Wesley Winch from Fennimore, WI was chosen as this year’s recipient of a December Brown Swiss heifer calf from the 2017 WDE Brown Swiss Grand Champion Top Acres Supreme Wizard. The heifer is owned and bred by Wayne and Connie Sliker, Top Acres in St. Paris, OH.
Applications were received nationwide from an impressive group of youth with a strong passion for the dairy industry. Wesley is currently a senior at Fennimore High School, and is taking animal science classes at Southwest Wisconsin Technical College. He also works as a hoof trimmer apprentice, and at his family’s Winch’s Pine Grove Farm in Fennimore, WI where the calf will reside and be prepared for the upcoming show season. Wesley will be expertly guided by his designated mentor, Ryan Weigel, from Platteville, WI. Ryan is an Animal Science instructor at Southwest Wisconsin Technical College.
The runner up was Mattea Quigley from Hastings, MN, who received a $1,000 award. The three finalists, Taryn Burns, Whiting, VT; Alex Roe, Monticello, WI, and Shelby Swanson, Hutchinson, MN each received a $500 award.
The HLLA continues the legacy of Mike Hellenbrand’s support of youth in the dairy industry. The award provides an aspiring and deserving high school dairy youth a chance to own and show a high-end genetic heifer at district, local and state shows including World Dairy Expo. The winner receives a 50% ownership in a heifer calf from a former WDE Champion.
2025 HLLA applications will be accepted October 1, 2024 through January 1, 2025 for the opportunity to own a Red & White heifer calf from a WDE Red & White Grand Champion owned by Milk Source LLC, Kaukauna, WI.
For more information on the award, eligibility, and application process, visit our website www.hellenbrandlastinglegacy.com. Follow us on Facebook at Mike Hellenbrand Lasting Legacy Award.
