LOUISVILLE, Ky. — While the state of Indiana boasts some of the best purebred Jersey cattle in the country, the White family of New Castle, Ind., took home top honors on Nov. 5 during one of the largest, most elite dairy competitions in the world.

For more than 55 years, the North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE) has hosted the All-American Jersey Show, with most of those years in Louisville, Ky. And for nearly every single one of those 55 years, Steve White and family, of central Indiana, have exhibited their award-winning Jerseys to the top of the class, without missing a beat.

“This is our fourth trip to the big winners’ circle,” explained White. In 1992, White won Grand Champion of the All-American Jersey Show; in 1988 and earlier in the 1980s, the family took home two firsts in the coveted National Jersey Jug Futurity, in addition to winning a dozen or so classes throughout the 50-year timeline. So why was this year so different for the Whites?

Because not only did the family capture the title of Reserve Grand Champion with their cow Deans Star Bright, who was also named Best Bred and Owned of the entire show, but the oldest granddaughter, Rachel White, was crowned the 2007 National Jersey Queen and Indiana was dubbed State Herd in both the junior and open show.

“The fact that Rachel won jug queen and Star Bright won Reserve all in the same year, I guess made this year extra special,” White, grandfather of six, said proudly, reflecting on the family’s recent success.

Rachel, 19, said she couldn’t help but scream when the judge named Star Bright Reserve Grand Champion.

Show officials confirmed that the Jersey show was the largest dairy breed show to parade in the green shavings this year with 388 head placed in the open show and 222 animals in the junior show, both of which Indiana was named State Herd.

“She’s actually mine and Granddad’s, so it was really cool when she won – being her handler and part owner,” Rachel gleamed. “I was so pumped, that I was actually screaming out loud.”

A round in the winners’ circle

However, Star Bright hasn’t always been in the winners’ circle. According to White, she was second as a senior yearling in milk at the World Dairy Expo and NAILE; she was second as a two-year old at the Expo and NAILE; second at Expo and fifth in the National Jersey Jug Futurity as a senior-three year old; and sixth in the open show at the World Dairy Expo as a four-year old.

“She’s been a contender every time, this is the first time she’s won since she was a heifer,” said White. “She’s kind of like a racehorse that has always come in second or third and never taken first; but now that has all changed.”

The four-year old golden Jersey known as Star Bright, sired by Elliott’s Dorie Dean, isn’t just a pretty show cow either; White said she holds her own in the milking parlor.

“When we got back from Louisville, we tested Star Bright at 88 pounds of milk – that’s her third test over 80 pounds,” he said, noting that as a three-year old, Star Bright averaged more than 20,000 pounds of milk. “I don’t keep ‘em around if they don’t milk,” White simply stated.

In addition to Star Bright standing in the winners’ circle as Reserve next to Grand Champion Lloyds Jude Griffen-ET – owned by Budjon Farms and Peter Vail of Lomira, Wis. – there was another special All-American moment for the White family.

As 18-year-old Ben White took his first round in the show ring with Eclipses Hope, a senior yearling in milk, Rachel White prayed her brother would make it through, let alone win his class.

“This is the first year he has ever even shown, and he won his class in the All American Junior Jersey Show,” she said proudly. “You see, my brother has Asperger’s Syndrome, so we weren’t sure if he’d be able to be patient enough for the entire class. But he was a rock star and he totally handled it.”

Asperger’s Syndrome is a mild form of autism and mostly affects communication skills, Rachel explained. “They tend to have excellent math and science skills,” she said. “But Ben, he is really good with the cattle on the farm, the cows have been therapy for him.”

Queen for a year

Newly crowned National Jersey Queen, Rachel, who recently finished her 10th year in 4-H, has exhibited at the All-American nearly all her life, according to White, and even tried out for the National Jersey Jug Queen contest once before in 2005. However, this year was different; this year was special.

During the All American Junior Jersey Banquet on Nov. 3, after a grueling two-day interview and application process, the American Jersey Cattle Assoc. named the top five queen applicants, of the 17 that applied, Rachel was in the running.

On stage in front of more than 200 juniors, each of the top five applicants were asked to answer the final question: “If chosen as National Jersey Queen, what would be your platform to promote the Jersey breed?”

“It was a marketing question, so I was prepared for it,” Rachel said, recalling how nervous she was during the competition.

She answered the question detailing the benefits of Jersey milk as a “higher quality” component lending commodity.

“Jerseys offer more diverse components to meet the demands of the varied consumer,” Rachel said, while explaining that Jersey milk contains the highest protein and butterfat content of any breed, making the milk more valuable and marketable to consumers.

“I was absolutely shaking during my question,” she recalled. “But I knew I did well on my test, the application and the interview. When they called my name as the 2007 National Jersey Queen, I just couldn’t believe it.

“I’ve shown in Louisville for 10 years now and my family has shown much longer than that, but for me, this one takes the cake, this has been the best year yet,” Rachel beamed.

Rachel, who is currently a sophomore at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind., majoring in political science and economics with a minor in Spanish, will enjoy her reign as National Jersey Queen traveling to shows, conventions and meetings as the spokesperson and national representative for the breed over the next year.

Steve, along with his wife, Sharon; oldest son, Brad and wife, Deanna, and their two children Rachel and Ben; youngest son, John, wife, Susan, and their four daughters – Alissa, Ann, Amanda and Olivia – exhibited a total of six registered Jerseys at this year’s All-American Jersey Show.

Milking a small herd of Jerseys, Steve White said his grandfather Leroy started the family farm and Jersey genetics business in 1908 in New Castle, where the family resides today.