The Showcase program is a reflection of exceptional cows that have propelled their breed throughout generations. One-name cows like Paris, Hanan 33317, Have Not 8784, Habitan and Lena structure the Holstein offering, while the impressive brood cows Veronica, Wishful Thinking and Delilah are the roots of the high-component offering. These proven maternal lines breed true and give us confidence that the image and performance of these cow families will be reflected in your herd through their thoughtfully crafted sons.
/ GRANDSONS
7HO17700 HINGE
Grandson of S-S-I Doc Have Not 8784-ET (EX-96-EX-MS-DOM)
7HO16295 HAS IT ALL
Son of S-S-I Doc Have Not 8784-ET (EX-96-EX-MS-DOM)
250HO17699 PRACISE RC-P
Grandson of Siemers Lstr Hanan 33317-ET (EX-91-EX-MS)
250HO16498 HULU
Son of Siemers Lstr Hanan 33317-ET (EX-91-EX-MS)
7JE5032 VICTORIOUS
Son of Avonlea Iatola Victoria (E-94%)
9BS952 DETERMINATION
Son of Cutting Edge T Delilah “2E95 2E95MS”
9AY152 WILCARD
Son of Toppglen Wishful Thinking (EX-96-4E-EX-MS)
/
DELILAH
VICTORIA
ON THE COVER
It’s no secret that Jim Ostrom of Milksource Genetics is passionate not only about cows, but also his prize-winning garden. We took this opportunity to capture all the breeds that now call Milksource home for our fall cover. Front cover, left to right: GMBV Joel Dixie, Bricker-Farms King Cinderella & Eixdale Pwrup Alongside. Back cover, left to right: Brown Heaven Carter Falby-ET & Glenirvine Unix Sally.
Here we are again! Rolling into the best time of year for purebred dairy cattle enthusiasts - at least those who are fans of the show ring - it’s go time! We’re moving from the state fairs and state shows into the high-powered part of the year that features the best cattle with the best preparation at the finest events.
Of course, here at Cowsmo, we relish the fall show season, though it’s a hectic one for the team. We love doing show coverage and putting those results and images online and in the magazine - documenting the highlights and the winners each year. As we gear up for Expo, Louisville and the Royal, we speculate on the cattle that will be there, the possible champions, and which cows are taking the year off.
We spend a lot of time talking about the ‘one name’ cows you all know - Malt, Bailey, Footloose, Cali, Montana, Lauretta, Lillythere’s a bunch, but you instantly picture the cows in your mind. The show ring greats and the up and coming contenders that we all love.
Whether you’re exhibiting yourself or if you’re taking in the shows as a spectator, I hope that you’ll really take time to soak in the presence of some of those animals. Stop to take a picture of that aged cow you’ve admired for years or of that heifer that made your hair stand up; even make it a selfie. You’ll be glad you did years from now.
I’ve had many decades of walking through barns and I wish I had captured more images of great cows on the pack or headed to the ring. Those one name girls aren’t with us forever, and once they retire or pass away, we always seem to wish we’d taken that photo or captured that memory when she was Grand Champion one last time.
a number of our good friends in the show business in the past couple of years, and we can never have enough of those memories in hand.
We had the pleasure of doing a few articles in this issue with people that are committed to the hard work and great fun of showing dairy cattle. Jim Ostrom, Christy Ratliff, Keith and Donnette Fisher are all people that have been going to the shows for years. They’ve had numerous champions at the very highest levels of our industry and yet, they keep coming back year after year. Why? The challenge, the camaraderie, the fire of competition, but mostly, the absolute love of working with great cows; the unmatchable pride and thrill of developing an elite animal and seeing her thrive under great care.
Whether you’re operating at the very top of the game or still striving to get there, I think those are the things that still motivate everyone who fills out an entry form this fall. In the end, it’s still the cattle that crate the buzz, that frisson of excitement when you walk into the barns at Madison, Louisville, or the Royal for the first time each year.
It’s amazing how the years fly by. It was a trip down memory lane writing those articles and reminiscing about old champions that were influential for each of those breeding establishments. It always surprises me when a great show cow that you remember fondly has been gone for ten or twenty years, but it feels like you just saw her parading around the ring recently. So be sure to give that favorite a pet or a scratch and appreciate that satisfying feeling of being in the presence of great cows. Make those memories.
Even more so, be sure to take a moment to get a picture with the members of your show crew, or if you travel with buddies to watch the show, get that photo too. It seems like we’ve lost
We love seeing all of you who can make it to Madison! Stop by and visit us in the booth - MC13 - a new, better location this year!
Best of luck to all of the exhibitors at the fall shows! May your cows always eat up, your trucks run smooth, and your travels be safe!
See you at ringside!!
Kathleen O’Keefe
MILKSOURCE GENETICS
Home of Expo Champions
There’s no mistaking the Milksource Genetics show string as you walk down the aisle of Barn 1 at World Dairy Expo. The striking purple and white exhibit highlights past champions, and the lineup of cattle tied in the stalls gives you a peek at potential champions to come. Our cover photos for this issue show off some of the tremendous cows waiting for their turn on the colored shavings in Madison.
The Milksource crew at home and at the show are some of the best in the business when it comes to producing toplevel winners - accumulating more than 35 champions in the Holstein, Red & White and Jersey breeds at World Dairy Expo since 2008. They’ve exhibited Supreme Champion cows at Madison, and have bred Supreme Champion heifers. The conference room at the Milksource Genetics barn is full of champion trophies and Premier Breeder and Exhibitor banners from Expo, the Royal, as well as numerous national and state level shows.
What does it take to sustain that level of success over the almost twenty years that the Milksource Genetics show herd has been in place? In visiting with Jim Ostrom, one of the owners of Milksource, we were able to reminisce about some of the early years and how the team kept setting the standards higher.
Some of the first Milksource entries at Madison were in 2008, after Jim and co-owner, John Vosters, had been purchasing cattle for the genetics herd over the previous year or so. The show string had notable success in those first years in the Red & White show with Junior Champions and then Intermediate Champions and Premier Exhibitor banners, so there was immediate fuel for the fire of show ring competition.
In the Holstein show ring, however, the top-tier results were a little slower in coming, and it was 2013 before they had their first class winner in the Holstein show. Jim expounds on what they learned in that era. “I think the biggest lesson we’ve learned over time is the refinement of the quality levels it takes to win at Madison, and you have to be able to sort those levels out. In my opinion, the average sixth place animal is a long way from the winner. There’s sixth place animals that can go out on another day and win at another show, but at Madison that is a very difficult mountain to climb. We selected animals early on that could not climb that mountain, but over the years we’ve gotten better at it.”
It seem almost every new ‘start up’ show string relies on a number of advisors when it comes to purchasing cattle, and Milksource was no different. Having too many opinions when
I think the biggest lesson we’ve learned over time is the refinement of the quality levels it takes to win at Madison, and you have to be able to sort those levels out.
- JIM OSTROM -
it comes to buying a good one can actually be a bad thing, and Jim admits that they had to move past that. “We had this consensus building process early on, and it was sort of a disaster. We just could not pull the trigger because somebody would have an objection. We sort of broke up the consensus model, as we realized that you have to have the confidence to buy the good ones when they’re in front of you. You have to have the courage to buy her when you know she’s elite - it’s the single most important thing you can do. Not wait to see how she looks when she gets out to the ring, because if you don’t buy her when she’s in front of you, somebody else will. Now, the problem with that is you can make mistakes - and we do make mistakes. We make them every single year, but we have fundamentally shifted how we look at and buy cattle. Our managers, Eddie and Mandi Bue, play a role in it. Eddie is an exceptional individual at evaluating animals, so we’ve moved to having one or two people making the decisions.”
The crew at Milksource, while starting with Holsteins and Red & Whites, have always had a love for great individuals no matter the color and by 2014, the Jerseys were starting to enter the picture. Milksource is synonymous with the three-time Grand Champion at the International Jersey Show, Musqie Iatola Martha EX-97, who also captured Supreme Champion honors at the Royal Winter Fair three times. Jerseys have been a part of the herd for over a decade now, and even more colors - Brown Swiss and Ayrshire - have entered the barn in Kaukauna, Wisconsin as well.
“We absolutely love great individuals. When you find a great individual, or one that could be, we buy her. I think in the earlier years, certain breeds had more exceptional individuals than others, but now there are exceptional individuals in every breed,” explains Jim. The added merchandising opportunities play a part in that, but primarily, it’s a thrill and a goal for the team to develop those elite individuals, no matter the color. “We will market daughters out of truly elite cows, and do pretty well with it, but it’s not our motive. Our motive is to bring in some of the best dairy cattle on Planet Earth and just be a part of them. We have an exceptional Ayrshire in the
“herd, (Bricker-Farms King) Cinderella, and we own half of her. It’s just an honor to have a truly elite animal.”
Along with the thrill of exhibiting the very best, the Milksource team has a rapport that supports each other, but also leaves room for some good natured ribbing and competitiveness amongst the group for who gets the best results. “Once you lead an animal and you win, you don’t get dethroned, you get to keep leading her. That’s why I don’t let anyone wearing whites get near (Glenirvine Unix) Sally - I’m not letting anyone move in on that,” laughs Jim, who has been on the halter of the impressive Holstein her whole career. “John and I get together and we talk about who would be best to lead each animal, but it sorts itself out pretty easily most of the time.”
