BRATTLEBORO, Vermont — The 2017 National Holstein Convention, held July 1 in Belleuve, Washington, honored two outstanding dairymen for their efforts in the industry.
Leader
The 2017 Distinguished Leadership Award was presented to Jerry Strandlund, Bellingham, Washington. He grew up milking cows on his family’s dairy in Mora, Minnesota and completed a degree in animal husbandry at the University of Minnesota.
After college, Strandlund worked for Mor-Ayr Ayrshire Farm, where he mated the highest classified Ayrshire ever at that farm. In 1967, the National Holstein Association hired Strandlund as a fieldman.
Strandlund has worked for All West Breeders — where he developed a sire directory and other marketing campaigns — and worked with Bovagraph, a cattle photography business, before taking over Northwest Holstein News — serving as editor for over 40 years.
Today, Strandlund publishes an inclusive directory called the Northwest Holstein Annual which covers Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, and Washington, along with one Canadian province, British Columbia.
During the past 35 years, he hasn’t missed a single Western Spring National Holstein Show in Richmond, Utah, and he regularly attended the Washington, Oregon, and Idaho state shows and sales, volunteering his time to photograph the class winners.
Young breeder
Craig Carncross, from Lodi, Wisconsin, was named the 2017 Distinguished Young Holstein Breeder. He grew up on his parent’s Registered Holstein farm in south central Wisconsin. His parents, Worden and Emily, established the Wargo-Acres prefix in the early 1970s.
Carncross graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in dairy science. He returned home to work full time on the family farm and has helped expand the herd to over 400 registered Holsteins.
Production
Fifty-three of their cows have produced 200,000 pounds of lifetime milk and 11 have produced over 300,000 pounds. The herd classifies on a regular basis and has a current BAA of 108.2 with 52 Excellent cows, 165 scored Very Good, and 75 Good Plus.
Carncross helped the farm earn Progressive Breeders Registry honors 17 years and earned the Progressive Genetic Herd award seven years. Thirty-nine cows bearing the farm prefix have obtained Gold Medal Dam recognition, as well as 17 Dams of Merit, and nine cows honored as National Elite Performers.
His goal is to have cows score at least 87 points and produce over 150,000-lifetime pounds of milk.
Details
For more information about Holstein Association USA annual awards, including applications, visit holsteinusa.com/awards/individuals.
