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EDEN VALLEY, Minn. - For Cory Salzl, life is full of opportunities. So when the executive secretary position for the American Milking Shorthorn Society (AMSS) opened up, he knew he wanted to throw his hat in.
"This position is a once in a lifetime opportunity," Salzl said. "It doesn't open up everyday, so I took the chance and applied."
Taking that chance paid off for Salzl. He is now the executive secretary for the AMSS while working with his herd of Milking Shorthorns near Eden Valley, Minn.
However, Milking Shorthorns have not always been on the Salzl family farm. Up until last year, Salzl's family had milked grade Holsteins.
"I never showed and didn't know a lot about registered cattle," Salzl said. "My interest started through FFA when I participated on the dairy judging team."
By 2002, Salzl had purchased his first registered animal, a Red and White, and housed it at Manannah-Valley Farms, John and Julie Schmitz's dairy farm, just five miles south of the home farm.
"That is where I got my start," Salzl said.
Salzl continued to purchase more registered cattle in order to grow his herd.
The Fall for Colors ET sale in Wisconsin during 2006 drew Salzl in with hopes of buying another purebred. This eventually introduced him to the Milking Shorthorn breed.
Salzl purchased his first Milking Shorthorn at that sale, 3-month-old North Star Mandy-ET.
"I was drawn to something different," Salzl said. "The right opportunity came along for a really good animal."
Salzl's interest in the breed only continued to grow as he purchased more Milking Shorthorns.
"They are so efficient and easy to manage," Salzl said. "I have been very pleased how they have developed and performed. It took off from there."
Two years ago, Salzl moved his heifers and three of his show cows back to the home farm. The remainder of the milk cows were moved to Oat Hill Dairy in Atwater, Minn.
"After buying so many, I outgrew myself at Manannah-Valley Farms," Salzl said.
Salzl currently has 20 Milking Shorthorns with a few Guernseys and Red and Whites in the mix.
"I have been very lucky with the Milking Shorthorn breed," Salzl said. "I've been getting a lot of heifer calves and also bought into a good cow family."
One of those cow families has surely made its mark. One of the heifers on the farm is the fifth generation All American nomination. Her dam, grand-dam, great grand-dam and great, great grand-dam were all named All Americans, and it would make her the fifth consecutive generation if she were to receive that honor.
"They are the only four that have four consecutive generations as cows to be named All Americans," Salzl said. "I am proud of the accomplishments in and out of the show ring."
Salzl's familiarity with the show ring introduced him to Dave Kendall, the previous executive secretary of the AMSS. When Kendall was resigning from his position, Salzl had a foot in the door.
"We were good friends through the Shorthorn breed," Salzl said. "I was also looking for something different at the time."
Salzl was working with ABS Global as their Cornerstone Specialist, which worked very closely with the young sire program by photographing daughters and getting the young sires proven.
His work experience with ABS also allowed him to work with genetic evaluations and IDs, which was beneficial for Salzl as he stepped into his new position with the AMSS.
"It has really transferred over," Salzl said. "I deal with some similar issues."
Since stepping into the position in March, Salzl has made an effort to update the data storage and many other aspects of his job.
"I want to make everything streamlined," Salzl said.
He is now working heavily with the data entry for the registration papers and transfers. Salzl also works with the finances and with promoting the breed, among many other things.
"Breeders call me and ask about mating suggestions," Salzl said. "It is one of my favorite things about this job. I get to help breed the next generation."
With the breed up in registrations for 2012, Salzl hopes to continue that growth.
"Milking Shorthorns have been competitive in a lot of areas," Salzl said. "I want to focus on the components, too. It's a selling point."
Although he works from home, he does have to travel from time to time. He has to sit in on the genetic evaluations acting as a representative for the Milking Shorthorn breed with the PDCA, and will be working with setting ethics for the national shows.
"International travel will come," Salzl said.
But working from home does have its advantages.
"I am able to do chores and little things during the day without interrupting the flow of work," Salzl said. "It is easy to work the farm and the AMSS job together."
With nearly three months under his belt, Salzl is already excited about his new job.
"It is rare to have a job that is tied so close to our cows. It makes both jobs a lot of fun," Salzl said. "The breed has a lot of good attributes, and I hope to continue to promote and grow the breed."[[In-content Ad]]

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