MADISON, Wis. — Top Holsteins and Red & Whites at World Dairy Expo 2026… Powerful cows, exceptional udders and emotional championship handshakes brought the International Holstein and Red & White Shows to memorable finishes at the 59th World Dairy Expo Sept. 28-Oct. 2, 2026.
Eixdale Pwrup Alongside claimed the International Holstein grand champion honor and reserve supreme banner for Milk Source Genetics, Kaukauna, Wisconsin.
In the International Red & White Show, it was Luck-E Devour Akooza-Red-ET earning grand champion for Golden Oaks Farm, Wauconda, Illinois. Both winning five-year-olds combined dairy strength, balance and mammary systems that drew the admiration of their respective judges.
Their victories were years in the making.
Earlier in the judging, the lifetime production classes offered another reason to appreciate great cows: the milk they had given, the calves they had produced and the udders they still carried after years of work.
The cows that have done the work
Eight Holsteins lined up in the lifetime production class, reserved for cows with more than 150,000 pounds (68,000 kgs) of milk. Together, they represented more than a million pounds of lifetime milk — over 450,000 kgs.
Watching these cows, Kathleen O’Keefe as livestream commentator recalled a lesson from her former boss, Joel Hastings: “’We all live off the milk check,’ he would say, and these are the bill-payers right here,” O’Keefe observed about the class with years of milk in the tank and udders still built to keep delivering.
Last year’s 2025 Holstein grand champion, Lovhill Sidekick Kandy Cane, was the youngest of the eight. In her fifth lactation, she won first place lifetime production cow, best udder and the class production award for Alicia and Jonathan Lamb of Oakfield Corners Dairy, Oakfield, New York. She also earned the International Type & Production Award.
Her recorded lactation of 44,822 pounds in 314 days — more than 20,300 kgs — put the business end of the cow in perspective. Kandy Cane won on conformation and production: an udder that looked exceptional and had delivered exceptional milk.
Runner-up Jeffrey-Way Hard Rock Twigs and third-place Peace&Plenty Doc Jubie16-ET helped make this a class to remember. Farther down the line, Macland-Hf Yoder Rachel, owned by Kyle Reid and Adam Liddle, was approaching her twelfth birthday. In her ninth lactation, she still carried her udder above her hocks, retaining the openness and quality the judge, and her fans, admired.
The lifetime cows always have fans. Through repeated calvings and productive lactations, they earn fans by keeping their strength, mobility and udder attachments to return to this level of competition.
Oakfield’s Hurcroft Awe Lillyann-Red made the same point in the Red & White ring. With seven calvings behind her, she won the lifetime production class, its production and best-udder awards, the International Type & Production Award, along with reserve senior and reserve grand champion of the International Red & White Show.
That staying power matters to Oakfield show herd manager Jamie Black. In our 2025 profile, he described his admiration for older cows that have given milk, had calves and lasted. His care program includes Udder Comfort on all fresh cows during the first few milkings to help soften udders and keep swelling down.
“Good udders make good cows,” he said. For Jamie and the Lambs, steady routines and attention to each cow continue throughout the year.
Also coming out of the lifetime production class was the International Red & White Show’s bred-and-owned champion Ms Ransom-Rail Beth-RED-ET, exhibited by Milk Source, Ransom-Rail, and Laurie Fischer, Kaukauna, Wisconsin.
Alongside’s moment, Zuriniah’s family celebration
After sorting through the 463 International (open) Holstein Show entries, judge Ryan Krohlow and associate Kelly Barbee found their grand and senior champion in Eixdale Pwrup Alongside. Her width, power, open rib and mammary system carried her to the top, then on to reserve supreme champion.
For John Vosters at the halter, the win was worth waiting for. “This is the first one that I led at Grand at Expo,” he told Cowsmo On Cue, crediting the team that developed and prepared her, led by Eddie and Mandi Bue, who manage the genetics herd, along with donor and dry cows plus a strong youngstock program at Milk Source. In fact, he said Eddie had found and developed Alongside, making her win especially rewarding.
“It’s just amazing when they can get a reward for everything that they put into it,” he said, noting some of Alongside’s offspring did well in heifer classes this year. Even with Milk Source’s many championship banners, including supreme with the grand Red & White last year, the excitement remains. “When you’re the one, when you get the tap, that does not get old in the least bit.”
Reserve grand and intermediate champion Md-Locustcrest P Zuriniah brought another family celebration. Chip Savage owns her with his sons Chase and Connor and partner Tom Mercuro of Union Bridge, Maryland.
“It’s the first cow that my sons bought with me, so it’s very special to me,” Chip said in his On Cue interview. With years of showring experience behind him, he found himself fighting back tears — excited for the cow’s breeder John Mike Myers of MD-Locust Crest, also of Union Bridge, Maryland. Zuriniah traces to the Windsor-Manor Rudolph Zip family developed by Jason and Donna Myers of New Windsor, Maryland — a cow family known for cows that combine breeding influence with lasting production.
At home, Zuriniah impresses Chip just as much. She eats tremendously, gives plenty of milk and with a choice between pasture and a freestall, Chip finds her resting in the same sand bedded freestall each morning. “She could live in any environment. She doesn’t miss a beat,” he said of her willingness to eat, milk and settle comfortably that makes her easy to work with.
There are no special tricks to getting her ready. “She’s a cow that does her part,” said Chip. Earlier at a prior show, he noted Udder Comfort is part of his care program for the cows, and he really likes it for fresh animals and showing.
Aged-cow winner Altona Lea Unix Herminie, shown by Dalton Faris, Ontario, was reserve senior and honorable mention grand. Walk-Era Eye Candy Rebel, exhibited by Budjon Farms, Genosource, Farnear, Peter Vail, Regan Demmer and Heartland Dairy, was reserve intermediate.
