“Breeding good cows in many colors” – that’s the
slogan of Hi View Farm of Orangeville, Illinois, and the Dinderman family works
hard to uphold that standard. Brian and Kristi Dinderman own and operate the
herd of 80 cows and 80 young stock, divided among three breeds – Ayrshire,
Guernsey and Holstein. The Dindermans, along with their three children –
Alaina, 10, and twins Amery and Aidan, 8, are the sole employees on the farm.
Like many multi-breed farms, Hi View Farm began as a merger between
Kristi’s family’s Ayrshire and Holstein herd and Brian’s family’s Guernsey
herd. In 2002, Brian and Kristi began dating after meeting at a county fair,
and they were married in 2004. Brian’s Guernseys joined the Ayrshire herd after
their marriage, and the Dindermans became partners with Kristi’s parents in
2005. In 2007, the year Alaina was born, the Dindermans bought the farm from
Kristi’s parents. “We couldn’t have asked for the transition to go any better,”
says Kristi. Although her parents had moved into town and were no longer
financially involved, they still routinely helped out around the farm,
especially through the birth of the twins in 2008. Kristi has some good advice
for making a family transition as smooth as theirs: “Bring in a financial
planner or someone similar that can help come up with a plan that both parties
agree to. Then, set a timeline and stick to it.” An outside mediator can
prevent the process from becoming too emotional or personal, Brian advises. “It
takes respect and open minds from both sides for the plan to go well.”
Currently, there are approximately 30 Holsteins, 30 Ayrshires and 11
Guernseys in the milking herd. The cows are milked in a tie stall barn,
although the Dindermans like to utilize their free stalls as well as pasture as
much as possible for housing. In the barn, the cows are fed grain and hay, and
outside they are fed corn silage and haylage. The current RHA for the Guernsey
herd is 19,485M 4.5% 857F 3.4% 663P and they are milking three Excellent
Guernseys. Their SCC for 2016 was 68,000 on the whole herd. Although Brian and
Kristi handle most of the daily duties of the farm, they give credit to their
children for feeding calves in the evenings and pitching in on weekends, as
well as their siblings for helping when in need.
The Tanbark Trail is an important aspect of Hi View Farm. Brian and
Kristi met by showing at multiple county fairs as juniors. In fact, their first
date in 2002 was after exhibiting at the same county fair. Brian says he didn’t
think it was a date; he was just hungry so he agreed to go! The prefix Hi Guern
View is no stranger to Guernsey breeders who’ve attended the World Dairy Expo
in the past several years. In 2016, Hi
Guern View Dancing Diva-ET EX-94 was the winner of the Four-Year-Old class at Expo
and later claimed Reserve All-American honors for the year. Diva has also
accomplished many more titles in previous years, along with full sister Hi
Guern View Dancers Delite-ET EX-91. Both are daughters of Adams Creek Regal
Dancer EX-92, who also has multiple All-American titles to her name.
Besides World Dairy Expo, the Dindermans also enjoy exhibiting at
their local Stephenson County Fair and the Illinois State Fair. In 2015, they
took their first string to the North American in Louisville, and came away with
the Grand Champion Ayrshire title with Hi Ayr View Budette Andie! They hope to
continue showing there in the future. To prepare for the show season, heifers
are separated to be fed a special diet, and cows are taken off silage for
national shows.
Now that the Dindermans’ children are entering 4-H, showing has
truly become a family affair. Despite many successes on the national level,
Brian and Kristi name the “shining moment” of their show season when son Aidan,
who has cerebral palsy, was able to exhibit an Ayrshire calf at the county fair
for the first time. With his parents’ guidance and a lot of hard work, Aidan
was able to pull off first prize with his short-aged calf, much to the crowd’s
excitement. And, much to Aidan’s excitement, the local TV station was there to
cover it!
It’s no wonder that the Dindermans’ breeding program emphasizes type
and good cow families, considering their success in the show ring. However,
they do have one strict philosophy, which Brian notes: “We have never bred for
a great show heifer, we breed for great cows,” she says. “Many of our best show
cows were never shown as heifers.” For their Guernsey mating decisions, type
and cow families, as well as strength and an increased emphasis on health
traits, guide them. Balance is important to the Dindermans as well. “With both
breeds we want a cow that can compete in the show ring but also is profitable
in production,” says Kristi. Some bulls they are currently using include Boman,
Copper, Novak, Titan, Bucky, Aarons Levi and Bo.
Brian and Kristi also utilize embryo transfer and in vitro
fertilization on their top genetics. Diva, as well as her Levi daughter Hi
Guern View Diva Designer, were their most recent Guernsey donor dams. Designer
is due with her first calf this spring.
The Dindermans are proud to market animals of all breeds privately
and through auctions. They frequently consign Guernseys to the convention sales
and Upper Midwest sale, as well as the Junior Champion of the Kentucky National
Spring Sale & Show last year. In addition, they have sold many Ayrshires
who have gone on to do well for new owners, including a Reserve Junior
All-American. The RHA for the Ayrshires is 20,153M 3.9%F and the Holsteins’ is
26,071M 3.7%F. They are milking 12 Excellent Ayrshires and 9 Excellent
Holsteins, with a Holstein BAA of 108.1.
As if operating an 80-cow dairy and raising three children isn’t
enough, both Brian and Kristi are very active off the farm in various roles.
Both teach a class at the local Highland Community College – Brian teaches the
AI class and Kristi teaches Dairy Evaluation and coaches the judging team, who
took home first place in Ayrshires at Louisville under her expertise. “Working
with dairy youth is something we both enjoy,” said Kristi and Brian. “We have
had some great mentors and coaches and just try to give back.” Brian is also a
board member for the American Guernsey Association, an Illinois Guernsey
director and sits on the county Holstein Board and Farm Bureau board. Kristi is
an Orangeville FFA alumnus and is on their church’s board of directors.
When asked about balancing their busy lives, Kristi says, “It is
difficult! We try to make weekends family time.” She also recommends having a
good support group of family and friends. This was especially crucial in December
2008, when the twins were born, and the Dindermans spent six months travelling
back and forth to the NICU an hour away. Kristi’s mom began milking full time
and siblings and friends stepped in to ensure chores were done and Brian and
Kristi could spend ample time with their newborns.
Between Guernseys and Ayrshires, kids and the farm, teaching careers
and community leadership, the Dindermans are certainly used to being pulled in
many directions. However, with family teamwork and a commitment to their
breeding program, they have enjoyed many successes. Under their direction, the
Hi View prefix is sure to be a familiar one for years to come.
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