Hi All-
I am the 2010 Wisconsin Holstein Princess Attendant and on February 16th and 19th I took the opportunity to talk with two 4th grade classrooms from Reedsville Public Schools and four 2nd grade classrooms from Valley View Elementary in Ashwaubenon. I spoke to over 125 kids about our own Holstein cow - what an amazing experience. The kids were awestricken that cows actually go on vacation, dry period. The students were glad that they got three months of vacation, compared to the cows two months vacation. The teachers were very impressed with my knowledge of the Holstein cow and what dairy is all about, not just what is on television shows.
All of the students were guessing how many stomachs a dairy cow had and even a teacher pitched in and was so excited because he thought he knew the answer. Come to find out he was a little off, I can say. I brought all kinds of different things that you would find on a dairy farm, from baler twine to milk replacer, and this I think really helped them realize that if you think of it the kids thought they are kind of like humans. I also brought cheese donated from Henning Cheese, which the kids were most appreciative of. I really had fun with the kids and the more and more classrooms I visit I hope the message does spread that dairy farms are the family farm and not the factory.
Wow, where do I start with the Wisconsin Holstein Adult Convention? Hmm, do I start with Elvis or … well I will start from the beginning. Once I got to convention (getting out of school early and missing U.S. Government is a plus) I was amazed that there was really no sitting around - the adults get right to work with meetings for all of the many various activities that the WHA puts on.
The 1st Annual Futures Sale was a huge hit; the sale averaged $5055. Saturday I gave an address to the President’s Breakfast and then it was off to the spouse’s tour. On the tour, we had the opportunity to tour our own capitol and Olbrich’s Botanical Garden. Then the convention attendee’s toured farms at Opsal’s Ridge and the Lyle and Deanna Opsal and Troy Opsal families, as well as Kellercrest Registered Holsteins, Inc.; and the Tim and Sandy, and Mark Keller family.
At Opsal’s Ridge they had a very nice set-up with a few box stalls which I always like for cows and they recently added on to their stanchion barn which looked very nice. At Kellercrest I really liked their calf set-up which was newly built and they really put some thought into building it. They had drainage for each pen, dividers that could be pulled out to make pens bigger or to clean the pens out easily with a skit steer.
Next was the banquet which was very elegant and much deserved. Honors were distributed for Young Distinguished Breeder to Todd Borgwardt of Sunnyside Dairy in Valders, WI which is from my home county of Manitowoc of which the county is very proud of. Honored with Distinguished Service recognition was Mike Snyder of Baraboo, WI. Receiving the prestigious Distinguished Breeder honors were Allen and Pat Rippchen of Ripvalley Holsteins, Ithaca, WI.
Next was the desert auction which was well…let me say interesting, we raised a gracious sum of money for the scholarship fund which the juniors are much appreciated of, including me. Next came the hypnotist, I tried it but I am glad it didn’t work; you never get sick of seeing it done because it never fails to have a good laugh. Did you know that WHA has their own Elvis and he is actually good? Trust me, he actually sang to me. We also had a very beloved Barney you can not forget and I am sure you will be hearing about these people and may actually get to meet them throughout this show season.
Congratulations to all of the much deserved award honorees at Convention, and I hope to see you all at Spring Show!
WHA Princess Attendant, Cara Biely
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
WHA Board President Mark Gilbertson's Final Address
When you take on a job either you want it really bad, or maybe it is your time and you should do it. The latter is why I was willing to fill the shoes of president serving Wisconsin Holstein. Following the people that were in this position was not an easy task, but with much help from my fellow board members, the ladies in the Wisconsin Holstein office and my family, I made it through the year.
This past year fits all those years I heard about from my Father—The winters of ’36 and ’51, the drought and depression years in the 30’s. We have lived through similar or even worse winters and times since. Now I have stories to share with futures generations as well.
The good news of Wisconsin Holstein is that membership has slightly increased in 2008 and 2009 and we are even off to a better start than most other organizations in 2010. We have also maintained our Junior membership at right around 1,000 and the Adult membership is about 3500.
And as the financial report indicated, WI Holstein is still in good shape with plenty in reserve and the day-to-day operations being covered by membership and sponsorships. In the end even with a tough economy the WI Holstein Association came through the past year in the black with help from sound financial investments and super support from our sponsors and great volunteers to help all our events be successful.
