Holstein Association USA Holds Exciting National Convention

Brattleboro, Vermont (July 2, 2008)…The atmosphere of the 123rd annual meeting and national convention of Holstein Association USA, held at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells, Wis., was enthusiastic, festive and upbeat.  Excitement for U.S. Registered Holsteins^SM and their owners abounded as 1,800 Holstein enthusiasts participated in the convention.

It is a sign of the times when it comes to the Holstein cow and her Association. As Holstein Association USA Chief Executive Officer John M. Meyer presented in his report, “Our year was highlighted by considerable increases in key areas that measure breed interest and the strength of a dairy breed association. In 2007, your Association registered 317,128 of your animals, a four percent increase over the previous year’s total. It is interesting to note that well over three times as many Holsteins were registered in 2007 than the combined total of all other dairy breeds.” 

In his State of the Association address, Meyer pointed out, “The unprecedented growth the Association has seen in program participation, not only in the past year, but over the last five years, is an excellent indication of the value dairy producers see in U.S. Registered Holsteins.”  Meyer indicated that over the last five years, registrations have increased by ten percent, the number of cows classified have increased by 16 percent, the number of Holsteins on official production test increased by 20 percent and the number of herds enrolled in the Association’s hallmark program, Holstein COMPLETE, increased 123 percent, while the number of cows enrolled in COMPLETE increased 120 percent.

The Wisconsin native also stated, “These illustrations detail how we have successfully increased our market share in an industry that is getting smaller every day.”  Meyer credited the members of the Association for the excellent growth, stating, “What is the real secret of this success? It is you, the members of Holstein Association USA. From our youngest junior member to the oldest adult member, you have supported and participated in the programs your Association offers.”

The demand for U.S. Registered Holsteins continues to soar. The Wisconsin Nationals Sale, managed by Tom Morris LTD, averaged $12,831 on 86 lots.

The Association’s financial strength continues as the year ending December 31, 2007 recognized revenues of $18,064,000, an increase of four percent over 2006. The Association recognized net income of $1,259,000 and an increase in net assets of $499,000.

During the convention, John Bierbaum of Burnsville, Minnesota, director at-large, and Jay Houser of Spring Mills, Pennsylvania, director representing Region II, retired from the Holstein Association board of directors.  Elected to replace them are James Burdette of Mercersburg, Pennsylvania in Region II, and Boyd Schaufelberger of Greenville, Illinois as director at-large.

Next year’s Holstein Association USA national convention and annual meeting will be held in Sacramento, Calif. June 26-30.

For more information, contact Jim Leuenberger, Communications Manager, at 715-524-5685.

2009 Delegate Election Process Has Started

The delegate election is underway for the 2009 National Convention in Sacramento, California, June 29-30, 2009.  Nominating petitions have been mailed out, and will need to be returned to Holstein Association USA, Inc. on or before July 25, 2008. 

The following individuals are ineligible to be nominated, having served at the last three consecutive National Conventions:

Janice Albrecht, MN
Daniel A. Berry, WA
Keith Decker, PA
Stanley J. Haedge, TX
Allan Hanselman, OR
George Hunt, Jr., MA
Dean Jackson, PA
Terry Nugent, MI
Genie Lorenzo Roberts, NJ
Mark Sellers, IN
Howard W. Wolfe, NY

In order to be valid, nominating petitions must be signed by a Holstein Association USA member. Members are also encouraged to nominate more than the number of delegates allowed for their district, in case a substitute is needed.  Once a member is nominated, he or she will receive notification.  Nominees then need to inform Holstein Association USA if they wish to remove their name from the ballot no later than August 8.

For more information, please contact Jodi Hoynoski at 800.952.5200 ext. 4261.

Holstein Association USA, Inc., www.holsteinusa.com, provides products and services to dairy producers to enhance genetics and improve profitability–ranging from registry processing to identification programs to consulting services. The Association, headquartered in Brattleboro, Vt., maintains the records for Registered Holsteins^SM and represents more than 30,000 members throughout the United States. The Association is also leading the initiative for national animal identification through the National FAIR program.