World Dairy Expo Supplement (complete PDF) - Hoards Dairyman

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EXPO 38 September 10, 2011
Around the world of dairy
FOR cattle exhibitors, a first
step onto the colored shavings is
a memory that will last a lifetime.
Engrained forever is the memory
of being speechless as you walked
under the bright lights of the Coliseum
for the first time. But it isn’t
just about the parade of the world’s
best animals in the show ring. It is
about the moments of joy, laughter,
success, and happiness that bring
everyone back to the barns at Madison
each year. For these two exhibitors
— one young and one experienced
— World Dairy Expo is filled
with memories.
Beginners’ luck
How they’ll remember Expo
Connor Erbsen’s trip in 2010 was
all about beginners’ luck and getting
out of a classroom with few farm
HEATHER THYEN and her
husband, Russ, received
an important phone call
during World Dairy Expo.
by Hoard’s Dairyman staff
classmates. Connor is the son of
John Erbsen and Anjie Erbsen and
is from Lanark, Ill. Although just 10
years old and having only made two
trips to the big show, Connor had a
year to cherish in 2010. Early in the
week at the Jersey show, Connor
took home junior champion Jersey
of the junior show with his fall yearling
Erbacres Annabelle. Annabelle
and Connor also placed first in the
open division. Later in the week,
Connor used his well-trained heifer
and showmanship skills to earn a
second-place medallion in the junior
showmanship contest.
With a smile on his face, Connor
says how much he enjoys attending
World Dairy Expo. But, at his age,
coming to World Dairy Expo comes
with some welcomed sacrifices.
“I missed a soccer game
last night, but it was
worth it,” Connor says.
And, although he would
love to spend the entire
week with Annabelle and
the rest of their string,
“my parents don’t really
want me to miss school,
so I have to go back
tomorrow.”
But when Connor Erbsen
returns to his classroom,
he isn’t expecting
any of his classmates to
understand the excitement
he has just experienced.
“One of my classmates
shows beef, but
that’s it.”
When life collides
In 17 years of World
Dairy Expo trips for
Heather Thyen, 38, of
Hutchinson, Minn., important
life moments come to
mind. Her first trip was
dual purpose. Of course,
with a dairy upbringing,
CONNOR ERBSEN and his
heifer, Annabelle, had a year
to remember in 2010.
Madison was a natural place to visit
in early October for someone like
Heather.
“We actually came to Expo on our
honeymoon,” Heather says with a
laugh about her and her husband,
Russ. Today, the couple owns Empty
Pockets Holsteins in Minnesota, and
both work for Select Sires.
“Over the years, I have helped
Sprengeler’s Brown Swiss with their
string. I have come many times with
Nix’s Milking Shorthorns, but now
we put together our own string,”
she says. Heather remarks that the
only breed which her husband and
herself have not yet shown at Expo
over the last 17 years is Ayrshire.
“In 2010, actually, Ayrshire was the
only breed that wasn’t in our string,
and it is the only breed we have not
shown,” she says.
But one year at Expo sticks out
above the rest for both Heather and
her husband. 2010 marked the fiveyear
anniversary of getting a very
special phone call while at World
Dairy Expo.
“It was five years ago right here
that Russ and I received the call
that we were getting our daughter,
Elizabeth,” Heather says talking
about finding out that their prayers
had been answered to adopt a baby.
“Expo really is a special place
for us,” she says. Today, they are
accompanied each year to Madison
with their blonde-haired, cheery
daughter who already has calves
of her own. The Thyens are sure
their daughter will follow in their
footsteps. “I think she loves coming,
even though she is just 4,” Heather
concludes.
Their years of experience may differ,
but one thing is certain, Connor
Erbsen and Heather Thyen will
never forget the memories they have
made at World Dairy Expo.
Make your own Expo memories
this year’s event.
JAPAN — World’s largest importer of feedstuffs (over 30 million tons each year) • The Island of Hokkaido is the main dairy region.