Among millions of cows in the world, there is one that stands out from the rest of the livestock.
The Viatina-19 FIV Mara Moveis supercow currently holds the world record for being the most expensive cow sold at auction.
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Mara sold for $4.2 million on July 1, 2023.
Weighing over 1,100 kilograms (2,400 pounds), he weighs twice as much as the average adult of his breed.
Mara sold for three times more than the previous record holder.
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Viatina-19 IVF Mara Moveis sold for $4 million. Weighing over 1,100 kilograms (2,400 pounds), she weighs twice as much as the average adult of her breed.
Ney Pereira and her daughter, veterinarian Lorrany Martins, give an interview inside a stable on their farm in Uberaba, Minas Gerais state, Brazil.
The livestock industry in Brazil is a major source of cash flow for the country’s economy and is the world’s leading beef exporter, and Viatina-19 is a testament to Brazil’s search for the best beef cow.
The million-dollar cow is the result of years of meticulous breeding.
Elite livestock auctions, with exorbitant prices, turn winners into shared investments for wealthy ranchers.
These meat industry magnates are playing the genetic lottery, collecting eggs and sperm from champions.
Their goal: create embryos to implant in surrogate mothers, in the hopes of giving birth to the next generation of super cows.
‘We are not culling elite livestock. We are raising them. And at the end of the line, we will feed the whole world,’ one of Viatina’s owners, Ney Pereira, told AP News. “I think Viatina will provide it.”
But what makes this income stream worth all that money?
Lorrany Martins, a veterinarian and Pereira’s daughter, said the cow’s price is based on a trifecta of three desirable traits: rapid muscle growth, exceptional fertility and, most importantly, the consistent ability to pass these qualities on to its calves.
Lorrany Martins, a veterinarian and Pereira’s daughter, said the cow’s price is based on a trifecta of three desirable traits: rapid muscle growth, exceptional fertility and, most importantly, the consistent ability to pass these qualities on to its calves.
Other factors include the value of the cow’s posture, soundness of hooves, docility, maternal ability and beauty.
He also said that breeders are willing to pay a whopping $250,000 to harvest Viatina-19’s eggs.
“It’s the closest thing to perfection that’s been achieved so far,” Martins said. “She is a complete cow, she has all the characteristics that all owners are looking for.”
To put things in perspective, beef cows cost between $2,500 and $3,000 and are raised for beef production. A dairy cow costs approximately $900 to $3,000 and is raised for milk production.