Jacob Harbaugh of Marion, Wis., was named the 20th Merle Howard Award winner at the 57th World Dairy Expo on Friday, October 4.
Harbaugh is as hard-working and passionate about the industry as anyone out there. Like many juniors, he began showing cattle at the local level and eventually began to exhibit at state, regional, and national shows. An ingenious and ambitious young man, Harbaugh pivoted during the pandemic and started his own fitting business working at sales, shows, and herd classifications.
A well-rounded individual, he has competed in speaking contests, Dairy Jeopardy, and Dairy Bowl competitions at both the state and national levels. Active in 4-H dairy cattle judging, his county team won the 2023 Wisconsin Dairy Cattle Judging Contest and earned a trip to World Dairy Expo that year, where he finished in the top 25 and earned All American recognition.
An avid dairy cattle exhibitor, Harbaugh has done extremely well in the showring, earning Reserve Junior Champion of the 2021 International Junior Holstein Show with his Holstein Fall Yearling. The very next year, he exhibited the Junior Champion Brown Swiss in both the Junior and Open Show at World Dairy Expo’s International Brown Swiss Show. And in this year’s very competitive Brown Swiss Fall Calf Class, his heifer stood second in the open show and earned first place junior honors.
When Harbaugh is not at school or on the road, you will find him in the barns by Bella-View Holsteins washing heifers and getting them ready for competitions. He works extremely hard and is a major reason for the success at Bella-View with their show heifers of multiple breeds. Always looking to learn, Harbaugh also took part in the one-week Young Breeder School in Europe this summer.
In addition to being named the 2024 Merle Howard winner, Harbaugh earned the 2023 Star in Agribusiness by the Wisconsin FFA. This past summer, was one of six individuals to earn the prestigious Distinguished Junior Holstein member award from Holstein Association USA.
The 19-year-old son of Sara and Lynn Harbaugh is a sophomore majoring in animal science with an emphasis on industry and business at the University of Minnesota, where he is active in the Gopher Dairy Club, the Ag Business Club, and Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity.
Nearly all the previous award winners of the Merle Howard Award were on hand for the award presentation. They include: 2004, Robert Teixeira, Turlock, Calif.; 2005, Matthew Mitchell, Speedwell, Tenn.; 2006, Greta Koebel, Poplar Grove, Ill.; 2007, Brandon Ferry, Hilbert, Wis.; 2008, Kelly Lee Reynolds, Corfu, N.Y.; 2009, Kyle Natzke, Fond du Lac, Wis.; 2010, Stephanie Aves Schroeder, Lancaster, Wis.; 2011, Karen Anderson Johnson, Litchfield, Minn.; 2012, Cy Conard, Sharon Springs, N.Y.; 2013, Cassy Krull, Lake Mills, Wis.; 2014, Jade Jensen Kruschke, New Richmond, Wis.; 2015, Jared Dueppengiesser, Rush, N.Y.; 2016, Doug Boop, Millmont, Pa.; 2017, Dawson Nickels, Watertown, Wis.; 2018, Kyle Barton, Cecil, Wis.; 2019, Kaleb Kruse, Dyersville, Iowa; Kylie Nickels, Watertown, Wis.; Keenan Thygesen, Tunbridge, Vt., and Savannah Crack, Richmond, Quebec, Canada.
Merle Howard was a respected dairy industry pioneer. Winner of the 1954 Klussendorf Award, Howard was a herd manager, Holstein classifier, and later a sales and export businessman. Howard also served on the first National Dairy Shrine Board of Directors.
