In the summer of 2007 Ayrshire Quebec introduced the first edition of a new contest "The Dream Cow". The idea behind this new competition is to feature great Ayrshires that have had an impact on our breed.

Each of the Ayrshire Clubs in Quebec entered a cow to represent their region. The 11 finalists were judged on the impact they have had on the Ayrshire breed through their progeny. The judges were also looking for a cow that is admired by all breeders for her own accomplishments.

Kellcrest Happy Spirit was announced as the winner of this first edition at the Ayrshire Quebec annual Meeting held in Chicoutimi, Quebec on February 1, 2008. Happy Spirit is an all round cow who has demonstrated her superiority in all aspects of Ayrshire activities.

We first saw Happy Spirit as a September calf in the showring, she was winning then and it never stopped. Nominated All-Canadian in 1996 for her show performances, she also won several Total Performance and Production awards at various shows and the Royal Winter Fair.

Canada's highest milk producer in 1997 and 1998, Happy Spirit has broken 6 All-Time All-Canadian production records. Her highest records are 4-6 13,908 kg of milk, 4% fat and 3.4% protein with BCA's of 372-360-387 and 6-4 13, 570 kg of milk, 4.7% fat and 3.4% protein. Happy Spirit is still producing and recently classified EX-93- 7E at 14 years of age.

Canada's #1 LPI cow in 1997 and 1998, Happy Spirit passed the honours on to her progeny. Her most famous daughter, Kellcrest happy EX-94-2E was the #1 Conformation cow in Canada 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006. Granddaughter, Kellcrest Porche EX was #1 LPI cow in 2004 - 2005 and great granddaughter, Kellcrest Lea, VG-86 was #1 in 2006 and January 2007.

The 3 sons at Semex, Iceman (#1 LPI bull 2002), Harmony (#2 Type bull 2002) and Henley (#2 LPI bull 2003) are all leaving their mark on the Ayrshire breed. The grandsons at Semex are now coming on the scene.

Embryos from Happy Spirit have been sold around the world and we don't know exactly how many progeny are out there! A gentleman from Colombia who visited the International Dairy Showcase in 2006 said that he had a picture of Happy Spirit on the wall in his room. His dream to see Happy Spirit alive was realised during the farm visits after the show! In Canada, there are 14 daughters classified to date 100% GP or better.

We could go on, the Happy Spirit story is far from finished. The dream continues as her progeny carry on her legacy of excellence.