Part of that easy rapport comes from the two people that manage the genetics barn and the show herd, Eddie and Mandi Bue, who keep things running smoothly at home and at the show. “Eddie and Mandi are truly gifted, passionate, and superb animal experts. I can’t say enough great things about them. They’re fantastic at what they do, and we’re honored to have them. They’re like having elite show cows - it’s so hard to find people with that level of passion and expertise, so you have to trust them” says Jim.
We absolutely love great individuals. When you find a great individual, or one that could be, we buy her. I think in the earlier years, certain breeds had more exceptional individuals than others,
Milksource co-owners, John Vosters and Jim Ostrom.
That trust is one of the best things about working at Milksource according to Eddie Bue. “Mandi and I really appreciate the confidence that Jim and John have in us - from running the barn to purchasing cattle. Not every establishment is like that, and it can be frustrating as a manager if ownership is second guessing you,” says Eddie. “The job has its share of pressure, but when you can work with once in a lifetime cows like Martha, or develop a cow like Sally, it’s incredible.”
When you show multiple breeds at World Dairy Expo, the week can get long, and Jim acknowledges the effort it takes from the crew. “It’s a grind when you have to prepare animals and milk them at two in the morning every single day of Expo because you’re showing every single day. The team works extremely hard to try to work through that, and we know now that we have to have enough staff to account for those extra-long hours throughout the week.”
Milksource is now equally known for being a breeding establishment as well as an operation that buys elite cattle. The genetics barn has only so much room, and they have to market the excess inventory of animals, many of which go on to do great things for owners other than Milksource.
In the Holstein breed, the Milksource prefix is carried by two EX-95 cows, and eleven EX-94 cows, and of those thirteen individuals, the farm only owns one. “We love it. We think it’s great,” says Jim. “We cannot recruit the best, most elite animals of the day and have a barn that’s overflowing. It makes so much more sense for us to sell our young animals into the marketplace and make room for the truly elite ones. Eddie, Mandy, John and myself will have a conversation about which ones need to be merchandised, and then we wish all the best to the new owners. We love seeing ‘Milksource’ on winners in other strings or becoming foundation animals in other herds.”
With any elite show herd, people always wonder if there is an end in sight; a plan for when the doors close, but Jim asserts that the thrill is still real for the Milksource team.
It’s a passion. We love it. We love great animals. We love competing at the highest level. To have a team of people that we do, and some of the really truly elite cattle in North America, we’re just thrilled to be a part of it. We don’t really see any end game other than doing what we love.”
What’s more fun than walking the aisles at a top level Jersey show? Seeing the great udders, dairy character, and refined heads on a lineup of little brown cows satisfies that urge we all have to look at beautiful creatures. And at any top Jersey show in the US, you’ll likely see an outstanding string of open-ribbed, dairy, long-necked Jerseys with great rear udders under the Ratliff Jerseys farm sign.
The Ratliff Jersey operation is located in eastern Kansas about an hour southwest of Kansas City in the town of Garnett. Owned by Ron & Christy Ratliff, the Jersey herd was a dream of Christy’s ever since she was a girl. Growing up on her family’s dairy farm that had 125 head of Registered Holsteins with a sprinkling of Registered Ayrshires, Christy always knew that the Jersey breed was for her. “We showed Holsteins and Ayrshires with some success at state fairs and district shows, but I begged for a Jersey calf for years before I got one from Richland Jerseys when I was 12 years old,” Christy remembers.
Her parents, Howard and Maurine Kennedy, supported her throughout her 4-H and FFA years, and found a way to haul her, her brother Mike, and their show cattle to numerous shows and fairs around Kansas.
Christy worked at the local livestock market while she attended Labette Community College, and that’s where she met Ron, where he was a part-owner of Anderson County Sale Company and ran that business for over 30 years. Following her graduation in 1990, she and Ron got married and moved to Garnett. It’s fully evident that Christy is the one passionate for showing Jerseys, but she credits Ron for always being supportive of her
and the cows, while he was busy with the sale company. Her late brother Mike also helped her a tremendous amount over the years, and they shared that deep love for dairy cattle.
Things have come a long way from Christy’s early days milking a few cows in her horse barn with a portable milker. The herd now has about 35-40 milk cows along with young stock that are housed in a tie-stall barn, box stalls, and pack barn. From modest beginnings, Ratliff Jerseys have bred 288 Excellent cows, including one scored EX-96, 15 at EX-95, and 22 at EX-94. Her homebred Ratliff Price Alicia EX-95% was the first three-peat National Grand Champion at Louisville in 20082010, and left over 50 VG & EX daughters in the herd over the years.
Herd favorites include Ratliff Irwin Cadillac EX-93%, the Jersey Jug Futurity winner in 2023, and Grand Champion at the Southern Spring National Show in 2024. Out of an EX-93% show winning Indiana, Cadillac’s 2nd dam is an EX-95% Jade show winner that then goes back to Norval Acres breeding in Canada.
House, Australia.
Another Jersey Jug winner for Christy was Ratliff Irwin Vancy EX95% who took the title in 2020. Vancy’s dam is Arethusa Tequila Vision, an EX-95% granddaughter of Veronica, and Christy taps Vision as one of the most influential brood cows that helped shape her herd. Vancy’s daughter, Ratliff Money Vixen EX-95%, was the All-American Lifetime Cheese Cow in 2024.
As well as breeding good ones, Christy has never been afraid to buy a cow that can contribute new bloodlines to the herd. She purchased the cow behind Cadillac, Norval Acres Pitino Constance as a 2-year-old in Canada, and brought her home to Kansas where she was eventually nominated All-American several times and eventually scored EX-95%.
Avonlea Jude Karmel EX-94% was also nominated All-American many times. A member of the world-renowned Kitty/Kookie/ Kanada family from the Vander Meulens in Canada and a prolific brood cow with 84 registered sons and daughters in the US and Canada, she is a foundation cow for the Ratliff herd.
When the Veronica daughters took the world by storm, Christy wanted one, but had to wait to find just the right opportunity. She found the heifer she wanted, a Primetime daughter of Veronica, Arethusa Primetime Deja Vu, who eventually went EX-95% and may be one of the best transmitting daughters
of Veronica, which is saying a mouthful. Her Colton daughter, Ratliff Colton Darien EX-93%, was purchased by Pacific Edge and she is the dam of their well-known show cow Pacific Edge Premier Diva EX-96%.
These cows sum up what Christy is looking for in females she brings into the herd - deep pedigree, outstanding individual type, and the potential to win in the show ring.
All of these homebred and purchased cows laid the foundation for Christy to win the Premier Breeder banner at the All-American Jersey Show ten times, and the Premier Breeder banner at the International Jersey Show eight times. The Ratliff prefix has been carried by dozens and dozens of animals nominated for ABA All-American or winning All-American or Reserve All-American titles at the All-American Jersey Show. Ratliff Jerseys has also been honored with the American Jersey Cattle Association Young Breeder Award in 2008 and the Master Breeder Award in 2018.
They flush their cows with TransOva at Chillicothe, Missouri and put the embryos in the beef cows that Christy runs on the farm - about 100 head that run the pasture in the summertime. She is able to use the females for her Jersey embryos and sells the males to local beef producers through Ron’s sale business.
Ratliff Jerseys is no stranger to bringing home the banners at National Shows. At right, the winning Exhibitor’s Herd at the 2024 International Jersey Show.
The Ratliffs have also always used some bulls from their own show cows as herd bulls, and also collect a number of bulls through KABSU. Christy sells the semen to other Jersey breeders that want to tap into her breeding program, and want to use something out of some of her cows. The semen is delivered across the country, and Christy usually takes a semen tank with her to the shows if people want to pick it up in person.
Christy runs the farm herself, doing most of the labor with one full-time employee and five people who fill in part-time. Chad Ellis, Rhonda Frank and Jennifer Brunel have been helping at the farm the longest. Chad helps with the show cows, checks beef cows and fills in where needed. Rhonda helps Christy milk and feeds calves in the morning. Jennifer does relief milking at the farm. Donald Richardson and Dan Friedrich have also been a big part of the success at Ratliff Jerseys.
She also appreciates the entire team effort it takes to get cattle out to the shows and has a number of long-term fitters that help get the cattle ready and out: Grant Fremstad, Kyle Natzke, Austin Kopecky, Neal Laneville, and Adrian Franken. It’s a group effort that takes the string on the road to numerous shows each year and covers thousands of miles of road to get there.
One of Christy’s real joys is helping young people get involved with good cattle. “Cassy Krull lived here for a time and showed my breeding for years through Ratliff Sambo Demi. Addie Raber interned here one summer and showed Ratliff-bred animals. Katelyn Klipp has interned this year and showed some of our animals, and Jon Pretz’ kids also leased calves for the summer. I support the juniors whenever I can. I love to see people buying show calves for their kids at my sales,” enthuses Christy.
For the past decade, Christy has held the Post Time at Ratliffs sale series. The first two sales were filled with only Ratliff cattle, but then sale manager Andrew Vander Meulen suggested getting some consignments for the next sale in order to bring more people to attend the sale in Kansas. Christy has enjoyed going out and getting selections and says fellow Jersey breeders have been very supportive in sending high-quality consignments to the sale. The 2025 edition saw 87 lots average $4,789.
“A number of the smaller breeders that used to come here looking for buy a daughter out of one of my top cows, that wanted to buy a foundation cow for their own herd, they’re not there anymore. That’s hurt my sales, but that’s just the reality,” notes Christy.
Beyond the work at home and the time spent at shows, Christy now has started doing some judging assignments and really enjoys it. “I wasn’t interested in doing it for a long time. I could see nothing good from doing some judging - I thought
you’d just piss people off. Then a couple of years ago, I got a call at night from Brad Gavenlock in Australia saying they wanted me to come judge the Sydney Royal Easter Jersey Show in Australia! I couldn’t believe it, but I said yes right away,” remembers Christy.
