Larry Wright, Wrightvale Holsteins
Larry Wright, known by those in the industry as Leroy, operates Wrightvale Holsteins in Verona, Missouri. Wrightvale milks 70 head of registered Holsteins with a BAA of 108.7 and farm 340 acres of corn silage and hay. Larry’s focus remains to breed high-type cattle, focusing on strong cow families that transmit and last generations.
The Wrightvale prefix and herd began with his parents, George and Betty Wright, in Clever, Missouri. George always emphasized type and longevity in his registered Holstein cattle and actively used AI breeding and classification to improve his herd. Larry graduated from the University of Missouri in Dairy Science in 1980 and returned to the home farm. In 2013, Leroy and Jodi purchased 120 acres in Verona, and moved their cattle and continued the Wrightvale prefix.
Larry has always had a special eye for high quality cattle that had the potential to move to the next level or be the brood cow that took his herd or that of a friend to the next level. This allows Wrightvale to market cows, bulls and calves to local and national buyers. To date they have had six Grand Champions and exhibited the 2022 Supreme Champion at the Missouri State Fair. Other honors include All-American nominations and winners, multiple All-Missouri winners nearly every year, since 1976. Larry has often entered partnerships that have also resulted in numerous show winners! He also has judged at the local, state, and regional levels for nearly 30 years.
One cow that has had an enormous impact on the current herd is Ms Savage-Leigh Party-ET (EX-93-2E). Party was Intermediate Champion at the Midwest Spring Show and third place 3-Year-Old at the New York Spring Show. Party has had a lasting influence at Wrightvale with over 39 progeny either in Wrightvale or other North American herds. Wrightvale Doorman Livvy was recently scored EX-95 and was the 2021 World Dairy Expo First Junior 3-Yr Old and Honorable Mention Intermediate Champion and All-American Junior 3-Yr Old and is owned by Borba, CA & Triple-T, OH. Her daughter Wrightvale Jackson Love was the 2023 Reserve All-American Red & White Junior 3-Yr-Old and is owned by Steven Nelson, MN.
In 2004, they were honored as the Missouri State Fair Farm Family. Larry and Jodi have also received Honorary FFA degrees from multiple chapters for assisting with their dairy judging teams. In 2019, Larry coached the team that placed nationally and qualifying for the International Youth Dairy Judging Tour.
Wrightvale hosts a youth dairy judging camp annually, giving back to the next generation of dairy youth. The farm is also heavily involved in the Missouri 4-H Dairy Cow Camp by providing cattle for the camp kids and giving them the opportunity to purchase them for their program.
Larry and Jodi have two children, Lora and Blake.