An 18-year-old dairy cow in North Canterbury has achieved a rare accolade.
Belbrook Dynamic Vanessa EX5, who is owned by Belbrook Holsteins in Rangiora, has been classified excellent for a fifth time.
The result propels her into an elite club of bovines who have been recognised for their superior traits and longevity.
Vanessa was the only Holstein Friesian in New Zealand to receive an EX5 classification in 2019.
The achievement has left her owners, brothers Robbie and John Wakelin, elated.
"It's been two decades since we've had a cow classify EX5, that was Belbrook LD Annabel EX5 in 2000," said John.
"It's quite rare. Dairy cows work a lot harder these days and don't often live long enough to meet the required criteria."
A Holstein Friesian cow is not eligible to receive her first excellent classification until she has calved at least three times.
"Vanessa is a very youthful-looking cow. She looks like a nine-year-old, even though she's much older," said John.
Vanessa was born in 2002 and was the oldest cow in the Wakelin's milking herd in 2019-20.
Her production peaked at 513 kilograms of milksolids (kgMS) in 2013.
"Vanessa is the smallest cow in our herd. She goes back to a different time when our cows weren't as big," said John
She classified excellent for the first time in 2009.