In spite of some trepidation about giving reasons, Christy set to work to prepare for the show. She started giving reasons at home on every single cow that came into the milk barn. “I talked to Allyn ‘Spud’ Paulson and he told me that I needed to be giving a set of reasons every single day. So if we’re out there moving heifers or leading heifers, I’m giving reasons. Julie Hemp has been phenomenal in helping me. She came here before I went to Australia and helped me prepare.”
She just recently officiated at the Western Fall National Jersey Show out in Oregon where she sorted the classes at a pretty high powered show that every year sees the show strings from Pacific Edge, Royalty Ridge, Misty Meadow, and other high end herds participate. A number of top level cows went through the ring and Christy enjoyed placing them. She has the judging assignment for the All-American Junior Jersey Show at Louisville in November and is looking forward to that job on the green shavings.
It’s been quite a journey for that little Kansas girl that wanted a Jersey calf and milked her cows with a portable milker to traveling around the world judging and winning rosettes and awards for her work with the Jersey cow. It highlights the power of having a dream, staying focused, and loving what you do every single day!
SENIOR & GRAND CHAMPION: Budjon-Vail Jordan C Shaneese-ET (Colton), 1st production cow, Kamryn, Kate & Colt Kasbergen and Kash-In Jerseys, Tulare, CA
RESERVE SENIOR & GRAND CHAMPION: SVHeaths Colton Jazlyn-ET (Colton), 2nd 4-year-old, Ela May Genetics – Ava, Ivy & Liv Hebgen, DeForest, WI
INTERMEDIATE CHAMPION: Johnson Five Kid Vanessa-ET (Kid Rock), 1st summer junior 2-year-old, Trace Johnson, Kayla Trustem & Bryce Cullen, Poplar Grove, IL
RESERVE INTERMEDIATE CHAMPION: AC Canadian Rose (Canadian Club), 1st winter senior 2-year-old, Tristen Ostrom, Kaukauna, WI
JUNIOR CHAMPION: Kash-In Stop And Stare-ET (Video), 1st winter yearling, Kamryn Kasbergen & Ivy Hebgen, Tulare, CA
RESERVE JUNIOR CHAMPION: Budjon-Vail Video Starr-ET (Video), 2nd winter yearling, Emma Paulson, Budjon & P Vail, Columbus, WI
Intermediate & Reserve Grand Champion Liberty Gen Victorious Venus, MilkSource LLC.
Junior Show Grand Champion BudjonVail Jordan C Shaneese-ET, Kamryn, Kate & Colt Kasbergen & Kash-In Jerseys.
Senior & Grand Champion Kunde Abel Natty, Ron & Christy Ratliff.
LtoR: Grand Champion Kunde Abel Natty, Ron & Christy Ratliff; Reserve Grand Champion Liberty Gen Victorious Venus, MilkSource LLC; HM Grand Champion Budjon-Vail Jordan C Shaneese-ET, Kamryn, Kate & Colt Kasbergen and Kash-In Jerseys.
Reserve Intermediate Champion Ratliff Lolalala Vivid-ET, Ron & Christy Ratliff.
Grand-View Bigstar Brielle (Bigstar), 2nd 4-year-old, Steve, Sara, Adrianna & August Schneider, Pulaski, WI
INTERMEDIATE & GRAND CHAMPION
Bricker-Farms King Cinderella (Kingsire), 1st senior 3-year-old, Milk Source, K & M Wolf and J & S Fairbanks, Kaukauna, WI
RESERVE INTERMEDIATE & GRAND CHAMPION
Ms Reagan Blossom-ET (Reagan), 1st senior 2-year-old, Austen Schmidt, Cascade, WI
HM INTERMEDIATE CHAMPION
Glamourview Bootilicious-ET (Gentleman), 1st junior 3-year-old, Joe & Keith Engel, Hampshire, IL
JUNIOR CHAMPION
Old-N-Lazy LL Michelob-ET (Lochinvar), 1st summer yearling, Payton Calvert and Kayla Trustem, Cuba City, WI
RESERVE JUNIOR CHAMPION
Dream Vale Gentleman Wilma-ET (Gentleman), 1st winter calf, Kennedy, William & Paige Zimmerman, Brodhead, WI
HM JUNIOR CHAMPION
Old-Bankston-JC Boot Scootn-ET (Wisher), 2nd winter calf, Eden & Dayton Richter, Stitzer, WI
PREMIER BREEDER & EXHIBITOR
Mark & Becky Brown, Stitzer, WI
AYRSHIRE JUNIOR SHOW CHAMPIONS
SENIOR & RESERVE GRAND CHAMPION: Stil-Dreamn B-King Queencookie (B-King), 1st 4-year-old, Diesel Dixon, Matthew Thompson & Cooper Wolf, Guttenberg, IA
RESERVE SENIOR CHAMPION: Red Brae SPA Cayenne Neola (Pepper), 2nd production cow, Calli & Wyatt Storms, Muscoda, WI
INTERMEDIATE & GRAND CHAMPION: Stony-Acres Kingsire My GirlET (Kingsire), 2nd junior 3-year-old, Claire & Jacob Betley, Pulaski, WI
RESERVE INTERMEDIATE CHAMPION: Old-Bankston Kings PrincessET (Kingsire), 4th senior 2-year-old, Abby Porte and Callen & Dawson Damrow, Pocatello, ID
JUNIOR CHAMPION: Old-N-Lazy LL Michelob-ET (Lochinvar), 1st summer yearling, Payton Calvert and Kayla Trustem, Cuba City, WI
RES. JUNIOR CHAMPION: Dream Vale Gentleman Wilma-ET (Gentleman), 1st winter calf, K, W & P Zimmerman, Brodhead, WI
Jr Show Grand Champion StilDreamn B-King Queencookie
Reserve Intermediate & Grand Champion Ms Reagan Blossom-ET,
Intermediate & Grand Champion Bricker-Farms King Cinderella, Milk Source, K & M Wolf and J & S Fairbanks.
LtoR: Grand Champion Bricker-Farms King Cinderella, Milk Source, K & M Wolf and J & S Fairbanks; Reserve Grand Champion Ms Reagan BlossomET, Austen Schmidt; HM Grand Champion Stil-Dreamn B-King Queencookie Matthew Thompson & Cooper Wolf.
MILKING SHORTHORN
Judge Marjorie Rida, MA · Total Head: 97
SENIOR & GRAND CHAMPION
Lazy M Jekyll Zella-EXP (Jekyll), 1st 5-year-old, Britton Allen, Stitzer, WI
RESERVE SENIOR & GRAND CHAMPION
Ridale Petrone Bacardi-EXP-ET (Petrone), 1st 4-year-old, Peter Vail, Valatie, NY
HM SENIOR CHAMPION
Triple S Lad LaidBackNLazy-EXP (Lad), 1st production cow, Triple S Genetics, Anamosa, IA
INTERMEDIATE & HM GRAND CHAMPION
Valley View Lotta Sassafras-ET (Lottery), 1st milking yearling, M Gregory, M Upchurch and B & S Ferry, Hebron, IL
RESERVE INTERMEDIATE CHAMPION
Mile High Light My Fire-EXP (Legacy), 1st senior 2-year-old, Dale & Deanna Bendig and Peter Vail, Valatie, NY
RESERVE INTERMEDIATE CHAMPION: Sniders Michelangelo Paris-ETV (Michelangelo), 2nd junior 2-yearold, Kolby Stoltzfus, East Earl, PA
JUNIOR CHAMPION: Rutter Bros Cadets Candy Apple (Cadet), 2nd spring calf, Brooke Walker, York, PA
RESERVE JUNIOR CHAMPION: Rutter Bros Missiles Camaro-ETV (Missile), 4th winter calf, Brooke Walker, York, PA
Senior & Grand Champion Hollow View Tank Tillie, Kolby Stoltzfus.
Reserve Senior & HM Grand Champion Femara Cayden Alyse, Erin & Ben Wheeler & Howacres.
RtoL: Intermediate Champion Warwick Manor Atom Cleo, Karli Horning; Reserve Intermediate Champion Warwick Manor Spartacus Sissy, Kolby Stoltzfus; HM Intermediate Champion Golden I James Dean Lyra, MacDonald.
Intermediate & Reserve Grand Champion Warwick Manor Atom Cleo, Karli Horning.
RtoL: Grand Champion Hollow View Tank Tillie, Kolby Stoltzfus; Reserve Grand Champion Warwick Manor Atom Cleo, Karli Horning; HM Grand Champion Femara Cayden Alyse, Erin & Ben Wheeler & Howacres.
Junior Champion Rutter Bros Cadens Temptress-ETV, Kelly Johnson.
In this Fall issue, we’re continuing our collaboration with Uplevel Dairy Podcast, created and produced by Peggy Coffeen. We love a timely topic and there’s no better one for this issue that debuts at World Dairy Expo than her conversation with the CEO of ST Genetics, Juan Moreno, who is being honored as World Dairy Expo’s International Person of the Year in 2025. This episode was produced in partnership with WDE’s Dairy Show Podcast, so we thank them for their permission to print this synopsis.
While now the CEO of an innovative global genetics company, Juan Moreno has a background similar to many of us. A native of Columbia, he grew up on a small dairy farm that had 70 Brown Swiss cows (which his brother operates today). Their family enjoyed showing cattle, so he’s had his time at the end of a show halter and using a set of clippers. He came to the US to go to university at Ohio State, where he fell in love with studying genetics and reproductive physiology.
