years proving that everyone who dismissed
you was wrong. See, you understand something
that the North American breeding establishment
doesn't fully appreciate yet. Across Europe,
in Switzerland, France, Germany, Holland, there's
a growing market for red cattle. Traditional
breeds like the Simmental and the German Red
Pied have dominated for centuries. But they're
dual -purpose animals, bred for both milk and
meat. And as dairy operations modernize, farmers
are looking for something different. They want
specialized dairy cattle, high production, modern
type. And many of them for reasons of tradition,
consumer preference, or simple aesthetic choice,
want those cattle to be red. The opportunity
is enormous. The problem is supply. Europe's
traditional red breeds don't have the genetic
architecture for high -production dairying. And
North America's elite Holstein genetics, the
bloodlines that could transform European dairy
farming, are locked behind a wall of black -and
-white prejudice. But you've heard rumors. Stories
about North American Holsteins that carry the
red gene hidden in their pedigrees. Animals that
look black and white but could produce red offspring
if mated correctly. So you board a plane to North
America and you begin the search that will consume
the next several years of your life. Your search
leads you to a place that makes your heart race
just looking at it. Hanover Hill Holsteins, Port
Crane, New York. arguably the most prestigious
breeding establishment in the Holstein world.
The farm sprawls before you, immaculate barns,
manicured pastures, cattle that look like they
stepped out of a show ring catalog. This is where
legends are made, where cows sell for prices
that would buy entire farms back home in Switzerland.
And this is where you're about to make the most
audacious proposal of your young career. The
manager is R. Peter Heffering, a businessman,
a pragmatist. A man who has built Hanover Hill
into a global brand by understanding markets
and meeting demand. You've studied his operation.
You know what he values. But you also know something
else. Hanover Hill's legendary cow family, the
Barbs, descended from the incomparable John's
Lucky Barb EX -97, carries a hidden secret. Somewhere
in that bloodline lurks the red factor gene,
passed silently from generation to generation,
never expressed, but present. You walk into Heffering's
office. You shake his hand, and then you make
your pitch. Breed your finest cow, the great
John's lucky barb herself, to a red factor bull.
Create something the industry has never seen,
a red calf carrying the genetic wealth of Holstein
royalty. Heffering listens. His face is unreadable.
And then he gives you an answer that lands like
a punch to the gut. There's no red and white
market. He's not unkind about it. He's not even
wrong, from his perspective. In 1968, the North
American market for red genetics is microscopic.
Why would the manager of the most successful
Holstein operation in the world divert resources
to produce animals he can't sell? You leave Hanover
Hill that day with nothing but a handshake and
a polite rejection. Most people would accept
that answer. Most people would move on, find
another avenue, adjust their expectations to
match reality. But you're not most people. You've
seen the future. You've calculated the European
demand. You know, with a certainty that borders
on obsession, that the genetics locked inside
those Hanover Hill barns could transform an entire
continent's dairy industry. All you need is patience.
And a plan. You fly back to Switzerland. But
you don't give up. You keep working. Keep building
relationships. Keep waiting for the moment when
the market catches up with your vision. That
moment will come in 1971. Three years have passed.
It's 1971, and you're standing in a hotel lobby
in upstate New York, surrounded by a delegation
of European farmers you've personally assembled
for this trip. This is your proof of concept.
You're walking, talking evidence that the market
Peter Heffering dismissed in 1968 has grown into
something he can't ignore. You've spent three
years cultivating these relationships. Swiss
farmers, German buyers, French breeding cooperatives,
men who represent thousands of cows and millions
of dollars in potential genetics purchases, men
who are specifically, explicitly looking for
red genetics with modern dairy type. And now
you're going back to Hanover Hill. The reception
is different this time. Heffering sees the delegation.
He understands what it represents. Three years
ago, You were a young Swiss graduate with a dream.
Today, you're a conduit to an entire continent
of buyers. Over lunch, the conversation turns
to genetics, to possibilities, to the question
that's been burning in your mind for three years.
And then Heffering asks the words you've been
waiting to hear. All right then, who would you
recommend? This is the moment, the culmination
of three years of planning, relationship building,
and strategic patience. And you have an answer
ready. An answer so specific, so unconventional,
that it will change the course of breed history.
