Vi reached that mark at her December AgSource Dairy Herd Improvement official test. Since then, she has surpassed 403,800 pounds in 3,822 days of milking, averaging 106 pounds a day on three-times-a-day milking. Dry since mid-January, she’s being flushed for embryos for the first time.
“She’s a once-in-a-lifetime cow,” Ken Jackson said. “She’s consistent year after year.”
With advances in nutrition, genetics and management, cows are reaching 400,000 pounds and beyond slightly more frequently than they used to, but it’s still “quite rare,” said Daren Sheffield, National Holstein Association production records specialist.
Ken Jackson said they started paying closer attention to Vi’s progress when she hit 300,000 pounds. They attribute Vi’s productivity to good genes and a voracious appetite.