Breeder Profile: Mauk-E-Way Farm

District 10: Mauk-E-Way Farm

by Mara Budde

An up-and-coming herd has found success by investing in deep Registered Holstein pedigrees. Mauk-E-Way Farm has changed a bit from where it originally started. However, one thing remained constant: the passion for dairy cattle. Kyle and Sarah Mauk have been caring for dairy cattle since 1987. Since then, it has become a full family affair with their son Bryan and his family adding many new breeding practices and improving the herd.

Kyle and Sarah Mauk started dairying with 13 grade Holsteins. Over the years, the farm has grown to 55 milking cows. In 2008, their son Bryan and wife Brittney introduced Registered Holsteins to the farm. The family’s interest in the registered side of the business was thanks to Brittney who grew up on a Registered Jersey dairy, DayKel Jerseys, in Plymouth.

Building their registered herd was possible through the use of embryo transfer, purchasing of older, high scored cows as well as registering the grade Holsteins with years of record keeping. With the herd now completely registered, showing has become an additional focus on the farm. It began with exhibiting animals every now and then, but after the Mauks got connected with the Booth family (Chris & Courtney Booth) they became regulars to the show ring. Once calves get too big for Bryan and Brittney’s children, but still have show promise, they are taken, cared for, and shown by the Booth kids, Cole, Ava, Campbell and Royce. In return, Mauk-E-Way farm houses a few cows for the Booth family.

The families have partnered on many Mauk-bred animals, however the Mauks and Booth have only purchased one animal together and she proved to be a good investment for them. Rosedale Hopeless Romantic, EX-90, is a Scientific Demello from a full sister to Rosedale Lexington EX-95. On their first flush to Jordy, Romantic made 15 #1 embryos that were split between the two families.

Romantic’s most successful daughter, Ms Mauk-E-Way Rosa-Red, is scored VG-86 as a two-year-old and had a big run in 2019 as a spring yearling. She was named Junior Champion of the Midwest Spring National Red & White Junior and Open Show as well as Junior Champion of the Midwest Spring National Holstein Junior Show and Reserve Junior Champion of the open show. She did well at the 2019 Wisconsin Championship Red & White Show where she was the Reserve Junior Champion of the Junior Show and Honorable Mention Junior Champion in the Open Show.

A group of Rosa’s red and white herdmates were featured on the cover of Hoard’s Dairyman as a part of their judging contest this winter. One of these animals was Ms Mauk-E-Way Remi-Red-ET,

The Mauk Family: back - Brittney and Brian, Kyle and Sarah; front - Natalie, Jayden, Rayah, Rori and Braxton.

Mauk-E-Way Farm | Plymouth, Wis.

The Mauk Family Kyle and Sarah Mauk, Bryan and Brittney Mauk Bryan and Brittney Mauk – their kids Natalie (11), Braxton (9), Jayden (5), Rori and Rayah (3 – twins) Herd Size: 55 cows Number of Acres: 300 acres rented and owned – hay, corn silage and wheat Average production: 24,000 pounds Ration: component feeding, bought a new mixer and will be starting a TMR soon Housing: Tie-stalls and box stalls

a full sister to Rosa who was the Reserve Intermediate Champion at the 2021 Midwest National Spring Red & White Junior Show. On her first score Remi went GP-83.

In addition to Romantic, the Mauk family has made investments in other strong pedigreed cows. One of these was Luck-E Talent Kiki, EX-93, whose dam is a full sister to Luck-E Advent Kandie, EX-95, the 2014 Reserve Grand Champion of the World Dairy Expo Red & White Show. Two descendants of Kiki that have had their own AllAmerican careers so far are Mauk-E-Way Ammo Kyler-ET, Reserve Junior All-American Spring Yearling 2020, and Mauk-E-Way Jordy Knox-Red, Honorable Mention All-American Fall Yearling 2020.

Another cow the couple invested in early during their farming career was Budjon Encore Annalie-ET, EX-94. She was an Encore from Budjon Stardust Anisa, EX-96, and backed by an EX-91 Eagle and EX-90 Sexation. There are a few descendants in the herd from her yet today including two Awesome sisters who were part of a set of triplets. Both are scored VG-87.

Their most recent purchase was Jacobs Doorman Barbela, VG-87 CAN, who came straight from Ferme Jacobs. She is a Doorman from EX-96 Goldwyn Brittany. They have numerous embryos from her and are expecting a lot of calves from her over the next couple of months.

Today, Bryan breeds for type with an emphasis on feet and legs and udders. Sires helping him achieve these goals include Moovin, Jordy, and Sidekick. He’s also used bulls like Ammo-P that combine both type and production. With this goal of genetic progress, Bryan has been putting a lot of embryos in but also has plans to market some of these genetics in the future. To keep herd numbers in check, the lower genetic animals in the herd are bred to Angus.

Even before Bryan and Brittney started adding Registered Holsteins to the herd 13 years ago, the family always used type as one of their main breeding focuses over the years. This made the grade herd easily transition to Registered Holsteins. One animal that originates from their grade herd is Mauk-E-Way Atwood Riley scored EX-93. Along with improving genetics, the Mauks have improved their tie-stall barn to elevate cow comfort. An addition to the barn was constructed in 2012, taking the barn from 38 to 60 stalls including box stalls for older animals or show prospects. Bryan also put in water beds in a few stalls as a trial and plans on investing in more. During this addition, steel siding was put on the barn and a heifer rearing facility was added along with large tunnel fans that keep the air flowing in the tie-stall barn. Bryan and Brittney’s children have taken a liking to the showring, participating in the District 10 and Championship shows and showmanship. In addition to showing, their older kids are very active in sports including basketball, football, baseball and soccer. While they are still working on becoming a household name, this hard-working young family has proven that the right investments can lead to showring success. A lot is possible with good planning, genetics, and dedication. The Mauks have a passion for their animals and will continue to be on the rise for breeding quality cows for many years to come. Ms Mauk-E-Way Rosa-Red-ET and Campbell Booth Ms Mauk-E-Way Remi-Red-ET