News Release
Wednesday, August 18, 2021
Main and Vail Proclaimed 2021 McKown Master Breeders
MADISON, WIS. – On behalf of the Klussendorf Association, World Dairy Expo® is pleased to share that Ken Main and Peter Vail, along with their Cutting Edge prefix, have been selected as the twelfth recipients of the Robert “Whitey” McKown Master Breeder Award. This award honors exemplary breeders and herds that have been successful at showing and judging dairy cattle. The winners embody all of the qualities associated with the Klussendorf Award, including character, ability, endeavor, and sportsmanship.
Main and Vail have exemplified what it means to be Brown Swiss breeders. Setting goals and accomplishing them with great accolade, Main and Vail have provided solid genetics for profitable production through their dedicated breeding program and top maternal lines to herds throughout the Brown Swiss breed.
Earning six Grand Champion titles at World Dairy Expo in addition to the 2018 and 2019 Supreme Champion banners with Cutting Edge T Delilah 2E-95, Main and Vail are no strangers to Expo’s Showring. They have been named Premier Exhibitor of the International Brown Swiss Show for 13 consecutive years and Premier Breeder annually since 2016. Main and Vail have had an All-American winner every year since 2003, with as many as 17 nominations at one time. These dairymen are also regular exhibitors at state, regional, national and additional international shows.
Production goes hand-in-hand with type when the name Cutting Edge comes to mind. At the time of their dispersal sale, the herd’s production average was 21,650 pounds of milk with a 4.6% butterfat and 3.7% protein test.
The Cutting Edge prefix is a renowned name in the dairy industry and will be for generations to come. Main and Vail’s collective passion and ambition for enhancing the registered dairy cattle industry is unmatched, and it is the reason they have earned the honor of being named the 2021 McKown Master Breeder Award winners.
Past winners of the Robert “Whitey” McKown Master Breeder Award include: Woodsmansee Holsteins, Preston, Conn., 2019; Ovaltop Holsteins, Richfield Springs, N.Y., 2018; Wendon Holsteins, Innisfail, Alberta, 2017; Ferme Jacobs Inc., Cap-Santé, Quebec, 2016; Walk-Era, Wisconsin Dells, Wis., 2015; Pond View Farm, Danville, Vt., 2014; Quality Holsteins, Vaughan, Ontario, 2013; Windsor Manor Farms, New Windsor, Md., 2012; Moondale, Monona, Iowa, 2011; Snider Homestead, New Enterprise, Pa., 2010; and Windy Knoll View, Mercersburg, Pa., 2009. No award was given in the pandemic year of 2020.
The Robert “Whitey” McKown Memorial Breeder Award was made possible by the family and friends of the 1997 Honorary Klussendorf honoree after his passing in 2009. The Klussendorf Memorial Association, considered by many as the Hall of Fame for Dairy Cattle Exhibitors, began in 1937 in memory of Arthur B. Klussendorf, considered the outstanding dairy cattle showman of his time. Each year, the Klussendorf Association votes to add a new dairy cattle exhibitor to its rolls with lifetime membership for their cumulative works, including ability, character, endeavor, and sportsmanship.
Serving as the meeting place of the global dairy industry, World Dairy Expo brings together the latest in dairy innovation and the best cattle in North America. Crowds of 60,000 people, from nearly 100 countries, will return to Madison, Wis. for the 54th event, September 28 – October 2, 2021, when the world’s largest dairy-focused trade show, dairy and forage seminars, a world-class dairy cattle show and more will be on display. Download the World Dairy Expo mobile event app, visit worlddairyexpo.com or follow WDE on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Spotify, Instagram or YouTube for more information.
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