Wohlk, Petersheim Receive Outstanding Holstein Boy, Girl Honors

By Kelsi Hendrickson, Editorial Intern
Thursday, January 10, 2008 12:13 PM CST

Heather Petersheim and Clayton Wolhk

The Wisconsin Junior Holstein Convention, “Open the Gate to 2008” was held Dec. 28-30 at the Madison Marriott West in Middleton.

Over 400 members, chaperones, and volunteers attended the convention which was hosted by the Jefferson County Junior Holstein Association. Throughout the convention, junior members were encouraged to participate in numerous contests, including speaking, arts and crafts, photography, dairy jeopardy, and dairy quiz bowl.

Many outstanding juniors were honored with awards at the banquet on Saturday night, with the culmination of evening resulting in the naming of the 2007 Outstanding Holstein Boy and Girl.

Clayton Wolhk and Heather Petersheim were honored with this prestigious award. They will represent Wisconsin by vying for the honor of being named National DJM Finalists at the national convention held in Wisconsin Dells. Danyel Hosto and J.R. Boyke were also chosen to represent the state as Distinguished Junior Members.

Outstanding Holstein Boy

Becoming involved in the Junior Holstein Association wasn’t always easy for Clayton Wohlk.

Born and raised in Barron County in Almena, making the trip to the annual Junior Holstein Convention was a challenge for him, as there were not many people from his county very active in the organization, and their northern location made it difficult to travel to the many of the organization’s events.

Despite the distance, Wohlk became very involved in the organization and began traveling to the Junior Holstein Convention independently, ever since his first convention held in Oconomowoc in 2000.

And this year’s convention was an unforgettable one for Wohlk. Not only because he was honored as Wisconsin Holstein Association’s Outstanding Boy, but because it was also the first year that his dad could make it down for it.

“It was everything I could hope for and more,” he says. “I couldn’t believe it n my heart was beating so hard, I could hardly breathe.”

Receiving this honor was one of Wohlk’s goals since last year.

“Last year I set a goal to get an interview and this year I wanted to be the Outstanding Boy,” says Wohlk, a three-time Distinguished Junior Member award recipient.

The 20-year-old son of Glen and Susan Wohlk, he grew up on his family farm where they raise 50 registered Holstein cows, seven of them being Red & White. He has a sister Bethany, 19, and brother, Kurt, 17. On the farm, they grow corn, alfalfa and soybeans on their 250 acre 100 percent no-till system. Wohlk is very active on his family operation and helps out with all aspects of the farm.

Currently, he is a junior at UW-Madison majoring in dairy science with a business emphasis. On campus, he is very involved in Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity, where he currently serves as the risk management chair and was formerly the maintenance chair and scholarship officer. Wohlk is also very active in the Badger Dairy Club serving as the club’s treasurer. He was also co-general chair of World Dairy Expo and will serve as general chair for the event next year. He has also served as grounds chair for Expo, was a cattle care chair for the club’s sale and was awarded most active sophomore this past year. Additionally, Wohlk serves as the student council representative for the Ag Business Club and is the CALS week chair for student council. He was also involved in the Pre-Vet Club when he was still considering being a vet.

Wohlk became involved in the Junior Holstein Association in 1995 and began showing through the organization in 1996. He served as treasurer for his county organization from 2000-2005. In 2005, he was elected to the Junior Activities Committee (JAC), in which he served as chairman for this past year.

“I started becoming very involved with the Junior Holsteins with that,” he says. “I’ve learned a lot of responsibility and accountability being a JAC.”

Wohlk also exhibits cattle at his county fair, district show and state fair. He had the unique opportunity to travel with Bob Schauf to the Minnesota State Fair in 2003 to show a red & white heifer, where he received junior champion honors in the open show.

“That was the first major show I’ve ever won,” he says.

That same year, he also traveled to Expo, which was his first opportunity to show there.

“That’s helped me with the Badger Dairy Club part of Expo, just knowing what it takes to actually show there,” he says.

