BRATTLEBORO, Vt. — A Holstein cow in Wisconsin, Ever-Green-View My Gold-ET, has set a new single-lactation national milk production record: a 365-day record of 77,480 pounds of milk.
That’s more than 9,009 gallons of milk, if you’re a consumer and not a dairy farmer.
My Gold-ET is bred and owned by the Tom and Gin Kestell family, of Ever-Green-View Holsteins in Waldo, Wisconsin. She calved at four years and three months, prior to setting the record, which also included 1,992 pounds of fat and 2,055 pounds of protein.
Her production breaks the record set by Bur-Wall Buckeye Gigi, owned by Behnke family, Brooklyn, Wisconsin, in 2015, of 74,650 pounds of milk in 365 days.
By comparison, the actual production average for all U.S. Holstein herds enrolled in production-testing programs in 2015 was 24,958 pounds of milk, 920 pounds of butterfat and 710 pounds of protein.
Her pedigree
Five-year-old My Gold-ET, who is scored EX-93, EX-95 udder, is sired by Braedale Goldwyn. Her record is supported by several generations of top production. Her dam, Ever-Green-View My 1326-ET, held the national single-lactation milk production record from 2010 to 2015.
Behind that is a VG-85 GMD Ricecrest Lantz-ET daughter, and then Ever-Green-View Elsie-ET (by Emprise Bell Elton), scored EX-92 2E GMD DOM, who has a best record at 4-09 of 52,580 pounds of milk, with 4.4 percent fat and 3.3 percent protein.
“My Gold-ET is an exceptional milk cow that comes from a line of strong genetics,” said Tom Kestell, adding that they have been working with this cow family for over 30 years.
“There is no doubt in my mind that genetics play a role,” said Kestell.
They have marketed many members of this family that have gone on to do well for others, carrying on the family tradition of excelling in both type and production. Six out of the eight age divisions of milk production records for 2016 are held by Ever-Green-View Holsteins. My Gold-ET is the seventh generation to carry the Ever-Green-View prefix.
The Kestells milk 94 cows with a BAA (Breed Age Average) of 111.4 percent, and all but three cows are Excellent in the udder. Their rolling herd average is 44,122 pounds of milk, 1,680 pounds of fat, and 1,362 pounds of protein.
