2007 Awards Recipients

The following awards were presented at the Annual Awards Banquet at Norwood, Ontario, Canada on Wednesday, July 25. The RWDCA congratulates our 2007 award winners
and applauds their dedication to the Red & White cow.
(photos at the Awards Banquet taken by Rudolph Haudenschild, Wangen, Switzerland)

 Two $1000 Albrecht Memorial Scholarship Awards
provided by Red & White Scholarship, Inc.

Stephanie Aves, Poplar Grove, Illinois at the All-American Dairy Show, Harrisburg, PA

    Hello Red & White Enthusiasts, my name is Stephanie Aves, the daughter of Kevin and Julie Aves of Poplar Grove, Illinois. Together with my parents and my brother, Kyle, we own and operate St-Yle Holsteins. We are currently milking 75 Red & White, Black and White or Red Carrier Holstein cows. This May we purchased 32 quality Red & White and Red Carrier Holsteins to start developing a higher quality herd.
    The dairy industry has been a major part of my life since the day I was born. Since that day, I could be found in the barn helping with any job a youngster could do. As time flew by these jobs and responsibilities have developed into goals. When I was just 3 years old, shortly after my farm accident occurred, I was found in a show for peewee showmanship at the Harvard Milk days. Since then, I have started to make my way on the tanbark trail every year to more and more shows.
    My love is showing quality animals, but my passion is quality Red & White calves, heifers and cows. June 22, 2007 was the finishing day of the barn I built to primarily house my show heifers. My shed has influenced the development of my passion and love for the dairy industry. I currently have 12 head of Red & Whites, Black & Whites and 2 Jerseys in the barn. We are expecting the first embryo transplanted calf out of Scenic-Edge Joyful-Red-ET in September that I was honored to walk the colored shavings with last year. Joyful has been an inspiration for me and my family to develop Red & White show animals.
    As I have experienced many things in the dairy industry, I have also become involved in 4-H and FFA. I am currently the Udder 4-H Club President. In high school, I was the chapter FFA president and the 2006-2007 Section 6 President from which I retired in June. Both these youth organizations have left memorable footprints and qualities needed to succeed in life and the dairy industry. Throughout high school, I participated in cheerleading, basketball and volleyball. I was involved in many clubs and activities, also.
    I am currently a member of the FFA Alumni and have one more year in 4-H. After finishing with 4-H, I plan to stay involved with the area 4-H programs helping with clinics, club activities, judging contests and leasing animals to members. This year I have 4 members of the club that are leasing show heifers from me. Wow, it is quite an interesting task to teach them about the dairy industry and the showing aspect. This fall, I will be attending the University of Wisconsin-Platteville majoring in Agriculture Education and Elementary Education. After attending college I plan to return home to the farm and continue my involvement in the dairy and agriculture industry.
    Thank you to all who helped develop me and my love for the Red & White cow. Without all of you my goals and dreams wouldn’t have been possible. To the selection committee, Thank You for making me a recipient of the 2007 Albrecht Scholarship.

Nicole Stout, Poplar Grove, Illinois

    My name is Nicole Stout. I am a senior Agriculture Business major at Western Illinois University. I am truly honored to be selected as one of the Albrecht Memorial Scholarship recipients. Red and White dairy cattle have impacted my life in such a positive way over the years. I am from a dairy farm in northern Illinois where we milk about 110 head of Red and White and red factor Holsteins. I have learned a great deal from the industry and have had the opportunity to begin my own herd, currently I own myself or in partnership 25 red or red factor Holsteins. I am very eager to continue developing my Red and White herd to show and market more in the future.
    While being a student here at Western Illinois University I am very active in the agriculture department. I am a member of Agriculture Council, Agriculture Vocators, Collegiate FFA, and Sigma Alpha, a professional agricultural sorority. In addition to being involved at college, I am a member of Illinois Holstein Association, past Illinois Holstein Dutchess, National Holstein Association, and Midwest Red and White Dairy Cattle Association.
    In the summer of 2006, I traveled to Brazil for six weeks to study Portuguese and precision agriculture. While in Brazil, I had the opportunity to tour many farms and gain many experiences.
    This past summer, I interned for Midwest Dairy Association’s industry relations team for the Chicago and St. Louis Division. I spent most of my internship preparing for "June is Dairy Month" activities and also the Illinois State Fair Dairy Building.
    I will graduate in May of 2008 and I plan to continue being very involved in the dairy industry and to pursue a career in Agricultural Communications, emphasizing in journalism and public relations.