He readily admits that he didn’t foresee this path to start and sometimes unexpected events and decisions can shape your life. “Well, honestly, I had too much fun my first semester at college, and I actually spent all of the money my parents had given me to pay for my first six month of school. I blew all that money in three months, and I couldn’t go back to the family to ask for more so I had to start working,” admits Moreno. “I started working at the dairy barn at Ohio State, where there is always a lot of research going on. They were doing trials on BST at the time. We would inject the cows and then collecting data measuring the exact amount of feed was consumingvery detailed studies. There was also some work being done in reproduction, and so when you’re in that environment being surrounded by a lot of research - that really created a lot of interest in my mind. It was just fascinating to be surrounded by those folks and the different work they were doing.”
Moreno ended up spending five years at Ohio State absorbing and relishing the research and scientific atmosphere at the university. His focus became reproductive physiology and while in Ohio, he learned how to collect and transfer embryos. He then had the opportunity to attend Texas A&M to do graduate work in reproductive physiology and in vitro fertilization, where he made his first IVF calves 34 years ago. At that time, the big question was how to determine the gender of the calf before its born, and eventually that was solved by
taking blastomeres from the embryo and doing a PCR test to determine the gender. As with most research, and with most curious minds, that led to ask ‘what’s next?’.
“Once we could sex embryos, the holy grail became sexed semen. So when USDA and Dr. Johnson announced that they had figured out a way to identify and separate sperm cells based on the X and the Y chromosomeessentially into male and female populations - that was like, this is it. We’ve got to chase this”, remembers Moreno. “At that time I had finished at A&M and along with some partners, we were building a company doing custom semen collection and custom embryo transfer with a little bit of IVF. We were a little, tiny company servicing mostly local beef producers with some high end genetics. At that point, we thought if we can get access to sexed semen, we could benefit our clients.”
“That’s always been the driving force. Everything that we do, the first question that we ask is, will this help my client be more profitable? If our client is more profitable, they’re going to continue to do business with us and we both stay in business. Sexed semen was an obvious yes for us in our case with the beef producers in the geographical area that we were at.”
The road from an ‘aha’ moment to developing an easy, efficient product is rarely straight or smooth, and that’s what Moreno and his partners discovered in their quest for sexed semen. “The technology at that time - like every technology when it first starts - was very expensive and very inefficient. The quality of the product was subpar, to be honest with you. But, it made either males or females. There were plenty of negatives with the prodcut: it was lower fertility, only use it in heifers, only use it in first service, and only use it on natural heats. But the one good thing was that the calf was going
“That’s always been the driving force. Everything that we do, the first question that we ask is, will this help my client be more profitable? If our client is more profitable, they’re going to continue to do business with us and we both stay in business.
- JUAN MORENO -
It’s been a 20 year journey of making things better and we will continue to make it better and now the conception rate of sexed semen compared to conventional semen is basically the same. You have to be a bit hardheaded - to persevere - but the bottom line is about creating something that is more profitable for our clients.
- JUAN MORENO -
to be a female - that was the benefit to the producer,” says Moreno. “That was the driving force. So we started chasing the opportunity of getting access to the technology.”
Ironically, though, those negatives were a positive for Moreno in the long run. The large companies around the world thought the product was too risky: expensive, inefficient, lower conception rate than conventional semen. They all decided to wait on it. And that was the opening that Moreno and his partners needed.
“Everybody sat around and waited and waited and waited. The group that had control of the technology said, ‘Well, somebody’s got to do it and there’s a group of crazy folks down in Texas that think they know better, so maybe if we give them a chance, something will happen.’ They gave us a chance and that’s how we are here today,” notes Moreno. Even then, the path wasn’t straight and the end was guaranteed. Like many innovative companies in early days, the business was operating on a shoestring. “At that point in time, I didn’t have a dime. I was running on credit card debt. My wife was working at the university and was really the one supporting the family at the time. I had to figure out how to pay for the technology, so I literally went out to friends, family, and some of our clients we had at the time. And from those 25 or 30 different sources, we raised the money. That group is all still with us today as members and shareholders in the company. They believed in us when it was just the beginning of the dream.”
“From there, once we had the technology, it had all of these things that needed to improve. We couldn’t fix them all at one time, so we just systematically went after fixing one at a time. It’s been a 20 year journey of making things better and we will continue to make it better and now the conception rate of sexed semen compared to conventional semen is basically the same. You have to be a bit hardheaded - to persevere - but the bottom line is about creating something that is more profitable for our clients,” emphasizes Moreno.
That technology and dedication to a better product has allowed Sexing Technologies to grow into a global company that employs 1,800 people with subsidiaries in 20 different countries and operate more than 60 labs around the world. Moreno sees a larger mission in the world - being part of an integral movement to help feed the world. Even
after all these years working with bovine semen products, Moreno still believes in the value and power of that product. “Artificial insemination was first used in 1784 by Italian physiologist Lasal Alani, who inseminated a dog. It’s 250-yearold technology and it’s still the driving force behind genetic improvement in the animal protein industry and being able to feed the world. It’s the single most powerful technology that exists on the face of the earth. Without it, we wouldn’t have the production in milk cows that we have today; we wouldn’t have the quality of beef that we have today; even poultry uses AI!,” he asserts.
So, what’s next for this man and this company that has been driven by curiosity and innovation? Moreno sees our consumers driving the standards of animal care provided on dairies. “87% of our consumers live in a city, and 100% of our consumers really care about the quality of product they eat or drink on a daily basis. They want to know it was produced under certain standards, and they want to know that we’re treating all of our animals in large groups well. Agree or disagree, we’re going to have to deliver that assurance. We’re developing a product we call FarmFit that will help the producer manage large groups of animals on an individual basis - collecting data and information on each individual cow,” says Moreno.
Juan Moreno carries a lot of labels: geneticist, entrepreneur, businessman, dairy producer, but those don’t mean much to him. “In the end, I’m just a curious person. I’m driven by curiosity about everything in life. I can’t keep my thoughts on just one thing - I like learning about lots of things. Along with that, I’ve learned that building something is always going to take longer than you expect. If you think that dream will be accomplished in three years, it probably will take ten, but maybe it’s good you don’t know that!,” he laughs.
“In the end, I’m just a curious person. I’m driven by curiosity about everything in life. I can’t keep my thoughts on just one thing - I like learning about lots of things. Along with that, I’ve learned that building something is always going to take longer than you expect. If you think that dream will be accomplished in three years, it probably will take ten, but maybe it’s good you don’t know that!”
- JUAN MORENO -
He thanks all of the people that work everyday at Sexing Technologies, and credits them fully as the reason he’s one of the main award winners at this year’s World Dairy Expo.
If you’d like to listen to the complete podcast episode and hear more from Juan Moreno and opportunities he’s pursuing today, you can find it either at The Dairy Show or the Uplevel Dairy Podcast (episode #257): WDE: https://worlddairyexpo.com/pages/ The-Dairy-Show.php
HM Grand Champion TTM Jordy Buick, Chase Savage, Korie Black & Alexis Arbaugh.
Junior Champion Durkacres River
Grand Champion McWilliams
Supreme Junior Champion Ms Reagan Babe-ET, Glamourview Farm & Madison Fisher.
LtoR: Grand Champion South Mountain Rock Concert-ET, Glamourview; Reserve Grand Champion Schulte Bros Victorious Future, Glamourview; HM Grand Champion Ehrhardt Chrome Shower, Blakely Ehrhardt.
LtoR: Grand Champion South Mountain Rock Concert-ET, Glamourview; Reserve Grand Champion Schulte Bros Victorious Future, Glamourview; HM Grand Champion Ehrhardt Chrome Shower, Blakely Ehrhardt.
Gladheart Regal Hills Pretty (Brett), 1st winter yearling, Mike Dilly, Montour, IA
RESERVE JUNIOR CHAMPION
Misty Meadows Reebar Swan Dive (Reebar), 1st spring yearling, Brian Reichard & Brenda McKissick, Chambersburg, PA
Grand Champion Round-Hill HPP Good Mood-ET, Kueffner, Packard, Skipton & Hellenbrand.
Junior Champion Heavenly Let Her Dance, Glamourview.
Junior Champion KCCK Doboy SpiritET, Glamourview.
Reserve Grand Champion SpringVale Rasta Wishes-ET, Jonathan Hubbard.
Reserve Grand Champion MDMistymedo Cherry Pie, Ella Malott.
Grand Champion Corstar MM RastaET, Glamourview.
Resere Grand Champion Anovadales L Rebel, Wayne Spurrier.
Grand Champion Morning Star L Kearstin J, Peyton Krstanovic.
Junior Champion Gladheart Regal Hills Pretty, Mike Dilly.
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HARD CORE FARM
Center Stage With Milking Shorthorns
If you’re a fan of one of the colored dairy breeds, you’ll know Keith and Donnette Fisher of Hard Core Farm. You may have purchased your first colored breed heifer from one of their sales, or had the chance to be tied next to them at a show, and you’ll have experienced their passion for dairy cattleMilking Shorthorns, in particular.
Located in southwest Pennsylvania, about halfway between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh, Hard Core Farm was started in 1998 when Keith rented a small farm with a 42-tie stall barn and 10 acres - where the operation is still located today. Keith’s niece, Chriselle, and his brother Mark helped get the farm started, and in 2000, Donnette moved, along with 15 head of cattle from Washington to Pennsylvania. Both Keith and Donnette were raised with Milking Shorthorns, and they have continually bred, bought, and shown some of the best Shorthorns in North America.