He plans to become more involved in the showring in the future, exhibiting at more shows throughout the year.

Wohlk was also very involved in 4-H and FFA. He participated in dairy judging, where he received honors in top ten reasons and his senior team also made it to the state competition one year. Through FFA he held three officer positions, participated in speaking contests, and attended the national conference as well as the Washington Leadership Conference.

He also had the opportunity to intern last summer at Tom, Mary and Mark Heinze’s 300-cow farm in Portage where he quickly learned that his future career aspirations were not what he had planned.

“That’s when I decided I wanted to be a dairy farmer instead of a vet,” he says. “It just seemed right and I could see myself doing it.”

Through his internship, he even had the opportunity to take care of the entire herd for two weeks while Mark was in Europe with the judging team.

Wohlk accredits numerous people for helping him become involved in Junior Holsteins and the dairy industry. He has always looked up to Bob Schauf and his family who taught him ‘basically everything about showing’. He also looks up to Chuck Kruschke and his past judging coach, Steve Fronk.

Junior Holsteins has and always will be a significant part of Wohlk’s life as he plans to stay involved in the organization through helping out at various events, such as convention and district shows.

“I’ve learned a lot of different career paths you can take through Junior Holsteins just by working with a lot of the adults who are in different parts of the industry, not just dairy farmers,” he says. “So, I’ve looked into those different career paths and I started to figure out what I want to do after I graduate and I want to dairy farm.”

In addition to Junior Holsteins, Wohlk also really enjoys the outdoors. His favorite activities include deer and turkey hunting, ice fishing and tractor pulls.

After he graduates in May of 2009, he plans to return home to the family farm. Efficiency is a top priority for him, as he plans to gradually expand the herd, starting at 200 cows.

Outstanding Holstein Girl

After moving to Wisconsin from Lancaster County in Pennsylvania when she was eight-years-old, Heather Petersheim was given her first registered Holstein heifer calf n Welsh-Edge Cherokee Katarina, who still remains in her family’s herd today. This initiated Petersheim’s involvement and passion for the Holstein breed.

“I don’t know where I would be without Junior Holsteins,” says Petersheim. “Dairy bowl, dairy jeopardy and public speaking have taught me so much about the dairy industry and about the dairy cows that I’m working with.”

Petersheim, the daughter of Ralph and Sheila Petersheim, and the oldest of six children, works on her home farm, Welsh-Edge Registered Holsteins. She currently serves on the Wisconsin Junior Activities Committee (JAC), while also acting as Vernon County’s Junior Holstein Association president.

She has been very involved in Junior Holsteins, participating in many events including showing and dairy bowl, her two favorite Junior Holstein activities.

Her county senior dairy bowl team took first place in the state competition at the annual Junior Holstein Convention for the second year in a row. They will be representing the state at nationals in Wisconsin Dells in June. Last year after advancing to nationals, they placed fifth in the competition.

Petersheim has also participated in the Junior Holstein speaking contest for many years and has had the opportunity to advance to nationals through that activity as well. Further, she exhibits her cattle at many shows throughout the year, including the Vernon County Fair, district show, state fair, state show and she has also competed in the showmanship contest at World Dairy Expo.

Additionally, she has been very involved in 4-H, participating in many activities including dairy judging, dairy bowl and showing. She received first place overall at Area Animal Science days a few years ago and her team has also placed first in reasons at the state dairy judging competition.

Petersheim also served as the Vernon County Dairy Princes for two years and now serves as the coordinator for the program.

She worked at Indianhead Holsteins with Bob and Karen Schauf for about a year.

“I love it,” she says. “I learned a lot from the Schaufs about marketing and breeding cow families.”

Petersheim owns about 23 head of cattle, while having bred and owned 31 head that still remain in the herd today, including partnership animals.

A significant highlight for her this year included breeding her very first Excellent cow. In the future, she plans to continue to develop her own herd by working with embryo transfer and buying into partnerships to get into good cow families.

