| Host Day Tours
Host Day has three exciting options to choose from, each is unique in its own way and each tour is a showcase of Minnesota’s natural beauty.
Tour A: Lake City Tour
Sapa-Ska Farm
David and Dennis Pierson, along with Todd, Doris and Gracie Pierson, will be your hosts at Sapa-Ska Farm which is located in Lake City, southeast of convention headquarters along the Mississippi River.
The Sapa-Ska herd has achieved much success in the show ring in the past decade having bred seven All-American Nominees, Sapa-Ska Astronomical Sadie caught the attention of many as she was named the Res Junior Champion of World Dairy Expo in 2005 and went on to be the All-American Spring Yearling that year. Her dam, C Dandyland Broker Sasha (4E-92) continues as a brood cow in the herd and currently has embryos sired by Dundee, Jasper and Astronomical.
A Titanic daughter that they are merchandising from is Sapa-Ska Titanic Delilah-ET (EX-91 @ 3-09). She completed her 2-year old record with 30,610M 1130F 868P. Daughters have sold this past spring sired by Pronto and she has an extra fancy Bolton fall calf on the farm. Delilah also has two Shottle sisters that are attracting interest from A.I.
Over the years, the Pierson’s have achieved the exciting success of breeding two homebred Excellent 95 point cows. One of which is still in the herd, Sapa-Ska Hilite Rosie (3E-95). Her daughters include a VG-87 2Y Astronomical and a fall yearling for the shows sired by Goldwyn. This yearling is bred to Laurin and will be fresh in the spring of 2010, perfect timing for a visit from convention goers in June!
Young cows and heifers in the herd are sired by Mr Sam, Shottle, Fortune, Damion, Toystory and Pronto. Current service sires include Jeeves, Laurin, Alexander, Sanchez and high genomic Shottle sons. David is a past member of the Holstein Association USA Board of Directors and fondly remembers his time as Chairman of the Holstein Foundation.
http://holsteinworld.com/sapa-ska/
Pearl of the Lake
After visiting Sapa-Ska Farms the tour will then board the “Pearl of the Lake”, a modern day paddle boat. The “Pearl of the Lake” is a modern day replica of the grand riverboats that traveled on the Mississippi River in the 1800’s. True to tradition, her only means of propulsion is the twin paddlewheels in the stern. Her name emphasizes the historic significance shared by paddlewheel boats and the freshwater pearl industry on the upper Mississippi River. While on board you will have the opportunity to travel the famous Mississippi River and watch the natural beauty that takes place all around her while enjoying your lunch. The boat tour will conclude at the tours final destination.
http://www.pearlofthelake.com/
National Eagle Center
The National Eagle Center, Wabasha, Minn., is the final stop of the tour. Angel, Harriet, Columbia and Donald enjoy their new facilities and are excited to share them with you. Angel, Harriet, Columbia and Donald are the four resident education eagles that live in the facility. As a visitor you will have the opportunity to get a close up with these four eagles.
Besides visiting with the eagles you will have the opportunity to watch educational feeding programs and ask questions you may have. There are also several eagle observation decks providing you the opportunity to view wild eagles over the Mississippi and all sorts of other wildlife that call the Mississippi and its banks home.
http://www.pearlofthelake.com/
http://www.nationaleaglecenter.org/aboutUs.htm
Tour B: McLeod/Carver County Area Farm Tours
The second tour will travel west to McLeod County and Carver Counties and will be packed with good cows.
Flower-Brook Holsteins 
Andrew Stuewe along with his wife, Jodene and daughter, Ava, call Flower-Brook Holsteins, Hamburg, MN home. Flower-Brook Holsteins is currently milking 70 Registered Holstein cows with a Rolling Herd Average of 26,3000 pounds of milk. Andrew grew up on the farm, and has been heavily involved with all aspects since he was young. He took over management of the operation four years ago. The family enjoys showing their cattle, and they exhibit regularly at the Midwest Spring National Holstein Show, Minnesota State Holstein Show and the Midwest Fall National Holstein Show, among others. Along with the homebred genetics they are working with, Stuewe has invested in some prominent cow families recently, which he hopes to develop and begin marketing from in the future.
Home to a barn full of high-scoring and high-producing Holsteins it is also home to Stuewes FB Giddy-ET. Giddy was named the 2008 Star of the Breed by Holstein Association USA. Giddy was named the 2008 Star of the Breed by Holstein Association USA. The Star of the Breed award recognized the complete Holstein cow- an animal that excels in both the show ring and milking parlor. She was the second cow to be honored with this distinction.
Bonnie Mohr Studio and Glenmark Genetics
 You’ve seen the paintings, heard about the cows and maybe even had the pleasure of visiting with John and Bonnie Mohr at a Holstein event over the years. But now the opportunity to visit the setting that inspires the world-renowned artwork of Bonnie Mohr will be yours! The life of the Mohrs as a farm family of five, artist and farmer is a story in itself. A trip to Bonnie’s studio is a delight as you can already see her artistic touch as you come up the driveway. The landscaping is her natural palette and will be in full bloom next June.
The studio is adorned with old and new painting favorites, Art and dairy, and the combination of the two, have been a part of Bonnie her whole life. In a more professional sense, she has been exhibiting her work at World Dairy Expo for 23 years! A short walk from the studio to the barn will have you seeing the cows that are the subjects of many of her paintings.
