Holstein Horizon Award Winner

Holstein Horizon Award

Lynn & Sara Harbaugh, Bella-View Holsteins

“I can’t think of a couple more deserving to win the inaugural Wisconsin Horizon Award than Lynn and Sara Harbaugh,” Sherry Siemers-Peterman stated as she started her award presentation at the adult convention.

“Their long standing leadership, passion, integrity and performance as Wisconsin Holstein breeders is second to none,” she continued.

Sara is a senior territory business manager at Zoetis. She is the general leader and coach of the Shawano County Dairy Bowl teams and they’re very competitive. In 2019, she was the National Holstein Junior Convention Co-Chair. Lynn is a sales representative for CentralStar Cooperative. He is a past president of WHA and has served on many committees. Most notably, he served as the Sale Committee Co-Chair of the National Holstein Convention in 2019. Currently, he serves on the Executive Show Committee. They have three exceptional children involved in showing and other Junior Holstein activities as well as school, sports and church, and are so competitive, and yet they also are truly the kind of people that all juniors love hanging out with. There’s Jacob, 16, Logan, 14, and Madison, 11.

Many of Lynn’s listed Holstein activities take place in the spring and fall when the Harbaughs are really busy preparing their cattle for shows, resulting in many daily chores that fall on Sara’s shoulders along with their talented children.

Lynn and Sara have really paid particular attention to everything that goes on in their herd. They are partners with Kurt and Sarah Loehr. Together, they are great business partners and, more importantly, treasured friends. They own roughly 50 head at ForestRidge and they’re constantly getting better under the Bella-Ridge prefix. Together, they have achieved many wonderful things. They have adapted to quote, “be fearless in the pursuit what sets your heart on fire.” Lynn and his good friend Chad “Skippy” Ryan have established the very successful sale series, The Quest for Success. This year’s sale had 107 lots and had an impressive $8,959 average. They both have helped many youth purchase cattle and helped them with preparation and nutrition knowledge. If you want to clean up a show and get it done, Lynn is the judge you want. He has judged at World Dairy Expo eight times. In addition to judging many state and national shows across the US, he has judged cattle in Canada and Mexico. He is a sought-after judge because of his extreme integrity and knowledge of great cows. As exhibitors and breeders, the Harbaugh family has shown Expo champions, class winners and have bred or developed nearly 50 All-American and Junior AllAmerican nominees. In 2020, they exhibited the Junior Champion or Reserve Junior Champion Holstein five times at national shows. At the Wisconsin Championship Show in 2021, the family exhibited one All-Wisconsin, four Reserve All-Wisconsin, six Junior AllWisconsin and one Reserve Junior All-Wisconsin. Quite a feat.

At World Dairy Expo, they exhibited Milksource Unix Chassup, as the first fall yearling of the open and junior shows. She is also the All-American and Junior All-American Fall Yearling for this year. Additionally, they produced four black and white and one red and white in the top four in the open show.

All year at state and national sales, you will most likely find Lynn’s name listed as a ringman in catalogs. This is a testament to Lynn’s key knowledge of dairy cattle and again integrity in representing both the buyer and seller to the best of his ability.

These are some of the many reasons why Lynn and Sara deserve this inaugural Wisconsin Horizon Award. presented by Sherry Siemers-Peterman

50 YEAR MEMBERS Roy Hetts, Fort Atkinson John Judd, Mount Horeb Leslie McCracken, Orfordville Ronald Melius, Slinger Dennis Noble, Lancaster Our-Kine Farm, Thorp Richard Reeson, Barneveld Ronny Rohloff, Whitewater

40 YEAR MEMBERS Todd Bodden, Theresa Bradbo Farms, Pickett

40- and 50-Year Members

Jim & Vicky Cleland, Clinton Daluge Farm, Janesville William Emslie III, Neosho Brian and Wendy Fust, Wausau James Galoff, Menomonie Gary Hillman, Fond du Lac Arnold Blema, Eastman Pat Ledden, Auburndale Greg and Sharon Magnuson, Neillsville Julie Marcks, Black Creek Charles Maurer, Chilton Barb Natzke, Fond du Lac Gerald and Diana Oppreicht, Eastman Edward Orzechowski, Stanley Larry and Sandra Reigel, Pittsville Dean Schoessow, Mequon Pam Selz-Pralle, Humbird Steven and Connie Sorg, Spring Green Timothy Steger, Prairie du Chien James Strauss, Lake Mills Karrie Melin Swenson, St. Croix Falls Walk-Era Farms, Wisconsin Dells Daniel Weis, Union Grove Kent Wendorft, Viroqua