The National Brown Swiss Convention was held in Canton, Ohio, July 5-8th where Brown Swiss breeders toured Ohio dairy farms and the National Football Hall of Fame, held their annual meeting, watched a heifer show and conducted the Ohio National Hall of Fame Brown Swiss Sale.
The farm tours included a stop at Ro-La-Sue Dairy Farm in Wooster where the Scheibe family milk 240 cows, 25 Brown Swiss with a robotic milking system. RNR Swiss of Lakeville, was the second stop where Ron and Renee Michalovich and their son and daughter-in-law Kevin and Kari milk nearly 200 head of Brown Swiss.
Dinner at the National Football Hall of Fame was the highlight for football fans as they enjoyed playing catch on the turf and toured the facility.
At the conclusion of the annual business meeting, breeders gathered to honor the annual award winners. The Active Master Breeder award went to RNR Swiss, Ron and Renee Michalovich and son Kevin of Lakeville. Morts Dairy, owned by Rex Mort of Pierston, Indiana were the recipients of the Historical Master Breeder Award. The 2016 Young Breeder award went to Adam and Kaitlin Spierings of Weyauwega, Wisconsin.
The 2016 Individual Cow Award went to Jonlee Secret Langwathby 6819402 FS 2E94 owned by Dalton, Dillon and Breanne Freeman of Bremen, Indiana. At 4-11 3X she made 48,980M 5.6% 2745F 3.8% 1849P ECM: 65,826 lbs. This same cow won the J.P. Eves Trophy for the highest 305D Actual Milk record, the H.R. Searls trophy for the highest fat record, the Protein Award, the Top EMC Award for the top Energy Corrected Milk award, the Vernon C. Hull Total Performance Trophy and the Cow for All Seasons award.
The 2016 Continuous Test Awards for 75 years went to Fox Trail Farm, William, Watkins, Jr., of Belmont, Ohio. The 60 year award went to Port Haven Dairy, Thomas and Mark Portner, Sleepy Eye, MN. The 45 year award went to Medlang Swiss, Inc., Charles Medlang of Kensett Iowa and Fick Swiss, Galen Fick of Boyden, Iowa.
The herds that have been on official test for 35 years were Sunburst Swiss, Barb and Amanda Lee of Deforest, WI., Marshy Meadow Farm, David Heine of Corry, PA and Yawnoc Farm, Raymond and Carolyn Conway of Jefferson, NH.
The 25 year continuous test awards went to Wil-Rene Farms, Michael Jansen of Forest Grove, OR., Odyssey Swiss, Phillip and Lori Heck of Freeport, IL., Kruses Swiss, Loras Kruse of Holy Cross, IA., and Nolandale Farm, Doug and Chad Nolan of Pontiac, IL.
The Palmer Hoffman Memorial Heifer show was held and taking the Junior Champion banner was Brook Hollow Total Malahni (Total) exhibited by Carissa Pittman of Ohio while Reserve Junior Champion went to North Lanes Bos Parfait (Bosephus) exhibited by Chelsea Skidmore also of Ohio.
The annual youth auction where several donated items were auctioned off raised $12,000 for youth programming.
The convention ended with the Ohio National Hall of Fame Sale. A total of 67 lots sold averaging $4,510 per head. Topping the sale was Fairdale-Renegade CP Julip ET, a summer yearling that sold for $17,000 to Elite Dairy, Copake, New York. The breeders and consignors on this heifer were Fairdale Farm and Renegade Swiss, Owenton, Kentucky.
By: Melissa Hart, Dairy Agenda Today