Wall of Fame Person: John Selz

Wall of Fame Person

John Selz

John Selz was a visionary. He planned the future with imagination and wisdom.

John and his wife Marianne returned to his home farm near Humbird in 1959. He had a chemical engineering degree from the University of Wisconsin and had worked two years for Dupont. He developed two processing patents while at Dupont. It was an unlikely move as John had never been in 4-H or shown a single animal. He did have a dream to come home and when he had the opportunity to partner with his brother Bill, he took it. Marianne was a city girl that supported his dream. She was a wonderful wife, mother and partner.

John took charge of the herd, crops, and finances. The 29 cows and 36 young stock and 220 acres grew in the next 30 years to 700 acres and 100 cows in modern facilities.

In 1991 John and Marianne’s daughter Pam and her husband Scott Pralle joined the operation. If anyone wonders if John chose Scott as a good Holstein boy to marry his daughter, please rest assured that the union was true love. John would have most certainly chosen a graduate of UW-Madison, not UW-River Falls. Everyone in Clark County decided the great cows that Scott brought to the herd would make John more competitive in the showring. In 1994 Scott and Pam became equal partners in Selz Farm Inc. By then, the farm had 900 acres and sold up to 150 bulls a year. By 1998 they had expanded to a 450-cow free stall operation with over 900 head of Registered Holsteins.

John was notorious for showing his herd from one end of the barn to the other. Anyone that came to the farm got the shiny penny tour. He treated the Prime Minister of New Zealand with the same respect and time as he did someone wanting to buy a bull. The consummate salesman, that sales pitch and treating common dairymen like royalty, netted him higher cow prices. Gary Housner purchased several loads of cows from John and often laughed at how could you not buy cows from John after that kind of a royal tour. You paid more because you wanted to be passionate about cows and deep pedigreed just like him.

Pam says that her dad loved numbers. He was data driven. Even if it was guessing the weights of cull cows. They all had a kitty of quarters. Of course, John had the most. They’d ante up and guess the weight of a cow being shipped. On test day they would bet on how many cows milked over 100 pounds.

John had a sly sense of humor. When out for dinner at conventions or Holstein meetings with John and Marianne and friends, he quietly told the waitress it was his birthday. No one had more birthdays to celebrate than John Selz. This was John’s rendition of being a party boy.

John was a community leader. He served on over 200 boards, committees or advisory councils. I won’t name them except to say we all know the time that one board position can take up. He was tireless in trying to make his community a better more progressive place to live and work. His time on the national Holstein board and President of Holstein USA from 1983 to 1995 had the most impact.

He was the chairman of the Holstein Adhoc Identification committee that developed National Animal ID, developed the alternative to photo/sketch for permanent ID, and developed the plan for grading up of all Holsteins to Registry status. John’s herd was the test herd for electronic ID. The money saving ID accommodated total electronic registry saving time and money. Today’s popularity and efficiency of the permanent ear tag system is testimony to the vision of John Selz.

The grading up program was John’s greatest challenge in the dairy business. The issue boiled down to the Holstein Association protecting the purity of the breed and most likely a shrinking business versus Holstein Association becoming more inclusive, expanding business, members, registry and related services.

John’s herd received many awards. Over 40 Progressive Breeders Awards, over 50 Gold Medal dams, 1st Holstein Dam of Merit, bred over 100 Excellent cows, sale of bulls, cows, and embryos around the world and 3 cows that produced over 50,000 of milk.

Pam relates that John was wrapped up in his business and not a huggy parent. That all changed when his grandchildren, Ryan, Jessica, and Nicole arrived. They rode with him to deliver bulls. He attended their school events and dairy shows.

He was proud to breed and develop a high type and high producing herd at Joliam Holsteins.

presented by Kevin Jorgensen

Advertising Contest Winners

Group 1 – January/February – March full page, full color ads 1. Mayerlane Holsteins, March 2. Selz-Pralle Dairy, March 3. Synergy Family Dairy, March Group 3 – October – December full page, full color ads 1. ChrisLe Acres, October 2. Mar-Linda-K Holsteins, October 3. Vandoske Dairy Farm, November

Group 2 – April/May – August/September full page, full color ads 1. Opsal’s Ridge, June/July 2. Hill-Ton Holsteins, June/July 3. Crisdhome, August/September Ad of the Year: ChrisLe Acres Group 4 – less than full page ads 1. Mauk-E-Way, October 2. Jeffrey-Way, November 3. Smith-Crest Holsteins, June/July Cover of the Year: August/September