President Gary Brauning
Members of the Maryland Holstein Association and their cattle continue to excel at a high level in both the barn and the showring. While the cattle numbers in our state may be small, our breeders hold their own in the ring at the national level. Congratulations to the exhibitors who earned First Place State Herd at the 2018 All-American Dairy Show in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Our Junior Holstein members have also prospered in the showring at the local, state and national level. Five youth represented our state at the 2018 National Holstein Convention in Traverse City, Michigan. Juniors competed in the Prepared Speech and Dairy Jeopardy contests. Congratulations to Ryan Allen on his third place finish in the Jeopardy Contest.
Carroll County breeders hosted an outstanding convention in March 2018 at the New Windsor Fire Hall. Claire and Justin Burdette spoke at the day program providing an outstanding look into the journey they have navigated and left all those in attendance with a renewed outlook on their own lives. A very interesting tour of Lehigh Cement Company was enjoyed by all.
In the summer, the Stambaugh, Miller, & Edwards families graciously invited breeders to a picnic hosted at Pheasant-Echo’s Farm in Westminster. Everyone enjoyed the opportunity to reconnect with friends from around the state.
This continues to be a challenging time for our association and our dairy industry as a whole. As we continue to endure depressed milk prices, unusual weather patterns and an excessive number of farms exiting the industry, we need to be willing to change and adapt as an association. We have made several changes at the state level this year in order to remain a strong and viable organization. Sarah Davis has done an outstanding job rebranding the association logo, website, and annual magazine to keep us current with the times.
We have also made the decision to try combining our awards banquet with the Maryland Dairy Shrine banquet this year to help defray costs associated with the banquet. We hope to maximize the number of guests in attendance. I would like to thank the Dairy Shrine for their willingness to try this new venture as I think it will be beneficial to all involved.
New this year, we welcome all members to attend our March board meeting at the Howard County Fairgrounds for an update on the status of our association. I look forward to seeing everyone at our state picnic later this spring hosted by Triple-Hil Sires in Washington County. It will allow us an opportunity to tour their facilities as well as enjoy fellowship.
I wish to thank all those who help to make our organization as strong as it is. Thank you to the members, board of directors, committee chairs, and our volunteers. A special thanks to Vice President Scott Youse and Secretary-Treasurer Laurie Savage for their continued support and dedication to this association.
In closing, I thank you for the opportunity to lead this organization into the future while preserving our history of supporting youth programs and promotion of the Holstein cow.