Petersheim helps with all aspects of the family farm n although she leaves the field work to her brothers, she says. She would much rather be working with her show animals and the calves. They currently milk 70 registered Holsteins in their 70-tie-stall barn.

Growing up and being home schooled allowed Petersheim to spend more time with the cows and allowed more flexibility in the being able to help with picturing, flushing and many other activities that go on at the farm during the day that she otherwise wouldn’t be able to experience. She says she even spent a few nights in the barn with cows that were calving in the middle of winter.

Although “Wow,” was Petersheim’s surprised reaction when her name was read as the 2007 Junior Holstein Association Outstanding Girl, her fellow members were surprised, as they are well aware of her accomplishments, involvement and compassion for the Holstein breed.

“I was not expecting it at all,” says Petersheim. “I’ve always looked up to the past outstanding girls; they’ve been great role models for me.”

Petersheim plans to continue her involvement in the Holstein Association and the dairy industry.

“I’m very thankful for all of the people that have poured so much into it and I definitely want to give back to the organization,” she says.

Serving as JAC is just one of the many ways that she plans to do so. She also helps out with coaching her county dairy judging team, and would like to help with coaching dairy bowl for Junior Holsteins and 4-H.

Other Distinguished Junior Members award winners included:

Frank Behling

Frank Behling, 16, lives with his parents Jim and Diane on his family’s farm just outside of Fox Lake. He has two older sisters, Kari and Linda. Behling lives on a grain farm that raises registered Holstein dairy replacement heifers. He is a junior at Waupun Area High School. Behling is president of the Waupun FFA, a member of Dodge County Junior Holstein and the Trenton Highlights 4-H Club. He likes football, models, rockets, tractors and animals. He also enjoys showing dairy cattle and participating in dairy bowl and dairy judging.

J.R. Boyke

J.R. Boyke is the 20-year-old son of Gary and Rose Boyke of Fond du Lac. J.R. and his family own and operate Vir-Clar Farms, home to 1,350 Holstein cows. Boyke is a recent graduate of UW-Madison’s Farm and Industry Short Course where he was a member of the judging team. He is a member of the Junior Activities Committee, and is presently serving as vice chair. Boyke has been involved in dairy bowl, dairy judging and is a graduate of the 4-H program. His lifetime goal is to become part of his family’s farm. Boyke’s favorite past time activities are fitting and showing cattle at area shows and playing competitive volleyball.

Danielle Brown

Danielle Brown is the 17-year-old daughter of Mark and Angela Brown and resides in Dodgeville on a 200-acre dairy farm. Ma-Brown consists of about 25 milking Holsteins and 35 milking Jerseys. Brown is currently a senior at Dodgeville High School, where she is president of the FFA, is a member of band, math team, and the National Honor Society. Next fall she plans to attend UW-Madison to major in dairy science. Brown is also involved in the Cobb Busy Badgers 4-H Club. She serves as vice president of the Iowa County Junior Holstein Association and secretary of the Wisconsin Junior Jersey Breeders.

Amber Elliott

Amber Elliott, age 20, is from Marshall. She lives on a 120-acre dairy farm with her parents, Ken and Kathy Elliott, and her sister Laura. A graduate of Marshall High School, Elliott is currently a junior at UW-River Falls majoring in marketing communications with an agriculture emphasis. She has held various offices in 4-H and FFA, and has been a Wisconsin Holstein Association YMR, DJM, and Junior Trip Award recipient. Elliott has been active in dairy bowl and jeopardy, placing second in dairy bowl in 2003 and winning jeopardy at convention in 2006 and 2007. She has exhibited cattle at the local, state, and national levels, and her highlight in exhibiting Holsteins was winning reserve grand champion honors at the District 6 Junior Holstein Show in 2001 and many showmanship honors.

