Laura is comfortable in the showring. In this picture she is 11-years-old with a lifetime production of almost 140,000kg in December 2023.

Castelverde Goldsun Laura EX-96 is more than just a cow – she is a phenomenon. With her unique combination of conformation, production and breeding potential, she belongs among the outstanding Holstein cows of Europe. Laura is the result of decades of breeding and the vision of the Quaini family, who, with Castelverde Holsteins, have built one of the best herds in Italy.

MEINHARD HUBER HAN HOPMAN

Some cows are so imposing that they leave you speechless. This applies to Castelverde Goldsun Laura EX-96, owned by the Quaini family of Castelverde Holsteins in the Italian province of Cremona. We had already seen this cow at various shows and captured this impressive photograph of Laura on our farm visit in 2020. Guiseppe Quaini, nicknamed “Peppo,” (posthumously unfortunately) passed on his successful work to his sons Marco, Paolo and Luca. All three are passionate Holstein breeders. Thanks to their diligent breeding strategy, Castelverde is comfortably among the leading Holstein herds in Italy. The farm has about 420 dairy and breeding cows and a total of almost 1000 Holsteins. The average production is 13,000kg (28,600lb) milk. In addition to high production, conformation plays a central role for the Quaini family. ‘Currently, we have 52 cows classified EX in our herd,’ reports Marco Quaini. The two-year-old cows have an average classification score of 84.8 points. Beyond Laura (EX-96), there are currently three cows with a score of EX-95, three with EX-93 and several with EX-92 and EX-91. For the Quainis, balance is a decisive factor, the brothers share with us. A balance of production, conformation, longevity and fertility are key elements that contribute to the success of the farm. ‘The best bulls, the best families, deep pedigrees and proven breeding values, that is our recipe,’ explains Marco.

Here, you see the personal queen of the Quaini family. The 12-year-old Goldsun-Laura EX-96 in front of her home at Castelverde Holsteins.

GOOD WINE

Now we come to the cow who is the focus of this article. Castelverde Laura, a daughter of the Goldwyn son Toc-Farm Goldsun. She is proof that top genetics can skip a generation. Did you know that Laura is out of a GP-82 Laurin dam? ‘My father and I decided to breed the dam of Laura with Goldsun, as we were both of the opinion that she needed a bit more in terms of frame and udder attachment,’ Marco describes. ‘We had some luck and it resulted in a little wonder, as this mating gave us our queen Laura!’ The granddam of Laura was Castelverde Lyster Laura EX-90. The Quaini brothers describe her as a modern, very balanced cow with an unbelievable udder. So, Goldsun Laura’s unbelievable udder is not just a coincidence. With a classification of EX-96, Laura is among the best living Holstein cows in Italy. Her outstanding udder received a score of EX-97. ‘As a heifer, Laura was very correct with few, if any, flaws. After her first calving she already showed an impressive mammary system. Like a good wine, she got better with every calving. Starting in her fourth year, she developed into a great, harmonious cow without weaknesses and high milk production,’ says Marco. In addition to her many show successes, which we will get to shortly, we have to mention Laura’s production. She completed her fifth lactation with 22,044kg (48,497lb) 4.38% 3.49% in 368 days! In her sixth lactation she produced over 29,000kg (63,800lb) milk in 560 days. In September 2024, Laura calved for the eighth time at an age of 12 years and produced a very nice, completely black Siemers Claro daughter, Marco tells me. ‘Laura now has a lifetime production of over 150,000kg (330,000lb) and we are simply very proud and thankful for her and the money her milk has earned for us,’ share the brothers.

‘We are thankful for her and the money her milk has earned for us.’

SPOTLIGHT

‘Laura is the type of cow who really blooms in the ring and loves being in the spotlight,’ laughs Marco. The countless show wins speak to her exceptional conformation. Laura’s first Grand Champion title came as a third-lactation cow in 2017 at a regional show in Montova. In the same year she was HM at the national show in Cremona. In 2018, she was named Grand Champion at the show in Reggio Emilia and Reserve Grand Champion in Cremona. In 2020, Laura managed to secure two Grand Champion titles, namely at the European Show in Verona and at an online show due to Covid. In 2022 she was awarded HM Grand Champion in Cremona. She also received the Production Award for 2021 and 2023. ‘We planned to show Laura at the Open Dairy Show in October 2024 in Cremona. However, the show was cancelled one week before it was to take place. In this time we had many visitors from around the world come to our farm and they were all impressed by Laura,’ says Marco.

BREEDING POWER

In the Castelverde herd, we come across several very pretty daughters from Laura. With Castelverde Lawless and Lookatme, there is a pair of VG two-year-old full sisters from Delta-Lambda. ‘The pairing with Delta-Lambda has been the most successful so far. The Lambdas from Laura are average-size, practical cows with show potential and are most similar to Laura,’ according to Marco. Additionally, there is the four-year-old Castelverde Gold-Chip Lollipop, who has already been scored EX. Beyond Lollipop there are another three five-year-old full sisters from King-Doc, who have also been classified EX. These three, Castelverde Doc Lucy, Castelverde Doc Lampoon and Castelverde Doc Lacoste, work hard every day and produce really well. Lampoon and Lacoste produced 38,224kg (84,093lb) and 37,538kg (82,584lb) respectively through three completed lactations. Laura’s last direct daughter is Castelverde Claro La Paz (Siemers Claro), for whom the Quaiti brothers have very high hopes. ‘Our breeder friend Richard Holzer of South Tyrol purchased embryos out of Laura from us. This pregnancy to Sidekick resulted in a nice heifer calf,’ reports Marco. Many embryos from Laura have been sold across Europe, and from them there are several Sidekick pregnancies. And if anyone thinks that Laura is deservedly resting on her laurels, they would be mistaken. Laura is being flushed intensively and is to be bred again. In this way, the success story of the “Lauras” can continue to be told around the world by the queen herself and her offspring.