THE MOST EXPENSIVE COW WAS 1.3$ MILLION

THE MOST EXPENSIVE COW WAS 1.3$ MILLION 

Mist, a Holstein cow hailed as the probable matriarch of a dynasty of star milk producers, was bought  by a group of investors for $1.3 million, the largest price ever paid for a cow at auction.

The figure was at least $100,000 above the price paid for the previous record holder, a Texas cow, said an auction spokesman, Kate McGrath.

The cow was bought by a group, Mist Syndicate, led by a Boston lawyer, Jerome Rappaport, who was Mist's sole owner before the auction.

Mr. Rappaport, who owns a farm in East Montpelier, said he put Mist up for auction ''to generate the concept of the value of the cow.''

''Mist is a show cow,'' Mr. Rappaport said. ''She has a high pedigree, high index and her milk has a high butterfat content. She sold today not only for herself, but for her 14 pregnancies as well.''

''Five or six of her offspring have sold collectively for $500,000,'' he added, ''and she's still a young cow. She can be the founder of a great generation of cows.''