5435: The invisible wonder

WATERTOWN, Wis. — A cow known as 5435 at Rosy-Lane Holsteins LLC typically goes about her day unnoticed. She milks, breeds back and freshens with little fanfare, staying out of trouble and minding her own business. Thriving in the background, this hard worker does not crave attention.

However, when 5435 delivered her 15th calf Dec. 5, 2025, people at Rosy-Lane took notice. She gave birth to a healthy heifer calf — her first female offspring — with no assistance.

“She’s a heck of a cow and what the goal is for a cow here at Rosy-Lane,” said Jordan Matthews, one of the farm’s partners. “Those older cows are awesome.”

Rosy-Lane Holsteins is owned by Matthews, Tim Strobel, Sam Peetz and Lloyd and Daphne Holterman. Together, they milk 1,835 cows near Watertown.

“The goal for a cow here has always been that she freshens, you breed her, you pregnancy check her, and then you dry her off,” Matthews said. “You don’t see her in between. She fits in. She’s maybe not the first cow in the parlor but she’s also not the last.”

This 14-year-old cow that just started her 12th lactation fits this description.

“It’s the most perfect calving interval,” Matthews said. “Calving window is everything.”

Sired by Denim, 5435 is the mother of 15 calves, including three sets of twins.

“For her to survive three sets of twins is wild,” Matthews said.

This special cow has a lifetime production record of 346,631 pounds of milk, 18,105 pounds of butterfat and 11,279 pounds of protein. She averages 30,000 pounds of milk per lactation.

“She has averaged over 5% butterfat for her life and 3.2% protein,” Matthews said. “She has killer components.”

As a low-maintenance cow,  Matthews said they do not know much about 5435.

“You don’t want a cow that you remember because you bred her six times or because you drenched her as a fresh cow,” he said. “She shows up once a year when she calves and you’re like, ‘Wow, she calved again.’”

A healthy cow with easy calvings, 5435 rolls into the next lactation without any issues.

“She’s boring in a good way,” Matthews said. “We always said we want a hands-off cow, and this is her. You breed her, you dry her off; you breed her, you dry her off. We milk a lot of cows, and we have a few pets, but she’s not a pet of anyone.”

Matthews said they appreciate cows that demonstrate quiet patience and steer clear of issues.

“Staying out of trouble is the biggest thing cows need to do to last a long time — whether that’s trouble at calving, trouble at the feed bunk or trouble when showing signs of estrus,” Matthews said. “I don’t know that we as dairymen always understand what happens back in the pen, but some of those things have to play into this.”

5435 epitomizes the longevity Matthews and his team strive for. Today, 37% of the herd at Rosy-Lane is in their fourth lactation or greater.

“We have a lot of long-lived cows,” Matthews said. “Our goal is to have old cows; we want an old herd. It’s not that unique for us to have a cow hit 9, 10 or 11 lactations. If they make it this far, they clearly have something special about them. They breed back, and they must walk quite well.”

The farm’s oldest and highest lifetime producer was a 17-year-old cow that produced 400,000 pounds of lifetime milk in 15 lactations.

“This cow (5435) is on that trajectory,” Matthews said. “Like 5435, that cow also stayed out of trouble. She stayed in the middle of the pack during milking, and when she returned from the parlor, she ate from the furthest headlock and laid in the farthest stall from the gate.”

When making mating decisions, the farm places a lot of emphasis on reproduction. Feet and legs are another important consideration.

“Cows need to be able to walk to the parlor every day,” Matthews said. “They do need to produce too. Components are what we look for first when we mate cows. We breed for high-component cows, not fluid milk. We’re in a cheese market so that’s what we focus on.”

Productive Life and Net Merit Index also play into this equation, Matthews said. Another critical factor is calving ease.

“We like small Holstein calves,” he said. “We can put weight on them once they’re on the ground. We like a 70-pound calf coming out of momma. We’d rather have a smooth, easy exit, and then we can feed them a lot of milk to gain weight. Momma needs to make it; therefore, calving ease is huge.”

Matthews said filling stalls with older cows reduces the number of heifers they need to raise.

“Not only are long-lived cows creating more revenue (than younger animals), they’re reducing our heifer raising costs as well, and that’s significant,” he said. “If we have 25% less heifers than the next guy, that’s just more cash in our pocket that we can invest in other items.”

Rosy-Lane ensures they create an environment where older cows can succeed.

“We have to make sure we take care of their feet and make sure they’re healthy and set up to conceive,” Matthews said.

The plan is to keep breeding 5435.

“For a cow to survive, she needs to cycle and get bred, which this cow is doing,” Matthews said. “Cows like her are the coolest cows because you don’t even know how awe-some they are — they don’t want to have the credit. 5435 doesn’t stand out at all. She just fits in.”