CHARLIE HAMILTON & “CHEERY” - Swiss Valley Farms

JOHN, EVIE & CHARLIE HAMILTON
member profile
by Nancy Feeney
The winners of the 2005 Cuba
City Dairy Day Outstanding
Dairy Farm Family have
been a dairying fixture in
Wisconsin’s Grant County for the past
70 years. And the next generation in
that family is already carving his own
niche in the dairying world.
The Cuba City Chamber of Commerce
voted John and Evie Hamilton
and their 10-year-old son Charlie this
year’s Farm Family of the Year. The
young family celebrated this honor
in style by sponsoring a float and
distributing crowd-pleasing dairy
handouts at the Dairy Days Parade
in June.
This threesome was
most deserving of the
honor. The Hamilton’s
50 Registered
Holsteins hold the
top herd average
in Grant County
with a rolling
herd average of
30,330 lbs. with
3.85% 1,167 lbs.
fat and 3.01% 911
lbs. protein. They
received their 21-
year Quality Award
from Swiss Valley
Farms at last winter’s
district meetings.
They raise all their own
replacement heifers. “All the
animals on our farm are homebred,
with the exception of one. The
last animal purchased outside this
herd was a 4-month-old calf in April
of 1997. We bought her for our 15-
month-old son, Charlie, from Evie’s
mom’s registered herd dispersal,”
John said. “We wanted to buy Charlie
his first calf, just like my dad did for
me when I was a boy.” The cow was
named Charlene.
page 4
Evie, Charlie and John Hamilton pose for a quick photo.
“Charlie and Charlene have literally
grown up together,” Evie said. Charlie
is now the proud owner of Charlene
and two of her daughters.
How did the Hamilton’s achieve
this 30,000 lb plus herd average? “For
the past 21 years, we have been striving
to improve our herd’s genetics
by using top pedigreed bulls,” Evie
says. “We’ve also worked closely with
the feed mill to keep our rations balanced.”
John and Evie work the land in partnership
with John’s parents, Bill and
Marsha Hamilton, who own the farm.
Bill’s parents, Charles and Florence,
moved to this farm and started dairying
70 years ago when Bill was only 2-
weeks-old. Bill and Marsha purchased
the farm when they married 49 years
ago. John started working for his dad
right out of high school in 1980. Evie
joined the operation in May of 1984,
when she and John were married.
Bill still helps out with the fieldwork
and general repairs. Marsha helps out
when she can. And everyone gets
help from Charlie!
“Evie and I took over the dairy operation
completely five years ago,”
John said.
The farm consists of 200 acres with
150 tillable acres, with the balance
in pasture and woodland.
John and Evie raise
corn, oats and alfalfa hay.
Charlie raises pumpkins,
tomatoes and sweet
corn just for fun. He
enters his best produce
in the county
fair for judging.
It is inevitable
that a top operation
such as the
Hamilton’s would
lead to lots of
awards.
John and Evie are
active in the county,
state and national
Holstein Association.
For 12 consecutive years,
they have received the Progressive
Breeders Registry
Award, the highest award given
by Holstein Association USA based
on production and type. Their trophy
case also holds ten Gold Medal Dam
Awards, four Lifetime Production
awards, two Dam of Merit awards and
31 Excellent cows bred and developed
since 1990.
Even Charlie has an admirable
start on his dairy trophy case due to
his activities at the junior level with
SWISS VALLEY FARMS DAIRYMAN