Roybrooke Telstar, even heffering's eyes widen
slightly. Telstar is a titan of the Canadian
breed, a superstar celebrated for transmitting
refinement, dairy character, and exceptional
udders with silky texture. His daughters are
legendary, show ring prima donnas, with the kind
of type that commands premium prices worldwide.
But here's what most North American breeders
don't know. What you've discovered through years
of pedigree research and quiet conversations
with Canadian geneticists. Telstar carries a
rare genetic variant. A peculiar trait that's
been largely overlooked because it so rarely
expresses itself in black and white populations.
The black -red gene. It's different from the
true recessive red gene that most breeders know
about. The black -red gene, sometimes called
Telstar Red, causes something unusual red born
animals that progressively darken as they mature
eventually appearing almost black a chameleon
effect that's confused breeders for years and
you know that the barb family john's lucky barb
her daughters her granddaughters carries the
other red gene the true recessive if you combine
them if you mate telstar to a barb daughter you
could create something the breed has never seen
a red calf that carries both genetic variants
an animal that can reliably produce red offspring
while transmitting the elite type and production
of Holstein royalty. But there's a problem, a
logistical nightmare that would stop most breeders
in their tracks. Telstar isn't in North America
anymore. In 1967, Japanese buyers paid a record
price to export him to Japan. His semen is on
the other side of the Pacific Ocean, and the
cost of importing it back will be astronomical.
You make the calls. You work the contacts. And
eventually, you locate two precious units of
Telstar semen available for purchase in Japan.
The price? $2 ,500 for two units. In 1971, that's
more than many farmers earn in a month. It's
an absurd amount of money for frozen semen from
a bull that most people have already forgotten
about. You tell Heffering it's a deal. And then
you make one more recommendation. One more stroke
of strategic genius. that will prove crucial
to everything that follows. Rather than using
the aging John's Lucky Barb herself, the legendary
EX -97 matriarch who founded the family, you
advise Heffering to use her greatest daughter,
Tara Hill's pride Lucky Barb EX -94, a formidable
cow in her prime, sired by the strength and longevity
specialist Elbank Admiral Ormsby Pride, a cow
who carries the true recessive red gene. The
genetic math is elegant. Telstar contributes
the rare black -red gene. The dam contributes
the true recessive red. Together, you're creating
something unprecedented, an elite red calf carrying
the accumulated genetic wealth of two of the
most powerful bloodlines in Holstein history.
Heffering agrees. The semen is imported from
Japan, the mating is made, and then you wait.
April 24, 1972. Spring in upstate New York. The
kind of morning when the air still carries a
chill, but the sun promises warmth. When the
pastures are greening up and the worst of winter
feels like a distant memory. In a calving pen
at Hanover Hill Holsteins, Tara Hill's pride
lucky barb is in labor. You're not there. You're
hundreds of miles away in Wisconsin, where you've
been working to convince American Breeders Service
of the potential for red genetics, building relationships,
selling a vision, waiting for news from New York.
The phone call comes early. And when you hear
the words, you feel something shift inside your
chest. Four years of planning. Four years of
patience. Four years of being told there's no
market, no future, no point. It's a bull calf.
And he's red. You don't wait. You don't sleep.
You get in your car and drive. Hours of highway
stretching ahead of you. The radio playing songs
you don't really hear. Your mind racing through
calculations and possibilities. And the sheer
improbability of what you've helped create. When
you finally arrive at Hanover Hill, when you
walk into that barn and see the calf for the
first time, you find yourself struggling to speak.
He's small, delicate. His coat is a vibrant red
that seems to glow in the barn light. And his
eyes, alert, intelligent, taking in everything
around him with a focus that seems almost unsettling
for an animal so young. His eyes seem to look
right through you. You'll describe him later
as looking like a small deer. Delicate. alert,
unmistakably special. But you know something
that the people standing around you don't fully
appreciate yet? This isn't just a pretty calf.
This is a genetic revolution wrapped in a red
coat. The first elite Holstein ever born that
can reliably produce red offspring while transmitting
the type and production of the breed's most celebrated
bloodlines. He doesn't look like a liability.
