Velthuis Farms win junior champion again at World Dairy Expo
Nelson Zandbergen
Farmers Forum
OSGOODE — For the second year running, a Kingsway-prefix heifer has notched a junior championship win at the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin, and Velthuis Farms of Osgoode is again part of the victory as owner.
The Expo’s 2023 junior champion, Kingsway Caught a Vibe, is co-owned by Velthuis Farms — Steven and Paul Velthuis — and Kingsway Farms, the accomplished breeder located in Hastings County.
It’s believed to be the first time that the “same home-bred (prefix) animal has won back-to-back junior champion at World Dairy Expo,” said a proud Steven Velthuis. “It’s pretty unique.”
Velthuis Farms was sole owner of last year’s junior champion, Kingsway Alligator A Twix, another Kingsway-bred animal that has earned three national championships.
Her successor, Caught a Vibe, a spring yearling, “is one of the most balanced show and genetic animals in the breed right now,” Velthuis said. She has the appearance (phenotype) that judges want and the pedigree (genotype) to make her genetics and offspring — including bulls — valued in the industry.
“If you can combine the phenotype with the pedigree, combined with genomics, that’s probably your most expensive animal in the industry,” Velthuis explained, declining to reveal how much he invested to get his half-share in Caught a Vibe. However, he allowed that the top 1 % of Holstein animals are valued in the low six figures.
An animal’s value does go up when it wins big championships, he said.
Caught a Vibe is due to calve out in March and has already been flushed for some embryos.
Her next stop will be the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto this month, among a group of four or five Velthuis animals headed to that event. “They have to be happy and healthy on the day of the show,” he said of the preparations. “They have to consume a lot of feed, and look good in the ring. It’s all about how they wear their ‘wedding dress’ the day of the show.”
A win on both sides of the border would be extra special, he said.
Velthuis Farm’s 2023 success in Madison also included a piece of the top winter heifer — Cal-Denier-I Dl Alexus-ET — co-owned with Dan Hovden, and the second-place winter heifer — Miss Alligatr A Trick Quality Holsteins — co-owned with Beckridge Holsteins and Quality Holsteins.
The farm also partnered with Brian Enright and Jaquemet farms on Madison’s third-place fall heifer, Weeksdale Legend Recharge.
