Rolling Prairie Bella Blue

Rolling Prairie Bella Blue was born on July 8, 2007, at Rolling Prairie Farms in Garnavillo, Iowa. The farm is owned by the Dan and Ann Walther family and sits on the eastern side of the state, not far from the banks of the Mississippi River. Registered Guernsey cattle have been part of the farm since it was established in 1924, and the family has developed multiple well-known cows over the years. Bella Blue is unique in that both her sire (father), Rolling Prairie Maxie Pistol, and dam (mother), Rolling Prairie Hickory Bella, were bred by the Walther family.

Bella Blue was later purchased by the Hoard’s Dairyman Farm, which has one of the largest Guernsey herds in the country. The breed was a favorite of founder William Dempster (W.D.) Hoard for the high fat and protein content of their milk. Hoard purchased the farm that currently sits just outside of town on Highway 89 in 1899 with the goal of showcasing the dairy farming practices his magazine, Hoard’s Dairyman, was sharing with readers around the state and country. Today, the farm remains a way for the magazine’s editors to remain intimately connected with dairy farming and attracts visitors from around the country and world to see the herd of Guernseys.

Bella Blue, or sometimes just “Blue,” became a favorite in the herd for her high milk production, desirable conformation, and great transmitting ability. In her lifetime, she produced more than 138,000 pounds of milk. That’s enough milk to make 13,800 pounds of cheese, 11,500 gallons of ice cream, or 6,500 pounds of butter! Like many Guernseys, Bella Blue also carried the A2A2 gene, which meant her milk contained the A2 beta-casein protein that some people find more easy to digest.

She earned a place in Guernsey breed history by becoming one of the few cows that has been classified “Excellent-95 points,” meaning she is one of the most functionally correct cows in the breed. Bella Blue was also nominated for Global Guernsey Cow of the Year in 2015. Her legacy continued on in more than 10 daughters in the Hoard’s Dairyman herd, sons that went into stud, and embryos sold around the world. Her replica stands at the office on Milwaukee Avenue where Hoard’s Dairyman has been published since 1910.