The Prize Bull : Paclamar Astronaut
In 1964 , nine Montgomery County dairy farmers pulled their money to purchase a calf at the Holsteins-Friesian National Convention being held that year in Washington D . C . They spent $ 10,000 on the purchase , the same price as a single-family home at that time . Their chosen calf was a sickly-looking thing , and very few people bid against them . They were taking a tremendous risk , and many thought they were crazy . Their risk paid off .
They had purchased Paclamar Astronaut , the offspring of Harborcrest Rose Milly , a Holstein with an impressive dairy production record . After the purchase , Astronaut was raised on a Gaithersburg farm until he was two years old . A contract was then signed with
Photo : Danny Weaver , Agri-Graphics
Curtis Breeding Services in Illinois , and Astronaut ’ s semen was sold to breeders . The success of his mother as a dairy cow and Astronaut himself as a stud eventually made Astronaut famous and his owners rich . He reportedly earned an estimated $ 1.358 million for each of his nine original investors .
As for Astronaut ? He lived to the age of 14 and today has offspring in 26,000 herds in the United States . He was featured on the front page of The Wall Street Journal and is the only Holstein to ever appear on the cover of Holstein World magazine three times . You can visit a life-size replica of Astronaut at the MOOseum !
Poolesville
Veterinary Clinic , LLC
Dr .’ s Peter Eeg , Ashley Young , Marianne Van Doorn and the entire staff are dedicated to providing the highest quality veterinary care with a personal touch .
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19621 Fisher Ave • Poolesville , MD P : 301-972-7705 • F : 301-972-7706 Info @ poolesvilleveterinaryclinic . com www . poolesvilleveterinaryclinic . com