He looks like the future. Before we return to
that sale barn in the fall of 1972, you need
to understand the world that this calf was about
to enter. The high -stakes, high -dollar business
of elite cattle genetics. By 1972, the artificial
insemination industry had transformed dairy farming
from a local enterprise into a global genetic
marketplace. Companies like American Breeders
Service, where Ken Young worked under Dr. Taff,
Robert Walton, had built international networks
for collecting, freezing, and distributing semen
from elite sires to farms around the world. Think
about what that meant. A single exceptional bull,
housed at a collection facility in Wisconsin
or New York, could sire tens of thousands of
daughters across dozens of countries. His genetic
influence could spread faster and further than
any natural breeding program could ever achieve.
The economics were staggering. A proven sire
with exceptional daughter performance might generate
millions of dollars in semen sales over his productive
lifetime. The companies that controlled these
bulls, ABS, Cemex, Select Sires, wielded enormous
influence over the genetic direction of entire
breeds. And the competition for elite genetics
was fierce. When a truly exceptional animal appeared,
a calf with the pedigree, the conformation, the
potential to reshape the breed, the major AI
companies would battle for acquisition rights.
Sale prices climbed into territory that would
have seemed absurd just a decade earlier. But
here's what you need to understand about that
market in 1972. It was almost entirely focused
on black and white genetics. The major AI companies
had built their catalogs, their customer relationships,
their entire business models around the assumption
that Holstein meant black and white. Red genetics?
A niche market at best. A curiosity. Something
that might interest a few European buyers, but
nothing that would move the needle for a major
American genetics company. So when the Hanover
Hill sale catalog landed on desks at ABS headquarters
in DeForest, Wisconsin, announcing that a red
Telstar Sun from the Barb family would be offered
for public sale, the initial reaction was probably
skepticism. A red calf. From elite bloodlines,
sure. But red? What could something like that
possibly be worth? Ken Young, however, saw something
different. For months, Jean -Louis Schrago had
been lobbying ABS to invest in red genetics,
pointing to the European demand that was growing
every year. And when Young looked at that pedigree,
Telstar on the Barb family, he saw not just a
calf, but a strategic opportunity. He requested
authorization from Dr. Robert Walton to bid on
the calf. And Walton, after some discussion,
gave him a number. A ceiling. a rational defensible
limit based on the known market value of red
genetics. That number was nowhere close to $60
,000. It's the day of the sale, fall 1972, and
you can feel the tension building before the
first lot even enters the ring. The Hanover Hills
sale is always an event, but this year feels
different. Word has spread about the red calf,
the Telstar Sun out of Pride Lucky Barb. Breeders
have traveled from across the country to see
him. European buyers, many of them contacts that
Jean -Louis Schrago has been cultivating for
years, are scattered throughout the crowd. You
find a spot near the ring. Around you, the who's
who of the Holstein world is assembled. You recognize
faces from magazines, from conventions, from
the elite shows where breed history is written,
one champion at a time. And somewhere in that
crowd, Ken Young of American Breeders Service
is doing math in his head. Running calculations.
Weighing the potential value of a genetic revolution
against the very real limits of his authorization
from Dr. Walton. The sale begins. Lot after lot
enters the ring. The prices are strong. This
is Hanover Hill, after all. But nothing extraordinary.
The crowd is waiting. You can feel them waiting.
Everyone knows what's coming. Then comes the
moment that proves the dam's value. Tara Hill's
pride lucky barb. the red calf's mother, classified
EX94, enters the ring. The bidding is fierce.
When the gavel falls, she's sold for $122 ,000,
a world record for a Holstein cow. The crowd
buzzes with excitement, but they're still waiting,
because the next lot is the one everyone came
to see. And then the red calf enters the ring.
He's six months old now, still vibrant red, though
if you look closely, you might notice the color
seems somehow richer. deeper than it was at birth
he walks with confidence good on his feet alert
eyes scanning the crowd like he knows exactly
what's at stake the auctioneer begins his chant
and immediately something unusual happens multiple
paddles go up not one or two cautious bidders
testing the waters multiple from different corners
of the barn ten thousand dollars fifteen twenty
you're watching ken young now you see him raise
his paddle see the determination in his face
And you see something else. Something that looks
almost like fear. Because the number is climbing.