John shares that the herd currently includes 80 milking cows, 100 heifers and several bulls they raise to sell for breeding. Their breeding philosophy? Simple and one that many will agree with. “We focus on breeding for balanced, functional cows that we enjoy looking at and working with on a daily basis. We use the modern sires that still sire nice cows with great feet and legs, and nice udders.” Heifers that will be in the milking herd for your visit next year will be sired by Goldwyn, Fortune, Boliver, Bolton and a Mr Sam son of Olmar Roy Crystal (2E-95) 3x All-American Nominee.
www.bonniemohr.com
Floralawn Holsteins
Your sense of sight will be delighted with a visit to Floralawn where the blooming flower gardens serve as a beautiful backdrop to a great herd of cows. Scott and Jackie Rickeman, along with their kids- Kelly and Nathan, Tracy, Casey and Brian and Neil- began building the Floralawn herd in 1980. They’ve remained true to their goal over the years to breed cows that score VG or EX and make over 100,000 lbs lifetime.
The 60-cow milking herd is housed in a tie-stall barn and currently consists of 13 EX and 42 VG, 10 of which are VG-88, giving the herd a BAA of 109.6. A bull that has had a tremendous impact on the herd is Durham, who is the sire of 22 in the milking string alone! Floralawn Durham Natalie brought national attention to the farm in 2006 when she was named HHM Junior All-American Summer Yearling. Her dam, Encore Nara (VG-85), was a Minnesota Golden Gopher Futurity winner and currently has daughters in the herd sired by Durham and Advent.
An exciting purchase off the Parade of Perfection Sale in 2008 was Carrousel Durham Annie-ET (VG-85 @ 2Y), a Durham daughter of Ms Leducd Add E (EX-93) and then Chief Adeen (2E-94 DOM). Annie is recently fresh in May and is looking good! Shottle pregnancies are due this month and early plans are to flush her to Goldwyn soon. For a closer look at high scoring, homebred Durham daughters, check out their website at www.holsteinworld.com/floralawn.
Floralawn is definitely a place “where the folks are nice and the cows are too!” Scott and Jackie were recognized as Holstein Association USA’s Distinguished Young Breeders in 1996. Plan a visit to see how they’ve continued to succeed since then!
Raylore Farms
Having enjoyed numerous farm tours at National Holstein Conventions in the past, 2010 Host Day Chair Loren Olson, and his wife, Laura, are excited to “return the favor” and welcome convention attendees to their family farm. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the farm and over 75 years of breeding registered Holsteins. With a goal to work with solid cow families, key herd features include multiple generations of homebred Excellents and special purchases from the well-known Durham Bliss, Elegance and Sweet families. From Durham Bliss, a VG-89 2y full sister to Regancrest-PR Barbie (EX-92 GMD DOM), they are working with an EX Champion daughter, Blackcap. She is currently bred to calve this winter to the Shottle son, Spearmint (+4.73 GTAT), and has daughters in other herds sired by Shottle, Goldwyn & Dundee. From the Elegances is Encore Eloquent (VG-88), a full sister to Electra, Express and Expose- all scored EX-95. Daughters and granddaughters of Eloquent are sired by Derry, Damion & Talent, and many milking daughters of her full brother, Election, are in the herd and surrounding herds.
Rodonwa Durham Sabriel (EX-91) was a heifer purchase from the Sweet family at the 2005 National Convention in Maine that continues to impress. Raylore Leduc Averill (EX-91) completes 8 generations of homebred EX going back to the 1983 All-American Junior Two-Year Old, Raylore Citamatt Ali. Beautiful high, wide rear udders and lots of dairy strength are what the Leadman Delilah (EX-93 96-MS) family is known for. Along with her daughter, Delicious Derry, and granddaughter from an Integrity son, Drew Delicacy, the family has three generations of Excellents milking side-by-side.
In addition to the farm and her practice as a family physician, Loren & Laura have raised four kids that were, and continue to be very active in Junior Holstein activities- Sara, Luke, Lana & Elizabeth.
www.holsteinworld.com/raylore
Alternative Program
On Monday, June 28, those who are not involved in the business meetings will have the opportunity to enjoy a private narrated luxury cruise on beautiful Lake Minnetonka only 20 minutes from the Sheraton. A gourmet luncheon will be served onboard as the group enjoys the natural beauty and history of the lake. Many luxury homes that can only be viewed from the water will be the highlight of the day. Minnesota in June is usually gorgeous, sunny and warm, so bring your cameras for some memorable sights!
http://www.lakeminnetonka.com/
On Tuesday, a second alternative program is available in which the group will proceed to the world-famous Mall of America. As one of the most visited tourist destinations in the world, MOA features something for everyone-520 stores- 50 restaurants- and attractions including the Nickelodeon Theme Park, Underwater Adventures, and the new American Girl Store. This will be an "on your own" activity where the convention will arrange for your travel to and from the Sheraton, enjoy a brief introduction to the Mall of America, and your very own MOA shopping bag, map, directory, and coupon book. You can enjoy lunch on your own at the many venues, or "shop till you drop". Also included in the excursion is personal advice from our local Minnesota Holstein Non-Delegate Tour members on where to go for the best bargains and events to make this a worthwhile memorable day.
http://www.mallofamerica.com/ |
Spellbinding Beauty Tour to the North Shore
Lake Mille Lacs Fishing Adventure 
Melarry Farms is owned and operated by Mel and Darlene Hackett along with their son, Spencer Hackett, his wife, Stacy and two sons, Chris and Brook.
You gotta have Faith! A true difference maker at Ralma and in the Holstein industry, Ralma Juror Faith (EX-91 GMD DOM) is known worldwide for exceptional transmitting ability through high type and production. 
“Where the cows are stars and the people make them shine!”