Changes to the Star Brood Award for 2021

Following a periodic review of our awards schemes, the Holstein UK board of trustees have agreed to make changes to the Star Brood Award for 2021. The Star Brood Award recognises the impact that cows can have within an individual herd as well as the national herd. Points are awarded to each cow based on the achievements of her progeny.

The following changes have been made to the Star Brood Award:

1. The production index (PI) has been removed from the minimum qualifying standards and has been replaced with an animal’s lactation performance.
2. Additional points will now be awarded to recognise multiple generations of VG / EX
3. The points allocation for LP Awards has been extended to recognise that more animals are achieving awards above LP100.
4. The Star Brood Award will now be calculated automatically for all cows registered into the Holstein UK Herd Book free of charge.
5. If a member would like to query an animal’s Star Brood Award, then an investigation fee of £25.00 will be charged. 
6. Certificates for new or recalculated Star Brood Awards are only available on request by contacting the Membership Services team. 
7. A new Star Brood Award webpage has been launched within the Members Area which enables Holstein UK members to view a list of all females which have achieved Star Brood status.

The minimum compulsory qualifying criteria for the Star Brood Award is now:

• Three progeny classified Good Plus (GP) or higher
• Three progeny with a combined fat and protein of 700kgs for any lactation

The same progeny does not have to qualify for each section; however, they do need to be direct progeny of the cow (sons and daughters) rather than grandsons or daughters. A qualifying female will receive one star for every eight points achieved by her progeny. If any progeny of a qualifying female earns Star Brood status, they will receive:

• First star - 2 points
• Subsequent stars - 1 point per star

Full Star Brood Award points allocation 

If you have any questions on the Star Brood Award scheme, then please contact the Membership Services team on 01923 695200 or email info@holstein-uk.org