3 minute read
Genetics garner success
BY TAYLOR JERDE | STAFF WRITER
MILLVILLE – Over the last decade, Staci Sexton has spent her days growing and diversifying the genetics of her herd. She has sold nine bulls into the A.I. industry and shipped embryos across the U.S. and internationally; she has sold high genomic heifers and concentrates on polled genetics. “I have always enjoyed genetics,” Sexton said. “I was in dairy judging, and I liked seeing how the animals look and also looking at their health and production traits while adding all that together. I enjoy seeing how one breeding from the next can change things and improve things.” Sexton’s growth, combined with success, has resulted in her being named the 2022 Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmers & Ranchers Achievement Award winner at the organization’s annual meeting Nov. 17-19 in Bloomington, Minnesota. The award winner is chosen based on their involvement in, and the fi nancial progress of, their farm and their contributions to the MFBF and their community. Sexton spends her days working full time on the family dairy farm, Irish Ridge, where she also houses her herd, Schoene Kuh Dairy. She, her parents and brother, Lance, work together on the farm. The family has a unique way of running the dairy farm. Animals are housed together and work is done in tandem, but family members have separate focuses on the farm. They have two bulk tanks, separate fi nances and different breeding programs. Sexton decided this would work best for her and her family in order to focus on what she enjoys most – genetics. “I like seeing my genetics grow,” Sexton said. “We keep everything separate but still work together to help each other out.” Along with growing her herd, Sexton is active in the Wabasha County 4-H program where she assists with the dairy show and previously coached the knowledge bowl team and the dairy judging team. Sexton is the secretary of the Wabasha County Dairy Herd Improvement Association Board. She also served on the Wabasha County Fair Board from 2011-15 and helps with the fair as needed. Sexton is also an active member of the Wabasha County Farm Bureau, where she served as a board member for two years. Through Farm Bureau, she attends many conferences and meetings. “It’s a great thing for young farmers,” Sexton said. “It’s a great way to meet new people.” After Sexton graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2010, she had a job with Land O’Lakes as a nutritionist. Sexton knew she wanted to return home to farm but wanted to go a different way with genetics. At the age of 25, Sexton began her own herd of dairy cattle on her parents’ farm. She started with 35 cows and bought the feed each day from her parents. She now has 60 cows – a mixture of Jersey, Holstein and Red and White Holstein – and rents 120 acres from her parents. They grow corn and alfalfa and use barley and pea as cover crops.
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PHOTOS SUBMITTED Staci Sexton poses after she receives her award Nov. 19 at the Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation annual meeting in Bloomington, Minnesota. Sexton was named the 2022 Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmers & Ranchers Achievement Award winner.
