Featured Breeder

SUCCESS ISN’T RANDOM AT RANDOM LUCK

Taps, Phoebe families base of Thompson’s success

By Danielle Nauman

Rick Thompson (left) and his son Matthew pose with Random Luck B Tea Rose EX95, following the Aged Cow class at last fall’s World Dairy Expo, where Tea Rose was the first junior-owned entry . Thompson’s Random Luck herd, located in Darlington, Wis., is well-known for high-quality Brown Swiss cows that primarily descend from two cow families – the Taps and the Phoebes.

DARLINGTON, Wis. – A decade and a half ago, with a dream and dedication, Rick Thompson set out to plant the seeds of Random Luck Farm near Darlington, Wis. Best known for outstanding Brown Swiss cows, Random Luck is also home to an award-winning group of Jerseys, along with a few Holsteins. Through the years, thoughtful mating decisions, second-to-none cow-care, and a dash of luck thrown in for good measure, the herd’s successes have been anything but random.

Two cow families have become synonymous with the Random Luck prefix: the Taps and the Phoebes. With those two cow families anchoring his breeding program, Thompson has had the good fortune to have bred or developed over 100 All-American nominations. Random Luck B Tea Rose EX95 was recently nominated All-American in the Component Merit class, marking her fourth consecutive nomination in milking form. She joins three of her herdmates in that feat: Random Luck Prem Talent EX93, Random Luck S Peekaboo EX92 and Random Luck Legacy Poetry EX93.

Seventeen different Random Luck Brown Swiss cows have been named Grand Champion or Reserve Grand Champion at the Wisconsin State Fair for the past 14 years, including seven consecutive years winning the Grand Champion banners. Thompson has also bred 13 cows to capture Grand or Reserve Grand Champion honors at various national shows.

Of all the showring awards his herd has garnered, Thompson is most proud of the numerous Premier Breeder banners that hang in his office, including banners from the 2013 and 2015 World Dairy Expo International Brown Swiss shows.


In 2018, Random Luck B Tea Rose joined the elite group of cows scored EX-95. Four other Random Luck-bred cows have been scored EX-94: Random Luck Vision Twyla; Random Luck Vis Truly; Random Luck Hot Tamale ET; and Random Luck L Talula. Thompson didn’t grow up with Brown Swiss, but developed a love and respect for the breed while working at Sunshine Genetics in Whitewater, Wis.

“I was working with some really good Swiss cows at Sunshine, and then I’d walk through the Swiss barn at World Dairy Expo and see that the cows winning on the colored shavings were the bull mothers of the breed,” Thompson said. “It would have been hard not to develop an affinity for Brown Swiss.”

Prior to leaving Sunshine, Thompson purchased one of the two cows that would serve as the foundation of his herd, Sun-Made Jetway Taps 2E92. Taps produced 47 daughters, many which have scored Excellent, garnered All-American nominations and gone on to become brood cows in their own right.

“Taps flushed extremely well for us, and produced those daughters without using any sexed semen,” Thompson said.

The second highly-influential cow, Random Luck KB Phoebe EX93, was the first animal carrying the Random Luck prefix, born at the farm in Darlington. While not as large as the Taps family, the Phoebes have been as successful in the showring as their herdmates. Random Luck V Precious EX93 has been nominated All-American six times in her show career.

Mating decisions are not something that Thompson takes lightly, putting a great deal of thought into sire selections for each individual.

“I definitely put a focus on good udders,” Thompson said. “My dad could never believe there were negative udder component bulls. No one wants to milk bad uddered cows.”

Besides the focus on udders, Thompson works to achieve a level of balance and dairy strength in his breeding program. He feels that feet and legs are more of a management issue in caring for Brown Swiss cows than a breeding issue.

“I just want to be able to breed animals that are desirable to others so that I can continue to merchandise,” Thompson said of his overall goals.

He notes that he has placed an increased emphasis on using positive DPR bulls, noting that those genomic numbers really seem to breed true in terms of fertility in cows. In general, he picks bulls based strongly on their maternal crosses.

Like many registered dairy cattle breeders, Thompson has concerns about the future of both the dairy industry and the breed. “I really feel strongly that to sustain our registered business, we need to focus on keeping the Juniors involved in the breed,” Thompson said.

Thompson has served many years on the Wisconsin State Brown Swiss Association board, including several terms as president. In addition, he supports the youth programs and works as an advisor for the queen contest.

Educating consumers about dairy farming and dairy products is also important in Thompson’s mind, for the future of the industry. Random Luck is a perennial exhibitor at the Wisconsin State Fair, which Thompson sees as good promotion to the public, showing how well cared for dairy cows are, and sharing knowledge about the dairy industry.

“In order to make ourselves continue to be viable, we have to be willing to produce what our consumers want,” Thompson said. “Whether it is the consumer of dairy products or the consumer of your breeding program, you have to make what the market demands.”