Doug Maddox, Riverdale, Calif., is the 2010 recipient of Holstein Association USA's Elite Breeder Award. Maddox was honored at the recent National Holstein Convention in Bloomington, Minn. The award recognizes a Holstein breeder who has bred outstanding animals, making a notable contribution to the Holstein breed in the United States.
Maddox is known around the world as a good businessman, a mentor for younger dairy producers, and someone with a deep respect for the Holstein breed and dairymen worldwide. While his family did not operate a dairy farm, his Registered Holstein career began early. At the age of 14, a neighbor gave him a bull calf to show in FFA. Later, with the promise that if he accepted the gift he would attend college, he was given a heifer calf. Doug kept that promise, and by the time he graduated from California Polytechnic Institute, Maddox had grown his herd to 14 cows and 14 heifers.
"Use common sense
and be patient. Breeding Registered Holsteins is a lifetime commitment - it's a marathon, not a sprint."
- Doug Maddox |
RuAnn Dairy was established in 1957, when Maddox purchased the 500-acre ranch for $200 an acre. The RuAnn prefix is a combination of his parents' names - Rufus and Annie. He has grown his enterprise over the past 53 years, and today, between RuAnn and Maddox Dairies, there are over 5,000 Registered Holstein cows, with over 12,000 total animals. Aside from the dairy portion, the family farms 10,000 acres with 5,000 acres of vineyard and almonds, and 4,000 acres supplying feed for the dairies.
Early in his career, Maddox was heavily involved in the AI industry, and his breeding program followed closely with a heavy emphasis on index. He established Golden Genes, Inc. in 1973 to progeny test elite-pedigreed bulls. In the past 25 years, with the addition of the commercial herd at Maddox Dairy, their breeding goals evolved; instead of breeding to fill a niche in the market, their primary goal now is to develop the very best herd possible. Maddox believes in the basic principle that "like begets like," and embryo transfer is used heavily to speed genetic improvement. Today, they are averaging over 26,000 pounds of milk and 1,000 pounds of fat, with over 200 Excellent and over 1,500 Very Good cows in the herd.
"The heart and soul of our breeding Registered Holsteins is our embryo transfer program," said Doug. "Every animal in both herds is directly or indirectly the result of embryo transfer and 29 years of breeding the 'best to the best.'"
Marketing Registered Holstein genetics has always played an important role in the Maddox business plan. Over the years, Doug has exported dairy cattle, semen and embryos to over 40 countries, and he hosted eight popular RuAnn Fiesta Sales. He maintains a group of elite cattle on the farm strictly for embryos, and typically harvests between 3,000 and 4,000 embryos each year. Doug describes their philosophy as, "A commercial herd with breeder quality."
The Maddox family appreciates cattle with strong type. Bluacre Glenafton Lady Tidy was one of Doug's favorite cows that he's worked with. She was California's first 96 point cow and one of RuAnn's first "big-time" show cows. Over of the course of his career, Doug has bred over 800 Excellent cows, and over 5,500 cows scored Very Good. They have had a number of All-California and All-American winners through the years, most recently with RuAnn Lassit Dorinda-40775, the 2006 All-American and All-Canadian Senior Yearling in Milk, who has generations of RuAnn breeding on both the top and bottom sides of her pedigree. Doug has judged several state shows, two National shows and 16 International shows.
"I was fortunate to be a part of what I call the 'Golden Era' of the dairy industry," said Maddox. "The transition in the last 50 years with new technology is simply amazing and over-whelming by any standard!" He has been a pioneer himself in many respects. Maddox built California's first freestall barn in 1972, with a drive-through center alley and galvanized, self-locking stanchions, and built one of the first large dairies, milking 3,600 cows, 25 years ago. His early experience led them to develop standard operating procedures for managing cows and employees on large commercial dairies.
Doug has given his time freely to numerous organizations, including Holstein Association USA, serving as a director from 1984-1992, and completing his term as Holstein Association USA President in 2009. He has served on many boards throughout the years in his community and the industry, including the Riverdale District School Board, National DHIA, the California Department of Food and Agriculture State Board, the California Milk Marketing Producer Review Board, and is past President of California DHIA.
Maddox has been honored numerous times throughout his career. He has received the National Dairy Shrine Distinguished Cattle Breeder Award, World Ag Expo Outstanding Dairy Producer of the Year, Cal Poly Outstanding Alumni in the School of Agriculture, Western Dairy Business Dairy Producer of the Year, Elite Producer of the Year Award at the Elite Producers Dairy Conference, and of course, the California Holstein Outstanding Young Breeder and Senior Breeder of the Year recognitions.
Doug and Matilda have instilled a love for the industry in their children, and all four are heavily involved in the family business. Steve and his wife, Brenda, and son, Stephen, Jr., run Maddox Dairy; Patrick and his wife, Mary, manage RuAnn Dairy; daughter Liz and her husband, Jamie Bledsoe, own and operate Golden Genes; and daughter Julie Chow serves as the Chief Financial Officer for the entire Maddox enterprise.
"Obviously, receiving this award is a great honor. However, in my case this should be a family award because I could never have done this without a lot of help," Maddox explained.
When asked if he had any advice to pass along to aspiring dairy producers, Doug's words are simple, but insightful: "Use common sense and be patient. Breeding Registered Holsteins is a lifetime commitment - it's a marathon, not a sprint."
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