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Illinois Award Winner Stories 2009

Senior Breeder: Bill & Janice Olbrich, Holbric Holsteins, Harvard, Illinois

Bill Olbrich of Harvard, Ill., started from a rather modest beginning. His father Raymond Olbrich who was an active cattle dealer, started farming more than 85 years ago with 200 acres and milked 25 cows by hand. Today, the Olbrich family, including Bill and Janice, sons Brian and Mark and their wives Mary and Katelyn, and daughter Debbie, have built an impressive operation of 850 acres and over 400 head of registered dairy cattle.

Bill grew up milking cows that nobody else wanted but in 1965 that changed. He married Janice and then was able to develop his own herd of grade cows. A dozen years later the first registered Holsteins came to the farm, three cows and Brian’s first 4-H calf. The registered cows quickly outperformed the herdmates and within eight years the herd was 100% registered. Bill’s keen eye and additions of deep pedigreed individuals have significantly helped develop the herd.

Over the years, many impressive cows have left their impact on the herd. Perhaps the favorite is Hart-Two-Hart Mark Angella, the EX-94 Jr. All American 4-yr-old and World Dairy Expo Jr. Show Grand Champion. She was originally purchased as an 8-month-old project heifer for Debbie on the Illini Golden Opportunity Sale.
Angella calved for the first time in December 1991, and Debbie showed her the following year. Even though she was just a first calf 3-yr-old, Angella was named Grand Champion of the Junior Show at the Illinois Championship Show, Illinois State Fair and World Dairy Expo.

Angella only calved two times, with daughters by Hanoverhill Logic and Broker. Holbric Broker Adrian VG-87 had several daughters, including Holbric Charles Angel EX-92 DOM, who was Junior Champion at the Illinois State Fair in 1996 and and 5th Junior 2-yr-old at NAILE in 1997. Additionally, Angella had an ET calf sires by RC Matt who won the Illinois Holstein Futurity as a 2-yr-old.

The Olbrich family has participated in showing at the local, state, and national levels. Since 1992, there has been at least 1 All-American or Jr All-American nominee each year, mostly all homebred from top to bottom. Most recently, Holbric Holsteins was nominated All-American for their Junior Best Three Female group in 2009.
Holbric Holsteins have been named the Premier Exhibitor 10 times and Premier Breeder 3 times since 1996 at the Illinois State Fair. The family has also had multiple Illinois Futurity winners, again all homebred.

Bill has served as president of the Illinois Holstein Association for 2 years, served as a delegate to the National Holstein Convention, and hosted the State Sale. He remains active in his community by serving as a director of the Harvard State Bank for over 25 years, has been the chairmen of the Harvard Milk Day Cattle Show for over 15 years, served as a director on the McHenry County Farm Bureau board, and is a foundation and chairmen of the First Presbyterian Church in Harvard, Ill.

Junior Breeder: Matt Engel, Luck-E Holsteins, Hampshire, Illinois

By the time Matt Engel of Hampshire, Ill., was just three-years-old he knew the names of all the cows in the barn. At about that time he started showing at the local district show with his three older brothers. Since his parents, Denny and Beth, had only ever shown beef, Matt looked for guidance from many other members of the Holstein club. One of those people was Bill Berghorn who taught him much of what he knows about animal husbandry, showmanship, and genetics.

Matt was active in 4-H, FFA, and the Illinois Junior Holstein Association growing up, winning several judging contests and was a member of the winning National 4-H Dairy Bowl team. In 1992 he graduated from The UW-Madison Farm and Industry Short Course at the top of his class. In 1994 Matt started back at the farm full time and became partner with his parents of Luck-E Holsteins.

