FALL/WINTER 2021
Premier Select Sires will award up to
$20,000 to students within the Premier territory through the 2022 Premier Future Ag Leaders Scholarship Program. Two exemplary students will receive $2,500 scholarships through either the Johnny Daniel Memorial Scholarship or the Wayne Dudley Scholarship. Several other students will receive scholarships of $750-$1,000 in value. Scholarship application forms will be available beginning November 15, 2021 under the “News” tab of www.premierselectsires.com, by calling
IN THIS EDITION:
(570) 836-3168, or by emailing office@premierselect.com. Completed scholarship applications are due January 31, 2022. Eligible students include high school seniors through college seniors presently enrolled or planning to enroll in an undergraduate agriculture-related major. The student or his/her parent or guardian must reside in the Premier membership area and must be an active Premier customer in good standing. Previous scholarship winners remain eligible during subsequent award years; however,
“I just want to again thank the Premier board members for making this scholarship possible, and I want you guys to know the impact that this has on making an education feasible for somebody like me!” – Grant Fincham, 2021 Johnny Daniel Memorial Scholarship Recipient
2022 Premier Scholarship Program..............1 Message from the CEO.................................. 2 NxGEN Program..............................................3
a student can only receive a $2,500 scholarship once in his/her school career. The Premier Future Ag Leaders Scholarship Program provides financial support to eligible college undergraduates in agricultural majors. The program provides additional return to the cooperative’s member-owners by supporting the next generation of young people desiring to study and work in the agriculture industry. The Premier Select Sires, Inc. board of directors has made a commitment to providing money to support this scholarship program on an ongoing annual basis.
“After school, I’m hoping to help farmers improve the health of their herds by promoting good genetics and management practices. I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone at Premier for supporting my goals and the future of the dairy industry though the scholarship program!” – Hannah Braun, 2021 Wayne Dudley Scholarship Recipient
Premier Owners’ Voice.....................................4 Product Talk..................................................... 6 Accel Ensile+ Pre-Booking Promo.................. 7
Farm Feature: Adirondack Farms...8 End-of-the-Year Specials................10 Beef Briefs.......................................11
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MESSAGE FROM THE CEO Mark Carpenter, Chief Executive Officer Happy fall to all of our Premier members and customers.
I feel like I need to offer a brief update on the Unification plan proposed by Select Sires Inc. based on the questions I continue to receive. As you all know Premier is a co-owner of the Select Sires product brand with five other farmer owned cooperatives across the United States. I recognize that the results of the member votes were not as public as the campaign leading up to it over the summer. At the grass root level, both MidAmerica (representing farmers in 13 states) and Premier (representing farmers in 23 states) voted to not support the plan. The process however did generate some healthy reflection on data utilization, technologies, and research and development initiatives that could contribute to new tools to develop products, programs, and services for the future. These initiatives will require investment and Premier is willing to evaluate and support these efforts with prudent attention to the responsible return of benefits for our farmer owners. Your Premier cooperative works diligently every day to provide the marketplace protection for our members through reliable access to great products, industry-leading services and programs, and a commitment to deliver it at a fair price. It’ll continue to take a shared effort of your cooperative and its members working and supporting each other to navigate the future and develop the products and tools necessary for producers to remain profitable in creating a safe and secure food supply.
You’ve trusted us to be your strategic partner on genetics and I must ask for your consideration in taking a look at our other offerings as well. With 100% of the dollars passing through Premier going directly to benefit you, our farmer owners, I’m comfortable asking for your support of our other supplies, products, and herd heath offerings. As this portion of our cooperative grows it offers some economies of scale that support our genetic costs and often creates real returns for our members. I’ll share that the 7% semen credits we offered in August and September returned a quarter of a million dollars in added buying power directly to our member accounts! Let’s agree to work hard in support of each other for your benefit and that of our members. We’ll continue to seek your guidance as always and encourage any member in good standing that wants to take a more active role to reach out about ways you can become more involved in your cooperative. Please take a moment to ask your Premier representative about the programs and non-genetic products we offer as well. We’ve thoroughly vetted these offerings as being quality products and in many cases enhance your investment in genetics. Some of the areas include targeted breeding strategies and heat detection technology, products for supporting heifer and cow health, and tools that assure the resulting newborn calf has its best start. We appreciate your support. Thank you to our nearly 14,000 customers throughout the Premier territory that trust and support us. It is our honor and pleasure to be part of your team. People Powered… Farmer Owned.
