Release Date: September 17, 2019
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Media Contacts: Rick Hummell, Communications Specialist, 608-224-5041
MADISON – Milk-n-More
Tequila Naomi, a seven-year-old Jersey bred and owned by Milk-n-More Farms of
Cecil, has been named the 2019 Wisconsin Cow of the Year. Naomi will be
recognized with the honor at a special ceremony October 2 during World Dairy
Expo.
Each year,
a different Wisconsin purebred cattle association selects a cow to represent
her breed as the Cow of the Year at World Dairy Expo. The honor rotates
annually among Wisconsin’s seven major dairy breeds, (Guernsey, Ayrshire,
Holstein, Red & White Holstein, Brown Swiss, Jersey, and Milking Shorthorn),
with the Jersey recognized this year.
Milk-n-More
Farms is owned by Ron and Nicolle Wussow, who purchased the fifth-generation farm
from Nicolle’s parents, Roy and Mary Ellen Fischer, in 1999.
Nicolle said family members, who have been showing Jerseys competitively
since 2005, “knew Naomi was special from the time she was in the hutches. It
was easy to see she was a complete calf, and she went on to use that overall
style, balance, and correctness in the show ring.”
After a successful summer show season, Naomi was named 2012
Reserve Junior All American Winter Calf at the All American Junior Jersey Show,
and the Reserve Junior All Wisconsin Winter Calf. In 2014, she showed true
promise as a senior two-year-old and again won Reserve Junior All American and
Reserve Junior All Wisconsin laurels. As a four-year-old, she won 2016 All
Wisconsin honors. In 2017, she earned Grand Champion honors at the Junior Show
at the Wisconsin Spring Showcase, and she placed ninth in the five-year-old
class at the All American Junior Show.
While Naomi’s show ring career is impressive, she also was
extremely productive on the farm. She has a lifetime production record of
115,010 lbs. of milk, 5,068 lbs. of fat, and 3,796 lbs. of protein. During her
top year, she produced 28,560 lbs. of milk, with a 4.2% fat test for 1,208 lbs.
of fat, and 3.2% protein for 910 lbs. of protein, with a total cheese yield of
3,141 lbs. Her first appraisal score was Very Good-89%, was later raised to
Excellent-91%, and in 2017 was scored Excellent-93%.
Nicolle said Naomi has been a blessing to the family throughout
the years. “She was one of our children’s favorite 4-H project animals with her
sweet disposition and seeming love to compete at the shows.” Daughter, Kaila,
is a University of Wisconsin-River Falls (UWRF) graduate who works for the
American Jersey Cattle Association as assistant director of communications. She
resides in Twentynine Palms, Calif. with husband Joseph Tauchen, a graduate of
UWRF and member of the U.S. Marine Corps. Son,
Colin, is a sophomore at UWRF majoring in ag business with minors in dairy
science and crop science. The Wussows are active members of the Wisconsin
Jersey Breeders Association
The Cow of
the Year ceremony is organized annually by the Wisconsin Department of
Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. The 2019 ceremony will be held at approximately
9:30-10 a.m., Wednesday, Oct. 2 during the International Jersey Show. The award
will be presented to the family by DATCP Secretary Brad Pfaff and 72nd Alice in
Dairyland Abigail Martin.
The 2019
World Dairy Expo is Oct. 1-5. The annual dairy and trade show draws more than
70,000 visitors to Madison from around the world. Learn more at worlddairyexpo.com.
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