Age: 42

Location: Chillicothe, Texas

My dairy’s history: My great-grandfather started milking cows in 1941. My grandfather milked cows and farmed until his death in 1952. Overstreet Dairy was started in 1972 by my dad. In 2001, my dad and I formed a partnership.

If I wasn’t a dairyman... I would still be involved in some sort of animal agriculture. I’ve always enjoyed the cows and really never have thought of doing anything else.

I have been a member of BSCBA for... 34 years. When I was eight years old, my dad purchased my brother and I each a Brown Swiss heifer to show. I guess you could say we have been hooked on them ever since.

My favorite BSCBA representative or employee is… Charlotte Muenzenberger because she started out in the youth programs in our association and has worked her way up to superintendent of records. I think she brings new energy to our association, as well as being knowledgeable about the breed.

What BSCBA does best is… work hard to provide service to the members and see that work is processed in a timely fashion. I believe the employees in our association have the breed’s best interest at heart and genuinely care for the breeders and members.

I felt valued as a member when… I was elected to serve as a director by the members of my district – to be able to help them and also give back to the organization that I grew up in since I was a kid. I also have been able to realize the values added to our cattle by registering them and the opportunities that have derived from that.

An influential person whom I’ve met through BSCBA is… Pete Blodgett. I had the privilege of having Pete work with us for several years in sire selection and matings on our herd.  I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who had as much knowledge about pedigrees and cow families as Pete did. Pete knew a good cow when he saw one. And if she had a problem, he knew which bull would correct it.

The dairy industry’s greatest opportunity is… As we move into a new era of global markets, I believe producers here in the U.S. are ready and capable of producing products that can accommodate the needs of consumers around the world.

I hope my dairy legacy is… that I have left something behind that I am proud of – and that my kids, if they choose to, will be able to carry on. I hope that I can say that, in some small form, I have improved the breed and helped people in whatever way possible along the way.

If I were running BSCBA, I would… continue to promote growth in our breed as well as membership [in the organization]. I strongly believe that as a breed association we have to consistently work with our young people because they are the future of our organization.

My advice to all dairymen and women is… We all have the same struggles but we have to keep our head up and moving forward. We are blessed to be able to wake up every day and work along with our families doing what we love. There are a lot of people in the world that would give anything to do that! Think positively!  PD

Brown Swiss Cattle Breeders' Association (BSCBA)
800 Pleasant Street
Beloit, Wisconsin 53511
(608) 365-4474

Year founded… 1880
Number of members… about 800

Organization's mission statement:
To promote and expand the Brown Swiss breed with programs that assist the membership and industry to compete favorably in the market place now and in the future. Our motto is "One Breed, Many Avenues."