Danyel Hosto

Danyel Hosto is the 20-year-old daughter of Kelley and Ruth Hosto of Juda. Together with her sister, Nicole, they own and operate Hosto Registered Holsteins. Hosto is a junior at UW-Madison majoring in dairy science and life science communications. On campus, she serves as the house manager for the Association of Women in Agriculture, ADSA/Royal coordinator for Badger Dairy Club, and is a member of the dairy judging and dairy challenge teams. Throughout her years of showing, judging and dairy bowl, she has obtained many valuable experiences and honors, with the acclimation of her achievements occurring this October when she received the Judi Collinsworth award at the International Junior Holstein show.

Krysty Kepler

Krysty Kepler is the 18-year-old daughter of Lonnie and Dana Kepler or rural Viola. She is a senior at Richland Center High School, and following graduation plans to attend either UW-Madison or UW-Platteville to major in dairy science. She is an active member of Richland Center FFA, State and National Junior Holstein, Richland County Junior Dairy Breeders, The Sabin Livewires 4-H Club, is a senior class officer, and a member of Saint Mary’s Catholic Church. Kepler lives on a 290-acre, 65-cow registered Holstein dairy farm in Richland County. She enjoys showing dairy cattle, running and riding her horses. Kepler and her family recently built a freestall barn for milking cows, with future plans of building a parlor.

Kristin Klossner

Kristin Klossner is the daughter of Richard and Roxanne Klossner. She grew up on her family farm, K-Rich Dairy, just outside of New Glarus. Klossner is a junior at UW-River Falls where she is majoring in dairy science with a minor in coaching football. She is very active on campus as a student athletic trainer, UW-River Falls Dairy Club officer and a member of Delta Theta Sigma Little Sisters. Klossner is finishing her year as the 2007 WHA Princess Attendant. She looks forward to continuing her education and securing a career in the dairy industry that she loves so much.

Carl Lippert

Carl Lippert is the 17-year-old son of Matthew and Martha Lippert of Pittsville. He is a senior at Pittsville High School. His home farm, Grass Ridge Farm, LLC, is a 420-cow dairy in rural Pittsville. Lippert has one older brother, Paul. He is very active in 4-H, FFA and Junior Holstein activities.

Jessica Lundgren

Jessica Lundgren is the 19-year-old daughter of Jim and Janelle Lundgren. She is a sophomore at UW-River Falls, where she is majoring in agriculture business and studying for a minor in dairy science. Lundgren was raised on a 100-cow registered Holstein, 700-acre farm outside of Cushing. She has two older brothers; Chris, 25, and Ben, 23. She has always been active on her family’s farm by showing cattle, milking cows, feeding calves, or doing fieldwork.

Ben Sarbacker

Ben Sarbacker, 19, is the son of Tom and Vicki Sarbacker of Verona. He has three brothers; Nick, Andy, and Joe, and one sister, Elizabeth. Sarbacker and his family farm on Fischerdale Holsteins in Paoli. The farm consists of 400-acres and with at total of 140 milking cows. Sarbacker is a freshman at UW-Madison, and is a member of the Badger Dairy Club and Wisconsin Wrestling Team. He is also a member of St. Williams Catholic Church, and is active in the Paoli 4-H Fireballs where he served as president for two years. He is the treasurer for the Dane County Junior Holstein Association. Sarbacker is very involved in the family farm and enjoys showing cattle and dairy judging.

Craig Slattery

Craig Slattery is the son of Pat and Carol Slattery of Rudolph. He was raised with his two brothers, Dan, 23, and Lee, 18, on a 208-acre dairy farm with 60 Holsteins. Slattery is a senior in college at Michigan Technological University majoring in mechanical engineering with a minor in structural materials. The highlight of Slattery’s showing career was taking grand and reserve grand champion of the District 4 Junior Holstein Show. This summer Slattery worked at Stora Enso Paper Mill in Wisconsin Rapids as a mechanical engineering co-op. During that time he lived at home and helped his parents modernize by building a freestall barn and milking parlor.

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