For over 25 years, the Fishers have built their multi-breed herd and gathered countless show ring wins, along with many, many All-American nominations and winners across several breeds. The farm is run the ‘old-fashioned’ way with Keith and Donnette doing all of the work, with occasional help from neighbors if one has to be away from the farm or if they are at a show.
Currently, the make up of the 30-cow herd is a mix of Milking Shorthorns, Guernseys, Ayrshires, and Jerseys. They also milk and raise heifers for several boarding clients. They are very deliberate marketers of their cattle, and sell a large number of their heifers, which keeps the cull rate low in the milking herd. The average age of the milking herd is six years old, and the oldest cow in the barn is 14 years old, with cows in the past living to the ripe old age of 20.
The herd is fed a haylage / corn silage mix twice a day, with grain fed three times a day in the barn, and free choice hay outside. Keith handles the milking chores and makes the matings on the cows. The cows are out on pasture at night from April to November, and weather permitting, they also go outside in the day during the winter months to get exercise and eat all they hay they want, as Keith and Donnette consider hay intake the #1 priority to keep them full and healthy.
With a focus on the show ring, they breed every three months in order to have full-age show calves to sell, and that also helps keep cattle flowing consistently through their operation. They have an intensive IVF program with Trans Ova, which also includes cattle owned by their clients. To be a Hard Core donor, a cow typically has to be a show winner and classified Excellent. Those stats aren’t hard to come by in
Innisfail BDC Stella 905 EXP (EX-96) has made a tremendous impact not only on the Hard Core herd, but in the entire Milking Shorthorn population.
the Hard Core herd, which has exhibited numerous World Dairy Expo Champions and regularly claims the Premier Breeder banner at National Shows. In 2024, Hard Core was the Premier Breeder at the International Milking Shorthorn Show in Madison, the All-American Milking Shorthorn Show in Harrisburg, and the Winter National Milking Shorthorn Show in Louisville.
While picking favorites from decades of show cattle can be difficult, Donnette highlights a few that have had an impact on the herd as well as in the show ring. Perhaps their most famous champion is Innisfail BDC Stella 905 EXP, a two-time Grand Champion at the International Milking Shorthorn Show in 2006 and 2009. Eventually scoring Excellent-96, Stella was a wedding present purchased out of the Innisfail herd, and is backed by two Very Good dams.
Stella’s offspring have excelled in the show ring as well as proving themselves outstanding milk producers. Stella herself made over 238,000 lbs of milk lifetime, and that persistency has bred through to her daughters, granddaughters, and beyond. Her Innisfail Perfect Storm daughter, Hard Core Perfect Sunrise EXP is EX-95 4E and a multi-time National Show winner and All-American nominee while making over 124,000 lbs of milk lifetime. Her Othello son, Hard Core Othello Snoopy ET has sired several show winners and long-lasting cows. They are currently using a descendant of Stella as a herd sire, Hard Core Lottery Spiderman EX-94.
A second favorite - Sunshine Dittos Dottie - was bred by Donnette’s father Jim Elliott, and came to Hard Core Farm in 2003. Dottie, scored EX-94 5E, was the HM All-American Senior 3-Year-Old in 2005 and produced over 226,000 lbs of milk in a long lifetime. Several of her daughters continue to influence the Hard Core herd, including HC-HP Frolic Dixie-ET, EX-94 4E, the All-American Aged Cow in 2019, whose career in the show ring continues. Dixie was the Total Performance Winner
HC-HP Frolic Dixie-ET (EX-94 4E) was All-American Aged Cow in 2019 and has continued showing into her ‘golden’ years, earning three Total Performance banners at National Shows in 2024 and most recently at the All-American Dairy Show in 2025.
at three National Shows in 2024, and just recently captured that title again in 2025 at the All-American Milking Shorthorn Show in Harrisburg. Her full sister, Frolic Dorothy scored EX95 with an EX-97 mammary system and as often as crowd favorite at the shows. Other Dottie daughters still in the herd include Rebel Daytona EX-92 and MD Justice Daydream EX-90.
The Fire family is one of the best-known cow families that call Hard Core home, and it also started with an animal bred by Donnette’s father - Sunshine Now You See Fireball EX-90 2E. Out of an Excellent dam, Fireball was immediately identified as a fancy calf, and came to Pennsylvania to develop. She was the Reserve All-American Fall Calf in 2002 and the Reserve All-American Fall Yearling in 2003, and became the matriarch of the Fire family. One of her descendants, Hard Core Premium Firemaid EX-91, had an extensive show career. She was the Supreme Champion Heifer at the All-American Dairy Show in 2014 - a first for the breed at that time - before going on to be Junior Champion at World Dairy Expo in 2015 and the All-American Senior 2-Year-Old in 2016.
Fireball’s granddaughter, Hard Core Snoopy Firebug EXP EX-94 4E, was the Reserve All-American Aged Cow in 2017 and seems to be another prolific brood cow in the family with daughters nominated All-American, along with several sisters to Firebug herself. The Fire family has made a very influential impact on the Milking Shorthorn breed in the past two decades, especially because the Fishers have marketed many family members to other Shorthorn enthusiasts. Much of that marketing is due to their Hard Core Selection Sale series that began in 2018. What may have started as a method to merchandise some of their own genetics has turned into a popular, well-received multi-breed sale with consignments alongside their own homegrown breeding. Cattle are selected with an eye to the show ring, and every year sale alumni are seen in the show reports.
Hard Core Premium Firemaid (EX-91), was the 1st Milking Shorthorn to be named Supreme Champion at the All-American Dairy Show in 2014 and went on to win Junior Champion honors at World Dairy Expo the following year, followed by an All-American title as a Senior 2-Year-Old in 2016.
“Running our own sales has greatly influenced our ability to market. Having show winners at national shows has gained respect from breeders in other breeds and given them the confidence to invest in our genetics and the Milking Shorthorn breed,” notes Donnette.
They also utilize social media to get the word out about their cattle and have found it useful to reach people who may be interested in Milking Shorthorns, but were unsure of who to contact. “It provides an opportunity to have a place to talk about the breed and an outlet for people to purchase calves, bred heifers, milk cows, as well as bulls. It has become harder for individuals to purchase semen since many AI studs have phased out offerings for many of the smaller colored breeds, so we sell herd bulls and can often advise people where to find semen,” says Donnette.
With more than 25 years on the farm, Keith and Donnette are starting to downsize the workload and slow down just a bit. Earlier this year, they offered the members of their Milking Shorthorn show string for sale, and several head found new homes. The catalog for the online sale is a quick walk down memory lane with many of their champions listed in the pedigrees along with the sires they’re using today - Krause’s Tanbark Inspired PP, KNH Endres Com Lost For Words, B-D-F Marshas Money - next to sires that have had significant influence in the herd in the past - Kuszmar Alfairs Othello, Innisfail Mega Lottery, and Pinehurst Rebel 9th.
Donnette is looking forward to enjoying a little more time away from the barn. Keith will continue to raise calves and milk older cows that would be hard to transition to other herds, as well as continuing to help with sales and go to shows. Undoubtedly, as seen at the recent 2025 Eastern National Show in Harrisburg, PA, where they once again won the Premier Breeder and Premier Exhibitor banners, the Fishers will continue to support and thrive with the Milking Shorthorn breed!
BY KATHLEEN O’KEEFE
Running our own sales has greatly influenced our ability to market. Having show winners at national shows has gained respect from breeders in other breeds and given them the confidence to invest in our genetics and the Milking Shorthorn breed.”
NORTHEAST SUMMER NATIONAL SHOW
September 6-7, 2025 • Greenwich, NY • Judge Nathan Thomas, OH
HOLSTEIN
Total Head: 145
SENIOR & GRAND CHAMPION
Wildweed Warrior Maui-Red (Warrior), 1st 4-year-old, Elmvue Holsteins, Johnstown, NY
RESERVE SENIOR & GRAND CHAMPION
Pure-Spring Backflip Chassy (Backflip), 1st aged cow, Derek Liddle, Fort Edward, NY
HM SENIOR & GRAND CHAMPION
Tusc-Vu Avalanche Cali (Avalanche), 1st production cow, Isaac Folts, North Collins, NY
LtoR: Grand Champion Bevens-Creek Wilma, Feltmann Dairy Farms LLC; Reserve Grand Champion Malarky Deltalam Armyant, Malarky Holsteins & Stranshome; HM Grand Champion LaFontaine Unix Amelie, T & K Kohls and R & K Mackinson.
Reserve Grand Champion Malarky Deltalam Armyant, Malarky Holsteins & Stranshome.
Intermediate Champion LaFontaine Unix Amelie, T & K Kohls and R & K Mackinson.
RESERVE JUNIOR CHAMPION: Wildweed CC Sedona-ET (Canadian Club), 1st winter yearling, Bryce Bechel, Elmwood, WI
Res. Grand Champion Meadowridge Maestro Angel, M & M Riebe, K & T Riebe and A & A Anderson.
Res. Senior Champion Miss GG Secret Service, Nelson Farm and Jason Steinlage.
Junior Champion Woodmohr Ferd Riana, Woodmohr.
Grand Champion Discoverys Victorious Elysha-ET, Kevin Krejci & Lisa Demmer.
Jr Show Grand Champion Spatz Premier Lydi, Brooklyn, Bryce & Blakely Kohls.