FIND THE SEMEN STRAW for a chance to WIN a special Premier Select Sires prize! 1. Find this semen straw hidden somewhere in the newsletter (hidden straw may be smaller than the one shown here) 2. Go to www.premierselectsires.com and click the“Newsletter Contest” button on the home page 3. Tell us where you found the straw to enter the drawing! You may also send your submission in the mail. Write us a note including the following information: your name, account #, address, and where you found the semen straw. Mail it to the following address for a chance to WIN!
Premier Newsletter Contest Attn. Laura Williams 1 Stony Mountain Road Tunkhannock, PA 18657
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Responses must be submitted by January 14, 2021
CONGRATS! Congratulations to David Harvatine of New York, winner of the Summer 2021 semen straw contest! The semen straw was on page 7, on the side of the calf building.
8/21 CDCB/HA Genomic Evaluations. ®TPI is a registered trademark of Holstein Association USA. NxGEN is a registered trademark of Select Sires Inc. TMHerd Health Profit Dollars and HHP$ are trademarks of Select Sires Inc. Photo by Thomas. 7=Select Sires, 14=Accelerated Genetics, 250=GenerVations.
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PEOPLE POWERED “Coming together is the beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” –Henry Ford
YOUR PREMIER SELECT SIRES BOARD MEMBERS
Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motor Company and inventor of the assembly line, understood the power of people. He was a smart businessperson and a great “idea man,” but those skills alone weren’t enough to write his name in history. His ability to bring people together and point them toward a common goal allowed him to revolutionize the transportation industry in the early 1900s, maintain a leading automobile company for over a century, and land a spot on the Fortune 500 list (#21 in 2021) with that company today. Long after Ford’s death, the foundation he
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FARMER OWNED
set for Ford Motors continues to live on. Great organizations are not the result of a single person, product, or process. Great organizations are the result of a group of people committed to a common goal. When those people work together towards achieving that goal, often the fruits of their labor live on long after those people are gone. As a member cooperative, Premier Select Sires truly believes in the power of people—the farmers who own Premier, the board of directors elected by those farmers to guide our organization, and the team of staff dedicated to serving the farmer owners. We have been a farmer owned cooperative since 1938, and by keeping together we’ve been able
BOARD OF DIRECTORS James Cook, President, District 3, Penhook VA Steve Craun, District 3, Bridgewater VA Bob Cruikshank, District 1, Ogdensburg NY Gary Dell, District 2, Westminster MD Paul Gingue, 2nd Vice-President, District 1, Waterford VT John Edd Harris, 1st Vice-President, District 3, Musella GA Kelvin Hatch, District 2, Columbia PA Jim Houser, District 2, Spring Mills PA Barbara Nedrow, District 1, Clifton Springs NY Mike Saylor, Treasurer, District 4, Jonesborough TN Kenny Taylor, Secretary, District 4, Fayetteville TN
to achieve great strides in genetic progress and on-farm success. We plan to continue working together and achieving success, whatever that may look like in the coming years with industry changes, as a united team. Thank you for being a part of that team! If you are interested in becoming even more involved in your cooperative, we would encourage you to ask your local Premier representative, board member, or delegate about some different ways you might do that. One way to get more involved is to serve a term on the Premier Owners’ Voice (POV) advisory board. We are excited to announce the 2021/2022 members…read more on the next page!
