Celebrating history

MINERAL POINT, Wis. — Fifty years ago, a group of breeders brought a new breed of cattle to the North American dairy industry. On Sept. 21, the North American Normande Association celebrated those pioneers at its annual meeting and dinner in Mineral Point.

Co-chairs Brenda Conley and Sarah Vosberg planned the celebration recognizing the importation of Normande cattle and semen from France in 1974. 

Normande cattle are a dual-purpose breed from France. Their milk averages 4.2% butterfat and 3.5% protein. After the milking life of the animal concludes, they put on weight.

“The first life is a milk cow, but it’s also a heavier muscled animal,” Vosberg said. “After the milk life, they have a second life as a meat animal with high marbling.”

Conley shared about how the breed is viewed internationally.

“Here, we think of Angus as the top beef breed,” Conley said. “But in France, they have that same thought process towards the Normande breed.”

Conley said the breed blends well within any herd because of its multi-purpose nature.

“Our farm is focused more on dairy, but the great thing about Normandes is that when their milk career is over, they start naturally putting on weight as a beef animal,” Conley said. “They dress out just like a beef animal and have a lot better carcass quality than a traditional Holstein.”

There is no change in diet or ration needed as the animal progresses to the beef portion of its life.

“They do it naturally,” Conley said. “When they stop producing as much milk, their body regulates it to the fat on their back and they gain weight that way.”

The affinity for an animal that serves two purposes is national. At this year’s annual meeting, nine states were represented: Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

To kick off the ‘Cheers to 50 Years’ celebration, Conley and Vosberg asked NANA members to introduce themselves and give a brief description of how they got started working with Normandes.

“It was really cool to hear the stories of some of those pioneer breeders,” Vosberg said. “(For) one gentleman, the Normandes have taken him to South America, Costa Rica and Mexico just to see Normandes (and) to try to get those genetics into the U.S.”

Getting to know breeders of impact was a highlight of the celebration for Conley.

“It was great to get to meet and talk with all these breeders who we’ve read so much about,” she said. “It was really good to talk with the other breeders and see how others are growing their herds.”

Conley, Vosberg and Vosberg’s father, Mike Mueller, took on the challenge of setting up the celebration. Conley, owns High-Gem Holsteins & Normandes with her husband, Chris. They milk 52 cows in a tiestall barn. About half the herd is Normande. Vosberg and her husband Derek, milk 190 cows. Twelve are Jerseys. The rest are crossbreds with at least 50% Normande genes; 145 are 75% Normande.

“We thought it was important to make this year special,” Vosberg said. “Some of our pioneer breeders are getting a little older, so we wanted to make sure we could celebrate with them.”

At the Friday night event, NANA recognized four Legacy Award winners, including Merle Petersen of Junction, Iowa; Bruce Bolen of Greentop, Missouri; and David Bolen of Tama, Iowa, and Ben Bolen of Tama, Iowa. The Legacy Award was presented to members who played a vital role in bringing Normandes into the U.S. in the 1970s and helped promote the breed in the early years.

Also on Friday night, NANA introduced a new award, the Distinguished Breeders Award. Recipients were nominated by NANA members for their role in breeding and expanding the Normande herd and influencing other breeders. This year’s recipients for dairy were Carl and Bonnie Werner of Beaver Dam. The beef recipient was Brian Toivola of Grove Village, Illinois.

Conley chalks up her appreciation of Normandes directly to the Werners.

“If it wasn’t for Carl and Bonnie, Chris and I wouldn’t be Normande breeders,” Conley said. “We walked into their barn as Holstein breeders not knowing what the breed was. Then we talked to Carl and we left that night saying we needed to get one of those in our herd and that’s how we started.”

Vosberg is another breeder who was influenced by the Werners. Vosberg Valley View Farm bought one of the Werner’s animals at their dispersal sale and continue to put those genetics into their own herd.

Jeff Bock earned the second annual Distinguished Service Award, which is presented to a Normande breeder for their assistance in promoting the Normande breed and their service to the organization.

The event was a chance for Normande breeders from across the country to meet, network and discuss their appreciation of the breed with one another, and it closed with the NANA National Normande Show. This year, 15 exhibitors showed 53 head.

“We may be a very small organization and a bit of an unknown breed, but we’re like a family,” Conley said. “We love the breed. We love to promote it and educate others about it.”