Our shows are still looked at from all around the country to see who has the next great cow or heifer. We had a successful District Show season—even with combining our show districts in the state, with District 9 going into District 6, and District 11 split between District 1 and District 4. 2009 Spring Show had another great year also. The 50th annual State Show went well, and the hosts, Winnebago County, did a super job with such an important anniversary show. Something new this year we tried, was the Junior Premier Breeder and Exhibitor awards, but we plan to let those two Junior awards be replaced with new Junior bred and owned awards this year.
Treasure Quest is still a very successful support to the WHA picnic. With a summer picnic tried this past year, plans are underway for a fall picnic in 2010 at the Brey Family’s Cycle Farm in Sturgeon Bay. The 2009 summer picnic held at the Wendorf Farm was a nice time and we were able to get employees and state juniors wet in the dunking tank, which proceeds went to the Dodge County Junior Holstein fund.
Wisconsin Holstein did not host a consignment sale this year due to the concerns of the economy. But we have come from no WHA Sale, to looking at 2 WHA Sales in 2010. We are considering a Fall Wisconsin Holstein sale, and as you all know, the YAC group put together a wonderful Futures Sale last night.
This group of young people who organized the sale and are a part of the YAC could be the heart and soul of coming things for Wisconsin Holstein Association—Bridging the juniors and older adults together.
What a great junior organization we have here in Wisconsin. Cow Camp has opened its doors to all dairy youth and they plan to consider this learning experience for the kids. After I attended the Junior Convention this past January, I now know I should have been there a few more times for various reasons. From the enthusiasm of the youth, to the number of events they participate in and the knowledge they have. Let alone the very well dressed banquet they put together – a bit bigger than the adults. I witnessed first hand the abilities of our youth, taking charge of such an event that first looks like it could be mass chaos, but truly fulfills an orchestrated event.
As I spoke to the Juniors at Convention, I encouraged the graduating members to bring their youth and enthusiasm to adult convention. And I told them to bring their parents too – I know the Junior members receive strong support from parents, and it would be great to see them active in the adult association as well.
We are still looking for counties or groups to host adult and junior conventions in the near future. I was proud of my home district juniors for hosting this past convention at the Kalahari—I believe efforts like this will encourage other smaller counties to work together at hosting either junior or adult conventions.
As I reflect back to when I started on the board in 2004, many things have changed along the road. With the advancement of technology, we now have a web site. And this past year, beginning social media networks through the blog and Facebook. The WHA NEWS is still a valuable tool in reporting the upcoming events and those results of past events. Our membership has been a great supporter of the NEWS by reading and advertising in it. The WHA NEWS is still looked for at World Dairy Expo and National Holstein Convention along with other various events that we take it to.
When I started on the board, a past board member reminded everyone to be vigilant of finances and rent out part of our condos due to a small office staff and low income generated. We have come to use both sides of our condo now and added to our office staff.
The 2008 National Convention opened many doors in Wisconsin. The biggest eye opener I had was seeing the amount of people it took to run the event. Volunteers were invaluable. The list of these people would take hours to read, and we appreciate everyone’s efforts. And what a great sale it was too.
Something new we did this past year, was step out and not only promote the Holstein industry in Wisconsin, but also branched out to support the livelihood of the entire dairy industry. At the Dairy Price Stabilization information meeting, we found ways to be a connection to what is happening and letting our membership know quicker. We hope to continue this trend of informing our membership by email, blog or face book.
I would like to thank the state membership for allowing me to become a member of the Wisconsin Holstein board. I came onto this board with four other people who were acquaintances at first, and we have grown to become lifelong friends. I thank these individuals, along with all other fellow board members through out the years for the memories including both the ups and downs. And thank you for selecting me to serve as your president this past year.
I’d like to sign off with a phrase from a very good friend of mine, and who was also well known to many people in the association. As Jack Wier would say, “It’s been fantastic.”
This past year fits all those years I heard about from my Father—The winters of ’36 and ’51, the drought and depression years in the 30’s. We have lived through similar or even worse winters and times since. Now I have stories to share with futures generations as well.
The good news of Wisconsin Holstein is that membership has slightly increased in 2008 and 2009 and we are even off to a better start than most other organizations in 2010. We have also maintained our Junior membership at right around 1,000 and the Adult membership is about 3500.
