For many, the county fair is a weekend of fun and excitement, but for some, it is a family affair steeped in tradition.
For one family farm in Howards Grove, the tradition of showing cows in the Sheboygan County Fair goes back five generations.
Badgerland Dairy, established in 1867, nearly outdating the county fair itself, has seen this Born family tradition passed down for over 150 years.
That includes Melissa Born-Huberty, part of the fourth generation of Borns to show cows, and mother of Meta and Anna Huberty, two of the three members of the fifth generation who will be showcasing their cattle at this year’s fair.
Melissa spoke with SeehaferNews.com and touched on what her experience taught her during her cow showing days.
“I would say definitely discipline and knowing that you have to work with an animal. It’s really about determination,” she explained. “You work a lot of hours with your animal, you get to know them and what they need. Not just for training them but for taking care of them, grooming them, and feeding them.”
But she also said it was about the relationships picked up along the way.
“Community is a big thing,” she said with a smile on her face. “Learning through competition that, while you want to win, there is a lot of camaraderie and just a lot of good lessons learned.”
Reflecting on her experience, all Melissa could be was proud knowing that she gets to pass this tradition along to her own children, just as her parents, John and Sue Born, did for her.
With a sense of gratification, Melissa said, “The biggest for me is pride. It’s a fifth-generation showing but sixth on our dairy farm. It’s just something that is a part of who I am, and it’s something I really hope that my kids one day look back on and say is part of who they are as well.”
As for Parker Born, he is the third member of the fifth generation showcasing their cows at the fair this year and is the son of Brad Born.
Brad has a long history of cow shows in Sheboygan County himself, and is Melissa’s older brother.
Parker told us that his favorite part of the experience is “Having fun and hanging in the dairy barn with my friends.”
The Born family farm sold off a large majority of their cows in 2021; however, they kept a few on to not only maintain the storied Badgerland Dairy lineage but to ensure that Parker, Meta, and Anna could join a long list of Born family members to carry on this storied tradition.
Brad and Melissa make up the fourth generation, while the third generation to show cows at the fair includes John, Sue, Danny, and David Born, along with Dave and Liz Haag.
They followed in the footsteps of their parents, Wally and Margaret Born, after the tradition started with Walter and Marie Ochs.