When Matt was 15, he bought an early Starbuck daughter, Hart-Lyn Starbuck Ashley. The following year in 1989 Ashley was Grand Champion at the IL State Show. Ashley went on to be 2E-94 GMD DOM and more importantly a great brood cow having six EX daughters including Luck-E Skychief Arizona EX-90 who broke a national fat record in 1999 with a record of 5-01 365d 56,280M 5.1% 2,872F 3.3% 1,855P. In 2005 Arizona’s daughter, Luck-E Blitz Australia VG-87-2Y became the highest CTPI daughter of Blitz for several genetic runs. Australia started attracting foreign embryo buyers to the farm, helping to create the embryo business he has today. Australia now has very successful daughters all over the world including Luck-E Gold Angel VG-87-2Y who sold in the Global Glamour Sale last year.

In 1999 Matt calved a Mandel from an EX Lincoln. His best 2yr old to date, Luck-E Mandel Bobbi VG-88-2Y GMD DOM, was lost at a young age but went on to make a huge impact on the herd. All six of Bobbi’s daughters went EX averaging 93 points including the first 95 point cow he ever bred, Luck-E Blackice Blizzard EX-95. Blizzard went on to be a perennial show favorite and was Nominated All-American in 2007. Blizzard and her sister Blinky were also part of the Nominated All-American Best 3 Females in 2005. Another sister, Bikini 3E-93, had international demand for embryos and is the dam of Luck-E Beautiful Bikini who was the sixth Fall Milking Yearling at the 2009 World Dairy Expo.

In the fall of ‘99 Matt purchased a Canadian herd named Bardholm, which was composed of one cow family. After returning from buying the herd, before they got to the farm, Matt went on and on about one December calf, Bardholm Trust Lee. Trust Lee went on to be Grand Champion of the IL State Show in 2003. The Trust Lee family is now known throughout the world for their high components, extreme width, and consistent type. This October, Trust Lee’s Linjet daughter Twizzle scored EX-95 as 5-year-old.

In 2003, Matt decided to flush a virgin heifer for the first time of his career. She was a red carrier Rubens daughter; so he decided to flush her to a Kite young sire from a nice young Durham he had just heard about. This flush from a virgin heifer using semen from the first collection of a then unknown, now famous bull named KHW Kite Advent produced the first EX-92 Advent, Luck-E Advent Kalotta EX-92 and Grand Champion IL State Show 2008; the oldest All-American Advent, Luck-E Advent Kite-Red EX-92 and Res. Int. Champ. WDE 2007; and, Luck-E Advantage EX-92, the first EX Advent son.

To date Matt, not including his family members, has bred 278 Very Good and 113 Excellent cows. Today the herd is almost entirely homebred and 2009 there were 35 new excellents and 42 new very good 2-yr-olds. The average score of the dams of all animals is EX-90 with 278 animals having EX dams that average EX-92. This year the farm, known for a herd with high components and lots of width, hosted over 400 visitors from 17 countries. Matt always remembers how fellow breeders helped him both growing up and today, so he continues to help and give advice to other young breeders with showing, scoring, what ever else he can. In the barn milking Matt often tells his brother “it’s important to help other people, if it wasn’t for people like Uncle Billy helping us we wouldn’t be where we are today”.

Service Award: Bob Fruend, Carlyle, Illinois

Bob acquired his first registered Holstein in 1964. Over the years he developed a great herd of Holsteins that were very successful in the show ring. He exhibited annually at the state and local level and also at NAILE, the Southern National and World Dairy Expo. Animals received both Junior All American and All American recognition. Although the milking herd was sold in 1982, he continues to own Holsteins to this date.
Bob has served as president, secretary-treasurer and director of his district Holstein Club, and has been involved with the Clinton County Classic sale committee almost of all 35 years of its running.
His involvement in the Illinois Holstein Association on both a state and local level has involved countless hours. On the state level, Bob has served as chairman of the state sale and state show and was the very first chairman of the School and Tour Committee. He has also served as our President, Vice President and Treasurer.

Bob isn’t only generous with this time to our association, he served on his county’s fair board and was a 4-H leader for many years and was very involved with his church and the school system.