Luck-E breeding, winning for new owners
The International Red & White show brought 302 junior and open entries into the ring. Judge Aaron Eaton and associate Anthony Liddle rewarded balance, athletic movement and udders built to last.
Their grand and senior champion, Luck-E Devour Akooza-Red-ET, won the five-year-old class and best udder of the show for Golden Oaks Farm, Wauconda, Illinois. Eaton described her as “just about as perfect as a picture.”
Luck-E Holsteins of Hampshire, Illinois also bred the youth show’s grand and senior champion, Luck-E Russ-PP Astro-Red-ET, owned by Allison, Lane and Callum Francis, Greenville, Ohio.
Breeding both the open and youth show grand champions, maternal sisters out of Luck-E McGucci Afro-Red, daughter of the queen herself, Luck-E Advent Asia. This among other placings in the show, earned brothers Joe and Matt Engel their second consecutive World Dairy Expo International Red & White Show premier breeder banner.
The Engels’ philosophy connects breeding to the care that helps cows express it: width, dairy strength, forage capacity and lasting udders, then selling their best to good homes. They prefer to sell cows and fresh heifers, and Udder Comfort is their go-to.
“It helps maximize the cow’s genetic potential,” Joe said of Udder Comfort in our 2025 Luck-E profile. They apply it thoroughly around calving, including twice daily for about a week after calving on young cows, especially, to help remove swelling and prepare fresh udders for milking and sale.
Another Best of Luck-E graduate, Garay-MD-WVG Barbara-Red-ET, placed third among Red & White four-year-olds for Alicia and Jonathan Lamb. She sold to Oakfield in their 2024 Best of Luck-E. Their next sale is April 10, 2027.
Red & White intermediate champion Ms Alpha Mystery-Red-ET, owned by Coltan and Eastan Brown, Strum, Wisconsin also earned intermediate and reserve grand in youth competition. Kampy Alt Attitude-Red-ET, owned by Golden Oaks, was open reserve intermediate. Youth reserve intermediate was Ms S&s-Crest Symphny-Red-ET, shown by the Smith and Gunst children, Watertown, Wisconsin. Kara-Kesh-RK Alt Sky-Red, shown by Curtis, Evelyn and Agnes Griffin, Thief River Falls, Minnesota, was youth reserve senior and champion bred-and-owned.
Ella’s ‘welded on’ udder
The separate youth Holstein show at the start of Expo included 301 entries. Judge Ben Wallace and associate Phillip Topp selected Arolene Dempsey Ella, shown by Alyson Doiron of Cap-Santé, Quebec, as senior and grand champion.
Wallace admired her feminine frame, open rib and sound movement, then reached the “money maker”: an udder high, wide, symmetrical and “welded on.” He returned to the way her parts blended together when naming her grand.
Alyson and Ella went on to garner the youth show supreme champion over all breeds, an emotional moment.
Appreciation for udder quality runs through the Ferme Jacobs family. In our 2021 profile, Ysabel Jacobs explained that they use Udder Comfort for fresh and show cows to develop udder quality and texture, applying lotion daily at shows and after each milking for three days after calving.
In fact, Alyson showed her appreciation in an authentic way (below) during a visit to the Ferme Jacobs pack in the cattle barns at Expo after her supreme victory.
Youth Holstein intermediate and reserve grand was Go-Sho Tatoos In Jericho-ET, shown by Tessa and Stella Schmocker, Sadie Kropf and Tristan Ostrom, Whitewater, Wisconsin. Allegro Thunder Struck Cabell, owned by Olivia and Emily Feltmann, Norwood, Minnesota, was reserve senior; RJR Gone Away-ET, owned by Noah Reuter, Peosta, Iowa, was reserve intermediate.
Among the Holstein and Red & White heifers shown during Expo week, the next generation came into view. Butlerview Glitter Girl-ET, shown by Clarkvalley, Doeberiener, Conroy and Butlerview, earned open Holstein junior champion, with Mike Deaver’s Monoak Master Precious reserve.
In youth Holstein competition, Kaylee and Carter Jackson’s Walk-Era Aint She Fancy-ET took junior champion, followed by Madison and Melanie Sarbacker’s Heritage Crazy Drama-ET.
Open Red & White honors went to Dridge Dc Hot Tamale-Red-ET, shown by La Femme Fatale, Milk Source and Eric Olstad, with Butlerview Alpha Luv-Red-ET, shown by Clarkvalley and Butlerview, reserve.
In youth Red & White competition, Memphis Mossner’s Kiefland Shinedown-Red was junior champion, with Jillian L. Anderson’s Cabaret Hvzda Mistletoe-Red reserve.
Genosource earned both the overall and heifer premier breeder banners in the Holstein show, with Butlerview premier exhibitor.
Oakfield Corners was Red & White premier exhibitor overall, as well as earning premier breeder of the heifer show.
Led today by 12th-generation farmers Jonathan and Alicia Lamb, and Matthew and Kendra Lamb along with Jim Veazey and Janette Veazey-Post, Oakfield Corners was also honored as World Dairy Expo’s 2026 Dairy Producers of the Year.
Interestingly, the premier sires for both Holstein and Red & White shows have roots in common. The Simon family’s Farnear breeding program near Farley, Iowa supplied both premier sires: Farnear Delta-Lambda-ET was premier sire of the International Holstein Show and Farnear Altitude-Red-ET for the International Red & White Show. Both are globally distributed through a major partnership with STgenetics.
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From fresh udders to lifetime production, the work continues long after the championship banners, photographs, and celebrations. Udder Comfort is part of that daily care for breeders and owners who keep looking toward the next calving, the next lactation, and the next generation.
— By Sherry Bunting for Profiles in Comfort & Quality
