Ayrshire reigns supreme

DELAVAN, Wis. – Aug. 5 was a magical day for Emily Schmidt. When the judge pointed at her Ayrshire during the naming of the supreme champion cow at the Wisconsin State Fair junior show, Schmidt was shocked.
“I was extremely surprised, especially when the other two cows left standing – a Jersey and a Guernsey – were both really nice cows,” Schmidt said. “One had a really beautiful rear udder, and I was worried I wasn’t going to get anything.”  
Moy-Ayr Predator Lively is bred and owned by 15-year-old Schmidt, who will be a sophomore at Whitewater High School this fall. The 5-year-old Ayrshire is scored Excellent 93 with a 95-point rump and is the first of her breed to win supreme champion honors in the junior show since 2002.
“I feel that Ayrshires don’t get looked at as much as Holsteins and Jerseys, so it was unique for an Ayrshire to win,” Schmidt said.
The reserve supreme champion cow of the junior show was a 3-year-old Milking Shorthorn – Brand-New Z Fallin In Love-ET – exhibited by Ashley Brandel of Lake Mills.
This has been a big year for Lively – a cow named grand champion at four shows including the state fair. She also won grand champion at the Midwest National Show, Ayrshire junior state show and the Midwest Quality Colors junior spring show where she was also supreme champion. In 2020, Lively was nominated All-American senior 3-year-old and honorable mention junior All-American. The Ayrshire was also nominated junior All-American senior 2-year-old in 2019.
“Lively has a great ring presence,” Schmidt said. “She loves to be out in the ring; she just glides around. She’s flashy and has a very hard topline.”
Schmidt is the daughter of Steve and Pauline Schmidt. She and her 18-year-old sister, Rebecca, exhibit with Walworth County, and it was their third year showing at the state fair. Rebecca’s senior 2-year-old, Moy-Ayr Berkely Darling, was reserve grand champion Ayrshire cow and reserve grand champion bred and owned. Rebecca also earned reserve champion bred and owned yearling heifer with her summer yearling.
The Schmidts’ small farm near Delavan is home to an all-Ayrshire herd. The family owns a total of 30 animals, including those owned in partnership. The Moy-Ayr prefix was started by Schmidt’s grandfather, Perry Moyer, who held a dispersal in 2001. He kept a few cows and continued to show. Lively’s great-great granddam, Moy-Ayr Bonaparte Licorice, was one of the cows Moyer held onto, and she went on to become grand champion at World Dairy Expo in 2004.  
Lively is sired by Forever Schoon Predator-ET. Her dam is Moy-Ayr Modesto Lillian EX-90, and her granddam is Moy-Ayr Sarge Lollipop EX93-3E.
“Lively’s dam is just your average cow,” Schmidt said. “Lively takes more after her granddam, who was nominated All-American three years while in milking form.”
One of Lively’s best production records was set as a 3-year-old when she made 18,317 pounds of milk with a 4.25% butterfat and 3.24% protein content in 305 days. In her current lactation, she is projected for 20,431 pounds of milk, 818 pounds of butterfat and 599 pounds of protein.
“Winning supreme champion means a lot to me and my family,” Schmidt said. “We don’t have many animals here, so to go to a smaller farm like ours and find a cow that looks like Lively is kind of rare. For her to win supreme champion and supreme bred and owned really topped our year.”