The Holstein Foundation thanks everyone who generously contributed to the Horace Backus Fund, which raised $64,515, well over the original goal for the fund. It will help support young dairy producers in attending the Young Dairy Leaders Institute (YDLI).
Michael Johnson of Fountain, Minnesota, is the first recipient of the Backus Fund scholarship. An owner and herdsman for Trailside Holsteins LLC, which has a 400-head milking herd of Registered Holsteins, Michael and his wife, Margaret, have two sons, Sawyer and Levi. He will attend YDLI Class 9, which begins February 25-28, 2015, in Phoenix, Arizona.
The Young Dairy Leaders Institute is a nationally recognized program to develop leader and communication skills for young adults ages 22-45 working in the dairy industry, with all breeds of cattle.
Some of the ways in which money was raised for the fund:
- A Holstein heifer, HEZ ASHOCK MS HORACE-ET, an Aftershock daughter out of the All-American and All-Canadian Dubeau Dundee Hezbollah, was donated by St Jacobs ABC, Clark and Lois Woodmansee, and Peter and Lyn Vail and sold at the World Classic Holstein Sale in October. She sold for $21,000 to a syndicate, was donated back to the sale and sold again to Arnold, Ashley, and Andrew Gruenes of T-Spruce Holsteins in Minnesota.
- Sale catalogs from Dunloggin, Mount Victoria, and Rosafe, donated by Duane Green of Michigan and Ken Melvold of California, were auctioned at sales this fall.
- Many individual and corporate donors gave generously.
To see a complete list of donors, go to http://www.holsteinfoundation.org/
The Horace Backus Fund was created to honor Horace, "the Dean of Pedigrees," who is renowned for his remarkable knowledge of Holstein genetics and for his lifetime of experience in dairy sales. The fund was the brainchild of Holstein industry members Tim Abbott, Frank Conyngham, Joel Hastings, and Dave Rama, who wanted to honor Horace's legacy.
Annual yields from the fund will support one young dairyman or woman in attending the Young Dairy Leaders Institute each year. Donations are still accepted online at www.holsteinfoundation.org. All donations are tax deductible.
12.3.2014