7/23/2008:
Today, in 1951, one little cow from North Dakota was living as a normal cow lives. Sally the cow practiced the three m's—mooing, moving and being milked—and was relatively happy.
By the next day, however, that one little cow had hit the big time.
Sally was an unassuming Guernsey on the Allen D. Meyer farm near West Fargo. But then she set a world record. And then, with her new honor, Sally began to hit papers across the state.
Sally set the first world record in butterfat production by a North Dakota cow. She completed a year's production record as a senior 4-year-old with 16,439 pounds of 5.2 milk, containing in it 846 pounds of butterfat.
The last world record set was 834 pounds of buttermilk. The average for all cows milked in the state was 173 pounds, and in the U.S., the average was 200 pounds.
She hit papers across the United States by the next day, where Meyer reported that her amazing feat was due to twice-daily milkings, part of an official herd improvement registry test. He placed a value of $5,000 dollars on Sally. When he bought her three years prior, he paid $250 dollars for her.
Sally's roots traced back to "the famed O.K. Spires herd at Minot," papers reported, and she lived off of a special diet of 3 to 5 pounds of beet pulp each day, as well as a 12-15 percent protein grain concentrate mixture and hay.
Meyer's treatment of Sally was not unlike the cows of the rest of the herd, and on average, he reported the milk's content to average out at about 485.4 pounds of butterfat. He also credited Leverne Neuschwander, who helped milk the cow twice a day, every day. Others whom he listed in the "production crew" were Clarence C. Olson, an NDAC extension dairyman who supervised Sally's output on behalf of the Guernsey club, and Dr. Glenn C. Holm, NDAC veterinarian who provided medical counsel.
It was a lot of excitement for one cow. Her picture even appeared in the paper. One thing was for certain, though: Meyer milked Sally for all she was worth.
And in the end, she proved that she really was worth the milking.
By Sarah Walker
Sources:
The Fargo Forum, Thursday Morning, July 26, 1951
Minot Daily News, Thursday, July 26, 1951