Fast. Faster than anyone expected. Faster than
any red calf has ever sold in the history of
the breed. 30 ,000. 35. You don't know it yet,
but Young has already blown past his authorization
from Dr. Walton. He's in territory that his boss
never approved. Territory that could cost him
his job if this bet doesn't pay off. 40 ,000.
And still he keeps bidding. 45. 50. The crowd
is buzzing now. People are standing, craning
their necks. This isn't just a sale anymore.
This is history being made. This is the moment
when everything the industry believed about red
genetics is being challenged by cold hard cash.
55 ,000. $60 ,000. The gavel falls. Ken Young
has just paid more for a red and white Holstein
than anyone has ever paid for a red and white
Holstein. By a margin so large that the previous
record seems almost quaint by comparison. And
somewhere in DeForest, Wisconsin, phones are
about to start ringing. The call from Wisconsin
comes within hours. Dr. Robert Walton, head of
ABS's dairy cattle breeding program, wants answers.
You can imagine the conversation. The numbers.
The justification. The cold sweat on Ken Young's
neck as he explains why he exceeded his authorization
to secure a red calf. the very color the industry
has dismissed for decades. But Young has Jean
-Louis Schrago's vision backing him up. For years,
Schrago has been pressing ABS to invest in red
genetics, pointing to the growing European demand,
the untapped market potential. And when Young
tells Walton about the pedigree, a Telstar son
out of the legendary Barb family, he's betting
that Walton will see what he sees. And then Young
delivers the line that will become legend. It
was easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask
for permission. Walton isn't pleased, not at
first, but the purchase is made, the papers are
signed, and Triple Threat is loaded onto a trailer
bound for the ABS facilities in DeForest, Wisconsin.
What happens next will test everyone's faith
in that $60 ,000 gamble. Within months of his
arrival at ABS, something strange begins to happen.
The vibrant red calf you saw in that sale ring
starts to change. At first, it's subtle, a darkening
around the edges, a deepening of shade that you
might attribute to winter coat or lighting. But
by six months after the sale, there's no denying
it. By nine months of age, Triple Threat has
turned almost completely black, retaining only
a few reddish hairs in his ears and tail switch.
The black -red gene, inherited from Telstar,
has expressed itself in the most confusing way
possible. Your $60 ,000 Red Bull now looks like
a black and white Holstein. Dr. Walton, as he'll
later recall, is really upset with both Schrago
and Young at this point. The whole premise of
the purchase, elite genetics in a red package
for the European market, seems to be unraveling
before everyone's eyes. But here's what the skeptics
don't understand yet. The color change is only
superficial. Triple Threat's genetics remain
unchanged. When bred to cows carrying the true
recessive red gene, he will consistently produce
red offspring. Approximately half of his red
-coated offspring will exhibit the same darkening
phenomenon, born red, turning black as they mature.
The chameleon effect becomes a trademark, a visual
signature of his lineage that breeders will learn
to recognize across generations. And so the work
begins. Semen collection. Distribution. The slow
process of proving a sire through his daughters.
Triple Threat's physical challenges aren't done
testing the faith of those who believed in him.
You're about five years into Triple Threat's
career at ABS when you notice him favoring his
front leg. The lameness progresses. Within months,
the verdict is clear. Permanent injury. The damage
is severe enough that he can barely put weight
on the limb. The bull who was supposed to change
the breed can barely walk. For most animals,
This would be the end. A three -legged bull at
a semen collection facility? The logistics alone
seem impossible. The humane thing would be to
retire him, to use what semen you've already
collected, and move on. But you watch him hobble
into the collection room, and something remarkable
happens. The moment his work begins, triple threat
comes alive. His libido remains unimpaired. His
seminal quality never wavers. Day after day,
Year after year, this three -legged bull produces
semen with the best of them. A living advertisement
for the constitutional vigor and will to live
that he's passing to his daughters. And those
daughters? They're starting to hit the ground
across North America and Europe. And they're
everything Schrago predicted. And more. In a
world where type matters, where the physical
structure of a cow determines her longevity,
her productivity, her commercial value. Triple
Threat's daughters are revelations. At a time
when many red and white cattle lack the scale
and refinement of their black and white counterparts,
these daughters carry what breeders will call
the elegant Hanover Hill look. They're tall,
long -necked, angular. Their mammary systems
show exceptional texture and strong suspensory
ligaments. Their feet and legs, the foundation
that determines how long a cow can stay in the
milking string, are outstanding. But it's not
just type. Triple Threat's daughters are component
specialists. In an era when many sires chase
sheer milk volume, his daughters consistently
produce milk with higher butterfat percentage,
a trait inherited from both sides of his pedigree.