PUBLIC DIRECTOR Tim Riley, Columbia TN DELEGATES Pat Ard, District 4, Ruth MS Vern Buessing, District 4, Baileyville KS Jonathan Lamb, District 1, Oakfield NY Kevin Satterwhite, District 3, Newberry SC Jessica Slaymaker, District 2, Mansfield PA EMPLOYED OFFICERS Mark Carpenter, CEO/Executive Vice-President, Tunkhannock PA Beverly Barnes, Assistant Board Meeting Secretary, Spring Hill TN Ryan Visneski, Assistant Secretary and Treasurer, Tunkhannock PA
2021/2022 PREMIER OWNERS’ VOICE The Premier Owners’ Voice (POV) is a member advisory board that virtually meets three times during a year-long term. The group, with
the assistance of a facilitator, discusses the Premier Select Sires cooperative—things that are going well, areas for improvement, ideas for growth and innovation, and more. The inaugural POV group was established in 2020, and our new 2021/2022 group will connect for their first session this November. Meet those members below! Emma Currie
Joe Elliott
Megan Fry
Currie Valley Dairy, LLC
Robert Elliott & Sons
Fair Hill Farms
Tully, NY
Owned by Joe, his brother (William) and son (Lake)
Chestertown, MD
Breed: Holstein
Adams, TN
Herd Size: 1000
milking females
Premier member for 30+ years “Our farm has had a lot of success while using Premier Select Sires. We enjoy working with their helpful and knowledgeable team, and we plan to continue to take advantage of the variety of services they have to offer.”
Breed: Angus Herd Size: 234
breeding females
Premier member since 1972 “I like working with Premier because of semen quality, great service, good selection of sires, great source of breeding and management information, and GREAT people!”
Breed: Holstein Herd Size: 650 Premier member for 15+ years “We like working with Premier for the knowledge and services they provide to keep us moving forward!”
Bradley Gibbs
Jim Houser
Larkin Moyer
Gibbs Farms
Penn Dell Farm
Oakmulgee Dairy, Inc.
Ranburn, AL
Spring Mills, PA
Amelia, VA
Breed: Simmental
Breed: Holstein
Breed: Holstein
Herd Size: 75 milking,
Herd Size: 350
and SimAngus
Herd Size: 850 head Premier member for more than 25 years “I enjoy working with Premier Select Sires because I truly believe they care for their customers’ success as much as their own success. If you own 20 cows or 1000 cows, Select Sires cares and values you.”
125 head of calves, breeding bulls, and replacement heifers
Premier member for 20 years “I like to voice my opinion and be heard by a company that wants to work with farmers and do what is best for them.”
Premier member for 60+ years “I believe in the cooperative, especially as they grow from a grass-roots level. Premier has enjoyed success by believing in the inputs from farmermembers.”
Matt Perrier
Zack Welker
Shane St. Cyr
Dalebanks Angus
SK Herefords
Adirondack Farms LLC
Eureka, KS
Medina, NY
Peru, NY
Breed: Angus
Breed: Registered
Breed: Predominantly
Herd Size: 250 brood
Premier member for 12 years
Herd Size: 400
Hereford cows
Premier member for about 50 years
Premier member for 11 years
“As with most businesses I like to work with, it’s a combination of good people and good products. One without the other causes me to look elsewhere, but when I can have both, it makes my life much easier. From high-quality semen to excellent service and knowledge, I trust the folks at Select.”
“We love the relationship that we have established with the Premier Select Sires team. They strive to help us maintain and improve at every turn. Getting our feedback on bulls that we have used and services that they have provided in order for them to better and continue to serve us is always at the forefront and separates them from other organizations, and we really appreciate that.”
Holstein
“Premier has people who genuinely care about us as members, a solid genetic lineup, and resources to help us identify areas for improvement.”
