Record-breaking cow dies in fire - Cowsmo

Record-breaking cow dies in fire

The former national milk production record-holder, Bur-Wall Buckeye Gigi EX-94 GMD, and about 25 of her herdmates died in a fire on the Bob Behnke farm near Brooklyn, WI, in the overnight hours of Sept. 18-19. The Bur-Wall herd was a Herd of Excellence Recipient for the 2nd time earlier this summer. 

Bur-Wall-Buckeye-GigiBur-Wall Buckeye Gigi, who produced 74,650 pounds of milk during a 365-day lactation in 2015, was among the cows lost in the blaze that claimed the Behnke family’s barn. Brenda Murphy, Bob Behnke’s sister, said the barn was a total loss but at least 35 cows were saved.

Gigi broke the national milk production record set in 2010 by Ever-Green-View My 1326-ET, owned by Tom Kestell of Waldo, WI. Gigi’s record has since been broken by Ever-Green’s daughter, Ever-Green-View My Gold-ET, with 77,480 pounds of milk produced in 365 days.

At the time the production record was set, the Behnke family milked 58 cows and had a rolling herd average of 30,000 pounds.

During the year in which she set the record, Gigi produced an average of 204.5 pounds of milk per day. Her 365-day record also included 2,127 pounds of butterfat and 2,142 pounds of protein.

Gigi was a 9-year-old cow when she broke the production record, and was being flushed for embryos at the time of the fire.

“We don’t know what happened, but right now we’re concentrating on the fact that we have at least 35 cows saved,” Murphy said Sept. 19.

Source: The Country Today

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