LtoR: Grand Champion Discoverys Victorious Elysha-ET, Kevin Krejci and Lisa Demmer; Reserve Grand Champion Meadowridge Maestro Angel, M & M Riebe, K & T Riebe and A & A Anderson; HM Grand Champion Woodmohr She Prime, Woodmohr.
AYRSHIRE
Judge: Allyn Paulson, IL · Total Head: 73
SENIOR & HM GRAND CHAMPION
Three JK Jaye Dempsey RubieMae (Dempsey), 1st aged cow, Joel, Jillian & Janell Koch, Winsted, MN
RESERVE SENIOR CHAMPION
Hoyt-Hill I-Laxs No-Lax (Kingsire), 2nd aged cow, Addison Braxton and Easton Steinlage, Lawler, IA
INTERMEDIATE & GRAND CHAMPION
Palmyra Petition R Gigi (Petition), 1st junior 3-year-old, Peter Vail, Engelwood, FL
Grand Champion Palmyra Petition R Gigi, Peter Vail.
Res. Grand Champion Bar-Vue Rooster Piper, Irrthum Farm, Inc..
Junior Champion Wake-Vue Auto Babble-ET, L: Mattea Quigley.
Jr Show Grand Champion Blackstone R Zeynep-ET, Alex Schroeder.
HM Grand Champion Three JK Jaye Dempsey RubieMae, Joel, Jillian & Janell Koch.
EUROPEAN YOUNG BREEDERS’ SCHOOL: THE 2025 EDITION!
Once again in 2025, highly motivated young dairy enthusiasts from Europe and countries from around the world headed to Battice, Belgium to participate in the European Young Breeders’ School, which took place September 3-7, 2025.
Founded in 1999 to improve the skills of Belgian, French, Dutch and German youth, the school is aimed at young people aged 13 to 25 with the aim to help them to better understand, assess, and prepare cattle for exhibition. Some countries send one team, and some countries have multiple teams, who can be sponsored by regions or businesses.
In 2025, teams from a record 20 countries took part in the competition amounting to almost 200 young exhibitors. Canada has a tradition of great success in the contest and sent another strong team: Robert Goodwill, Audrey Labbé, Ariane Lebel, Nadia Uhr, Nicole Verhoef, and Sarah Versteeg.
The USA, participated for the very first time in 2024 where they learned a tremendous amount about how the competition is run and the level of expectation, and sent a team of highly capable young people: Jasenko Gavranovic, Summer Hamman, Nate King, Jackie Mudd, Suton Paulson, and Lila Sloan.
Once the teams arrive in Belgium and meet the local breeders they’ll be staying with, the real work begins, The participants are each provided a Holstein heifer free of charge by breeders in Wallonia. Each team sets up their stalling area, and soon week’s endeavor begins as each show person gets to work preparing the animals to look their best for show day.
Throughout the week, the emphasis is on teamwork and the participation of each member is rated during all stages of the heifer preparation. The first three days are filled with a series of workshops, taught by experienced leaders, where the young people are instructed in the techniques of pack preparation, washing, clipping, judging, showmanship, feeding, marketing, and more.
With youth coming from around the globe, the training is provided in four languages: French, German, English, and Dutch. Following the training days, there are two days of competition starting with heifer conformation classes and finishing with showmanship. From those classes, the best clipper/fitter and best showman are determined as the judges select a list of the top 20 participants, as well as ranking the best overall teams.
Both the Canada and the US teams put forth an outstanding effort, and brought home some prestigious awards!
Best Clipper:
1. Suton Paulson, USA
2. Tim Arnold, Switzerland
3. Guillaume L’Hostis, The French Dream
Best Showman:
1. Alicia Gutzwiller, The French Dream
2. Audrey Labbé, Canada
3. Olivier Gutzwiller, The French Dream
Best Judge:
1. Christopher Fink, Autriche
2. Laura Eickhoff, Masterrind
3. Philip Thein, Luxembourg
13. Renato Müller, Austria
14. Summer Hamman, USA
15. Jackie Mudd, USA
16. Aleksandra Kocieba, Poland
17. Laura Eickhoff, Masterrind
18. Lea Birrer, Switzerland
19. Fabian Steiner, Switzerland
20. Claudia Lopez, Spain
Top 10 Best Teams
1. Austria
2. Switzerland
3. V.O.S.T.
Best Young Participant - Under 16 years old
Claudia Lopez, Spain
Leadership Prize - Most Deserving
Nicole Verhoef, Canada
Top 20 Participants
1. Ariane Lebel, Canada
2. Audrey Labbé, Canada
3. Maria Otero Naval, Spain
4. Andrea Otero Naval, Spain
5. Jasenko Gavranovic, USA
6. Leah Dickson, Australia
7. Marie-Luise Gumtz, R.S.H
8. Olivier Gutzwiller, The French Dream
9. Nadia Uhr, Canada
10. Katharina Eiting, V.O.S.T
11. Alicia Gutzwiller, The French Dream
12. Xabi Montes, Spain
4. Spain
5. Masterrind
6. USA
7. The French Dream
8. Luxembourg
9. Poland
10. South Netherlands
Congratulations to all of the young enthusiasts that took advantage of the opportunities provided by the 2025 Young Breeders School. There’s an incredible amount of information, training, teaching, and learning wrapped up in a few short days, and we applaud your efforts!
For more information about YBS, please visit their website at: www.eybs.eu or see their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ YoungBreedersSchool
Top 2 Participants, Ariane Lebel & Audrey Labbé, both Team Canada.
THE DO’S & DON’TS OF NAVIGATING PARTNERSHIPS IN THE DAIRY INDUSTRY
Particularly in the purebred cattle business, partnerships are quite a popular way of owning animals. One of the difficulties in owning dairy cattle is that the heifers quickly become milking animals, and with the increased consolidation in the dairy industry, owners of special heifers are looking for options beyond boarding, and owning an animal in partnership.
Ed Crossland is an attorney in Maryland and also a cattle breeder and owner of Masterpiece Genetics. We asked him to give his perspective on partnerships, what is necessary to consider in a partnership agreement, and the pitfalls he has seen from a legal perspective.
When two or more people want to own a cow in partnership, what are the most important aspects of that arrangement?
First, even though it is a business relationship, chose a partner you trust. My biggest successes in life have come by working with people I trust, even when the outcome wasn’t what either of us had hoped for. My biggest regrets are from involving myself with people I didn’t fully trust, but figured I could still do a business deal. I have seen that play out many times, particularly in the courtroom.
Secondly, since we are talking about cows, make sure the cow is worth it. Even if the trust is there, a cow that may be a great cow in her own right, but that cannot return a profit and becomes a source of constant expense will sour any relationship quickly. Both parties should have the same expectations of the animal they own together.
Finally, have a plan that exists beyond just buying the cow. I also recommend it be in writing if it is for any amount of time, particularly if it is a cow that is going to be flushed and marketed from over a period of time.
How formal does the partnership arrangement need to be?
That depends. First, under virtually all states’ laws, most partnership agreements do not have to be in writing to be valid. However, if either person has a different recollection of the terms than the other, or if one party simply refuses to live up to his or her obligations, it is often difficult for the innocent party to be protected.
I have drafted fairly extensive written agreements for cattle partnerships mainly where there is a very expensive cow that is going to not only generate a lot of income, but a lot of expenses. Other times, there is simply an email from one partner to the other that contains the basic outline of their intentions and responsibilities. Either works.
Most of the time, a written agreement is seen as too much of a formality to “just own a cow together”. In reality, there are rarely issues, but the main reason to have a written agreement is because of the unexpected.
What are some examples of problems you have seen where there is not a written agreement, even if the partners trust each other?
In one troubling instance, a banker saw an article online that Breeder A sold a high genomic valued calf for a really high price, and called him about applying the proceeds to his line of
credit. As most ag lenders do, the bank had a blanket financing statement securing the loan against “all livestock on the premises and proceeds therefrom”. When Breeder A told the banker he actually only received one-third of the net proceeds because he owned the dam with two other partners, the Banker asked for the partnership agreement. There was none, as all three were lifelong friends.
More troubling, on the farm were another twenty IVF calves and pregnancies from this partnership cow that the bank claimed were also covered by the lien. Thankfully, the banker was cooperative after everyone quickly produced canceled checks and spoke to the lender, but not all bankers will be as cooperative as in this situation, and the parties quickly formed a limited liability company to own the partnership cattle as they anticipate this will be a longterm relationship.
In another situation, a retired dairyman bought two promising young cows and housed them with a younger couple who just started on their own farm. The dairyman owned the cows, covered the flush expenses, and the couple would get half the proceeds when the calves were sold in exchange for housing the cows and providing recipients.
After the first calves were born and with several more pregnancies coming, the retired dairymen passed away. The agreement was not in writing, and the cattle were registered in his name alone. The family knew nothing of the arrangement and took the position the couple were just milking them for their dad to fill the milk tank, and all the offspring were his. It ended with the two cows being sold for a fraction of their cost at a sale barn with the proceeds going to his estate, and the young couple were left with a group of calves they couldn’t register because the family would not cooperate.
What should be in an agreement?
Because each cattle deal tends to be unique, the specifics of each agreement varies greatly, but there are a few items that are musts for any agreement.
• OWNERSHIP: Who owns the cow. If one partner is married, is the partnership with just him or her, or is one party and their spouse. Also, what is the allocation of ownership, such as is it 50/50 or in the case of several partners is one party allocating more money.
• INSURANCE: Especially if it’s long term or a very expensive animal, make sure the cow is insured, and be certain the insurance policy lists all owners.
