BARABOO — The Wisconsin Holstein Association announced Jan. 15 its 2023 Distinguished Breeder and Service award winners. Those being recognized include Mike and Marcy McCullough of Rock-N-Hill Holsteins in Juda as Distinguished Holstein Breeder. 

The Wisconsin Holstein Convention will be held Feb. 23-24, 2024 at the Chalet Landhaus Inn in New Glarus. These award winners will be recognized during the annual banquet on Feb. 24 at 6:30 p.m. A full schedule of convention events and convention registration can be found at www.wisholsteins.com/adultconvention.

 Distinguished Holstein Breeder: Mike and Marcy McCullough, Rock-N-Hill Holsteins, Juda

Mike and Marcy McCullough started farming in 1973 in Illinois with seven Registered Holsteins and nine heifers along with some pigs in a 34 stall tie-stall barn. They moved their herd and two children to Juda in December of 1976 where they purchased a 160-acre farm with a newer 48 tie-stall barn. About 80% of the current herd traces back to Mike’s first Registered Holstein calf, Taylor Knoll Suzie VG-87. 

Today, the herd includes 50 milking Registered Holsteins with a BAA of 110.9% and rolling herd average of 24,331 pounds of milk, 962 pounds of fat and 753 pound of protein. Mike has bred 103 Excellent and 237 Very Good as well as 32 cows who have produced more than 200,000 pounds of milk. 

Standout cows Mike has bred and developed include Rock-N-Hill AJ Ella EX-90 5E and Rock-N-Hill Knucklebuck EX-94. 

The McCulloughs believe in breeding for high type cows from 100% RHA bulls and have been a completely homebred herd for 20 years. 

Mike is a past president for Wisconsin Holstein Association and the Green County Holstein Breeders. Marcy helped build a strong junior program in Green County, serving as leader and dairy bowl coach for almost 20 years. 

Mike and Marcy have five children who were very involved on the farm growing up and most still have active roles today.

 Distinguished Young Holstein Breeder: Tony and Jacob Brey, Brey Cycle Farm, Sturgeon Bay

Tony and Jacob Brey grew up on their 100¬-cow Registered Holstein farm in Sturgeon Bay. 

Today, the brothers manage 1,100 cows with a rolling herd average of 29,652 pounds of milk, 1246 pounds of fat and 942 pounds of protein and 43 Excellent, 204 Very Good and 324 Good Plus cows. 

The herd has been presented the Progressive Genetic Herd Award by Holstein Association USA for eight years. Tony joined the business in 2007 following college and purchased Registered Holsteins from herds in Illinois and Oklahoma to double the herd size. 

Jacob joined the farm full-time in 2015 after two years as a classifier for Holstein Association USA. The Breys use bulls with both pedigree and genomic factors when making breeding decisions for farm profitability. They have sold five bulls to AI, including Cycle McGucci Jordy-Red, a two-time winner of the Premier Sire award at World Dairy Expo. 

Tony and his wife Moriah have two children, Evan, 12 and Alexa, 6, who are getting involved with Registered Holsteins. Jacob and his wife Lauren also have two children, Rosella, 2 and Willem, 1.

 Holstein Horizon Award: David Sarbacker, Edgerton

David Sarbacker of Floydholm Holsteins, Edgerton, is this year’s Holstein Horizon Award winner. This award recognizes WHA members who own, breed and market Registered Holstein but do not market milk on a daily basis. Sarbacker and the Floydholm prefix is probably most well-known for breeding Floydholm MC Emoji-ET EX-95, now owned by the Nehls family and La Femme Fatale Syndicate. 

In 2019, Emoji was Intermediate Champion at both the International Holstein Show and the Royal Winter Fair. Emoji is a daughter of the foundation cow of Floydholm, Budjon-JK Damion Eklipse-ET EX-94 2E. Eklipse has also produced two daughters that were Reserve Champion Yearling at the Wisconsin Junior State Fair and two others that were named Junior All-American and Reserve Junior All-American. 

In addition to breeding and developing elite cattle, David has promoted the Registered Holstein through youth engagement, hosting fitting and showing clinics on their farm and serving on the Dane County State Fair Committee. He has worked for CentralStar Cooperative for 26 years, currently as a Genetic Consultant. 

David and his wife, Candace, have three children, Lindsey, 23, Ashlyn, 20, and Cole, 17. 

Marlowe Nelson Distinguished Service Award: Jim Rickert, Eldorado

Jim Rickert of Eldorado has been a leader in the Wisconsin Holstein industry as well as in his local community for many years. Jim served on the Executive Committee for the National Holstein Conventions in 2008 and 2019. 

In 2008, alongside wife Kelly, he was a co-chair for the National Junior Holstein Convention, and in 2019 they served as Transportation Chairs. Jim served on the WHA Board of Directors for six years where he was secretary for three and served a term as president. 

