BSHS Hall of Fame 2024

2024 Pioneer Award

Ira Inman (1868-1954)
 

If you are looking for one person that provided the leadership instrumental in the recognition of Brown Swiss as a major dairy breed in the US, that would be Ira Inman. Ira was not only Executive Secretary for the Association for 32 years, but he was a breeder as well and an inspiration to all Brown Swiss breeders.

Breeder: Ira’s interest in Brown Swiss cattle began when in 1886 his older brother Tom, or T.H. Inman, brought the first Brown Swiss into Wisconsin with four cows and a bull purchased from J. B. Eldredge of Middle Falls, NY, one of the original importers of cattle from Switzerland. Ira worked for his brother taking care of the cattle, making the show circuit and by 1890 he started developing his own herd.

Ira married Susie Taylor on June 8, 1898, and established their home on a farm near Orfordville, Wisconsin, and later moved to a Beloit farm. Ira started many herds in the area and was instrumental in exporting Brown Swiss to Japan, Chile, Argentina, Cuba, South Africa, Mexico, and the Hawaiian Islands.

The best-known animals bred by Ira were McJohn’s Nellie M 17455 and her daughter, Illini Nellie 26578. Nellie M was sold to the University of Illinois carrying Illini Nellie. And we all know the Illini Nellie story of producing a record of 29,569 pounds of milk and 1200 pounds of fat which stood as a breed record from 1937 to 1949.

Breed Leader: Due to his enthusiasm for the Brown Swiss breed and his leadership ability, Ira was elected as Secretary of the Brown Swiss Association in January 1911. He established its office in a small basement room in his farmhouse on Riverside Drive, north of Beloit. (That farm area was later developed into housing known as Garden Village in the 1960’s, where Roger & Jean Neitzel have lived for the past 45 years. The area where his house stood is now Riverside Terrace Assisted Living. At the end of Inman Parkway are Inman buildings with an Inman Turkey sign.)

When Ira became secretary, the Association owed a sizable printing bill for Volume 1 of the Herd Book. When he retired, the association had an investment fund of over $36,000 and a checking account balance of almost $18,000. In Ira’s first year, the association registered 574 animals and the number grew to 12,819 in Ira’s final year. Here is Ira and his staff in the 1930’s.

The following are important events during Ira's tenure:

1. May 1911 – The Register of Production Testing Program was adopted.
2. July 1922 – The first issue of the Brown Swiss Bulletin was published.
3. 1925 – The Association was incorporated.
4. 1932 – The Herd Testing Program was established.
5. 1933 – Brown Swiss were included in the Collegiate Dairy Judging Contest at the Dairy Cattle Congress.
6. 1936 – The permanent home for the Association at 800 Pleasant Street in Beloit was purchased and the building was remodeled for office needs. Built in 1856, the office is still the Association home today.
7. 1938 – A Breed Extension Program was established. Fred Idtse was hired as the first field representative covering the entire US.
8. 1938 – The first Parade of Champions was held at the National Dairy Show.

On July 29, 1941, Ira was honored in recognition of 30 years of service as Secretary and a plaque was unveiled which remains located near the cornerstone of the office building.

Community Leader: Ira served as assemblyman in the Wisconsin legislature from 1932 to 1936. He was appointed to the State Board of Agriculture in 1938, serving as Vice-chairman until 1942 when he became Chairman of the Board until 1951.

Acknowledgement: In the first issue of the larger-size Bulletin in July 1946, Secretary Fred Idtse paid tribute to Ira as the man who had probably contributed more than any other single individual to the Brown Swiss breed’s progress. His sound planning and wise counsel have influenced Association policies in the many years since. (Ira passed away on December 1, 1954).

Honor: Today we recognize Ira Inman as a Pioneer in the Brown Swiss Historical Society Hall of Fame. (We were unable to locate a relative to accept this award.)

Meritorious Service Award 2024

Orville Kurtz (1923-1998)

Orville was born October 14, 1923, to Theo and Ella Kurtz, and he was raised on Hillside Farm in Cedarburg, Wisconsin. He attended the University of Wisconsin School of Agriculture. He left the university to serve in the Navy from 1943-1946. He served in the Pacific, including supporting the Marines on Iwo Jima as a communications officer, and was later stationed in California. During leaves from the Navy, he visited West Coast Brown Swiss herds and developed a lasting friendship with Pete Panizza of Dixon, California.

After the war, he settled in central California and established his Rancho Rustic Brown Swiss herd. He married Vera Johnson in 1948 and they had two children, Candy and Randy.

Orville also had a sale business, managed the breed’s first consignment sale west of the Rockies in 1947, and paved the way for the first California State Sale in 1949.

Breeder: Orville developed the Rancho Rustic herd and toured the California show circuit for 20 years from 1946 to 1965. A foundational animal, Rancho Rustic My Design, born in 1963, had a profound effect on the development of the Brown Swiss breed. He was an All American and National Show grand champion, but his progeny had the real impact. Thirty years after his birth, My Design was found in pedigrees of 47 of the 80 young sires listed in the Performance Summary.

In 1965, Orville moved his family and herd to Milton, Wisconsin, where he operated Rancho Rustic for 9 years.

Orville was also a mentor and friend of Pete Vanderham, whom he met when Pete was a teenager interested in the big brown cow. He sold Pete several animals over a period of years; these became part of the base of the Bridge View herd. In 1968, Orville was at the halter for Pete with Bridge View R F Joanne when she was named Grand Champion at the World Dairy Expo.

Service: In 1974, Orville again relocated the Rancho Rustic herd, this time to Red Oak, Oklahoma. A year later, he sold most of the herd and he and Vera moved to Fort Smith, Arkansas. Orville’s enthusiasm for the breed then led him to take a position as South/Central Area Representative for the Brown Swiss Association. Orville also became a classifier for the Association and was instrumental in the success of the Heart of America Sale. Orville served as an Area Rep. for 15 years, from 1975 to 1990. During that time, he also bred and owned animals with the prefix L K, in partnership with Gerald Laub.

Acknowledgement: At the pre-sale banquet of the Heart of America Sale in 1990, the Kansas Association presented Orville with a plaque in honor of his 15 years as their Area Rep. As Gerald Laub stated, “Orville was loyal to the Brown Swiss Breed and was one of the best cattlemen there ever was.” (Orville passed away on April 10, 1998.)

Honor: Today we recognize Orville Kurtz with the Meritorious Service Award in the BSHS Hall of Fame. We are honored to have Orville’s son Randy here to accept this award.