2025 Star of the Breed Named by Holstein Association USA

The highest honor presented to a Registered Holstein®, the Star of the Breed award recognizes a cow who excels in both type and production. Receiving the 2025 recognition from Holstein Association USA is Oakfield Solomon Sunset-ET EX-96 2E. Sunset is bred and owned by Jonathan and Alicia Lamb of Oakfield Corners Dairy in New York.

“The cow milks like crazy. As of today, she has over 178,000 pounds of lifetime milk, which is huge for any cow, so we’re really proud of her in that regard,” Alicia Lamb says. “And when you see her, she’s a beautiful cow—she’s been one of the greatest show cows we’ve had over the years.”

Sunset qualified for the award with her five-year-old production record of 51,710 pounds of milk with 2,087 pounds of fat (4.0%) and 1,674 pounds of protein (3.2%), along with her third-place finish in the Aged Cow Class at the 2025 Northeast Spring Holstein Show.

Jonathan and Alicia purchased Sunset’s dam, Bella-Rosa GW Sara-ET EX-96 3E, at the National Holstein Convention Sale in 2013. Sunset was sold to Adam Liddle at Oakfield Corners Dairy’s Spring Sensations Sale in 2019 and Jonathan and Alicia purchased Sunset back from Adam in 2022.

Notable showring achievements include Sunset being named Champion Bred and Owned at the Eastern Fall National Holstein Show for three years running, along with placing first in her class and being named Grand Champion of the show in 2022 and 2023. In 2024, Sunset once again placed first in her class at the Eastern Fall National and took home Reserve Grand Champion honors.

 ”One of the things we’re most proud of is not only how Sunset milked, but that she really exemplifies the type of cows were trying to breed today,” Jonathan Lamb says. “We don’t want to have the biggest, but we want to have the most correct and we certainly want them to have plenty of width and power and strength.”

“For a cow that we’ve bred and worked with and a cow family that we really love and appreciate to be recognized at this level, it’s humbling for us,” Alicia adds. “It’s a great honor for Sunset to be recognized in this way.”

To learn more about Sunset’s story, read the story in the Spring 2026 issue of The Pulse or tune into the Holstein Connections podcast.

The 2025 Star of the Breed will be recognized during Holstein Association USA’s 140th Annual Meeting at the 2026 National Holstein Convention in Orlando, Florida in June. To learn more or register for convention, visit www.holsteinconvention.com.

To be eligible for the Star of the Breed award, a cow must place in the top five in her class at a National Show, be in a herd enrolled in the TriStar^SM  program and have an official classification score.

Once the eligible cows are determined, the following calculation is used to determine the award recipient: Combined Mature Equivalent (ME) Fat and Protein + Age Adjusted Classification Score X (Breed Average ME CFP/Breed Average Age Adjusted Score.)