Sharing another dairy scholarship session! Tyler definitely has a passion for cattle. Here's his story in his own words:

September 16th, 2011. A day I will never forget. Ever since I was old enough to walk, any chance I got was spent on my grandparents farm. At the age of three I started showing calves and that is when I found my true passion in life. To this day, I can still walk through that barn and tell you where each and every cow stood and a few details about their pedigree or breeding status. When I found out my grandparents were selling the herd, I knew my life was about to be changed forever. 
    Prior to the sale I showed dairy cattle at local, state, and national levels. I was also heavily involved in my 4-H club and the Marathon County Junior Holstein Association. In the past, I have participated in Dairy Jeopardy, Dairy Bowl, and the Speaking contest at Wisconsin Junior Holstein Convention. I bought my first calf at the Purple Ribbon Classic sale in the spring of 2009 and I had a lot of success with this heifer in the showring and later in her life she scored excellent 90 points. After my grandparents sold their herd, I housed a few show heifers at my aunt and uncle's house, Dream-Team Holsteins. For the next few years, I worked there and showed some of their heifers, however they lived almost an hour away and it became hard for me to stay involved. During this time, my cow had a bull calf that I wanted to keep to raise as a steer. I brought him to my grandparents barn which was near my house so I raised him up and that is where I got started on my beef journey. We all know that the dairy industry is struggling right now and this caused my aunt and uncle to have to sell their cows so all my connections to the dairy industry were lost. As this was happening, I was growing my small beef herd and starting to raise some market hogs. Soon after, I got a job as a calf feeder at Fischer-Clark Dairy, a 700 cow dairy near my house. Working here was a real eye opener for me as I was used to working in a 27 cow tie stall barn. At this job I was responsible for washing and sanitizing feeding equipment, feeding grain and milk, watering, bedding pens, and various other tasks in the calf barn. I was also able to help with parlor cleaning and moving heifers when I was available. Not only did this job teach me a ton about agriculture and the dairy industry, but it also taught me many skills I will be able to use in life such as responsibly, time and money management, and record keeping. After this job, I moved onto Holt Creek Farms, a 60 cow dairy in the area. It felt good to return to the small style of dairy farming that I was raised with. Here, I was responsible for feeding calves, cleaning and bedding stalls, and milking cows along with helping move heifers and trim hooves when needed. This job help expose me to more of the management side of operating a farm. 

    Currently, I have no direct connections to the dairy industry as I am working at Majestic Farms Greenhouse and Landscaping along with raising beef cattle and pigs. I am currently raising 4 show pigs and 3 market pigs along with 6 registered shorthorn beef cattle. I am still actively involved in the Marathon County Junior Holstein Association, Classic Country 4-H, and Wittenberg-Birnamwood FFA and have served in many officer positions in these organizations. I am also currently accepted to Northcentral Technical College for the fall of 2020 double majoring in Vet Science and Dairy Science. After college I plan to work as an AI Technician and grow my beef and pig herds. 

   The dairy industry has been a huge part of my life and helped me develop into the person I am today. I have learned countless life lessons during my work in the industry and it’s unfortunate that life chose a different path for me currently but I know I will return to the industry after college. I would like to thank Farmgirl Photography for this wonderful senior picture opportunity and all your support to the dairy industry.