Additionally, for the past 18 years, he has served on the WHA Scholarship committee. On the county level, Jim has dedicated his time to the Fond du Lac County Holstein Association serving on the board and as a junior advisor. 

Outside of Holstein-related activities he has been a board member for Badgerland Financial, Wisconsin DHIA and Fond du Lac DHIA. He’s active in the Eldorado Lions Club and in the Redeemer Church congregation. 

Jim farms with his wife and brother and their families at Rickland Holsteins. The family was recognized as the WHA Distinguished Holstein Breeder for 2022.

The annual Wisconsin Junior Holstein Convention was hosted by the Fond du Lac County Junior Holstein Association in Fond du Lac, Dec. 29-31, 2023. More than 450 Holstein members, chaperones, and volunteers were in attendance to help make the event a success.

Throughout the convention, junior members participated in numerous contests including speaking, arts and crafts, photography, Dairy Jeopardy and Dairy Bowl. The largest competition of the weekend was Dairy Bowl, in which 32 junior, 16 senior, and nine rookie teams competed. 

More than 40 volunteers helped coordinate Dairy Bowl matches, Dairy Jeopardy contests, and the speaking contest. 

The Shawano County team took first place in the senior Dairy Bowl contest with Wood County coming in second place. The winner of the junior division was Brown County 1 with Shawano County taking second. 

The Shawano and Brown County teams will represent Wisconsin at the National Holstein Convention in Salt Lake City, Utah in June 2024.

All juniors at the convention had the chance to compete in the Dairy Jeopardy competition. The top competitor in each of three age brackets has the opportunity to compete at the national level. 

In the speaking contest, Wisconsin can send up to three delegates in each division to compete at the National Convention. To compete, youth must prepare a speech on a topic related to the dairy industry at a length assigned to their specific age division. 

On Saturday evening, the annual banquet was held to honor outstanding juniors in the association. Sam Mess of Fond du Lac County and Clarissa Ulness of Manitowoc/Calumet County claimed the most prestigious honor, being named Outstanding Holstein Boy and Girl, respectively. Also receiving honors were 11 other Distinguished Junior Members (DJM), 15 Young Distinguished Junior Member winners (YDJM), and 14 Twelve & Under Recognition winners, all of whom excelled in their Wisconsin Holstein activities in 2023.

The Young Distinguished Junior Holstein Members included Brooke Mueller of Green County.   

Of the exceptional youth recognized, four representatives in the DJM and the YDJM categories were selected to submit award forms to the national level with hopes of being honored at the National Convention. 

The 2024 Wisconsin Holstein Princess and Attendant were also crowned at the banquet on Saturday evening. This year, Lauren Breunig of Dane County will serve as the WHA Princess, and Madison Wiese of Brown County will join her as the WHA Princess Attendant.

The WHY Leadership Merit award recognizes youth who excel in leadership at a local level. They are nominated by an advisor or fellow junior member by means of an application on their behalf. This year’s award recipients include Ava Booth of Sheboygan County and Tessa Schmocker of Jefferson County.

The WHY (Wisconsin Holstein Youth) Friend award honors those who have gone above and beyond to help juniors. Liz Matzke was also recognized as Friend of the JACs for her four years spent as a JAC advisor. 

Wisconsin Holstein Foundation awarded $19,000 in scholarships this year, and an auction was held to raise funds for future awards. Funds from these items are put into the WHA scholarship fund, and close to $8,000 was added this year. High school seniors, and two and four-year college students that are members of WHA are all eligible for these scholarships.

Throughout the convention, youth were recognized for other outstanding achievements.

The Junior Farm Trip is awarded to youth interested in learning more about the Wisconsin Holstein industry and spending time touring farms and agri-businesses on a two-day tour in the spring.  

The convention concluded Sunday morning with an awards breakfast and the annual business meeting, where four new Junior Activities Committee (JAC) members were elected. The JAC group is responsible for coordinating and overseeing all junior events within the Wisconsin Holstein Association. Elected to two-year terms included Kelsey Hardy, Iowa County, representing the Southwest District; Tessa Schmocker, Jefferson County, representing the Southeast District; Garrett Ulness, Manitowoc/Calumet County, representing the Northeast District; and Aspen Hagen, Clark County, representing the Northwest District. These members join second-year members Paige Sweatt, District 5 Junior Holsteins, Southwest District; Ashley Brandel, Jefferson County, Southeast District; Jacob Harbaugh, Shawano County, Northeast District; and Maddy Hensel, Wood County, Northwest District. 

The contest room is an excellent way to show off projects completed by junior members throughout the year. Members participate in advertising, photography, arts and crafts, and folding display contests. New this year were sewing and quilting and scale model categories. 

In the Photography Contest’s Arts and Crafts junior division, Abby Withrow of Green County took third place and the People’s Choice award.