When the announcement came over the loudspeaker at World Dairy Expo that Opsal-JH Genetics had won the Premier Breeder and Exhibitor of the Heifer Show at the International Brown Swiss Show in 2024, Aisle 8 in Barn 1 broke out in cheers and tears! Joey and Hayleigh Opsal had set their sights on winning that prize, but the water’s deep at Madison, and they knew everything would have to go just right.
And go right it did – by the end of the heifer show on Tuesday evening, nine heifers carrying the Opsal-JH prefix stood in the top ten, including two class winners. Joey (27) and Hayleigh (30) must certainly be amongst the youngest couples to capture a Premier banner at World Dairy Expo. This successful 2024 show season added an additional 14 All-American nominees to the couples roster. Totaling 37 in four breeds since joining forces four years ago.
For two people who had both grown up with Holstein roots, the path to breeding and exhibiting big-time Brown Swiss is speckled with good advice from mentors and a lot of hard-work, resilience and determination!
Joey grew up in Blue Mounds, WI, a half an hour west of Madison, on his family’s Opsal’s Ridge Registered Holstein farm. His dad, Troy, was an active marketer and did his flush work at Sunshine Genetics in Whitewater, WI. At Sunshine, Dr. Chris Keim was a Brown Swiss enthusiast and breeder, and convinced Troy to put in a Swiss embryo on shares which resulted in the first Brown Swiss at the Opsal operation. A few years later, Rayme and Kristin Mackinson boarded a few Swiss cows at the farm, and Joey credits them to really introducing him to the breed.
In 2017, the Mackinsons encouraged Joey to apply for the Nelson McCammon Share-A-Heifer grant offered by the Wisconsin Brown Swiss Association, which allowed him to purchase his first Brown Swiss, Dublin-Hills Persephone when he was 19. Joey was determined to use that grant money wisely. “I wasn’t overly excited with anything I was finding in a few sales that spring, and then I saw Persephone as a summer yearling in the Kentucky National Sale, and I bought her over the phone. That was a little intimidating – that my first purchase I never even saw in person! When I saw her for the first time, I was very satisfied with my purchase…and the rest of her story is history,” says Joey.
And history it is – Persephone has matured into a 2E-90 powerhouse of a brood cow. She has had five daughters nominated (two All-American and two Reserve All-American) and a total of 15 All-American nominations between daughters, granddaughters and Junior Best Three groups consisting of her offspring. Two of her daughters, both sired by Foremost, were Expo class winners and All-Americans in 2024: Opsal-JH BR Photo Finish-ETV, the winning spring calf; and Opsal-JH BR Picturesque-ET, the winning winter calf.
That’s quite a track record for the first animal purchased for a foray into a new breed, but Brown Swiss have captured the hearts of Joey and Hayleigh. The goal of their breeding program is to push and elevate each new generation to be more competitive in all aspects than the one before it. Heifers that are correct and balanced and that excel in high style and femininity fit the bill for the show ring, but they also want those heifers to have the traits to develop into successful, long-lived milk cows with efficient production and exceptional udders.
Joey & Hayleigh currently reside on the family farm in Blue Mounds, WI, where they collectively milk around 50 head with Joey’s father Troy. Within the herd, they have around 20 cows, predominantly Brown Swiss and Holsteins with a few Jerseys and Red & Whites as well. All of the two-year-olds are classified Very Good, and all of the second lactation and older cows are Excellent, including Smith-Hollow Stanleycup Lania EX-95 (Holstein), Claytoncrest Salsa-Red EX-94 (Red & White), and Sugar & Spice Colton Vanish EX-93 (Jersey).
Lania, Salsa, and Vanish were all purchased as calves by Hayleigh before she and Joey met. Hayleigh is a native of western Michigan, and grew up showing animals from her grandparents’ registered Holstein farm in Allendale, MI. They eventually sold the 50-cow herd, but kept some dry cows and heifers, so Hayleigh could stay involved while she was in college at Michigan State University. Her introduction to the Brown Swiss breed came with the purchase of Siegerts Power Merry, who was the Reserve All-American Winter Calf in 2017 and the Reserve All-American Winter Yearling in 2018. Merry matured into an EX-91 cow for the couple.
Joey credits Hayleigh with having a knack to pick out the good ones at a young age. “She buys these calves – some of them quite cheap – and they end up being high-scoring cows that are insane matriarchs! The Jersey, Vanish, is the dam of Viva Las Vegas, who was AJCA Reserve All-American Fall Calf, and nominated ABA Fall Calf in 2024 for Ela-May Genetics in Wisconsin. We always like to tell youth members that we work with that you don’t need to go out and spend a high dollar amount of money to win. Find a heifer that has the parts and the pedigree and put in the work! You’ll be amazed what can come of it!”
Moving back and forth between the different breeds, especially from a show preparation standpoint, can be difficult. “It can be a challenge, but also rewarding,” says Hayleigh. “We treat each animal as if they are their own individual athlete and curate a diet and program that is tailored to help them reach their potential.”
Like many couples in the business, Joey and Hayleigh met at the shows, started dating, and eventually Hayleigh moved to Wisconsin where Joey was farming with the family operation. They combined her herd with his, and continued to invest in what they saw as high-value individuals. They purchased Shelburne Carter Dell as a 4-year-old in 2021. At that time, she was carrying a calf that would become Shelburne BR Dells Designer *NP, the All-American Winter Yearling in 2023 after winning her class at Madison and being named Reserve Junior Champion. Designer calved in and went VG-88 as a 2-year-old, and captured the Reserve Intermediate Champion title at the 2024 Midwest Quality Colors Spring Show. Continuing the family tradition, her daughter, Opsal-JH Don’t Doubt Me *NP was the 3rd place spring calf at Madison, and was named the HM All-American Spring Calf in 2024. Coming back full circle, Dell herself is still hitting the show ring and was nominated in the aged cow class in 2024.
They never completely left the Holstein game, and last summer, along with Rayme and Kristin Mackinson, they purchased Ms Emoji Femfatal Exotic as a young calf. A Thunder Storm out of Floydholm Mc Emoji EX-95, she went on to place 5th in a very large winter calf class at the International Holstein Show, and was nominated All-American. “She checked all of the boxes for us when we are looking to add a new female to the herd,” says Joey. “We’re pretty selective. We focus a lot on pedigree, as we want to see the evidence that they have the background to develop into an exceptional cow that will transmit. We look for those females that have the ‘wow’ factor. We love to purchase animals that we feel have potential and can be developed into the next level.”
Joey credits the Mackinsons with not only getting him more deeply involved with Swiss, but also with helping him select the initial matings while he learned the genetics and bloodlines. An early result was Opsal-J C Picture Perfect, a Cadence daughter of Persephone, who was his first All-American nominee and is now scored EX-92. From Rayme and Kristin, they acquired RK Arthurst Tanbark Feisty EX-92, who is the dam of their first All-American as a couple, Opsal-J Fuel My Fire, the unanimous All-American Fall Calf in 2022, now VG-88 at 2 years, and placed sixth in the senior 2-year-old class at Madison.
Another couple that has become good friends are the Scotland-based Brown Swiss breeders, Jonny Lochheaad and Jessica Miller of Kedar Brown Swiss, a relationship that started online. “A few years ago, we reached out to Jonny on Facebook – they own the Kedar Rhapsody cow that’s EX-95 and she’s one of my all-time favorite Brown Swiss cows,” related Hayleigh. “We were curious about embryos they had for sale. That led to a longer conversation, and when, unbeknown to us, they came to Expo the next fall, we just all really hit it off in person. They made our string their home base, they helped us out, and it formed a really solid friendship. We partnered on some embryos from Rhapsody, and now, Jessica is judging the Intermediate Division of Youth Showmanship at Expo and we couldn’t be more proud!”
They also use Facebook, along with Instagram, as a marketing tool for their Opsal-JH Genetics, as well as consigning to sales, and holding their own online tag sales – the next of which is scheduled for March 1st, with about a dozen head on offer. It’s a tough decision for the couple which ones to sell and which ones to keep. “We are proud of them all!,” laughs Hayleigh. They’re really happy with their group of yearlings, but want to see their genetics go on to do big things for other people who love the breed as much as they do.
Along with his cattle knowledge, Joey is also a talented photographer and graphic designer. Cowsmopolitan has used his skills many times for photo shoots and cover shots, and he does some ad design for a few clients. He went to school at Madison Area Technical College and received a two-year degree in Photography. “I’m not doing as much photography right now as I’d like to be, as I have been busy working and prioritizing our animals. But, at some point in the near future, I’m hoping to dive back into it full force. Right now, my main creative outlet is designing ads and other graphics for fellow breeders.
Hayleigh works remotely as the Marketing and Customer Relations Manager for New Generation Genetics, the Brown Swiss sire marketing company based in Wisconsin. In addition to the marketing responsibilities, she ships out much of the semen to customers from their home in WI.
That job makes it handy to keep up on sires, and they are using New Generation bulls Ray, Halano, and Camilo that hail from European bloodlines. Sires that have previously made an impact on their Brown Swiss herd include Brown Heaven R Famous, Cutting-Edge T Foremost, and Brown Heaven First Choice, who has been siring a number of exciting two-year-olds that are recently fresh.
The couple got married last July, and look forward to one day starting a family. “We’re so thankful to everyone who has supported us to continue chasing our dreams and overcoming challenging hurdles,” says Hayleigh. “Jay & Kristy Ackley, Delbert & Heather Yoder, and Josh & Melissa Haag are just a few that have given us guidance, patience, knowledge, and love – having these incredible people around is what it’s all about!”
It can be a winding road for those people dedicated to the show business, and not an easy one at times, but Joey and Hayleigh have the determination and the desire to continue their success. Hayleigh acknowledges there will be better and worse days on the journey. “We just hope to continue to grow, learn, and to do our best to achieve the goals we’ve set for ourselves, God willing. We all chose a tough lifestyle; we need to do our best to stay unified, and remember at the end of the day, we all share the same passion and love for the dairy industry.”
by Kathleen O’keefe
