Mike Rauch, Billings, Missouri

Mike Rauch was born at Billings, Missouri in January 1950. He graduated from Billings High School. His father the late Glenn Rauch founded a registered Milking Shorthorn herd in 1940. Since Mike was five years old he has been involved in the operation of the well-known Sancrest Farms.

In the mid-’60s Mike took over full management of the farm and herd due to his father’s poor health. He has carried on, and expanded, the breeding of top quality Milking Shorthorn begun by his father. The present Sancrest herd has 60 to 70 milking cows, with the usual number of young stock, and a beef herd in addition. The farm now consists of 1,400 acres. Mike learned the fundamentals of good herd management and a constructive breeding program at an early age and has continued to follow them. The herd has been on the DHIR test since the early ’50s and has developed many state and national production leaders including Sancrest XN, Classified Excellent, and Grand Champion at the Missouri, Iowa and Illinois State Fairs, and twice Reserve Grand Champion at the National Show. Her best production record is 15,930 milk, 647 fat in 318 days as a senior three-year-old. Another “Excellent” cow Sancrest Thelma has production records about 17,000 pounds of milk. There are 12 Excellent cows in the present herd.

In 1978, the cow Sancrest Unless was the Reserve National Grand Champion. She repeated this in 1979 and was second high selling female in the farm’s 1980 production sale which still holds the breed’s highest sale average nationally. All told, there have been six Reserve National Grand Champions and one National Grand Champion bred at Sancrest Farm. There are several Gold and Silver Gold Medal cows from the herd. This award is based on milk and butterfat production. Mike’s herd average on some 40 head of Milking Shorthorn is constantly above 11,000 pounds of milk per cow.

Several bulls, resulting from contract mating, have been sold and proved for production on a nation-wide basis. The Illawara influene, a strain of Milking Shorthorns from Australia, has been used heavily in the herd. Sancrest Vardon, a son of an Illawara bull, is currently listed in the top ten Milking Shorthorn bulls for production. A few years ago Mike added 25 registered Jerseys to the milking string and has actively promoted this breed, as well as the Milking Shorthorns. He serves on the State Sale Committee and has aided with the National Jersey Show at Louisville, KY and the World Dairy Expo.

Mike has done much to aid junior dairymen. He helped establish the State Junior Milking Shorthorn Show at the Ozark Empire Fair. Often he sells juniors good project animals below going prices and he aids FFA and 4-H Club members at every opportunity. He served two terms as president of the St. Peters Church Board. Mike is serving his second term on the National Milking Shorthorn Board and he is a member of the Executive Committee. Currently he is Chairman of the Type and Classification Committee and has served as chairman of the Public Relations Committee and is also serving his third year on the National Sales Committee. Mike has judged Milking Shorthorns at the Indiana, Kansas and Maryland State Fairs. He judges many local shows and has tied the ribbons for all dairy breeds. He received the Kitchell Sayre Award, a trophy for good sportsmanship at the National Show.

Mike and his wife “Bobbie” and son Phillip, live on the home farm at Billings and carry on the Sancrest Farm program.