Breeder Profile: Mar-Linda-K Holsteins

Breeder Profile District 8: Mar-Linda-K Holsteins

Mark and Linda Wright of Johnson Creek have taken pride in their Registered Holstein for more than 30 years on their small dairy. They’ve weathered challenges over the years but have also found success through the challenges.

The day-to-day operations are managed by Mark and Linda with the help of parttime employees and their daughters, Kayla and Nicole. Linda was raised on the farm they dairy on today and Mark, while not born and raised on a dairy, was involved in agriculture and graduated from UWPlatteville with an agricultural degree. Linda too furthered her education at MATC in Fort Atkinson with a technical degree in Dairy Herd Management.

Mark generally manages the crops and most everything except calves and herd reproduction. Linda takes care of herd health, reproduction and matings, calving, fresh cows, calf care, show animal preparations, records and registrations.

Their daughters Kayla and Nicole (Wright) Statz both own cattle in the herd, but do not farm with Mark and Linda full-time. Kayla is engaged to Josh Strauss (Straussdale Holsteins, LLC) of Lake Mills and has a degree in agricultural marketing and communications from UW-River Falls. She is employed at Daybreak Foods, Inc. in Lake Mills and also has her own graphic design business, K-K Rose Design, where she designs ads, banners, brochures and signs for dairy breeders nationwide. Kayla does help with exhibiting cattle at shows during the summer with Linda. She owns about 25 head of Holsteins that carry the K-K-Rose prefix.

Nicole recently married Zach Statz of Statz Bros. Dairy in Sun Prairie where they milk 4,500 Holstein and Jersey cows and crop 8500 acres. They both attended Farm & Industry Short Course. Nikki works off the farm as a lab manager for Cumberland Valley.

Mark and Linda were married in 1989 and started farming with her father, Philip Klug, by receiving all the heifer calves born to

start their own herd and 10 percent of the milk check each month. At that time, Mark also worked as a supervisor at Landmark Genetics (what is now Alta Genetics). In 1992, Mark and Linda bought the entire herd of 60 head and some machinery from Philip and rented buildings and land. The couple has farmed full-time since then on the family farm which is now three generations strong. The Mar-Linda-K prefix originated from Mark and Linda’s first names with the “K” Kayla, Linda, Nikki and Zach Statz, and Mark Wright standing for the Klug-View prefix of Linda’s father’s herd. For 25 years, Mark and Linda milked over 100 cows in a 50-stall barn. This led to some changes on the farm to increase human and cow comfort. The Wrights installed a step-up parlor in the stall barn, machine sheds were converted into freestall barns, boxstalls were created in the barn, they built calf condos and a pasteurization room. “Management goals of the herd has always been to harvest and feed good quality forages to increase and maintain milk production,” Linda says. “Because of current pay prices, we feed to hold high butterfat as well.” The sand bedded freestall has improved cow comfort, somatic cell count, and longevity of the herd. The land was tiled too when the barns were converted and now provides more feed each year. As for the genetic side of the herd, genomics has worked well for improved type throughout the herd. Growing up, Linda’s dad had both registered and grade Holsteins. Mark and Linda upgraded all the grade animals to the registered herd it is today. In 1980 Bob Rodee brought Richard Lomen of Ernlo Farms in Iowa to the farm. Lomen selected Klug-View M Rocket Cutie from the herd, a fresh three-year-old cow at the time. At her new home in Iowa she went on to score EX-90. Linda recalls her parents were not much for testing, scoring, advertising or showing 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

Mar-Linda-K Holsteins LLC | Johnson Creek, WI | Mark and Linda Wright • 90 Registered Black & White and Red & White Holsteins • 320 Acres of Corn and Alfalfa • Herd Ave: 25600M, 3.8%F 966 3.2%P 811 • BAA 108.0 • 10 PBR Awards • TMR Ration of homegrown forages • Step-up parlor, remodeled machine sheds for freestall barns, bedded box stalls in barn for special needs cows. Heifer sheds, calf condo’s, and another farm down the road which houses open heifers.

child on a farm in the 70s and 80s, Linda didn’t get off the farm much, so cows were in her blood from the start of childhood.

Other cows developed from the herd that have had a big impact were Mar-Linda-K Storm Vicki EX-92 3E, a Storm x Bell Boss x herd bull from Krulls x Mowrey Rocket and then back to a cow sired by Black Eagle that Linda recalls had longevity and high production.

Today, Vicki is the matriarch of their five generations of homebred Excellent cows that boasts type and production. Mar-Linda-K Sweet Sensation EX-92, or Sweety as Linda affectionately calls her, is their current influential cow. She is an Airlift from a Damion and is the fifth generation Excellent back to Vicki. The Wrights have IVF daughters on the ground by Artist, Crushtime, King Doc, Cerveza, and soon coming are Fitters Choice heifer calves. Sweety resides at Rosedale Genetics Ltd.