• EXPECTATIONS: Do the parties just intend to buy a promising show calf in the spring and make a profit on her by summer, or is it a young cow that can be flushed to make high genomic calves and bulls to market.
• BOARDING: Expectations, especially if a milking cow, such as housing in a box stall versus a free-stall barn need to be specified. Will the partner housing the cow get paid or receive anything extra for housing the animal? One simple, but effective way to handle this I have seen is that the housing partner will own all the natural calves from the cow and any odd number of embryos to compensate for the boarding.
• EXPENSES: Allocation of expenses including, showing expenses, extraordinary veterinary expenses, housing, advertising, IVF or ET expenses, recipient expenses. A budget should be agreed upon from the outset, such as how much will the cow be flushed.
• FLUSHING: The most successful agreement is to usually split the cost of the flush and then split the embryos. If one party is supplying all the recipients and the other doesn’t, the costs of recipients need to be allocated. Also, will all flushes be by mutual agreement or will each party have the opportunity to flush the cow for themselves, which is important if the partners cannot agree on a mating.
• COSTS OF RAISING OFFSPRING: If one partner is going to be raising the calves and offspring of a cow, set a daily rate of compensation. This is the biggest issue that arises especially if a cow is successful and one party is raising the calves and the other still expects their share of the sale proceeds.
• MARKETING PLAN: This is often overlooked, but the purebred dairy cattle industry is blessed with several great sales managers who can help you lay out a marketing plan and make recommendations on matings, sales, etc.. Yes they will get a commission for selling your animals, but it more helps establish a plan and gives the partners an independent perspective, particularly as it helps establish reasonable expectations at the outset. If not a sale manager, there are many people in the industry that have a lifetime of experience in successful merchandising, and for a fee, they can help advise you.
• EXIT PLAN: Most parties can reach an agreement to buy the other out if they can agree on a price and terms, but what if one suddenly passes away or simply desire to end the partnership. One provision that is frequently used in business partnerships is that the assets would be appraised, and the other party would have the option to purchase the other party’s share over a period of time.
Anything else you would like to add in closing?
With some of the really expensive cattle, and I will use over $50,000 as a baseline, if the partnership is going to be anything long term and the partnership will own offspring together, I do think its worth considering talking to an attorney and accountant about forming a limited partnership or limited liability corporation especially with some of the recent tax code changes.
Also, the example from above about the language in most banking documents covering livestock on a particular farm is something I foresee as problematic if a lender wanted to pursue it when one farm houses partnership animals without a formal document to protect the other parties.
Finally, one thing about good cows is that with the exception of a very, very few, there will likely be a better one born tomorrow, and not worth losing a friendship over what is often a misunderstanding.
Ed Crossland is a licensed attorney in Maryland, and also serves as Judge of the Orphans’ Court in Allegany and Garrett Counties in Maryland. His comments are for information purposes only and do not constitute legal advice.
VIRGINIA SUMMER SHOWDOWN
August 2, 2025 • Harrisonburg, VA • Judge Madison Fisher, MD
SUPREME CHAMPION - OPEN SHOW
Ms Lambda Spritzer-ET, Holstein, B & B Rhodes and M & K Barton
RESERVE SUPREME CHAMPION - OPEN SHOW
WF CC Lexi, Jersey, Regan Jackson
SUPREME JUNIOR CHAMPION - OPEN & JR SHOW
Windy-Knoll-View Phanta, Holstein, Reese Burdette
RESERVE SUPREME JUNIOR CHAMPION - OPEN SHOW
GMBV Vierra Get Down-ET, Jersey, Kyle, Sandy & Austin Baker
RESERVE SUPREME JUNIOR CHAMPION - JR SHOW
KNH Endres Jester Legend-ET, Milking Shorthorn, JD Brown II
SUPREME CHAMPION - JR SHOW
WF CC Lexi, Jersey, Regan Jackson
RESERVE SUPREME CHAMPION - JR SHOW
Udderly Joshua Down To Party, Brown Swiss, Maggie Toothman
HOLSTEIN
GRAND CHAMPION - OPEN SHOW
Ms Lambda Spritzer-ET (Delta-Lambda), 1st junior 2-year-old, B & B Rhodes and M & K Barton
Senior & Grand Champion Johnsonacres Casino BetOnIt, Regan Johnson.
Junior Champion Hi Poits Cranks Lamborghini, Scott, Moira & Madelyn
Reserve Senior & Grand Champion Schulte Bros Colton Charger-ET,
Intermediate & Grand Champion Shaw-Farm Jordy Estrella, Cynthia Shaw.
Junior Champion Brigeen A RunningRed-ET, Caitlin Small.
Junior Show Grand Champion ShowBros Boom-Chaka-Laka, Dylan Slack.
ADOHR FARMS “Gold Medal Milk, Blue Ribbon Cattle”
Today, Los Angeles is a sprawling city known for its wealth and movie stars. It is home to nearly 4 million people within 500 square miles. Mostly forgotten is the agriculture that once shaped the area and supported the growth of the city. Looking back at the turn of the 20th century, Los Angeles was a rapidly growing area fueled by the railroad boom, oil, and the invention of the automobile. Much of the land surrounding Los Angeles was a profitable and deeply rooted agricultural community where citrus groves and vegetable farms stretched for miles, and top shelf livestock were bred and raised.
With the rising population came the demand for food; the fertile land in Pasadena and other surrounding areas allowed farms to sustain themselves and market their products locally. As the city continued to grow, so did the agriculture community. In fact, the farms in the Los Angeles area were well known throughout the country for the type of livestock they produced; rivaling those of Chicago and Omaha. By 1949, Los Angeles would be the top farm county within the United States.
In the late 1930s Los Angeles was continuing to sprawl outwards in every direction. Land was cheap and the ability to become homeowners was within reach of most as the Great Depression neared its end. As the housing boom expanded, the demand for fresh dairy products continued to rise. Most households still relied on their wooden ice boxes to keep their perishable food cold, but not for long. The household milk delivery was essential to residents in the area to ensure they had a continual supply of fresh dairy products to use.
Adohr Farms was established in 1916 by Merritt Huntley Adamson Sr. and his heiress wife, Rhoda Rindge Adamson. Merritt, a former captain of the USC Rugby team and graduate of USC Law School, was the superintendent of the famous and massive Rindge Malibu Ranch, a land-grant property owned by Rhoda’s family in Malibu, CA. The 13,000-acre ranch was the most valuable single real estate holding within the United States in its time. Rhoda’s wealthy family had moved to California from Massachusetts, and had gained their fortune through shipping, banking, textiles and real estate. Rhoda’s father, a graduate of Harvard University, founded what is now Pacific Life Insurance, and he was also VP of Union Oil. After his death in 1905; his assets transferred to his widow and the children (Rhoda was only 12).
Merritt and Rhoda married in 1915 and founded the state-ofthe-art dairy farm called Adohr Farms in nearby Tarzana the following year (Adohr is Rhoda spelled backwards). The original
farm was located at 18000 Ventura Blvd. The Adamsons chose Guernsey cattle, prized for their high-quality milk with its high butterfat content. By 1926, Adohr Farms was known for their elite Guernsey herd. Adohr Creamery was also opened on 20 acres to process and distribute the farms’ dairy products to the local communities.
When the great depression hit, the family’s beef ranch went bankrupt, and they were forced to sell to pay off debt. However, the Adohr Farms dairy continued to survive, and kept the family afloat during those trying years. With prohibition enacted, milk consumption increased. As part of the land sales, the original farm in Tarzana was sold by 1948 as the herd was moved to a new site in Camarillo. Adohr Farms grew to become the largest Guernsey dairy in the world, noted for its innovation and marketing. While the operation was most remembered for their Guernseys, they also had a select group of Registered Holsteins that were shown to great success as well. While at its peak, Adohr Farms was a large-scale commercial dairy with 3000 head, and was one of the world’s largest milk producers. The operation prided itself on registering the herd and creating profitable, sound and balanced cattle by carefully choosing genetics to advance the next generation. Their cows produced well to keep the dairy financially viable, but they could also compete at the highest levels in the show ring. By 1950, the Adohr herd had been awarded their 32nd Gold Medal Award from Golden Guernsey.
One of Adohr’s notable cows was Dimples of Hughes Place, also known as Linetta of Adohr, who was three-time Grand Champion Guernsey in California and Reserve Grand Champion of the National Dairy Show (1936, Dallas). She was so beloved by the Adohr team, the farm produced a movie in color about
Adohr Creamery delivered fresh dairy products to the local communities.
Adohr Farms milk barn, 1936.
Adohr Farms was home to award winning Guernseys and Holsteins, including National Grand Champion cows and bulls.
her called: “The Story of Linetta.” Another notable cow was the 1951 National Grand Champion Adohr Eldor Pearlette who was exhibited by Curtiss Candy Company. Corium Slogan’s Oliver was a notable bull for Adohr, being crowned 1935 National Grand Champion.
One of Adohr’s key to success was their marketing tactics. They built a loyal customer base because of the quality products they sold, but Adohr also ensured that their name appeared everywhere - utilizing the very assets they had in their backyard: movie stars. Shirley Temple and her calf, Tillie Temple of Tillamook were used in Adohr Farms marketing.
The dairy ran on a 24-hour schedule and needed over 100 employees just to keep the creamery operable. The farm had an extensive group of delivery drivers and a fleet of trucks that were responsible for hundreds of delivery routes throughout the area. Prior to becoming an iconic American film actor, Gary Cooper worked as an Adohr Farms milkman from midnight to six in the morning for five months until he over slept. He was late for work and promptly fired.
