Hilrose Advent Anna-Red EX-94, an 8-year-old Red and White Holstein bred and owned by Hilrose Holsteins of Sherwood, Wis., has been named the 2018 Wisconsin Cow of the Year. Anna will be recognized with the honor at a ceremony Oct. 4 during World Dairy Expo.

Each year, a different Wisconsin purebred cattle association selects a cow to represent her breed as the Cow of the Year at World Dairy Expo. The honor rotates among Wisconsin’s seven major dairy breeds — Guernsey, Ayrshire, Holstein, Red and White Holstein, Brown Swiss, Jersey, and Milking Shorthorn — with the Red and White Holstein recognized this year.

Long list of honors
Anna has a long list of honors in the Red and White breed, including Reserve All-American 125,000-pound Cow in 2017, Reserve All-American Aged Cow in 2016, and nominated All-American 5-year-old in 2015.

Hilrose Holsteins is owned and operated by Joe and Chris Brantmeier, and their sons Andy and Jeff. The Hilrose prefix originates from Joe’s parents, Hilard and Rosemary Brantmeier, who registered their first cow in 1959. Since then, the farm has bred and developed 212 Excellent and 621 Very Good cows.

Today, Hilrose is home to 100 registered Holsteins with a rolling herd average of 32,293 pounds of milk; 1,236 pounds of fat; and 1,006 pounds of protein, with a current Breed Age Average of 111.1. Aside from the cattle, the Brantmeier family also manages 1,200 acres of cropland.

“Our underlying goal has been to breed and develop profitable cattle, with a strong emphasis on high type and cows with a tremendous will to milk,” Jeff says.

Commitment to quality has helped the family to be honored as a Holstein USA Herd of Excellence for many years. The family has also won Premier Breeder and Premier Exhibitor several times at the Wisconsin District 10 Holstein Show.

“We are humbled and honored to receive the Cow of the Year award. As a 10th-generation Excellent cow, Anna is one that exemplifies the type of quality we strive for at Hilrose. Receiving this award with my sons Andy and Jeff brings us much joy,” Joe says.

The Cow of the Year ceremony is organized annually by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. The 2018 ceremony will around 2 or 2:30 p.m., Oct. 4, during the Red and White Holstein winter calf class. The award will be presented to the Brantmeier family by DATCP Secretary Sheila Harsdorf and 71st Alice in Dairyland Kaitlyn Riley.

This year’s World Dairy Expo is scheduled Oct. 2-6 at the Alliant Energy Center. The annual dairy and trade shows draw more than 70,000 visitors to Madison from around the world.

Source: Wisconsin DATCP