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'Bittersweet day' as renowned Holstein herd goes on the block

John F. Oncken  —  5/29/2008 12:21 pm

The bright sun and temperatures in the 70s made for an ideal day to be outside.

The whole-hog barbecue with all the trimmings filled the stomachs of the audience before the day's main attraction began at 11 a.m. Saturday.

A newly harvested hay field, firm due to a lack of rain, made a nearby parking lot for the cars and trucks of visitors. Some had come a long distance.

Then at 11 a.m. (or close enough), auctioneer Tom Morris rapped his gavel for the crowd assembled in the big white tent and began the proceedings: the sale and dispersal of Crescentmead Farms Holsteins at the farm near Ixonia, Wis.

Since 1974, brothers Niles and Elmo Wendorf Jr. have operated Crescentmead Farms as a partnership.

During those 34 years, the Wendorfs bred, raised and developed their world-class Holstein herd and exhibited the offspring in show rings against top competition at every level and before discriminating audiences.

Note that the world of dairying is divided into two general areas. In one, the most common, milk production is all-important, and the parentage and identification of individual animals is secondary. In the other, genetics is all-important for buyers looking to breed ideal cows and bulls.

The Wendorfs are in the latter category, and their success is well known to those who breed and raise Holsteins: 50 All-American nominations to Holstein USA, the breed's governing body; 260 young bulls entering major artificial insemination units; 317 "Excellents" and 54 Gold Medal Dams as classified by Holstein USA; and a multitude of embryos sold worldwide that have extended the reach of Crescentmead genetics.

By day's end, 112 Crescentmead cows and heifers had been sold in the ring at an average of $6,355 for a total of $711,760. A good number of embryos and young calves added to the total value of the sale.

The Wendorf family watched the auction along with the hundreds of buyers and onlookers from folding chairs circling the sale ring. In the far corner, 92-year-old Elmo Wendorf Sr. and 89-year-old Mabel Wendorf -- married now 68 years -- remembered the day in 1961 that he purchased a registered Holstein calf for $50.

That purchase began the transition of the Dodge County farm from grade to registered Holstein status and worldwide fame.

The Crescentmead operation was unusual in that it had cattle in two, 40-cow barns on farms about two miles apart. Niles and Carolyn Wendorf and their children Todd, Tracy and Troy managed and milked cows on the home farm.

Elmo Jr., after receiving a dairy science degree from UW-Madison in 1973, rejoined the family dairy operation and milked cows at the second location, which was a rented farm.

Niles and Elmo Jr. moved about the ring talking to friends old and new, watching and listening to the ring activity and doing a lot of remembering.

Niles Wendorf called it a "bittersweet day" and remembered the early days when he showed calves in 4-H.

Elmo Wendorf Jr. was busy talking to the many friends he'd made during his nine years as a member of the board of directors of Holstein USA.

Todd Wendorf spent the whole four hours of the sale about 50 feet outside the sales tent amid the bevy of "fitters" preparing the cattle for a last brush, comb and spray before they went before the auctioneer. He had spent eight years as a professional cattle fitter and wanted every animal to be perfect.

To Todd and his wife, Christa, this dispersal of the family dairy herd is both an end and a beginning. He will take over the farm immediately, renting it from his parents and starting a new dairy herd.

"I've bought 30 springing heifers," he says. "And own some embryos. We'll be milking about 50 cows eventually."

Early on, it was apparent that this would be a "good" dispersal in terms of price, and it was confirmed when the seven-year-old cow Amlaird Lee Alice ET-EX-92 was bought for $67,000 by MilkSource Holsteins at Kaukauna. She was followed by her granddaughter "Alicia," a bred heifer who went to a Maryland buyer for $35,000, and daughter Amy, a September 2006 heifer who was purchased for $28,000 by a Connecticut buyer.

A top dairy dispersal like the one at Crescentmead requires a lot of skill, experience and manpower to pull off.

Tom Morris Ltd. of Amery is one of the best in the business nationwide at managing dairy cattle sales, and Tom and his wife, Sandy, began their planning about a year ago for the Crescentmead sale when the date was set.

Among those the company contacted was Joel Kietzman of Waunakee, who put together a fitting crew of about a dozen experts to clip and ready some animals for photos early on and to fit all 100 head of them just prior to sale day.

Ring men who bring buyer commitments with them and work the ring during the sale have to be lined up. Buyers must be contacted and encouraged to see the event as an opportunity.

Grand Champion Graphics of Marshfield printed the sale catalog. Advertising on the local, state and national level is contracted for, and then photos have to be taken. Ninety-eight photos appeared in the 88-page sale catalog.

Tom Morris Ltd. is used to all the effort; it has managed the World Classic Sale at World Dairy Expo for many years.

Early on in his career, Morris began doing the actual selling as the auctioneer even though he never received any formal training.

"I never had time to go to auctioneer school," he says.

All the planning and work came together on Saturday. The buyers were there, and Holstein breeders from many states came to look, learn and talk. Friends and fellow dairy producers from near and far came to meet, eat and greet.

The cattle sold at premium prices, making sellers and buyers happy.

Niles Wendorf will not be milking cows or running tractors on a regular basis but will be "helping the kids."

Elmo Wendorf Jr., as chairman of the coming National Holstein Convention in Wisconsin Dells in June, will be busy with that. Then, he isn't sure.

Todd Wendorf will be starting anew as a farmer running Crescentmead.

A new chapter in life for the Wendorf family, and life goes on. Happily for all.

John Oncken is owner of Oncken Communications, a Madison-based agricultural information and consulting company. He can be reached at 222-0624, or e-mail jfodairy@chorus.net.

John F. Oncken  —  5/29/2008 12:21 pm