Junior Breeder Award

Jill Butterfass, Winsted, Minnesota and husband, Bret with a top selling purchase

Presentation by John Schmitz:
    Jill has had a keen interest in cattle, especially the Red & Whites, since she was only knee-high! From little on, she loved to spend time in the barn with the cows. It is no wonder how she has developed such an eye for good cows and has always been one of the best I’ve ever known for training that stubborn show heifer.
    Jill has been a 10-year member of the local 4-H club. Her hard work and dedication earned her several leadership roles and many state fair trips with her cattle projects! Jill has also been a 5-year member of FFA - participating in local, state and national activities. She has done well in FFA shows and earned medals for her participation in the Dairy Cattle Evaluation Career Development Event!
    One of her first success stories with Red & White cattle started when a cattle friend about 60 miles away called about a cow for sale. Jill and I went to look at her, and bought her! Later, we found out a few local breeders/neighbors had turned her down. Her name was East-Townview Anna-Red. She was a Ranger-Red out of a VG-89 Inspiration! Anna-Red was on an extended dry period due to an injury to her foot. Our hoof trimmer, Vic Larson, did a little experiment - he put a block on her foot, something he had never done before! That fall she took the walk across the colored shavings at World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin as a Dry 3 & 4-Yr-Old - she won her class! She went on to score VG-87. Jill’s first homebred heifer from Anna-Red was a Pinehurst Rock ‘N’ Roll-Red-ET heifer that went on to score VG-86-2Y. The Rock ‘N’ Roll-Red heifer has a heifer by Lawrence-Haven Ashton-Red that was exhibited at the 2007 Midwest Spring Show in Madison. Jill sold Anna-Red’s heifer by Pinehurst Centrum-Red to her brother Joel, and that line has built a strong foundation for her brother as well.
    Another cow family that has been a lot of fun for Jill is Corner-View Ryder Jem-Red. She was found in a good family friend’s grade herd, but Jem-Red is from a registered background and was able to be registered at 100% RHA! Jem-Red was exhibited at World Dairy Expo in 2002 - she was 1st Junior (6th Open)! She has since become a good brood cow for Jill, giving her Red daughters by Advent-Red and Red-Marker. Jem-Red has made several records over 30,000 pounds of milk.
    Jill got married in May 2006 to Bret Butterfass, and they have started building their own herd of cows on Bret’s parents’ farm. In the fall of 2006, Jill and Bret drove to Illinois and purchased 15 registered cows from some well-known Red & White breeders in that area - The Davidson family and Brian & Sue Crull. They have also purchased a few cows from a Minnesota Red & White breeder, Ted Radintz.
    Currently, Bret and Jill have 32 milking cows (6 of which are Red and 5 are red carrier) and 21 heifers (4 Red and 2 red carrier). Bret and Jill met on the ride to a National FFA Convention, thus naming their prefix, NATIONALRIDE!

J. P. Ostrander Young Breeder Award

Holstein Quebec's James Peel presenting J.P. Ostrander Young Breeder Award to
Felix LeMay of Ferme Du Doc, Ste-Croix, Quebec