And as the financial report indicated, WI Holstein is still in good shape with plenty in reserve and the day-to-day operations being covered by membership and sponsorships. In the end even with a tough economy the WI Holstein Association came through the past year in the black with help from sound financial investments and super support from our sponsors and great volunteers to help all our events be successful.
Our shows are still looked at from all around the country to see who has the next great cow or heifer. We had a successful District Show season—even with combining our show districts in the state, with District 9 going into District 6, and District 11 split between District 1 and District 4. 2009 Spring Show had another great year also. The 50th annual State Show went well, and the hosts, Winnebago County, did a super job with such an important anniversary show. Something new this year we tried, was the Junior Premier Breeder and Exhibitor awards, but we plan to let those two Junior awards be replaced with new Junior bred and owned awards this year.
Treasure Quest is still a very successful support to the WHA picnic. With a summer picnic tried this past year, plans are underway for a fall picnic in 2010 at the Brey Family’s Cycle Farm in Sturgeon Bay. The 2009 summer picnic held at the Wendorf Farm was a nice time and we were able to get employees and state juniors wet in the dunking tank, which proceeds went to the Dodge County Junior Holstein fund.
Wisconsin Holstein did not host a consignment sale this year due to the concerns of the economy. But we have come from no WHA Sale, to looking at 2 WHA Sales in 2010. We are considering a Fall Wisconsin Holstein sale, and as you all know, the YAC group put together a wonderful Futures Sale last night.
This group of young people who organized the sale and are a part of the YAC could be the heart and soul of coming things for Wisconsin Holstein Association—Bridging the juniors and older adults together.
What a great junior organization we have here in Wisconsin. Cow Camp has opened its doors to all dairy youth and they plan to consider this learning experience for the kids. After I attended the Junior Convention this past January, I now know I should have been there a few more times for various reasons. From the enthusiasm of the youth, to the number of events they participate in and the knowledge they have. Let alone the very well dressed banquet they put together – a bit bigger than the adults. I witnessed first hand the abilities of our youth, taking charge of such an event that first looks like it could be mass chaos, but truly fulfills an orchestrated event.
As I spoke to the Juniors at Convention, I encouraged the graduating members to bring their youth and enthusiasm to adult convention. And I told them to bring their parents too – I know the Junior members receive strong support from parents, and it would be great to see them active in the adult association as well.
We are still looking for counties or groups to host adult and junior conventions in the near future. I was proud of my home district juniors for hosting this past convention at the Kalahari—I believe efforts like this will encourage other smaller counties to work together at hosting either junior or adult conventions.
As I reflect back to when I started on the board in 2004, many things have changed along the road. With the advancement of technology, we now have a web site. And this past year, beginning social media networks through the blog and Facebook. The WHA NEWS is still a valuable tool in reporting the upcoming events and those results of past events. Our membership has been a great supporter of the NEWS by reading and advertising in it. The WHA NEWS is still looked for at World Dairy Expo and National Holstein Convention along with other various events that we take it to.
When I started on the board, a past board member reminded everyone to be vigilant of finances and rent out part of our condos due to a small office staff and low income generated. We have come to use both sides of our condo now and added to our office staff.
The 2008 National Convention opened many doors in Wisconsin. The biggest eye opener I had was seeing the amount of people it took to run the event. Volunteers were invaluable. The list of these people would take hours to read, and we appreciate everyone’s efforts. And what a great sale it was too.
Something new we did this past year, was step out and not only promote the Holstein industry in Wisconsin, but also branched out to support the livelihood of the entire dairy industry. At the Dairy Price Stabilization information meeting, we found ways to be a connection to what is happening and letting our membership know quicker. We hope to continue this trend of informing our membership by email, blog or face book.
I would like to thank the state membership for allowing me to become a member of the Wisconsin Holstein board. I came onto this board with four other people who were acquaintances at first, and we have grown to become lifelong friends. I thank these individuals, along with all other fellow board members through out the years for the memories including both the ups and downs. And thank you for selecting me to serve as your president this past year.
I’d like to sign off with a phrase from a very good friend of mine, and who was also well known to many people in the association. As Jack Wier would say, “It’s been fantastic.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)