December 2006 - Swiss Valley Farms

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GOOD COWS IS ALL YOU SEE AT by Mary Bjorling Sherona-Hill Many people have traveled west to make their mark in the world, but Mike and Sheryl Deavers, Swiss Valley Cooperators of Edgerton, Wisc., turned that old adage around and moved from California to the Midwest about five years ago to find their fortune. The Deavers moved east from California to the Midwest about five years ago. Mike grew up on his family’s Jersey dairy operation in central California and has an education in animal husbandry. The California family operation name was Iona, and Mike and Sheryl used that name as a base and changed the prefix of the new operation to Sherona Hill. The move east gave them a more central base for their specialized multi-faceted business that entails custom housing, showing, fitting and selling both cattle and embryos, and transporting cattle. “We feel that we are now centrally located for the trucking business and for registered purebred operations with the Holstein, Brown Swiss and Jersey,” Mike said. “Our ultimate goal is to have cattle on this farm to be competitive on the national level. We show primarily on the national level,” he said, with an occasional scattered few other shows. For a true cattleman there is nothing quite like a pretty animal, and Mike Deavers, has made his living knowing what goes into the making of those top dairy animals. The Sherona Hill operation involves the showing and dressing and prepping of show cattle, but they page 6 also buy and sell cattle and do embryo transplants and sell embryos and custom house animals and transport cattle across the country. The proximity of the World Dairy Expo held in Madison in early October is a major plus in the Sherona Hill location in nearby Edgerton. In conjunction with the Expo, Sherona Hill holds a sale, this year called the Mike & Sheryl Deavers stand in front of their cows at World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wis. Prime Time III, the third sale, which draws both US and foreign buyers. Last year over 400 people were drawn to the sale. “We sell on consignment, but anyone can walk in and buy,” said Mike. Sherona Hill is a beehive of activity the week before the sale. From 20 to 25 people from all over the US and Canada work the week of SWISS VALLEY FARMS DAIRYMAN
the show. Some are professionals who prep cattle for shows and sales, some are judges and showmen and some are qualified handlers. About 80 head were entered in this year’s Prime Time III sale and about 30 head were entered in the World Dairy Expo. The sale, managed in conjunction with the Great Northern Land and Cattle Co. of Fond du Lac, Wis. has evolved into a social and networking event. Dinner and cocktails are served before the sale. “It is a good place to meet people you might miss at the Expo,” Mike explained. And it brings in big dollars to the owners, too. Some cattle have brought prices in the high five figure range in the past. While the Prime Time sale is a large event in the operation, Sherona Hill is a busy place the year ‘round. The Deavers custom house prominent cattle for outside customers from several states and Australia, England and Canada. “They (the cattle) can be with us as short as 60 days or their lifetime”, Mike said. Because of Sherona Hill’s national scope, Mike stresses that their doors are always open to visitors. “We welcome people every day of the year. Our doors are always open. We don’t have a problem with people dropping in to see what we are doing,” he said Mike has an education in cattle science and is a top-ranked cattle judge. He has served as judge in four of the seven breeds at the World Dairy Expo. He has also judged in several states and Brazil, Japan, Italy and Switzerland. He will be judging “ We want quality rather than quantity. Right now our worst animal on the farm could easily be someone’s best. the Royal Winter Show in Toronto, Canada. As both a showman and a judge, Mike has developed a philosophy of what brings the most positive benefit to the show ring. What is said personally to each showman leading their animal in the ring is more important than what is said over the “ Sheryl Deavers pampers her “babies” at the Sherona Hill facilities at Edgerton, Wis. microphone, he stresses. Mike likes to take home the trophies as well, and says “every win is a good win,” but two showings stand out in his memory. The first one was when his father led the junior champion Holstein at the World Dairy Expo. “He did so much when Continued on page 13 DECEMBER 2006 page 7
Page 1 and 2: December 2006 GRAPHICS GOOD ENOUGH
Page 3 and 4: SPINNING A NEW WEB swissvalley.com
Page 5: Members of the Swiss Valley Farms B
Page 9 and 10: SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN DIRECTOR Shares
Page 11 and 12: one or more people, you run the ris
Page 13 and 14: SHERONA-HILL continued Continued fr
Page 15 and 16: WHILEWRE FARMING October 2006 Board

December 2006 - Swiss Valley Farms

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