The dairy took a hit with WWII as did with many farms and dairy processors across the country. Milk wasn’t typically rationed but butter and cheese were. Many dairy products, like ice cream, were no longer readily available for purchase. Rationing took a hit on the dairy delivery business too. Gasoline, tires and repair parts were rationed or not available, and eventually, Adohr could no longer keep their fleet of trucks on the road. Merritt Adamson become a champion and outspoken representative for the dairy industry as a result. He met with government officials and industry leaders to advocate for dairy farmers and processors; pressuring them to preserve their markets and allow them to deliver foods. Merritt Adamson sadly committed suicide in 1947, likely due to his failing health following a stroke. Following his death, Rhoda took the helm of Adohr. Unfortunately, due to rising costs and suburban pressure; family land had to be sold off in parcels as the years went on.
Rhoda passed away in 1962 and at the time of her death, only 4,000 acres of land within Malibu remained out of the original land-granted acreage purchased by the Rindge family. By 1966, the price of cattle feed in southern California had significantly increased, and this forced the family to sell Adohr Farms to Southland Corporation. The Adohr name was used for many years after, although the farm was long gone; a victim of urban sprawl.
Today, The Adohr Farms name is still a registered trademark, selling baby formula, shelf-stable milk, and protein drinks. Not much survives of Adohr Farms aside from the original milkmaid statue, a storefront, and relics like milk bottles. The area in which the farm and creamery existed is almost unrecognizable to what it was when those operations were running.
The heirs of the family continued to manage real estate and to champion efforts to preserve open space. They donated and sold almost 200 acres to Pepperdine University, which allowed the institution to relocate from Los Angeles city; the campus is now routinely praised as one of the most beautiful in the world. The Adamson House and gardens survive as a historic landmark that can be visited in Malibu and is owned and maintained by the state of California.
One of the most recognizable items from the farm’s glory days is the 1920s statue of the milkmaid and Guernsey cow adorned with the Adohr name. It stood at the Adohr Creamery in West Los Angeles at the corner of La Cienega Blvd and Sawyer Street. It was designed by renowned sculptor Finn Frolich, and based on original documents, several copies were created. When the creamery was demolished in 1969, the statue was rescued at the last minute, and moved to Tulare with the processing equipment. It was later abandoned for several years where it fell into significant disrepair. In 1998, it was finally restored, and stands in front of the Saputo Dairy Foods Plant in Tulare, CA. This statue is the only survivor from the original group - a continuing testament to a Guernsey breeding legacy and one of America’s most notable farms.
BY CAYLEI ARNOLD
Adohr Farms was innovative in their marketing, using movie stars like Shirley Temple to help promote their products.
The Guernsey Milkmaid became a widely-used promotional & marketing tactic for Adohr Farms. The 1920s Milkmaid Statue was relocated & restored in 1998 and moved to the Saputo Dairy Foods Plant in Tulare, CA.
PAUL STILES
July 20, 1950 - August 30, 2025
Paul Leonard Stiles, born on July 20, 1950, passed away peacefully at his home in Clear Brook, Virginia, on August 30, 2025, at the age of 75.
Paul was one of six children, the son of the late Robert Yewell Stiles and Hazel Glover Stiles. He grew up surrounded by the love of his five brothers and one sister, a family bond that shaped the warmth and kindness he carried throughout his life.
Paul dedicated his life to farming. As a dairy farmer at Waverly Farm, he poured his heart into the land, the animals, and especially into showing cows, a passion that brought him joy and distinction throughout his life. Among his many honors, Paul was awarded the Klussendorf Award in 2006, named Master Breeder by the American Jersey Cattle Association, and received the National Dairy Shrine Distinguished Dairy Cattle Breeder Award. These distinctions reflected not only his skill, but also the deep respect he held among his peers.
Those who knew Paul will remember not only his achievements but also his character. Though hard of hearing, he never missed the important things in life, and with his perfect eyesight, he had an uncanny ability to notice every detail — whether in the barn, the fields, or in the lives of the people he loved.
Above all, Paul cherished his family and those closest to him. He is survived by his beloved son Todd Stiles and his wife Jennifer, and his treasured granddaughter Alayna, who brought him endless joy. For the past twenty years, he shared a loving and devoted relationship with Sandy McCauley, whose comfort, joy, and dedication enriched his life immeasurably. He is also survived by his brother Mike Stiles and his wife Patricia, his sister Debra Callison and her husband Jimmy, and several nieces and nephews.
Paul was preceded in death by his parents, Robert and Hazel Stiles, and his brothers Kenneth Stiles, Blair Stiles, and Tracy Stiles.
A service to honor Paul’s life will be held on Saturday, October 11, 2025 from 11am to 2pm at Montgomery County Fairgrounds, Barn13, with family and friends invited to gather in remembrance.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Klussendorf Memorial Scholarship or the Global Lyme Alliance, causes that reflect both Paul’s life in dairy farming and his personal journey.
UPCOMING EVENTS
SHOWS
Sep 30-Oct 3 World Dairy Expo, Madison, WI Cowsmo Coverage
Oct 11-12
Western Dairy Showcase, Turlock, CA Cowsmo Coverage
Oct 15 Autumn Opportunity Holstein Show, Orangeville, ON
Southwest National Brown Swiss Show, Stillwater, OK
Westerner Dairy Showcase, Red Deer, AB; Judge Pat Lundy, NY
North American International Livestock Expo, Louisville, KY Cowsmo Coverage
Mid-East Fall National Holstein Show, Louisville, KY; Judge Tyler Reynolds, NY Cowsmo Coverage
All American Jersey Show, Louisville, KY; Judge Ryan Krohlow, WI Cowsmo Coverage
TD Canadian 4-H Dairy Classic, Toronto, ON Cowsmo Coverage
Royal Winter Fair Dairy Shows, Toronto, ON Cowsmo Coverage
International Dairy Week, Tatura, Victoria, AUS
New York Spring Dairy Carousel, Hamburg, NY Cowsmo Coverage
Spring Dairy Expo, Columbus, OH Cowsmo Coverage
Quebec Spring Holstein Show, Victoriaville, QC; Judge Pat Lundy, NY
Apr 17 BC Spring Show, Chilliwack, BC
Apr 18-25 Northeast All-Breeds Spring Show, West Springfield, MA Cowsmo Coverage
Apr 22-23
Ontario Spring Discovery Show, Ancaster, ON Cowsmo Coverage
Apr 24-26 Wisconsin Dairy Showcase, Madison, WI Cowsmo Coverage
Aug 22-26
Wisconsin Summer Championship Show, Madison, WI Cowsmo Coverage
SALES
Sept 28
Oct 1
Oct 2
Oct 31
World Ayrshire Event Sale, Madison, WI, Managed by US Ayrshire Breeders' Association
World Premier Brown Swiss Sale, Madison, WI, Managed by Brown Swiss Enterprises
World Classic Sale, Madison, WI, Managed by Tom Morris, Ltd
Midwest Fall Spectacular, Arlington, MN, Managed by Do-N-Joy Genetics
Oct 31 The Legacy of Great-Heritage Holsteins, Kaukauna, WI, Managed by Courtney Sales LLC
Nov 4
Opportunities at Elmvue, Assisted by Encans Boulet
Dec 4 Fun at the Fall, Niagara Falls, ON, Managed by Mt. Elgin Dairy Farms
Dec 15
Feb 9
Mar 6
Mar 7
Mar 21
Apr 10
May 23
Jul 31
Music City Celebration 9, Nashville, TN, Managed by The Alliance
Bright Futures 15, Managed by The Alliance
Spring Sensation Sale, Oakfield, NY, Managed by The Alliance
Elite Opportunities, Lawrenceburg, KY, Managed by Knapp, Muse & Buckley
March Madness On The Home Court, Emmitsburg, MD, Managed by MD-Hillbrook
Spotlight Selections @ The Field of Dremas, Dyersville, IA, Managed by Hammertime Auctions
Foundations of Palmyra & Springhill 2.0, Millersburg, OH
Cooter Creek Cattle Company Sale, Sheldon, VT, Managed by The Alliance
EVENTS & MEETINGS
Dec 4
Dec 14
Jan 17-22
Apr 14-16
Genetic Evaluation Release
All-American Announcements, Nashville, TN
International Dairy Week, Tatura, Victoria, AUS
Holstein Canada National Convention, Burnaby, BC
ADVERTISING RATES & DEADLINES
2025 DIGITAL RATES:
ADVERTISER’S INDEX
Fun at the Falls
Don’t wait to hear about it…experience it!
Wednesday, December 3 rd & Thursday, December 4 th Niagara Falls, Ontario
Wednesday, December 3 rd , 2025
4:00 pm | Fallsview Casino and Resort Check In
6:30 pm | VIP Reception
Join us at the Fallsview Exclusive Rooftop Lounge for a private reception
Thursday, December 4 th , 2025
10:00 am - 3:00 pm | Trius Winery Tour and Lunch
Board our private shuttle as we head to Niagara On the Lake, the heart of Ontario Wine Country. We will begin with a private guided tour of the winery and wine tasting. Following our tour, we will enjoy the Chef’s 3 Course Duo Menu with wine pairings in their Michelin Recommended Restaurant.
Stay and enjoy the Fallsview Resort and all it has to offer
> The Casino
> The Damara Day Spa: A luxury spa which offers a full range of treatments
> Indoor Shopping
> Excellent Dining
Or Enjoy Niagara Falls & all its attractions
4:00 pm | Doors Open for the Auction
5:30 pm | Auction Begins “Featuring 80 Elite Global
