Marc Bolen and Mitch Kappelman have joined the Jersey and Brown Swiss sire teams, respectively. They will drive genetic and market development for those breeds and serve Select Sires’ customer-owners.
Bolen has served as the dairy progeny specialist at Select Sires since 2015 and will continue to travel the country evaluating young sire progeny, organizing daughter and bull photography and conducting tours for international and domestic visitors. In this additional role, he will be the Jersey contact for customer needs and be a resource in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, western Pennsylvania and western New York. Prior to 2015, Bolen spent two years as a Select Mating Service® (SMS®) genetic consultant and Program for Genetic Advancement™ (PGA™) coordinator with NorthStar Cooperative in Michigan and Indiana. He is a May 2013 graduate from The Ohio State University where he majored in animal science and minored in agricultural business. Bolen was a member of the 2012 Ohio State dairy judging team where he was named All-American at World Dairy Expo and was a member of the Buckeye Dairy Club. He is active on his family’s farm, Highland Jersey Farms, located in Fremont, Ohio where he exhibits animals at state and national shows.
“I look forward to being able to assist in the growth of the Jersey breed as well as the continued growth of the Jersey program that we have at Select Sires,” said Bolen. “I am also grateful for the opportunity and look forward to the future of the Jersey Revolution!”
Kappelman will serve as Select Sires’ Brown Swiss sire analyst, providing customer-owners with the best genetics for profitable success
and will assist the Select Sires federation with Brown Swiss marketing needs. Kappelman is a 2013 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a bachelor’s degree in dairy science with a business emphasis. After graduation, he spent two years in the A.I. industry as a herd and Brown Swiss sire analyst before returning to Meadow Brook Farms near Manitowoc, Wis., where he is part of the fifth generation. Kappelman serves as a herdsman and handles genetics for the 450-cow registered Holstein and Brown Swiss herd. Meadow Brook has bred and owned the No. 1 Brown Swiss GPPR heifer for the past six sire summaries.
“I’m thrilled to begin working with a company that puts tremendous value and emphasis on the best genetics in the world,” explained Kappelman. “I hope to combine my previous A.I. experience with my hands-on knowledge of dairy farming to create a globally unparalleled Brown Swiss program at Select Sires.”
Based in Plain City, Ohio, Select Sires Inc., is North America’s largest A.I. organization and is comprised of nine farmer-owned and -controlled cooperatives. As the industry leader, it provides highly fertile semen as well as excellence in service and programs to achieve its basic objective of supplying dairy and beef producers with North America’s best genetics at a reasonable price.