In markets where milk is priced on components,
this makes them exceptionally profitable. And
there's something else, something harder to quantify
but impossible to ignore. Triple Threat's daughters
don't just produce, they reproduce. They're fertile.
They're durable. They stay in the herd year after
year, calving without difficulty, bouncing back
from setbacks, passing on their qualities to
the next generation. He seldom sires a mediocre
daughter, breeders will say. And as the proof
accumulates, daughter after daughter, herd after
herd, the skeptics begin to fall silent. Dr.
Walton will later reflect on it with wonder.
It was a remarkable story, and he was a most
remarkable character. The three -legged bull
from Hanover Hill is proving to be worth every
penny of that $60 ,000 gamble. And his best daughters?
They're about to become legends in their own
right. The true measure of a dairy sire isn't
found in his own statistics. It's found in his
daughters. And Triple Threat's daughters are
about to rewrite the definition of what a red
and white Holstein can be. Let's start with Nandette
TT Speckle Red. She's a show cow, a force of
nature in the ring. In 1981 and again in 1984,
she's named All -American Red and White, the
highest honor in the show world. When she walks
into a ring, judges take notice. When she leaves,
they remember. But Speckle's real legacy isn't
her own championships. It's what she passes on.
Her daughter, Stookie Elm Park Black Rose, will
become Grand Champion at the Royal Winter Fair
in 1995, one of the most prestigious cattle shows
in the world. And the line continues. Black Rose
to Lavender Ruby Red Rose. Red Rose to a cow
who will become arguably the most influential
Red Holstein of the 21st century. KHW Regiment,
Apple Red. They'll call her the Million Dollar
Cow. And when geneticists trace her pedigree
back, they'll find triple threat as her great
-great -grandsire. The three -legged bull's DNA,
flowing through four generations of exceptional
females, culminating in a cow who will reshape
modern Red Holstein breeding. but speckle is
just one branch of the dynasty. Consider Tora
triple threat Lulu, classified EX96, gold medal
dam, reserve grand champion at the Royal Winter
Fair in 1981. A brood cow's brood cow, the kind
of animal that produces excellence with almost
monotonous consistency. Her most important contribution,
a son named Hanover Hill Inspiration. And here's
where Triple Threat's legacy transcends the red
and white population entirely. Inspiration will
be used heavily in the mainstream black and white
population. Through him, Triple Threat's genetics
will permeate the entire breed, reaching herds
that never explicitly sought red genetics, carried
silently through generation after generation
of elite cattle. The bull who was dismissed as
a genetic curiosity is now influencing cattle
that don't even carry his color. And then there's
Hanover Hill TT Roxette. If you know anything
about Holstein breeding, you know the Roxy family.
Founded by Glenridge Citation Roxy EX97, often
considered the greatest brood cow in the history
of the breed, the Roxys have dominated show rings
and breeding programs for decades. Roxette is
the bridge, the strategic conduit that introduces
the red gene into that legendary lineage. Through
her granddaughter, Golden Oak's Perk Ray Red,
Winner of the 2012 Holstein International Red
Impact Award, Triple Threat's genetics merge
with what many consider the greatest cow family
in Holstein history. And for those who still
believe that red cows can't compete on production,
consider Selcrest T. Roseanne Red. Her record,
40 ,340 pounds of milk, 4 .7 % butterfat, 1 ,880
pounds of fat. In an era when production skeptics
dismiss red and whites as pretty but unproductive,
Roseanne stands as living proof that Triple Threat's
daughters can go toe -to -toe with the highest
producing black and whites in the breed. Four
daughters. Four branches of a dynasty that will
reshape the breed for generations. But Triple
Threat's impact doesn't stop at the Canadian
border. Across the Atlantic, his genetics are
about to revolutionize an entire continent. In
Europe, Triple Threat's genetics arrive like
a thunderclap. For centuries, European dairy
farmers have relied on traditional breeds. The
Cemental in Switzerland, the Red Pied in Germany,
the MRY in Holland. These are dual -purpose animals,
bred for both milk and meat, and they've served
their farmers well. But the economics are changing.
