2022 Wisconsin Holstein Convention The Jefferson County Holstein Breeders, in coordination with the Wisconsin Holstein Association (WHA), hosted the annual Adult Holstein Convention at the Country Inn & Suites in Fort Atkinson, February 18 and 19. Holstein breeders from across the state were in attendance for meetings, speakers and tours, and to receive recognition for outstanding accomplishments in 2021. The convention kicked off Friday afternoon with WHA committee meetings. Following these meetings, Holstein USA board members Bob Webb and Tony Brey hosted a Holstein USA town hall forum. Members heard updates from the national association and were able to ask questions about programs and industry topics. At the Friday evening meal, the 2021 Wisconsin Top Performer cows were announced. Recognized were cows owned by Tom Kestell, Ever-Green-View, Waldo, and Wargo Acres, Lodi. The overall Top Performer was Ever-Green-View Aclaim-ET EX-91, owned by Tom Kestell, Waldo. Aclaim produced 57,248 pounds of milk, 2652 pounds of fat (4.6 percent) and 1809 pounds of protein (3.2 percent) in 305 days at 4-06. Also recognized were owners of cows that have produced more than 300,000 and 400,000 pounds of lifetime milk. There were 57 cows recognized for producing over 300,000 pounds and four cows that produced over 400,000 pounds in 2021. Outstanding advertisements in the Wisconsin Holstein News in 2021 were also recognized. Taking top ad honors for the year was Chris-Le Acres, the Kramer family of St. Cloud. Attendees at Saturday morning’s early bird session heard about diversification on the farm from fellow association members, Marci Walker, Zoey (Brooks) Nelson and Gail Klinkner. Each woman, in addition to farming, operates a business that promotes products made from their agricultural business. Walker’s family runs WalkEra Wagyu Beef where they sell beef cuts as well as quarters, half and whole animals from Wagyu-Holstein cross steers bred on their farm. Nelson, along with her father, milks 600 Holsteins and has just started selling beef from their Holstein steers in their retail store. They are also working with a local creamery to produce a line of white cheddar cheese. Klinkner operates Klinkner Kountry Store where the family sells beef and pork from their animals, local cheeses and country décor. Attendees greatly enjoyed the session and learned a lot from their fellow members. The anunal WHA business meeting started off with Steve Endres giving a financial and membership update. Total asset were up this year and overall finances are strong for the upcoming year. Laura spoke about the Wisconsin Holstein Foundation (WHF). WHF continues to invest in youth and distributed more than $16,000 in scholarships to a strong pool of applicants and National DJM semifinalists. Thank you to all who have donated to the foundation. Craig Carncross presented a proposed by-law change suggested by the WHA Board of Directors. 10 – Wisconsin Holstein News – April/May 2022
By-Law 4 Sec. 2. Elections. a. The number of directors shall be twelve (12). At each annual meeting thereafter, there shall be elected directors equal in number to those whose terms have expired, for a term of three (3) years each. Election by the members of a director to fill a vacancy occurring before the end of the term, shall be for the unexpired term only. Each Director shall hold office for the term for which he is elected and until his successor is elected and enters upon his duties. Directors shall be elected for not more than two (2) consecutive full three (3) year terms. b. Director shall be elected by ballot. Nominations may be made from the floor. There must be at least one more nomination than the number of vacancies to be filled. All vacancies must be voted for on each ballot, or the ballot will not be valid. Craig Carncross made a motion to strike the statement “There must be at least one more nomination than the number of vacancies to be filled” and to change the wording to say “may be made from the floor.” Second by Jim Rickert. Majority approved; motion passed. It was suggested to update the bylaws to include both genders. It was also suggested to decrease the number of board members from 12 to 10. Four new members were elected to a three-year term on the WHA Board of Directors: Nicole Miller-Speich, Orfordville; Ty Hildebrandt, Hustisford; Ralph Petersheim, Viroqua and Krista Luedtke, Hortonville. Ryan Weigel of Platteville was re-elected to a second three-year term. Following elections committees reported on their discussions from the previous day. WHA is still looking for a 2023 WHA Adult Convention host, if your county is interested in hosting please contact Laura Wackershauser at 800-223-4269 ext. 1 or lauraw@ wisholsteins.com. During Saturday’s luncheon, the association honored 40- and 50- year members, outstanding juniors and the 2022 Wall of Fame Inductees. The afternoon was highlighted with tours of local businesses in Fort Atkinson. Tour attendees visited the Hoard’s Dairyman Farm to see their robotic milking facility. Another tour stop was Jones Dairy Farm, a sausage making company. Attendees got a tour of their market store and the old farmstead where the Jones family used to dairy farm. The tours wrapped up at the National Dairy Shrine which is always an enjoyable walk down memory lane for Holstein breeders. Honored at the Saturday evening banquet was this year’s Holstein Horizon award winner, Distinguished Young Holstein Breeder, Marlowe Nelson Distinguished Service, and Distinguished Holstein Breeder award winners. You can find the adapted award presentations in the subsequent pages.
