City native has top cow
A 5-year-old Holstein named Jolie was named the grand champion of the European National Holstein Show, the biggest show held in Europe. The cow is owned by Watertown native Larry Zubke, of Schweinningen, Germany.
When Larry Zubke was growing up on his parent's farm and milking cows for his neighbors in rural Watertown, he was learning exactly what makes a quality cow. Those lessons paid off. A cow he owns was recently named grand champion of the European National Holstein Show, the biggest show in Europe.
Zubke, of Schweinningen, Germany, formerly of Water-town, is a 1981 graduate of Watertown High School and the son of Barbara and the late LeRoy Zubke, of Watertown. He attended the University of Wisconsin-River Falls for three years.
Many may know Zubke as the original owner and builder of the local restaurant Settler's Bay. He moved to Germany nine years ago in 2001 after selling the restaurant to be closer to his son. During that time he started his business Holstein Store, where he buys and sells embryos and bull semen from around the world. Three years ago while at a dairy show in Switzerland he came across a 2-year-old cow named Castel James Jolie who is known as “Jolie.”
“I stumbled across this cow in Switzerland that looked like the nicest cow I had ever seen. Now she's 5 years old and she's never been beat,” Zubke said. “She's a legend in Switzerland and around the world.”
Jolie won the European National Show that was hosted this year in Cremona, Italy. It's known as the biggest Holstein show in Europe with participants from over 15 countries attending the event and over 5,000 people in attendance. Each country can bring 15 black and white Holsteins and 15 red and white Holsteins. Jolie is raised on a farm in Switzerland, so she was one of 14 cows of different ages representing Switzerland. Jolie was chosen to represent Switzerland after being named the champion of Switzerland earlier this year.
A lot of people who came from Wisconsin to watch the event this year compared it to going to the Olympics,” Zubke said. “Each country is waving their flag. When Jolie won, the Swiss National Anthem was played. The whole stadium was rocking and clapping.”
Zubke said although he lives in Germany, Jolie lives in the mountains of Switzerland on the farm where she was born. He owns about 25 cows throughout Europe. The farm Jolie lives on is run by a family who milks a total of about 40 cows in a six-cow parlor. The farmers make a special type of cheese and the cows are only fed hay and sugar beets and are on a rotational grazing system. They are given no corn whatsoever. Jolie produces an average of 144 pounds of milk a day. She's on her fourth calf and calved only six weeks before the show.
“Some of the best breeders in the United States have told me they believe she may be the best cow in the world,” Zubke said. “She is contracted for over 200 embryos and after this show the e-mails have been coming in like crazy.”
Jolie was well known prior to her recent award. In her first show in Switzerland she was named grand champion and best udder at 2 years old. Zubke visits Jolie about twice a month. The son of the owner of the farm is the person who leads her through the show ring at the big events.
Zubke said his success in the dairy industry stems from his childhood and his time spent with his neighbors Jim and Bob Weston of Westcrest Farms in rural Watertown. Today the Westons own a herd of Herefords that are well known as a top herd throughout the state.
“They really taught me what to look for to have the best quality animals. Everything about dairy character,” he said. Zubke said he started his business because at the time that he moved to Germany it was difficult for an American to find a job. He always enjoyed the hobby of the dairy industry and decided to make it into his own business. He runs his business through the Internet with his Web site:
http://www.holsteinstore.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment