132nd Annual Meeting- Day 1

The first day of the Holstein Association USA’s Annual Meeting was full of excitement and energy for the Holstein breed. Starting off the meeting was an Early Bird session featuring a discussion with Dr. Dan Weigel of Zoetis. It has been over a year since Zoetis launched the CLARIFIDE^® Plus predictions for common disease outcomes (Mastitis, Lameness, Metritis, Retained Placenta, Displaced Abomasum, and Ketosis).  The presentation reviewed recent research that demonstrates how well the genetic predictions translate into actual performance in Holstein herds from across the US.

One of the more enjoyable activities that occurs during the National Convention are the various recognitions given to members with notable accomplishments. Presentations were made during the Annual Meeting recognizing the Herds of Excellence and Star of the Breed honorees, as well as acknowledging 175 40-year members.

2017 Herds of Excellence

2016 Star of the Breed

After lunch Michele Ruby presented a keynote titled, “A Story Worth Telling.” The keynote provided attendees with useful tips to sucessfully communicate with the general public, in a meaningful and memorable way. Core story techniques help us tell our story quickly and effectively, and will help tell a story that's as interesting to them, as it is to you. 

While Holstein Association USA’s Annual Business Meeting was underway, Junior members battled for a chance at the National Holstein Dairy Bowl championship! Finals will be held tomorrow morning, prior to the National Junior Forum. In the Junior division, teams from Pennsylvania and New York advanced to the finals! In the Senior division, the team from Illinois also made the finals, and they will battle it out with California for dairy knowledge supremacy!

  

Tomorrow will be an exciting day for Juniors all around, as results from many of the week's contests, including the coveted Distinguished Junior Member Finalists, will be announced. Stay tuned for complete results Saturday evening!

On the adult side, new officer and director candidates will be elected during tomorrow's continuation of the Business Meeting. Keep up to date by following us on Facebook, or check back on the blog for complete results!

Closing out the evening was the 2017 Holstein Convention Sale. During the sale, youth relaxed and enjoyed some competitive “Minute to Win It" games. The finale of the night will be drawings for five different amazing prizes.

Cattle being prepped to go into the sale arena. 

The sale had a full house.

There were 25 live lots during the Convention Sale.

Host Day Fun

After a strong day of Junior competitions, Thursday is National Convention Host Day. Guests could choose one of three tour options, each offering a unique opportunity.

The first tour, “Farm tour,” headed north to tour Sildahl Farms, breeders of renowned bulls such as Sidahl BW Dutch Boy-ET, Sildahl Airraid, and Sidahl Jett Air-ET, as well as two All-Americans. Another stop was Ronelee Farm where we viewed members of the world famous Ronelee Outside Dabble family, including dams and sisters of Ronelee Toystory Domain-ET, Ronelee Midnight Detour-ET, Ronelee Gold Digger-ET, Ronelee Alta Ace High, Ronelee SS Fire and Ice-ET. At the final stop, Markwell Raspberries housed some of the best cows in the state for the day, and showcased their raspberry operation, complete with a tasty treat of raspberries and Edaleen Dairy ice cream. Below are a few highlights from the farm tour.

First stop on the Farm Tour was Sildahl Farms, the Schoenbachler family.

Attendees had the opportunity to view some of Sindahl Farms finest Registered Holsteins.

(l-r) Daniel Kitchen, Pennsylvania, Matt Boop, Pennsylvania, Nathan Arthur, Iowa,
Sarah Thomas, North Carolina, Doug Boop, Pennsylvania and Laura Lester, Pennsylvania  

Andrew King, National Sales Representative, commends members of the Schoenbachler family for a job well done.

Our second stop of the day was Ronelee Holsteins, the Polinders. 

The Polinder family welcome guests to their farm as they tell the history of Ronelee Holsteins. 

Not only did attendees enjoy viewing their cattle, they took in the beautiful Washington views. 

After Ronelee Holsteins, we stopped at Markwell Raspberries to tour their raspberry and blueberry operation. They showcased Holsteins from around the state of Washington as well.

The raspberry and blueberry picker they use to harvest their crop.

Other tour options included “Whale Watching” and “Explore Seattle City.” Throughout the summer you are able to watch three resident pods of Orca whales near Bellevue. The San Juan Islands are home to a diverse community of wildlife. On the Whale Watching tour, besides whales, members also spotted harbor seals, sea lions, and harbor porpoise, bald eagles and many types of sea birds.

Seattle is meant to be experienced. The “Explore Seattle City” tour allowed for multiple stops to experience the city first hand. Some of the big sights are the Pike Place Market, the Space Needle and Pioneer Square, as well as the diverse neighborhoods that give Seattle so much character – Fremont, Queen Anne, Ballard, Chinatown and more.

The evening was rounded out with a visit to the Seattle’s Museum of Flight for a night of fun. The Museum of Flight is the largest independent air and space museum in the world and is home to over 175 aircraft and spacecrafts.

Friday is sure to be action packed with the start of the 132^nd Annual Meeting, Dairy Bowl competitions and the National Sale! Be sure to check back for updates.

Dairy Jeopardy Competition was a Highlight

The 2017 National Holstein Convention has officially begun in beautiful Bellevue, Washington. The National Holstein Dairy Jeopardy contest marked the official start of the Junior Convention, and other contests were held throughout the day. In three age divisions, more than 70 participants competed for their shot at bringing home the top award. Here are the results:

Junior Division:

1st Place: Jenna Larson, Florida (center)

2nd Place: Jordan Anderson, Pennsylvania (right)

3rd Place: Louis Hamliett, Iowa (left)

Intermediate Division:

1st Place: Mackenzie Elmer, California (center)

2nd Place: Todd Allen,Maryland (left)

3rd Place: Daniel Clapp, Massachusetts (right)

Senior Division:

1st Place: Jordan Siemers, Wisconsin (left)

2nd Place: Douglas Boop, Pennsylvania (right)

At the Distinguished Junior Member (DJM) Luncheon, 12 DJM semi-finalists were honored. These youth interviewed today with a panel of judges, and the top six finalists will be announced Saturday afternoon at the National Junior Awards luncheon.

Katelyn Allen, Jefferson, Md.

Douglas Boop, Millmont, Pa.

Kristen Broege, Janesville, Wis.

Andy Dougherty, Epworth, Iowa

Emily Irwin, Belvidere, Ill.

Carley Krull, Lake Mills, Wis.

Laura Lesher, Bernville, Pa.

Tony Lopes, Gustine, Calif.

Austin Schmitt, Rice, Minn.

Jill Seiler, Valley Center, Kan.

Brooke Trustem, Evansville, Wis.

Hannah Van Dyk, Tulare, Calif.

The eight Young Distinguished Junior Members (YDJM) were also honored at the luncheon:

Jill Allen, Jefferson, Md.

Ryan Allen, Jefferson, Md.

Regan Demmer, Peosta, Iowa

Payton Erbsen, Lanark, Ill.

Hayley Fernandes, Tulare, Calif.

Brooke Kline, Newport, Pa.

Laura Littrell, St. Johnsville, N.Y.

Isaac Nelson, Sleepy Eye, Minn.

Juniors also competed throughout the day with the Prepared Public Speaking Contest and Dairy Knowledge Exam, the results for these two contests will be announced at the Awards Luncheon on Saturday.

Juniors visited the world-famous Seattle Space Needle. From the observation deck at the Space Needle, they could view Lake Union, Elliott Bay Marina, Queen Anne Hill, the Seattle Center, Cascade Mountains, and the Seattle Seahawk and Mariner fields. The night was capped off with dinner at the 100-foot level followed by dancing.

Juniors waiting to go up the Space Needle.

Learning a new line dance.

Check back tomorrow for more highlights from Convention Host Day activities and Washington Family Night!