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We’ve Come a Long Way, But There’s Still Great Opportunity Ahead Jeff Hostetter, Product Manager
With all of the priorities that a busy dairy
herd manager may rank at the very top of his or her list, preventing milk fever may not immediately come to mind. Properly balanced close-up and post-fresh rations can lower clinical cases of milk fever to less than 1% in many herds. So there is very little urgent need to care for cows that are unable to stand. But there is a milder version of milk fever known as subclinical that may be costing you more than you realize. First, let’s briefly look at the progress we’ve made in preventing this metabolic disease. Milk fever was first seen about 200 years ago when feeding and genetic selection for higher milk production increased. It was first mentioned in German literature in 1793. By the middle of the 1800’s, numerous publications on the subject by veterinarians were appearing in scientific literature. Early treatments included bleeding, sweating, and pouring cold water over the cow’s head, none of which had any effectiveness. In 1897, a veterinarian from Denmark developed an udder inflation treatment, first with potassium iodide, then later with just air. This reduced mortality from 70% down to about 15%, but often led to mastitis. In retrospect, we now know that the udder inflation method served to slow down milk production and the
withdrawal of calcium from the blood stream, but did nothing to provide extra calcium during transition. We’ve come a long way in understanding the calcium metabolism of dairy cattle as they transition from the dry period into lactation. However, subclinical cases have been reported to affect as many as 50% of animals of 2nd plus lactation and as many as 73% of 3rd plus lactation cows. Subclinical milk fever is characterized by a blood calcium level of under 8 mg/dL with no obvious clinical signs. It quietly results in other issues in the herd: • 3x more DA’s • 3.2 more retained placenta • 5 to 7-fold increase in plasma cortisol leading to decreased immune function • Reduced teat-end sphincter muscle tone resulting in milk leakage and mastitis • 5.7 lbs less milk/day at 1 week into lactation • 15 lbs less milk/day at 3 weeks into lactation Ca3 BioFresh® Boluses offer a unique blend of calcium sources (Ca Acetate, Tricalcium Phosphate, and Ca Sulfate) to minimize the risk of subclinical milk fever. ® Ca3 BioFresh is a registered product of Agrarian Marketing Corporation, DBA Agrarian SolutionsTM All claims, representations and warranties, expressed or implied, are made only by the company responsible for manufacturing and not by Select Sires Inc., its member cooperatives, its agents or employees.
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What sets Ca3 apart from other boluses? • It’s non-caustic (Boluses containing Ca Chloride can be caustic to the esophagus and rumen) • It contains 50,000 IU of Vit D3 (Helps with Ca absorption into the bloodstream) • It contains 45.5 gm of calcium–both fast and slower releasing sources At Premier, we take pride in offering herd health products that give you the newest and best tools to optimize the health and production of your herd. Calcium boluses are not new, but Ca3 offers a new approach with unique and highly available calcium sources combined with Vit D to eliminate the calcium bottleneck that could be holding back your fresh cows. Ask your rep about it today!
*Accel Ensile+ Guaranteed Analysis: Bacteria Species: Lactobacillus plantarum, Pediococcus Acidilactici, and Pediococcus pentosaceus total microbial activity not less than 136.5 billion CFU*/g which equates to 150,000 CFU*/g of forage.1Michigan State University 2University of Kentucky. Buyer assumes all responsibility for use, storage and handling of listed products. All claims, representations and warranties, expressed or implied, are made only by the company responsible for manufacturing and not by Select Sires Inc., its member cooperatives, its agents or employees. Accel Ensile+ is manufactured for Select Sires Inc, 11740 US 42N, Plain City, OH 43064.
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FARM FEATURE:
Photo: Part owner of ADK Farms, Shane St. Cyr
Culture, community, innovation,
sustainability…all popular words that we hear in the news, on social media, and in the “about” sections of company websites. But, these words don’t mean much until they’re put into action. Premier Select Sires had the opportunity to visit with Shane St. Cyr, part owner of Adirondack Farms, LLC (also known as ADK Farms) in Peru, New York. We saw first-hand how the operation’s staff lives out these concepts in a practical, effective manner every day, and in doing so, positively impacts their farm, their region, the dairy industry, and beyond.
Farm Background and Management ADK Farms is owned by partners St. Cyr and Jon Rulfs, and it is comprised of four different locations in Northern New York. Milk from two locations is shipped to Agri-Mark and milk from the other two locations is shipped to DFA. It takes a great team working towards common goals to manage Adirondack Farms. Gathering every four to five weeks for a manager meeting, leadership includes Partners St. Cyr and Rulfs, Chief Financial Officer Joanna Lidback, a crop team, a reproductive manager, four herd managers, and others. ADK also employs about 120 others to help carry
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ADIRONDACK FARMS, LLC
out the daily farm work.
engaged and connected.
Adirondack Farms as it’s known today started in 1996 with three local businesses, of which Jon Rulfs was one of the original. The farm began on the ADK site with a goal of growing to 1,000 cows.
