From your President - Corey Geiger

Dear Wisconsin Holstein Association members:
Our April 19 WHA board meeting was held one day before the press deadline for the May Wisconsin Holstein News. Our meeting began with a WHA portfolio review from Marsha Stewart with Merrill Lynch. Over the past eight years, the WHA Director of Operations and the WHA Board, along with help from Marsha, have developed mission statements for our seven accounts held with Merrill Lynch. These mission statements give better focus to our investment goals. Overall, our investments continue to perform strongly despite our somewhat conservative investment strategy. The combined Wisconsin Holstein Association account balance stands at $432,000 at the end of March. And during the past 14 years that our money has been invested with Merrill Lynch, we have had a 95.62 percent return on investment. That means we have nearly doubled our money.
On an annual basis, we have earned a 5.2 percent return on our portfolio. As a comparison, if we had invested in the S&P (all stocks), returns would have been 3.24 percent, and a suggested Model Portfolio for nonprofits would have returned 4.71 percent. Both those returns are lower than the actual WHA Portfolio performance. Meanwhile, investing in an Aggregate Bond Index performance would have been slightly higher at 5.62 percent. Bottom line, our Association has very stable investments despite a tight fiscal budget for this year.
Shows always seem to garner a great deal of attention at board meetings. This meeting was no exception. The WHA Board approved a clarification to the junior membership agreement by developing a rule that states animals owned by the junior, either solely or in partnership, are ineligible for all WHA-sponsored shows if a junior is in violation of the WHA Junior Member Agreement. This rule goes into effect immediately.
On another widely debated matter since last year’s Wisconsin State Holstein Show, the WHA Board decided to keep the Spring Heifer Calf Class, Exhibitor 10 & under as is for 2011. Please note, those rules include the fact that calves must be under sole control of the person on the halter. That means no help from anyone else! As you know, this unique Spring Heifer Calf Class allows youth that are 10 and under as of January 1 to show at our State Show in a separate division. First- and second-place open and first- and second-place junior animals in this class may compete in Class 2 which is the open division of the Spring Heifer Calf Class. We hope all our members follow the original spirit of this class when it started over a decade ago. If that occurs, there will be no need to revise rules. However, if concerns continue to surround the class, it may be brought up for discussion at next year’s annual meeting.
The very active Young Adult Committee is planning a golf outing prior to the WHA picnic hosted by Matt and Mandy Nunes’ Scientific Holsteins in Chippewa Falls, Wis., on August 27. The event is open to all Holstein enthusiasts regardless of age. It will be a nine-hole scramble contest where the best ball is used from four-member teams. Like the bowling tournament held a few years ago at Adult Convention, this golf outing will randomly assign people to teams so everyone can meet new people. If you would like to participate, call the WHA office.
The Association would like to have major events, including Junior and Adult Conventions along with the Wisconsin Championship Show, booked three years in advance. To date, only one of three events has extended commitments. The State Show will be in Fond du Lac this year, followed by Wood and Grant County. Adult convention will be hosted by Waupaca-Waushara County next year, and one county is seriously looking at 2013. Meanwhile, we have a county looking at hosting next year’s junior convention, and Rock County will host in 2013. Bottom line, WHA needs convention hosts to step forward for future adult and junior conventions.
Lastly, I would like to congratulate all four Wisconsin Distinguished Junior Member (DJM) candidates. All four of our nominees qualified for nationals: Danae Bauer, Scandinavia; Mitchell Kappelman, Two Rivers; Kelly Lee, Johnson Creek; and Carl Lippert, Pittsville. This marks the second straight year all four Wisconsin candidates were among the twelve national semi-finalists. Wisconsin also has two Younger Distinguished Junior Members. Congrats to Jessica Pralle of Humbird and Crystal Siemers-Peterman of Cleveland.
In dairy we trust,
Your President, Corey Geiger