Sassy Red & Whites for a Sassy Redhead By Melissa Hart
“Ever since I could walk, I can remember being on the end of a halter,” remarked Lily Marshman of Tigerlily Holsteins. At 14, the redheaded Oxford native has grown her herd of Registered Red and Whites to approximately 50 head. Why Red and Whites? “I like to say they match my hair and my personality. They have a little bit of sass in them,” she chuckled. The Tiger Lily herd is part of Marshman Farms, LLC, established by Jacob Marshman in 1856. Lily’s father, John, and his brother, David and his son Corey, are the sixth generation managing the farm where they milk approximately 425 cows with 400 head of replacement heifers. They farm 1,100 acres of corn and hay to produce forage for the herd, while most of the grain is purchased. Selecting for dairy character, style, good feet and legs and nice udders, Lily’s preferred sires include Unstopabull, Altitude, Warrior and Analyst. “I really like my Unstopabulls, they are pretty nice. I have a nice fall calf and a winter yearling that just freshened.” While winter hangs on in central New York, she is working diligently with her show string. When Tigerlily Holsteins pulls into Hamburg for the NY Spring Dairy Carousel they will have a fall calf (Tiger Lily Analy Jade-Red sired by Analyst), a winter yearling (Tiger Lily Alt Rylan-Red sired by Altitude) and a fall yearling (Tiger Lily Unstp Riah-Red sired by Unstopabull). Her cow lineup will be a Senior 2-yearold Altitude daughter and a 4-year-old Derringer
Lily’s show barn gets a lot of use when show season starts. 16 - NYN March-April 2022
Lily was named Premier Breeder of the NY State Red & White Show in 2021. She also had Reserve Junior Champion with Tiger Lily Unst Riah-Red-ET and Reserve Grand & Intermediate Champion with Tiger-Lily Incr Ripley-Red.
daughter. When the weather permits, Lily works with her show string as much as she can between sports and school. As spring show gets closer and the weather warms up, they will start washing the animals every day. They are fed a special 40 percent show ration, with all the hay they can eat. Over the years she has had several role models for support and advice. Her parents have been a huge influence; she credits her mom, Sheila, for support and her dad for teaching her about the dairy business. John said, “Showing cows is not Sheila’s strong