Adirondack Farms’ efforts to connect people, however, go beyond just their own employees.
“Through growth over the years, this facility grew and there were additions,” said St. Cyr. “Dairy is a rapidly changing industry and it’s changed a lot just in these last few years.”
Culture and Community Adirondack Farms believes that a successful operation starts with treating people well. One of their core values is to “operate with integrity, respect, accountability, and positivity to achieve excellence.” “We want to make this a place that people want to work,” said St. Cyr. “It’s hard to find good people. It’s not hard to treat them right.” ADK Farms has a soccer field at one of the farm locations, and every year they host a tournament for their employees. The tournament brings a lot of excitement and fun and is a highlight to many workers each year. ADK hosts an annual Christmas party for employees and does other things to keep everyone
“We want to make a community and farm that people want to work at and be a part of. We want to be a good employer to the region,” said St. Cyr. Adirondack Farms understands the impact their operation has as a large farm in the local community. The staff does its best to cause little to no disruption to the community, while supporting the local families and businesses through their purchases, presence, and involvement.
Innovation and Sustainability Also central to ADK’s values are innovation and sustainability—”being open to purposeful change and evolution of thought, and meeting the needs of the present in a way that creates the opportunity to meet the needs of the future.” “We try to keep up with the fastchanging world of dairy,” said St. Cyr. “We look at any and all opportunities to get better.” The farm installed a methane digester in 2017 as an effort to take advantage of available technologies and improve
sustainability. Currently ADK is creating energy, but it will soon transition to creating renewable natural gas. ADK uses the manure solids from the digester as a clean, renewable cow bedding, and the liquid as fertilizer. ADK also seeks innovative solutions for everyday problems. For example, they use parasitic wasps for fly control, which reduces the use of insecticides while saving time and money. These wasps, while otherwise harmless, can be a great biological control method for producers.
Genetics that Support Operational Goals To reach their operational goals for culture, community, innovation, and sustainability, Adirondack Farms needs to meet specific genetic standards. They value sound, consistent cows that produce well and support their bottom line. “It’s hard to tell the locations apart by looking at the numbers,” said Duane Caler, Premier Area Sales Manager servicing ADK farms. “They’re like cookie cutters. They pick bulls by a custom index they’ve created, and the animals are very consistent.” Some areas of focus in ADK Farms’ custom index include bulls that are at least 1000 Milk, over $750 Net Merit, high in Fat and Protein, positive for Protein and Fat %, and low Somatic Cell Score. They pay close attention to pedigrees to avoid inbreeding, and typically select about 15 bulls—mostly genomic young sires—to use for their lineup. “Select Sires has good conception, and when we put in the criteria, they have the most bulls that meet our needs,” said St. Cyr.
“Opportunities present themselves, and the industry allows us to innovate and create opportunities so we can all be here.” -Shane St. Cyr, ADK Farms ADK Farms breeds animals in the top 75% parent average with sexed semen, and most others with conventional semen. For the very bottom of the herd, they use some beef semen.
average milk production.
Farming for the Future Despite a clear vision and plan to achieve their goals, ADK Farms is not without challenges and setbacks. On October 5, 2020, ADK Farms lost several cattle, some equipment, and two barns due to a tragic fire. However, immediately after the fire ADK was already talking about hope, and saying in a social media post, “That’s how farmers have to operate—that’s how we are resilient.” “It’s been a long process rebuilding, especially with COVID and issues with getting supplies,” said St. Cyr.
In addition to working with Caler, ADK farms meets with Lyle Kruse, Vice President of U.S. Market Development for Select Sires, for genetic and reproductive analysis. The farm sends Kruse a backup every six months and receives analytics to help with on-farm improvements. This partnership with Kruse and Select Sires originated from the Dairy X-Change program, which connects participating dairy farmers with agricultural businesses to help them advance their operations through strategic partnerships.
Today two new barns stand where the fire took place, and plans have been made for continued improvements. In an updated social media post ADK said, “We know without a doubt that we would not be here today without the help and support of our local community, our farming community, and our ADK team. We are so grateful for you all…here’s to hope, to rebuilding, and to coming back stronger.”
