Shawano County cow wins state title

Showing off her style is old hat to Tim Busch’s 10-year-old Ayrshire cow, Grand-View BBBK Dreamer, her registered name. On Oct. 6, the Shawano County cow was recognized as “Cow of the Year” at the World Dairy Expo in Madison.

“She’s pretty easygoing,” Busch said. “She’s been shown since she was a calf.”

Dreamer also won awards previously as a heifer, yearling, and at 3 years old. She has daughters in the United States along with daughters and granddaughters in Canada, Finland, Scotland, England, and Northern Ireland. Her daughters have many outstanding awards.

“She’s well deserving of it,” Busch said.

Busch and his wife, Katie, who works at Schneider National, have a small farm in the town of Green Valley where there are 45 milk cows and 70 head of young stock.

“Farming is either big or small,” Busch said.

Dreamer has made it possible for Busch, who is recognized internationally as a top Ayrshire breeder, to stay small. He has sold Dreamer’s embryos all over the world.

The Grand-View farm was one of the places visited on Oct. 3 by people from nine different countries during the World Ayrshire Conference. Busch sold 12 embryos to people from Australia.

Busch enjoys being small to spend more time with the Ayrshires.

“I’ve had them since I was a kid,” he said.

In a press release, Wisconsin Ayrshire Breeders’ Association board member, Richard Franta, said Busch has been progressive with advertising, merchandising, and breeding style.

“His work on his herd, Grand-View Ayrshires, is recognized worldwide, and the Ayrshire breed is proud to have him in it,” Franta wrote.

Every year at the expo, the Cow of the Year award is rotated among the seven major dairy breeds. The dairy industry trade show and cattle show draws more than 70,000 visitors from around the world to Madison.

Busch can be contacted on Facebook at Grand-View Ayrshires.