Mar-Linda-K Affirm Raelynn was another homebred cow that was a proud accomplishment for Mark and Linda. She’s sired by Affirm out of a Mr. Sam then a VG-89 Juror. She was purchased by Jordan and Whitney Ebert of Ebert Enterprises in Algoma and went on to be Honorable Mention Junior All-American Junior 3-yearold for them in 2011. Before she was sold, this cow luckily left the Wright’s a heifer calf, Mar-Linda-K Damion Raelae VG-86, which stayed in the herd for nine years and had six heifer calves that have gone on to score VG and EX.

Several offspring are still in the herd today which they are hoping will make Raelynn a Gold Medal Dam soon. One granddaughter of RaeLynn, Mar-Linda-K Sterling RaeAnna EX-91 2E, has two ET Diamondback daughters that are VG and another granddaughter, Mar-Linda-K RaeLacey EX-90, has an EX-90 Saloon daughter followed by a VG-86 Blake two-year-old.

Currently the Wrights have VG and EX cows sired by Diamondback, Armani, Saloon, Blake, Crushtime, Undenied, Cinderdoor, Mogul, Sterling, Defiant, Absolute, Awesome, Jackson, Too Hot, On Point, McCutchen, and Airlift.

Their last classification in November produced a dozen Very Good first lactation cows with Diamondback being the best sire for young cows. Mark and Linda agree genomics for type has really improved the herd fast. While Mark enjoys a good looking cow, Linda is the mastermind of the breeding program. She breeds for sound type and function, keeping the good traits going while managing for milk with good quality feed.

Current sires being used include Altitude, Warrior, Moovin, Archer, Luxor, Unstoppabull, Redlight, Hannans, Milio, War-Chant, Collision, Fitters Choice, King Doc, Tatoo, Denver, and Showtime. Heifers are sired by Jordy, Analyst, Crushtime, Crushable, Altitude, King Doc, Warrior, Unstopabull, Neon, Thunderstorm, Artist, Movein, and Redlight.

The Wrights have a goal of having half of the herd being Red & Whites in the future so they are using more and more Red & White sires to achieve this. With the purchase of heifers from the Apple family, Rosedale Genetics, Castleholm, Heatherstone, Crescentmead, Red Carpet, Gildale and Milgene Holsteins, Mark and Linda are eager to market some of these red offspring.

Merchandising these bloodlines as well as those from homebred animals has been an important part of their marketing and show plan. They are consigning an Altitude September calf to the UWRiver Falls Falcon Premier Sale this spring that is a granddaughter of Apple B. The Wrights have consigned to this sale in the past as Kayla is an alumni. With all the embryos harvested from Sweet Sensation, they are planning on consigning some of them in the future as well. IVF will be a key tool for the top cows in the herd too moving forward.

In addition to merchandising, showing is still a part of their marketing plan. Depending on the quality of cattle in a given year, they can be separated out for a show program depending on the level of show. On the local and state level, they exhibited at the District 8 Holstein Show, Wisconsin State Fair, WHA All-Breeds Futurity, Wisconsin Summer Championship Show and exhibited at the Dodge County Holstein Futurity for the first time this past year. The family will exhibit at a national show but only if they believe the animal will fit into the top half of the class. 2014 was a main highlight for the family at the WHA Futurity when Mar-Linda-K Damion Jilette EX-93 3E won the class and was also Best Bred & Owned, Best Udder and Top Production. In the 2020 WHA All-Breeds Futurity, Sweet Sensation placed second and Best Bred & Owned and Best Udder. Since 2014, the Wright’s futurity cows have placed in the top 10 each year.

The Wrights are proud that after more than 30-plus years of farming, they are still in the business despite all the challenges they’ve faced. This summer the family realized their pens were getting too full and with a dwindling feed supply, the family held a herd reduction sale of 60 head. Linda and Mark have a goal of reaching a herd BAA of 110 and walking a homebred cow on the colored shavings in Madison. The top genetic animals are bred to sexed semen and the lower end bred to beef or used as ET recipients.

Off the farm, Linda enjoys giving back to the community by leadership in 4-H. She is a county dairy leader where she mentors youth in dairy projects. She says this has been very rewarding as they are the future of the industry. The farm offers dairy youth in 4-H and FFA to show some of their Holsteins at the county fair each year. Linda admits she is reliving her childhood dreams through her daughters showing and still is with other youth. Linda also has been involved in the Wisconsin Farm Technology Day Committee, Jefferson County Agri-Business, and the Jefferson County Holstein Breeders. Mark enjoys his IH tractors and chatting with other fellow enthusiasts about how to restore his 1206. Both enjoy farm shows, especially World Dairy Expo, antiquing for old farm items, and just visiting with friends and farmers.

“We are proud to be Wisconsin dairy farmers that have developed five generations of homebred Excellent cows, earned forage awards, quality milk awards, herd production honors, futurity winnings and best of all watching our daughters continue to stay involved in the dairy industry,” Linda says.