    Full-time practicing large animal veterinarian Félix LeMay is also at the helm of the breeding program at Ferme Du Doc, Ste-Croix, Quebec, Canada. Under Félix’s guidance, this first generation family dairy operation rapidly progressed since it was established in May 1998 with the purchase of a small herd which included 18 milking cows. Today the herd of 250 head includes 115 milking cows. This enthusiastic and knowledgeable 34-year-old is a busy man, indeed.
    Today the Dudoc Holstein prefix can be found on Canada’s current #1 Lifetime Profit Index (LPI) bull, Dudoc Mr Burns (GP-SP). This Red Carrier Markim Thunder (VG-ST) son is an exciting addition to the proven sire line-up at The Semex Alliance. The first Red Carrier bull to ever hold the top LPI spot, "Mr Burns" possesses a balanced proof for type and production and is now being used as a sire of sons. "Mr Burns" traces to the legendary Cloverlands Skyler Cherry-Red (VG-87-DOM-12*).
    Proven in May 2007, Dudoc State (EX-SP) is another Red Carrier product of Félix’s breeding program. By Heatherstone-V Hero-Red-ET (GP), he is a son of Dudoc Rubens Prostate (VG-3*), a high indexing "Rubens" daughter at the heart of one of the most important cow families in the herd. Prostate’s dam, Karona Rudolph Passat (VG-8*), flourished as a brood cow while under Félix’s guidance. Passat’s first proven son, Dudoc Bacculum (VG-ST), sired several All-American Red & White nominees.
    In the beginning, all owners of this family farm worked part-time at the farm while continuing their outside professions. Félix’s father is a urologist, his mother a nurse, and his brother a music composer. Today six employees handle most of the day-to-day work at Ferme Du Doc with Félix managing the herd health, ET program, feeding and field work in addition to making all breeding decisions. The herd has yielded many production award winners in recent years.
    Félix joined the RWDCA in 1999. Since November 2005, Félix has also found time to serve as a director of the Canadian Red and White Holstein Club. He is enthusiastic and willing to share his ideas for the benefit of the club. Félix also generously donated a heifer out of one of his best cow families to the Canadian Red & White Rendezvous Sale with all proceeds going to help fund the 2007 Canadian Red & White Rendezvous Convention.
    This young breeder enjoys the challenge of working with Red genetics. Félix’s first step into this niche of the Holstein world began with the purchase of just three deep-pedigreed Red Carrier heifers. Now the herd is made up of 15 percent Red & Whites and 30 percent Red Carriers. Today Ferme Dudoc is a firmly established source of colorful genetics not just in Canada, but beyond.

Master Breeder Award

Maurice LeDuc of Quebec receives the Larry Moore Master Breeder Award
from Canadian Club President Scott Wilson

    Aiming to breed a herd with a profitable balance of production and conformation, Maurice Leduc of Ferme Leduc & Freres Ltee., Beauharnois, Quebec, certainly succeeded under the Granduc prefix. Not only did Maurice’s breeding program yield superior results at home, his Granduc breeding program also proved to have a positive influence for many breeders both nationally and internationally.
    Maurice Leduc was first employed by the Quebec A.I. unit Centre d’Insemination Artificelle du Quebec (CIAQ) as a summer student in the 1960s. Upon obtaining his degree from the St-Hyacinthe Agricultural School, he was employed full time by CIAQ as a fieldman. One of his main responsibilities was to promote the unit’s young sire sampling program and evaluate daughters of those young sires, as well as assist with sire selection. In 1975 he decided to return to the family dairy farm and operate it with his brothers.
    Although the Granduc herd consisted of Black & White Holsteins as well, the Red & White Holstein was, and still is, truly special to Maurice. A Red & White purchased cow, Lauduc Pekane Cannon-ET-Red (VG--87-5*), was a 1989 Canadian Champion Producer for milk, protein and total performance. Pekane had many sons carrying the Granduc prefix in A.I. in North America and several overseas countries. However, the Red & White cow who would go on to put Granduc on the worldwide map was Cloverlands Skyler Cherry-Red (VG-87-DOM-12*). Also a Canadian Champion Producer for milk, fat, protein and total performance in 1993, it was Cherry-Red’s brood cow prowess that truly shone under the direction of Maurice.
    Dam of many sons proven in A.I. worldwide, many of Cherry-Red’s daughters followed in her footsteps as A.I. bull mothers, Star Brood Cows and top producers. Cherry-Red daughters Granduc Angel Lindy (VG-86-7*), Granduc Candice Lindy (VG-86-11*), Granduc Marla Astre (VG-11*) and Granduc Jewel Astre (VG-12*) had Class Extra, Superior Type and Superior Production award-winning sons proven in Canada such as Granduc Tribute (VG-Extra) and Granduc Sir Souter (EX-Extra). Daughters and granddaughters of these cows, in turn, became bull mothers, Star Brood cows, show winners and high indexing females. Without a doubt, the Cherry-Red influence continues to expand today.
    Under Maurice’s direction, the Granduc herd earned Holstein Canada’s highest honour - the Master Breeder Award - not once, but twice in 1994 and 2005.
    In order to dissolve a partnership with his brother Jacques, the Granduc herd was dispersed in 2001 for an average price of $9468.94, making it the highest Canadian herd average recorded that year. Many herds benefited from that opportunity to buy into Cherry-Red genetics. The results have been exciting. For example, the recently proven Dudoc Mr Burns, the #1 Lifetime Profit Index (LPI) bull in Canada, is a great-grandson of Cherry-Red. Another Quebec herd, Lystel Holsteins, bred three Superior Type and one Superior Production bull out of the same Cherry-Red family line. Results such as these serve as a testament to a true breeding cow family developed to thrive beyond the hands of the Master Breeder who originally cultivated it.
    Today the Granduc prefix remains very familiar in the Holstein industry, and Maurice Leduc maintains his keen interest in the breed. Now employed as a Consulting Service Team member for CIAQ, Maurice visits farms to assist breeders with their own breeding programs and mating decisions.
    Maurice Leduc - a true Master Breeder and true gentleman who is intelligent, enthusiastic, and highly respected. He remains a dedicated developer and promoter of the Red & White Holstein cow.

