BREEDER OF THE FUTURE AWARD WINNERS MARILYN HERZOG BREEDER OF THE FUTURE GIRL
BREEDER OF THE FUTURE BOY
At just 13-years-old, Lauren Silveira has a long list of accomplishments and now Breeder of the Future can be added to the growing list. Lauren is from Chowchilla, CA and is a member of the Merced County Club.
Sixteen year old, Ryan Hath of El Nido, CA is the 2022 Breeder of the Future Boy. Ryan has been a member of the Merced County Holstein Association for the last 6 years and was a member of the El Nido 4-H club for 5 years. Ryan is currently also a member of the Golden Valley FFA Chapter. In his freshman year, he received his Greenhand Degree and has now gone on to receive his Chapter Degree. Adding to the growing list, he is also a member of the California Junior Jersey Association and Brown Swiss Association.
Lauren began showing at the age of 7 and entered the 4-H program at 9 years old. She has had the opportunity to show at various shows throughout the country. Highlight shows include the California State Holstein Show, Western Classic Junior Dairy Show, Western Dairy Showcase, Western National Dairy Show and World Dairy Expo, just to name a few. A major highlight for Lauren was at the 2021 WDE where she showcased her Spring heifer in the Junior show and took home the 4th place ribbon. In 2020, she found success at the Richmond Black & White Days Junior Dairy Show where she was named Fitting and Showmanship Champion with her calf, Royal-Cut Awesome Julia-Red. In 2021, her Fall calf, Royal-Cut Avalan Joy-RedET was named Reserve Junior All-California at the CA State Holstein Show. Lauren finished out the day with a 2nd place ribbon in the Junior Showmanship competition. “Raising and showing dairy heifers and cows is my passion!” Actively involved in her family’s dairy farm, Lauren has 95 registered Holsteins in her name, 54 of them being bred by her. The average score for her herd is 84 points. Lauren’s passion for the dairy industry started at an early age. She began with basic chores such as feeding calves, helping milk the cows and cleaning the heifer pen. In 2020 with the closure of her school, Lauren took this opportunity to further her knowledge and skill around the farm. Working alongside her dad, she became educated in helping do their herd veterinary checks. Her dad is also currently teaching her the importance of genomic testing and how it affects their operation. Lauren is taking this knowledge and using it when selecting bulls for her registered herd and dairy replacement projects that she is raising for 4-H. “I work hard at taking care of my heifers and I look forward to learning more about breeding them. I am proud to be involved in the dairy industry and a part of my family’s business.”
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Ryan currently has 8 Registered Holsteins in his name, 3 of which were bred by him. This past December classification, Hath Expander Lexa, a 3-year-old owned by Ryan went EX-90. For the last two years, he has participated in the FFA Project Competition. During his Freshman year, he gave a demonstration on feeding dairy heifers and discussed his involvement with his families dairy operation and breeding program. This year, he presented a demonstration on proper milking techniques. Both years he received a Gold award for his efforts. Attending various shows Ryan has accomplished a showmanship win at the California State Fair ‘17, 3rd Junior and 8th Summer Yearling at the Western National Dairy Holstein Show ‘20 and a 2nd place ribbon in the FFA Showmanship class at the Merced Fair ‘21. Having success at the local, state and national levels in the show ring, Ryan can contribute the success his and his family’s homebred animals have had due to the importance of a strong breeding program. “I have learned to work with my dad on looking at different bulls and mating them to my show animals. My plan is to continue improving the genetics of my herd. My dad has taught me how breeding directly impacts production and I feel this is one of the most important components of the dairy.”
