HOLSTEIN ASSOCIATION USA BOARD MEETING The Holstein Association USA, Inc. (HAUSA) board of directors met June 22, 2021 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Chaired by President Corey Geiger, the business meeting was held in conjunction with the 135th Annual Meeting and convention at the Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square. Management reports and updates Management staff updated the board of directors on the 2021 Management-by-Objective business plan and financial report. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this meeting was the first since February 2020 when all directors and staff met in person. The board heard an update on the ongoing genetics research projects which are funded by the Holstein Association:
double ovulation to create a selection strategy to reduce economic losses in Holstein cows. • Dr. Chad Dechow, Associate Professor of Dairy Cattle Genetics, is principal investigator for a 2021 research project seeking to discover, “Can feed efficiency be improved by selecting for greater diet digestibility?” The Association is currently inviting research grant proposals with expected outcomes to benefit the profitability of Holstein cattle. Applications will be reviewed, ranked, and the successful project announced later in the year. The submission deadline is August 15, 2021. Visit www.holsteinusa.com, hover over the Programs & Services button, and then the Research Grant Program button for details. Other news
• Research being led by Dr. Anna Denicol of the University of California-Davis seeks to answer the question, “Do heifers carrying the slick hair gene have improved heat tolerance, survive as productive members of a dairy herd and therefore improve profitability of Holsteins?”
The board and staff honored outgoing Directors John S. Burket of Pennsylvania and Dale Drendel of Illinois. Both men served seven years on the board of directors, because their second three-year term had been extended by one year. This was a result of the 2020 annual meeting postponement created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Dr. JP Martins from University of Wisconsin-Madison is principal investigator for research investigating, “Can economic losses related to double ovulation, twin pregnancies and twin births be reduced?” The objective of this two-year project which began in 2020, is to identify SNP and genomic regions associated with
The board welcomed re-elected Directors Steve Moff of Ohio, for Region 3, and Dwight Rokey of Kansas, for Region 7, along with newly-elected Director Dean W. Jackson of Pennsylvania for Region 2 and Tony Brey of Wisconsin, At-Large. Directors serve three-year terms.
NATIONAL CONVENTION HIGHLIGHTS The National Holstein Convention was held June 21-24 in Lancaster, PA. Several awards were presented to outstanding breeders and leaders in the industry as well as youth from around the country. • 2021 Distinguished Leadership Award: David Fischer spent his career helping dairy farmers while working in extension for the University of Illinois. Dave’s passion for the people, the dairy industry, and the Holstein cow shines through in everything he does. Dave’s career as an Agricultural Advisor and State-wide Dairy Educator with the University of Illinois Extension spanned four decades. His work has touched the lives of many dairy enthusiasts, young and old, in Illinois and across the nation. Speaking at Dairy Day workshops, serving as a consultant for farmers, and developing educational programs were all part of his role. Working with 4-H youth programs has always been important to Dave. He coached highly successful dairy quiz bowl and dairy judging teams for over 30 years and served as a judge for many shows. He also spearheaded youth development programs such as the Superior Young Producer Award and Illinois 4-H Quality Assurance and Ethics program. • Elite Breeder Award: Emerald Acres - Paul and Debbie, Ted and Lana, and Don and Joyce Ossmann, and Dr. Scott Armbrust - of DePere, WI. The Ossmanns breed high type cows with strong production and an emphasis on components. More than 300 of their cows have produced over 100,000 pounds of Lifetime Milk. Over the years they have bred 90 Excellent females, 10 Excellent males, 54 Gold Medal Dams, and 49 Dams of Merit. Emerald Acres’ genetics have influenced Holsteins worldwide through superior cows and sires alike. The lives of the Ossmann family and Dr. 54 « COWSMOPOLITAN Late Summer 2021
Armbrust were forever changed by one cow, purchased at the 1986 National Holstein Convention sale in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The friends walked away from the sale with a partnership on Ripvalley NA Bell Tammy EX-94 2E, GMD, DOM. Tammy would go on to become Bell’s highest scoring daughter, produce 160 embryos, and have over 30 bulls in A.I. nationally and internationally. • Distinguished Young Holstein Breeder Award: Reyncrest Farm - Mackenzie, Andy, Tyler, and his wife Kelly Reynolds, of Corfu, NY. The Reynolds are the third generation on the farm in Corfu, New York, which is owned by their parents John and Shelley. Their 1,400cow herd is milked three times a day and has a rolling herd average of 27,533 pounds of milk with 1,042 (3.8%) pounds of fat and 855 (3.1%) pounds of protein. They are also passionate about breeding, exhibiting, and marketing quality Registered Holsteins. They aim to blend both type and production into their herd and enjoy classifying several times a year. They have bred and developed 35 Excellent cows, including three 95-point cows. On their main dairy, they place an emphasis on milk, combined fat and protein, daughter pregnancy rate, and somatic cell count, while striving to breed functional type cows with good feet and legs. • DJM Finalists: Hayley Fernandes, California; Josh Gerbitz, Wisconsin; Gregory Norris, Massachusetts; Benjamin Kronberg, Wisconsin; Laura Littrell, New York; and Rachel Rouland, New York • Young DJM Finalists: Ashley Brandel, Wisconsin; Magen Busker, Illinois; Hayley Daubert, Virginia; Ava Endres, Wisconsin; Elizabeth Lentz, Pennsylvania; Austin Meyer, Wisconsin; Garrett Ulness, Wisconsin; and F. Hayden Weaver; Pennsylvania