Albrecht Distinguished Service Award

A surprised Maurice Leduc of Granduc Holsteins fame receives
the Don Albrecht Distinguished Service Award
from Canadian Club Director Roy MacGregor

    A founding member of the Canadian Red & White Holstein Club, Maurice continues to play a pivotal role in this organization in his position as club resource person. As a member of the club’s special committee on coat color issues, he spent countless hours and his own funds conducting research on the subject. The fact that Holstein Canada recently improved their existing coat color coding system and adapted the *VRC (carrier of Variant Red gene) code is largely due to the foresight and perserverance of Maurice. He also writes for and translates the club newsletter, Red Line, into the French language to keep the club’s many French speaking members full informed.
    Looking back to his days with Granduc Holsteins, Maurice was one of few Canadian breeders to enthusiastically support the RWDCA in the U.S., faithfully advertising in The Red Bloodlines and consigning to RWDCA Convention Sales. His dedication to Red & White and his innovative breeding are reflected today in sires like Tribute-RC and the #1 Mr. Burns-RC.
    While Maurice is a quiet, "behind the scenes" gentleman, he is always willing to help with any request from the RWDCA and continues to be a key contact in Canada. Quite the opposite personality of the late Don Albrecht, a flamboyant and outspoken world traveller, Maurice Leduc ranks with Don as a pioneer in Red in Canada, and a truly deserving recipient of the Albrecht Distinguished Service Award.

Keystone Award

Sam & Anne Appleby of Sardius Holsteins, Manitoba, receive the Keystone Award
from Canadian Club President Scott Wilson

    The Keystone Award was introduced in 2006 at the National Convention in Wisconsin. In every organization or association, there are those members who are the bedrock that supports the association. . . in this case, the Keystone that supports the RWDCA. Without them, the association would not continue to grow and succeed. Often, these most important members are not those who are in the limelight. They stay at home breeding good cattle and faithfully support all the programs of the RWDCA. The purpose of the Keystone Award is to shine a little light on our members who most deserve it but rarely receive it.
    Sam & Anne immigrated from England in 1977 and founded Sardius Holsteins at Steinbach, Manitoba in 1979 with grade Holsteins. Location alone has made it a challenge for them to be involved with other Red & White breeders or events. They immediately began developing a registered herd and the first Red & White was born in 1984.
    Sardius Regal Rose-Red went on to produce over 250,000 lbs. of milk, classify VG and found one of the most impressive and extensive families in the Red & White breed. Today, over 200 members of the Rose family have been born, with over 100 in the herd. This family consistently produces cattle that are productive, fertile and long-lived, with many reaching their teens. There are no show ring champions, just hard working cows that have been profitable. In all, there are 5 VG generations that total over one million pounds lifetime! Today the herd is almost 100% Red & White and all Red & White sires are used.
    Sam & Anne have supported the RWDCA and its programs since the 1980’s. Their RWDCA registrations would total more than all other breeders in Canada! They have classified with RWDCA, they advertise with RWDCA and they have been very successful in breeding a herd of hard-working and long-lived Red & Whites. They have also supported the Canadian Red & White Club from the beginning, with Sam serving as a Director. Sam and Anne Appleby are most deserving of the Keystone Award.