The Buhr family has been involved in the Registered Holstein business since 1958, when Paul’s father purchased his first dairy cow and began farming. Paul and his wife purchased the farm in 1989, and with the help of their family the Buhrs have been operating their current operation ever since. Rabur has one additional employee and some part time help.

Rabur Holsteins is home to 300 acres and 65 milking females, with 10 dry cows and 120 head of young stock. The herd’s BAA is 110%, and has a Rolling Herd Average of 27,000 lbs milk. The Buhrs have been a Progressive Breeder Recognition herd for 31 years, and a Progressive Genetics Award herd for 19 years. Paul has bred 30 Gold Medal Dams.

The Buhrs strive to breed a well-balanced cow through consistent breeding, and enjoy working with easily managed individuals. It has been Paul’s goal to breed and propagate a name brand family. One of Buhr’s standout individuals has been Rabur Outside Pandora, as she has been a breakthrough cow in Paul’s main family and has many daughters and granddaughters in the herd. Pandora has had 70 daughters, of which many have been merchandised.

Another standout individual in the Buhr’s herd is Rabur Encore Loveable, EX-94. She is emerging as an excellent brood cow and Paul and Darlene are excited about her influence on their herd.

The Buhrs wish to invite all members to get out and be a part of this group that will inspire them to do their best, and make the journey enjoyable. This business is Paul and Darlene’s life, and they enjoy the presence of good cattle, but love the people who know good cattle and appreciate the quest of breeding great cattle. This fraternity and these friendships help give Paul’s work meaning, and motivate him to continue this pursuit.

Paul and Darlene will be opening their barn doors on Tuesday, March 16, 2010 starting at 12:00 noon. They ask that all Holstein enthusiasts join them for cows, camaraderie, a presentation by Kelli Cull on calf care, and the celebration of Paul’s birthday.

Hilrose Holsteins has been home to the Joe and Chris Brantmeier family since 1981, when the farm was purchased from Joe’s father, Hilard. A family operation, Hilrose is managed by Joe and his two sons, Andy and Jeff. Joe’s wife Chris manages all of the bookwork for the farm, and the Brantmeiers employ one additional full time worker, Tim. Joe’s nephew, Sam, also helps out with farm chores when needed.

The farm is home to 90 milking animals, with an additional 20 dry cows and 200 head of young stock. The herd’s rolling herd average is 30,182 pounds of milk, with a 3.9%F and 3.0%P test. The Hilrose herd boasts a 110.8% BAA with 29 Excellent, 52 Very Good and only 11 Good Plus cows.

The quality continues to show through this 85% homebred herd with 19 years of Progressive Breeders Registry recognition, as well as two years of Progressive Genetics Award recognition. Hilrose Holsteins has been named a Herd of Excellence by Holstein USA the past two years.

Joe and his family strive to use the best bulls that are available, while placing a strong emphasis on overall type. Some of the cows that visitors can look forward to seeing during the meeting include Hilrose Lee Princess, EX-93 2E, and Nominated Junior All-American Junior Three-Year-Old in 2004. Her daughter, Hilrose Rubens Patsy, EX-92, was Reserve All-American Fall Yearling in 2005. They have many daughters, granddaughters and family members in the Hilrose herd.

Other highlight family members in the herd are those from the Enhancer Alicia (EX-94 3E) family and Farmdale Integrity Dixie (EX-94 3E and Nom. Jr. AA 5-Yr-Old Cow 2002) families. In addition, there are two new EX-94 members of the herd – Hilrose Durham Pamela and Timza Durham Beauty. Hilrose Durham Tracer, VG-88, has two shottle daughters who are VG-88 and VG-86 and have numerous bulls in AI and embryos exported. The Brantmeiers have many additional sire daughters by Durham, Lee, Shottle, Talent and Advent.

The Joe and Chris Brantmeier family welcome Holstein enthusiasts to Hilrose Holsteins on Tuesday, March 23, 2010, at 11:00 a.m. Dr. Sheila McGuirk and Kelli Cull will be in attendance to discuss calf care, and following the meeting guests are welcome to lunch at The Outpost in Sherwood.

Budjon Farms is located in Lomira, in east central Wisconsin and has been owned in a 50/50 partnership between John and Mary and Tom and Kelli Cull since 2003. The farm employs three full-time workers, along with John, Tom and Kelli assisting with the daily operations on the farm.

The Budjon operation inventories 300 head of cattle, including 100 milking females and the remainder consists of heifers and calves. The farm is number one in the country for BAA for its herd size, at 112.6%. Budjon Farms is home to Holsteins and Jerseys, and maintains a Rolling Herd Average of 23,000 lbs milk. The Culls market their cattle and genetics frequently, from sale consignments to on-farm sales, embryos and herd bulls. They work an extensive flush/IVF program with a core group of donors, mainly from the Elegance family, but also with some additional outlier individuals.

The Culls recently completed a new calf barn and milk house, complete with hutches and a calf warming room. Other facility highlights include a renovated weaning barn for calves, a 150 x 50 heifer shed for six months and older heifers, an indoor heated wash rack, a 365 foot bath, seven box stalls with additional pack stalls for show cows, a pack barn for dry cows, and newly renovated free stall barn for breeding age heifers. Along with these facilities, the Culls run approximately 500 acres of cropland, which feeds the animals at the main farm as well as two additional satellite farms.

Some herd highlights from a genetic perspective that visitors can look forward to include members of the Elegance family and some exciting 2010 show prospects from the family. Dubeau Dundee Hezbollah, All-American and All-Canadian Senior two-year-old from 2009 will also be featured. Scientific Gold Dana Rae is a Goldwyn from Debutante that is another animal of interest.

Co-owner Kelli Cull will be the keynote calf speaker, along with Dr. Sheila McGuirk. Their emphasis will be “Getting back to Basics” with calves. They are hoping to allow guests the “hands-on” experience of what their calf protocols are, including their daily routine, treatments, vaccination protocols, bedding (both in hutches and weaning barn), hot and cold weather routines, weaning protocols and more. Since Budjon is Kelli’s home farm, she wants to allow attendees to really see and ask questions about anything done on the farm, or questions for Dr. McGuirk.

The Cull family welcomes Holstein enthusiasts and will host their barn meeting on Wednesday, March 24 beginning at 11:30 a.m.