Specialization is the future, and farmers who
want to stay competitive need cattle that can
produce at levels their traditional breeds simply
can't match. They need Holsteinization. The systematic
infusion of North American Holstein genetics
into their native populations. And for those
who want to maintain the red color that their
markets prefer, the color that consumers associate
with quality, with tradition, with trust, they
need triple threat. His semen flows into Switzerland,
France, Germany, Holland. Farmers who've never
heard of Hanover Hill, who couldn't find Wisconsin
on a map, are suddenly breeding their best cows
to a three -legged bull. from upstate New York.
And the results are transformative. It's 1979.
You're standing in the USA Pavilion at the Paris
Agriculture Show, and you're witnessing the culmination
of Jean -Louis Chirago's decade -long mission
to promote red Holstein genetics in Europe. Around
you stand four of Triple Threat's finest Swiss
daughters, including Gwek's triple tulip red.
Tulip is a cow unlike almost any other. In Switzerland,
She's achieved a classification score of EX 98,
a nearly unprecedented feat. Only one other cow
in Swiss history has ever reached that summit.
And she's standing right in front of you, proof
that Triple Threat's genetics can produce type
that rivals the best black and whites in the
world. The European breeders are transfixed.
The quality is undeniable. These daughters prove
everything Schrago has been saying for years.
But something else is happening at this show.
something you won't understand until weeks later
when the horror of it becomes clear. French veterinarians,
suspicious of this new dairy breed being promoted
so aggressively, make a decision that will haunt
the Red Holstein movement for years. The four
Swiss cows are intentionally infected with IBR,
infectious bovine rhinotracheitis. When Schrago
returns to Switzerland, a country that maintains
IBR -free status, he receives devastating news.
Swiss authorities demand immediate slaughter
of all four animals to protect the national herd.
Three of them are killed within days. But Tulip,
the EX -98 cow, the living proof of Triple Threat's
transformative power, Schrago refuses to let
her die. He makes desperate phone calls, calls
in every favor he's built over a decade in the
business. And then, salvation arrives in the
form of Anton van Nieuwenhuizen. a Dutch breeder
who was so impressed by Tulipe at the Paris show
that he's willing to buy her, infect it or not,
and bring her to Holland, where IBR regulations
are different. Tulip crosses the border into
Holland. She survives the disease. And for the
next several years, until she dies at the remarkable
age of 15, she serves as a living advertisement
for the triple threat bloodline across Europe,
producing offspring, winning admirers, proving
that the red Holsteins from North America represent
the future of European dairy breeding. The tragedy
at Paris doesn't stop the revolution. It only
delays it. In France, Triple Threat establishes
the foundational Ouse EX96 and Rolls EX96 cow
families. Both become national champions. Both
found dynasties that remain prominent in European
breeding decades later. In Germany, His genetics
accelerate the evolution of the traditional German
Red Pied into the modern, high -producing German
Red Holstein. The utter quality and angularity
needed to transform dual -purpose animals into
elite dairy machines come directly from that
three -legged bull in Wisconsin. In Holland,
Van Nieuwenhuis' rescue of Tulip sparks one of
the most ambitious Red Holstein crossing programs
in Europe, transforming the traditional MRY breed
with genetics traced directly back to Triple
Threat. The European invasion is complete. A
bull who was dismissed as a genetic defect in
1972 has become the primary engine of continental
transformation. Triple Threat dies in 1982. He's
approximately 10 years old. His body has finally
surrendered to the accumulated toll of years
spent working on three legs, the strain on his
remaining limbs, the constant effort of simply
staying upright. But the semen collected over
a decade of service will continue working for
years to come. And his genetic legacy? It's already
immortal. When the final numbers are tallied,
triple threat will be proven on over 18 ,000
daughters in more than 6 ,000 herds. Numbers
that would be impressive for any sire. For a
bull purchased as an experiment in a color the
industry had rejected for generations, They're
extraordinary. The men who made it possible will
go on to build on what they started. Jean -Louis
Schrago, the Swiss visionary who was told there
was no market for red genetics, is hired by ABS
as European manager shortly after the triple
threat purchase. Vindication for years of persistence.
