4 minute read
Meet the Breeder Mueller’s Ayrshires
MEET THE Mueller’s Ayrshires Cuba City, WI AYRSHIRE Breeder
Tami Mueller credits her mother Joan for instilling in her the passion she has for the Ayrshire breed.
Mueller’s Ayrshires of Cuba City, WI, has been a prominent herd prefix in the Midwest for many years. It started in 1979 (a year before Tami was born) when her parents Jim and Joan purchased their first Ayrshire on a bet/dare from her uncle Merlin Steffen, an avid Ayrshire breeder/owner. Her parents bought Horizon Flossie as a baby calf and raised her right along with her mom and grandparent’s herd of registered Holsteins. When Flossie calved for the first time, she actually rejected the calf (Jim and Joan thought so anyways) because the calf was the wrong color. Flossie saw herself no different than her black and white herd mates. She went on to become better than many of her black and white herd mates as she eventually became queen of the farm and maintained that title in the milking herd until her passing.
Tami currently owns approximately 18 registered Ayrshires, although she doesn’t milk them herself. They are relocated to a family friend’s farm that uses a robotic milking system. Her mom passed away in 2011 and her dad followed in 2020. The herd was dispersed in November 2019 prior to her dad’s passing. Tami says it was a hard thing to do but necessary with her father’s failing health. She currently owns the home farm with her brother, which is about 160 acres; and they both have jobs off farm. Brian works at John Deere, and Tami currently works as a chemist at a nitrogen plant while using her DVM degree on her own cattle.
What is your favorite cow family in your herd and why?
Today my favorite is Mueller’s Burdette Renee, EX-93 3E and her family members because they transmit really well. They are pretty to look at with many going EX as 3-year-olds. They know how to milk and will last. In my younger years, it would have been a toss-up between the descendants of Jonesville Jade Celebrity, VG-89, and Horizon Flossie, EX-91 3E. Celebrity had many daughters that did well for our family both in and out of the show ring with many Jr. All-American nominations and a couple Jr. All-Americans in there too. Flossie was our first Ayrshire and one of the best as she lived to the ripe old age of 21, calving every year. There were multiple Jr. All-American nominations and a couple All-Americans in this family too. My showmanship favorite cow came from Flossie’s line, but my brother’s came from Celebrity. They were both corner stone cows of our herd.
If you could buy into any cow family in the breed, who would you choose and why?
Today, I’m not sure. I’ve acquired a granddaughter of Megan, and I have a daughter of Wing (which goes back to Ping and Pretty). I’ve got some embryos in the tank that go back to Opa, sired by a bull that goes back to Francesca (I just need to get enough recipients). I’ve got a cow that can trace her lineage through the Ray Garret herd and back to family friends of Spoon-Ayr. If money was no object, I guess Karmina, Wishful Thinking, Colata, Minerva, and Bri would be on my list. But it is always “Wishful Thinking” that money doesn’t factor into the process. These cows are on my list because they have succeeded at the highest level of the show industry (Yes, my list might have looked different if I was currently milking cows.) All have transmitted to offspring, or their son has.
What are the greatest achievements you’ve had in the Ayrshire breed and why?
I’ve been lucky to have a number of achievements over the years, both as a junior and as an adult. As a junior, I won 6 Arthur Clark showmanship awards, was a state and later national queen, had multiple Jr. All-Americans and an All-American who was also All-Canadian, and Reserve Jr. Champion of the All World Show at the Royal in Canada. As an adult, I’ve received honors as a breeder at both the state and national level before we sold out. 2018 was a pretty sweet year. I was honored at the state level as a distinguished young breeder, and nationally we won a French Trophy. I enjoyed having the ability to mentor some young future breeders, which was probably the best part of milking cows for me.
What advice would you give young breeders just starting out?
Find what works for you, and do it. Don’t chase someone else’s ideal cow; know what you want and like and chase that. Also, network. No one person can be an island. Find someone to talk to about cows, bulls, etc.
