Breeder of the Future Awards

MARILYN HERZOG BREEDER OF THE FUTURE GIRL Breeder of the Future Award Winners

BREEDER OF THE FUTURE BOY

The 2021 Marilyn Herzog Breeder of the Future Girl recipient is Kiara Konyn, Escondido. “I was selected as Young Breeder of the Future in 2017 and I believe that I have continued to develop my education, skills, and passion that would make me an excellent candidate for the 2021 California Junior Holstein Breeder of the Future.”

Kiara recently graduated from 8th grade and is a 7-year member of 4-H and the California Junior Holstein Association. She has attended every Junior Convention since she became involved, participating in Dairy Bowl, Dairy Jeopardy, Speech and Folding Display. She is also the current co-reporter of the Junior Association. She owned 59 Registered Holsteins; 29 are solely owned, with the other 30 owned in partnership with her sister. All but 5 carry the Aspire prefix. The herd is also recognized as a Progressive Dairy Herd with numerous cows in the top 10,000 cow list. Kiara has personally received the Junior Progressive Breeder Award from CJHA. “I believe that I am a very hard working, determined young dairyman. I have strived to excel with my herd of registered Holsteins. My entire life, I have been involved with my family at our dairy, which is one of only two remaining dairies within our county. I have had excellent mentors which have helped me to expand my involvement and encouraged me to be successful within the dairy industry.” “Participation in the Holstein youth activities has allowed me to further my public speaking skills. I have used these skills in many of my 4-H projects, not only in the show ring, but also in my monthly community meetings, participation days, project meetings, and in all of the organizations which I belong to. I have also had the opportunity to participate in many team building activities, such as dairy judging. All of these experiences have allowed me to grow personally, as well as increase my knowledge in not only the Holstein breed, but in all of the activities that I participate in.” YOUNG BREEDER OF THE FUTURE GIRL - SOPHIE VAN LOBEN SELS

Sophie van Loben Sels, Los Banos, is the 2021 winner of the Young Breeder of the Future Girl Award. She is a 5-year member of the Merced County Junior Holstein Club and currently owns 5 Registered Holsteins. She has attended 6 Cow Camps and competed in 4 Junior Conventions, earning numerous recognitions in Speed, Jeopardy and Dairy Bowl. She will compete for the first time at National Convention in 2021 on the Junior Dairy Bowl team. She received her first calf from her grandparents in 2017. She is the breeder of two animals, with her first cows calving in December 2020. She helps take care of them, along with the other animals at the dairy when she can, and looks forward to when she can exhibit at the shows again. She enjoys making breeding decisions with the help of her Papa, and looks forward to learning how to pick which bulls to use to make improvements and develop future offspring from her cows. She is very active in 4-H, and was named the Outstanding 2nd Year Dairy Exhibitor in 2019, her greatest achievement to date. She has participated in showmanship as well as speech and competed in the Hoard’s Dairyman Judging Contest since 2018. Travor Hath of El Nido is the 2021 Breeder of the Future Boy winner. He is a 5-year member of the El Nido 4-H Club and first year member of the Golden Valley FFA Chapter. In 2018, he was the 4-H Registered Dairy Outstanding Exhibitor at the Merced County Fair. He is also a member of the CJHA and has attended Cow Camp and the Junior Convention, where he was a member of the Merced Dairy Bowl team and he competed in Jeopardy. He has also participated in numerous Dairy Judging contests. Trevor owns 16 Registered Holsteins, of which 10 he bred. Of the 7 classified cows, one is EX and four are VG.

“I plan on continuing and improving the genetics of my herd. I have learned to work with my dad on looking at different bulls and mating them to my show animals. I also have spent a lot of time in learning to care for animals, feed them properly and get them ready for the show ring.” He has competed in showmanship at the Western Dairy Classic, Merced County Fair and California State Fair. He has also exhibited at those shows, along with the Western National Spring Show and California State Show. In 2020, Hath Beemer Selena was named Reserve Junior Champion of the Western Dairy Classic and was 2nd Junior, 3rd Open at the Western National Show in Utah.

“I was ready to go into the 2020 show season strong, but many shows got cancelled by COVID. I used much of 2020 as an opportunity to prepare for future shows by continuing to produce high quality show animals. I have concentrated my time in improving my herd by continuing to mate my animals to high quality bulls and performing ET work on my animals. Some of my future goals with my herd is to win a California State Show and continue to compete highly at national shows across the country.”

YOUNG BREEDER OF THE FUTURE BOY - HAYDEN MCISAAC

Hayden McIsaac, 11, is the 2021 winner of the Young Breeder of the Future Boy Award. He is from Petaluma and a 2nd year 4-H member. He works every day with his parents on his family’s farm. He received his first calf when he was two years old and she produced his first homebred Excellent cow, Two-Rock Rager 5679-Red, who is now EX-91. She was Best Bred & Owned R&W at the 2019 Western Fall National and her daughter, 6103 is VG-86 at 2Y. Hayden has flushed both 5679 and 6103 in order to grow his herd of 33 dairy animals, of which 15 are milking. Hayden has exhibited at the California State Show and Western Fall National in Oregon. Animals he has owned have been exhibited at Western Spring National, World Dairy Expo, Eastern National and Mid-East Fall National.

Hayden has attended Cow Camp three times and attended his first California Junior Convention in 2019. He placed third in the Speech contest and was first with his Folding Display. He was a 1st time 4-H member in 2020 and virtually competed at his county fair, earning Premier Breeder and Exhibitor in the Registered Holstein division. He also had Supreme Heifer, who is from the same family as his favorite cow, 5679.