He spends a decade developing semen sales across
Europe before founding his own company, ABC Genetics,
in 1984. Ken Young's rogue bid becomes the stuff
of industry legend. a case study entrusting your
instincts when conventional wisdom says you're
wrong. Dr. Robert Walton, who was not too pleased
at the time of the purchase, later acknowledges
that it was probably one of the best investments
ABS ever made. Schrago and Young were forgiven
many times over the years, Walton will reflect.
Peter Heffering continues building Hanover Hill
into a global powerhouse. The farm that produced
Triple Threat will go on to produce generations
of influential cattle, but few will match the
three -legged bull's impact on breed history.
And the prejudice against red genetics? It doesn't
disappear overnight. But Triple Threat's daughters
and their daughters and their daughters after
them make it increasingly difficult to maintain.
How do you dismiss a color as defective when
cows wearing that color are winning championships,
setting production records, founding dynasties
you can't if you're standing in a modern dairy
barn today running your hands over the top line
of a red and white holstein with exceptional
type and high butterfat components you're touching
triple threats legacy if you're reviewing genomic
proofs and see the ranger red lineage dominating
the rankings bulls like three star o ranger red
and hooger horse dgo rubles red carrying triple
threats genetics multiple times in their pedigrees
you're seeing his DNA still moving the needle
on profitability five decades after his birth.
The numbers tell part of the story, but the deeper
legacy lives in names every Holstein breeder
knows. KHW Regiment Apple Red, the million -dollar
cow, traces directly back through speckle to
triple threat. The Roxy family, widely considered
the greatest cow family in Holstein history,
carries his red gene through Roxette. Hanover
Hill inspiration, used heavily in black and white
populations worldwide, came from his daughter
Lulu. Think about what that means. Triple Threat's
genetics didn't just elevate the red and white
population. They permeated the entire mainstream
breed, reaching herds that never explicitly sought
red genetics, carried silently through generation
after generation of elite cattle. The story of
Hanover Hill Triple Threat Red is at its heart
a story about vision. about seeing potential
where others see only defects, about having the
patience to let the market catch up with your
understanding of value. Jean -Louis Schrago saw
the future of European dairy farming in a color
that North American breeders dismissed. Ken Young
saw a genetic opportunity that justified breaking
the rules. Dr. Walton saw that sometimes forgiveness
is more valuable than permission. And Triple
Threat himself? He saw, or perhaps simply embodied,
the resilience that would become his greatest
legacy. A bull who changed color, but not genetics.
A bull who lost a leg, but not his purpose. A
bull who faced every obstacle the industry could
throw at him and kept producing excellence anyway.
Barn door opening, morning light. So the next
time you're walking your barn at dawn, checking
on a fresh heifer with that elegant frame and
correct feet and legs, ask yourself, where did
these genetics come from? Trace the pedigree
back far enough, and you may find yourself standing
in a crowded sale barn in 1972, watching a man
bet his career on a red calf the world called
a defect, witnessing the moment when everything
the industry believed about color and value was
challenged by a single falling gavel. You may
find yourself standing in the presence of Triple
Threat, the three -legged bull who changed the
color of a breed forever. Some animals are born
into a world that's ready for them. Others have
to change the world to make room for what they
carry inside. Triple Threat was born into prejudice.
He lived through skepticism. He worked through
disability. And he left behind a legacy that
touches virtually every red and white Holstein
walking the earth today. Not bad for a genetic
defect. And that's the story of Hanover Hill
Triple Threat Red. the three -legged bull who
changed the color of a breed forever. Thank you
for spending this time with us on the Bullvine
Podcast. If this episode resonated with you,
if it made you think differently about the genetics
in your own herd, or reminded you why you got
into this business in the first place, we'd love
to hear from you. Share this episode with a fellow
breeder. Leave us a review and visit thebullvine
.com for more stories, insights, and analysis
from the front lines of dairy genetics, because
every cow has a pedigree, but the great ones,
they have a story. Until next time, keep breeding
forward. This has been the Bullvine Podcast.
Thanks for listening. Tell the tale, tell the
tale The Beaumont legends live here