Round-The-Clock Commitment « Back

On show day at the biggest dairy cattle show in the world, 10-year-old Payton Erbsen of Lanark, Illinois, shows no jittery nerves as he prepares to enter the ring. “I’ve done this before,” he confidently states.

Payton showed two of his Holstein heifers, “Sunkist” and “Carmel,” at the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin. The event wrapped up earlier this month and Sunkist placed fourth in the junior show.

Payton began showing his beloved Holstein cows when he was old enough to walk; this year marks his second year of participation at World Dairy Expo.

His mother, Wendy says that showing cattle for Payton hasn’t always been this easy. “He just struggled with showmanship and it affected his placings. Once he started practicing more and working harder at it, his confidence was boosted, as well as his placings.” Payton was named champion overall showman for two years in a row at his local fair. His honors don’t stop there; he has numerous purple ribbons to showcase his success.

Payton and his seven-year-old sister, Delana, represent the fourth generation of their family’s dairy farming enterprise. Both their mom, Wendy, and father, Kevin, come from dairy farm families—and met at the 1993 World Dairy Expo.

Both kids are very active on the family dairy farm and help when time allows. “Payton is very interested in the farming and is an intricate part of harvest and planting,” says Wendy.

Away from the farm, Payton enjoys sports and playing with his cousins. He is involved in 4-H, basketball and band, and is a sports enthusiast through and through. Last year Payton played on a 10-month traveling All-Star baseball team as a left-handed pitcher.

Erbacres Holsteins, the Erbsen family dairy farm is home to 50 homebred registered Holstein dairy cattle. The farm got its start from Payton’s grandparents, Kenneth and Pauline Erbsen, after they married in 1957. Their six children were very involved in both 4-H and the registered Holstein industry and have received much local and national attention. All eight of their grandchildren, including Payton and Delana, continue to show cattle at the local, state and national level.

Dairy farming has allowed the family to raise their family in an environment that instills strong work ethics, providing their children with a sense of responsibility for both the animals and the environment.

“Dairy farming is our passion and our lifestyle. We get up early and come home late, but we never truly clock out. We care for our cows because they are part of our families, and that kind of care is a round-the-clock commitment,” says Wendy Erbsen.