On Monday, June 23, attendees of the 2019 National Holstein Convention will have the opportunity to tour farms around the state of Wisconsin. Holstein enthusiasts will get to talk cows with Registered Holstein breeders and experience a variety of dairying styles, from robotic to tie-stall to a show facility. Lunch will be served at Budjon Farms. The tours are made possible by a generous sponsorship from STgenetics.

Farms featured during pre-convention tours include:

Jenlar Holsteins, Chilton, Wis: Larry and Jennifer Meyer farm near Chilton, Wis., where they raise Registered Holstein and Brown Swiss cattle. After a barn fire in 2006, the Meyers built a 140-stall sand-bedded, four-row freestall barn and continued to milk in a tie-stall facility. After a decade of this, they decided to expand the barn, adding a new milkhouse and office, and installed two Lely robots. The breeding focus of the farm is to make cows that excel in type and health, along with traits necessary for automated milking. Their goal is to have cows that function in a robotic facility yet can remain successful in the showring. Their high standard breeding philosophy, along with cow comfort, high quality feed, and management practices leads them to a rolling herd average (RHA) of 29,142 pounds of milk, 1145 pounds of fat and 3.2 pounds of protein.

Forest Ridge Holsteins, Eden, Wis,: Located in Eden, Wis., Forest Ridge Holsteins is operated by fifth-generation farmers Kurt and Sarah Loehr. Only 16 years ago, they started in the Registered Holstein business when Kurt purchased his first registered animal, and since then they have seen an outstanding amount of success. Since purchasing the farm in 2011, they have bred or developed more than 70 Excellent cows. In addition to classification success, they have a RHA of more than 26,000 pounds of milk, nearly 1,000 pounds of fat, and a somatic cell count of less than 60,000. They were honored with being named the 2018 Wisconsin Distinguished Young Holstein Breeder.

Budjon Farms, Lomira, Wis.: Known for showring success and champion cows, Budjon Farms is an impressive farm operated by Tom and Kelli Cull in Lomira, Wis. In 2014, t e farm underwent renovations which included a new office, maternity pens, milkhouse, and hosp tality areas. The following year they updated their calf facilities adding 145 individual hutches and 50 super hutches. With a strong belief in sire stacks and cow families, Tom and Kelli make breeding decisions with the goal to enhance the marketability of their animals. Starting in 2010, Budjon Farms created Budjon Boarding, a boarding business that has grown to approximately 100 animals for more than 25 clients.

Rosendale Dairy, Pickett, Wis.: Part of the MilkSource family of farms, Rosendale Dairy houses nearly 9,000 cows, generating an economic impact of $36 million to the local economy every year. Started first in 2008 and then expanded in 2010, the cows are kept in two quarter-mile long barns with cross ventilation systems and sand bedded freestalls. Each pen in the barn has 320 cows. The cows are milked three times a day in a pair of side-by-side 80-stall rotary parlors, with an observation room. Producing an average of 86 pounds of milk per cow per day with a 3.8 percent fat and a 3.1 percent ‘protein, the farm made more than 252 million pounds of milk in 2018. A manure separation system recycles most of the sand bedding and separates nutrient liquids and solids.

For a day filled with great cows and great people, join us for the Pre-Convention Tours. More information on these farms as well as convention registration can be found at www.2019HolsteinConventionWI.com. Register by May 25, 2019 to avoid the late fee of $50.

For more information about the event, please contact:

Corey Geiger

Co-Chair

2019 National Holstein Convention

902 8th Avenue

Baraboo, WI 53913

cgeiger@uwalumni.com