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Our December Cow of the Month will be the first cow inducted into our new Hansen's Dairy Hall of Fame in the coming months. And for that she's receiving our Cow of the Month honors for a second time, this time posthumously.
The mighty Len was born July 23, 2004, and died Oct. 18, 2017, at age 13 years and 3 months. She was buried on the farm, a special honor reserved for special cows.
Len was one of three cows on our farm to achieve what we call matriarch status. A matriarch cow is one with strong, healthy genetics that produces a long line of strong, healthy cows. Of the 47 cows that have come from Len's lineage, 20 are still living strong on the farm today. Only two other cows on our farm have achieved matriarch status. They are the late Dazzle and the late Sand. Both are buried alongside Len.
Len also scored big among her peers. The Purebred Dairy Cattle Association uses a 100-point scale to evaluate dairy cows. The scorecard is based on the conformation of a cow's body frame, rear feet and legs, udder and dairy strength. The lovely Len scored a whopping 93 points. Only two other cows on our farm have ever scored that high.
Lastly, Len's milk production was one in a million. She produced 304,873 pounds of milk in her lifetime. Of the 9 million dairy cows in the United States, less than 1,000 have achieved 300,000 or more lifetime pounds of milk.
To this day, a special place in the barn bears Len's name. We call it Len's Pen. Thank you, Len, for your legen-dairy impact. Your honors are well-earned.
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