Breeder Profile
District 8: Mar-Linda-K Holsteins Mark and Linda Wright of Johnson start their own herd and 10 percent of the Creek have taken pride in their Registered milk check each month. At that time, Mark Holstein for more than 30 years on their also worked as a supervisor at Landmark small dairy. They’ve weathered challenges Genetics (what is now Alta Genetics). In over the years but have also found success 1992, Mark and Linda bought the entire through the challenges. herd of 60 head and some machinery from The day-to-day operations are managed Philip and rented buildings and land. The by Mark and Linda with the help of partcouple has farmed full-time since then time employees and their daughters, Kayla on the family farm which is now three and Nicole. Linda was raised on the farm generations strong. they dairy on today and Mark, while not The Mar-Linda-K prefix originated from born and raised on a dairy, was involved Mark and Linda’s first names with the “K” Kayla, Linda, Nikki and Zach Statz, and Mark Wright in agriculture and graduated from UWstanding for the Klug-View prefix of Linda’s Platteville with an agricultural degree. Linda too furthered her father’s herd. education at MATC in Fort Atkinson with a technical degree in For 25 years, Mark and Linda milked over 100 cows in a 50-stall Dairy Herd Management. barn. This led to some changes on the farm to increase human and Mark generally manages the crops and most everything except cow comfort. The Wrights installed a step-up parlor in the stall barn, calves and herd reproduction. Linda takes care of herd health, machine sheds were converted into freestall barns, boxstalls were reproduction and matings, calving, fresh cows, calf care, show created in the barn, they built calf condos and a pasteurization room. animal preparations, records and registrations. “Management goals of the herd has always been to harvest and Their daughters Kayla and Nicole (Wright) Statz both own cattle feed good quality forages to increase and maintain milk production,” in the herd, but do not farm with Mark and Linda full-time. Kayla is Linda says. “Because of current pay prices, we feed to hold high engaged to Josh Strauss (Straussdale Holsteins, LLC) of Lake Mills butterfat as well.” and has a degree in agricultural marketing and communications The sand bedded freestall has improved cow comfort, somatic from UW-River Falls. She is employed at Daybreak Foods, Inc. in cell count, and longevity of the herd. The land was tiled too when Lake Mills and also has her own graphic design business, K-K Rose the barns were converted and now provides more feed each year. Design, where she designs ads, banners, brochures and signs for As for the genetic side of the herd, genomics has worked well for dairy breeders nationwide. Kayla does help with exhibiting cattle at improved type throughout the herd. shows during the summer with Linda. She owns about 25 head of Growing up, Linda’s dad had both registered and grade Holsteins. Holsteins that carry the K-K-Rose prefix. Mark and Linda upgraded all the grade animals to the registered Nicole recently married Zach Statz of Statz Bros. Dairy in Sun herd it is today. In 1980 Bob Rodee brought Richard Lomen of Ernlo Prairie where they milk 4,500 Holstein and Jersey cows and crop Farms in Iowa to the farm. Lomen selected Klug-View M Rocket 8500 acres. They both attended Farm & Industry Short Course. Cutie from the herd, a fresh three-year-old cow at the time. At her Nikki works off the farm as a lab manager for Cumberland Valley. new home in Iowa she went on to score EX-90. Linda recalls her Mark and Linda were married in 1989 and started farming with parents were not much for testing, scoring, advertising or showing her father, Philip Klug, by receiving all the heifer calves born to at all, so this was very exciting for her at the age of 12. Being an only L-R: MAR-LINDA-K STORM VICKI EX-92 3E GMD • MAR-LINDA-K PRGRES VICTORIA EX-90 2E • MAR-LINDA-K BLITZ VICTORIA SECRET EX-91 • MAR-LINDA-K DAMION SECRET SURPRISE EX-90 • MAR-LINDA-K SWEET SENSATION EX-92
Composite © K-K Rose Design
8 – Wisconsin Holstein News – January/February 2022