“Data from Lyle helps us know where we are and helps us to know we’re going the right way, or it tells us things we’re doing wrong,” said St. Cyr.
“Know where your business stands so you know where you need to go…it’s a changing landscape and I don’t think there’s any right way or wrong way to do this. Opportunities present themselves, and the industry allows us to innovate and create opportunities so we can all be here.”
In addition to breeding high quality cows, ADK believes in providing their animals with high quality care. They have a “take care of the cows and the cows will take care of you” mentality— they strive to provide optimal comfort, nutrition, and attention, which they believe will result in a higher-than-
When asked what advice he has for other producers, St. Cyr said:
If you’d like to learn more about Adirondack Farms, visit their website, adirondackfarms.net, or follow them on Facebook and Instagram!
Photos (left to right): Rebuilding after the fire / Premier Area Sales Manager Duane Caler; Adirondack Farms Part-Owner Shane St. Cyr; Premier Manager of Employee Training, Development, & Engagement Karen Wheatley / The cows at ADK Farms.
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COWMANAGER® SPECIAL: TAG YOUR COW…ORDER NOW! Accurate information about cow health is essential to success in dairy farming. The better you know how your animals feel, the better equipped you are to take the right action at the right time. CowManager was developed to provide you with that real-time information. By monitoring your cows’ condition with great precision, you’ll be able to give them the attention they need. Using this technology could save you time and medical expenses, improve your herd’s general health, and increase milk production.
What is CowManager?
The CowManager system is a continuous four−in−one heat, health, rumination, and location herd monitoring system. All measurements are taken by a computer microchip that is combined with the cow’s ear tag, making it different from any other system on the market. The system includes four modules that measure health, fertility, feeding, and location by constantly monitoring temperature, activity, rumination, and eating time.
Would CowManager Work on My Farm?
We recommend talking with your local Premier sales representative to learn more about this system. He or she can let you know how it works, the best options for your operation, and more. He or she can even let you know what other producers in Premier’s territory have experienced with the system. When you’re ready, we’ll help you install your system.
What Does Installation Look Like?
On installation day, you’ll need to give each animal a sensor, install the router system, and set up your computer and/ or mobile devices. The sensor fits around an “840” tag (an official animal identification RFID tag), and both the sensor and tag can be placed in a cow’s ear in a single action. The data transmitted by the sensors is collected by routers, which can be installed inside or outside. Your rep will help you find the ideal placement for routers. A coordinating device connected to your computer ensures optimal data flow, and
*Terms and conditions apply. ®CowManager is a registered trademark of Agis Automatisering
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after setup and some training by our reps, you’ll be able to monitor your cows in real time using your computer, smartphone, or tablet. The system integrates for free with many herd management systems, and a MultiView functionality allows you to give important parties, such as your herd manager or vet, access to selected data.
Why buy CowManager Now?
Until December 31, 2021, new and existing CowManager customers can enjoy a 20 percent discount on hardware!* All you need to do is talk to your local Premier rep to get more information and to get started.
C O N T A C T Y O U R L O C A L R E P T O O R D E R T O D AY !
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Our Mission
TO SERVE AS A TRUSTED PARTNER WITH BEEF AND DAIRY PRODUCERS, BUILDING THEIR SUCCESS THROUGH INDUSTRY-LEADING GENETICS, EFFECTIVE HERD MANAGEMENT PRODUCTS, VALUABLE SERVICES, AND EXPERIENCE-BASED INSIGHTS FROM KNOWLEDGEABLE, PASSIONATE EMPLOYEES.
PREMIER SELECT SIRES, INC. 1 Stony Mountain Road Tunkhannock, PA 18657
Premier was honored to sponsor the grand champion prize at the 2021 Eastern Fall National Holstein Show. The show took place September 20-22 at the All American Dairy Show in Harrisburg, PA. The grand champion Holstein—which also went on to be named supreme champion, was Macland HF Yoder Rachal-ET (sired by 7HO12266 YODER—first place aged cow, senior champion, grand champion, and supreme champion). She is owned by Adam Liddle of Argyle, NY. Congratulations! Congratulations on a successful show season to the many producers across our region. We love seeing you excel in the showring!
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