Featured Breeder

We Sell You Buy

By Erica Davis

David and Joyce Wessel from Mineral Point, Wisconsin, own and operate We Sell Dairy, LLC., with their son Rodney, and his two sons, Thomas and Nathan.

The couple moved to the cheese state from Iowa, where Dave grew up with the Brown Swiss cow. They were an obvious breed choice to be in the herd again in 1980.

The Swiss Mix
The Swiss worked well in the herd even when they were in the tie-stalls, but now We Sell Dairy has a free-stall and parlor set up, milking a total of 350 head. About 130 head are Brown Swiss, with Holsteins making up the rest of the herd. All the big brown cows are registered. The family owns 320 acres and rents about that same amount to grow corn, and alfalfa, which Rodney oversees.

The Wessel herd of Brown Swiss draws local and out of state breeders and enthusiasts as they come to peruse the entire herd for prospects. “They pick and I price,” Dave says about prospective buyers. Customers are welcome to look through the whole herd to find what will be the right fit for their operation.

Adding Brown Swiss to Guernseys
While Guernseys are the marquee breed for the Knapp Family of Iowa, having great success in the show string and marketing Guernsey genetics, Austin Knapp wanted to add Brown Swiss to the mix. The Knapps went no further than the Wessel’s herd for their pick of Swiss.

Austin shares his thoughts about the We Sell herd.
“We contacted the Wessel family about visiting their herd after reading an article about their ‘second to none’ management skills, especially in regard to reproduction.” Austin continued, “We told them we were new to Brown Swiss and just simply asked if we could stop out, look at the cows and pick their brains about their successes within the breed. We were blown away by the quality of cows all throughout the barns. Cows that milked hard, bred back like clockwork, and looked good doing it! Just the kind of cows we like: The modern kind!”

Knapps have made frequent trips back to the Wessel farm to purchase groups of cows and have always been even more thrilled once the cows began to develop within their own operation. Two of the many special cows that have worked in the Knapp herd from We Sell Farms are We Sell Bose 4708 EX94, Grand Champion at the Iowa State Brown Swiss Show and Midwest Brown Swiss Spring Show and We Sell Bose 4822 EX93, Reserve Grand Champion Iowa State Swiss Show.

“Both these cows have done extremely well in the show ring for us, as well as being cows that breed right back every year with large milk records and strong components,” Austin notes.

Bull Selection
Dave selects his bulls based on type traits like Udder Composite (UDC) and Feet and Legs (FLS) scores. He also places Daughter Pregnancy Rate (DPR) high on the list when selecting a bull.

Genomics are another major part of the mating decisions, along with Sire Conception Rate (SCR). Bulls like Get Lucky, Silver, Sonic, and Lucky Chance are part of the current AI sire line-up at Wessell Farm. Majeste, Martini, and O-Malley are also included in their sire selections.

The Brown Swiss herd is producing around 27,500 pounds of milk, 1161 pounds of fat and 960 pounds of protein and are fed a total mixed ration.