Gary and Sue Fulp
Gary and Sue Fulp are veterans in the dairy business. They have milked cows for more than 30 years on their 500-acre farm near Aurora in Lawrence County. They now have a milking herd of 200 cows and most of their farming operation is devoted to producing silage.
They use corn, hay beans, milo, and hybrid sorghum for silage and wheat and rye for both pasture and silage.
They milk Brown Swiss having added the breed to their herd 24 years ago. Through the years the Fulps have had All-American cows, National Bell Ringers, and youth production cows. Sue said they are especially proud of their “Tina” and “Lorna” cow families.
Tina was a grand champion cow at the Ozark Empire Fair when she was 15 and her daughter was reserve grand champion when nine years old at the same fair the same year. And her great granddaughter is the Timberline Jetway Toni cow that was reserve grand champion at the World Dairy Expo and was All-American three years in a row.
Lorna won several production records and two daughters have been pictured in the ABS Sire Summary Directory.
Gary and Sue have shown their Brown Swiss at the World Dairy Expo, International Dairy Exposition, Texas State Fair, and at regional, state, and local fairs and shows. They sell breeding stock locally, nationally, and internationally.
Both Gary and Sue are natives of southwest Missouri. Gary grew up in Aurora where he attended high school. Sue was born near Cape Fair and graduated from Reeds Springs High School. The two were born two months apart in 1941, Gary on Sept. 14 and Sue Nov. 11.
When he was 12 Gary started working on the Dill Basham dairy farm near Aurora and worked there through his school years. When he and Sue married in 1960 Basham sold the couple a Holstein heifer on credit.
With milk from the heifer they raised calves and were able to use her as collateral to get a loan from a local bank to buy two more cows. Thus started the Fulp family dairy operation.
The Fulps have four daughters who were active participants in the dairy operation during their school days. Karla Grimm, Angela Bos, and Shelia Groves are still involved in dairy operations.
Karla works with Gary and Sue on the home farm; Angela and her husband have registered Brown Swiss and Holstein cows on their farm near Billings; and Shelia, a school teacher, works with her husband at Groves View, a Holstein/Brown Swiss dairy operation also near Billings.
Another daughter, Tami Fulp, is a real estate agent.
The Lawrence County dairy producers have eight grandchildren.
Gary has served as president of the Missouri Brown Swiss Association, is a member of the National Brown Swiss Association, and was a member of the Mid-America Dairymen board for a number of years.
Gary and Sue are both active in community activities. Gary served on the Aurora school board for 15 years. Sue has been a Sunday school teacher for their church – the Church of Christ at Aurora – and also provides cheese for the Church’s Christmas fruit baskets.
“Overall,” Sue said, “Brown Swiss have been good to us through both good and bad times. Our cows have also helped our daughters get a good start in life.”
The Missouri Brown Swiss Association nominated Gary and Sue for the Missouri Dairy Hall of Honors Distinguished Dairy Cattle Breeder Award.