Karl B. Althage
Karl B. Althage, a prominent Holstein breeder at New Haven, Missouri was awarded the Association of Missouri Dairy Organizations (AMDO) Distinguished Breeder Award for 1979. This award, offered for the first time in 1978, was established to give recognition to Missouri dairy cattle breeders who have excelled in breeding and developing an outstanding herd.
The award was presented Saturday March 24 at the Missouri Dairymen’s Institute Meeting in Columbia.
Mr. Althage was born in 1918. He graduated from New Haven High School and took a business course at Brown’s Business School in St. Louis. He served in the U.S. Army from 1941 to 1945 receiving the Bronze Star Medal Award.
When he returned from military service in 1945 he took over the operation of his father’s dairy farm. This was the beginning of the present Althage herd of purebred Holsteins. The foundation cows largely came from Missouri herds including the Scott Meyer herd at Hannibal and the Paul Selken herd at Smithton. A progressive breeding program has been followed throughout the years. The herd has been tested for production for over 23 years on the official Dairy Herd Improvement Registry test. The herd now numbers about 200 head with about 100 cows in milk.
For many years the herd has averaged over 15,000 pounds of milk per cow per year. The 1978 average is 17,604 pounds milk, 636 pounds of butterfat on 84 head. Many Althage bred cows have lactation records exceeding 25,000 pounds of milk .
The herd has been officially classified for type the past 16 years and has a breed classifica tion rating ·of 102.1 per cent. Many “Excellent” rated cows have been produced in this herd. Good proved bulls have been used by both natural and artificial service. The herd is now 100 percent bred artificially using outstanding bulls from several AI organizations.
The herd has had many winners at local state and national shows including: Premier Breeder, the National Dairy Cattle Congress 1973; Premier Breeder, Missouri State Fair in 1974. Mr. Althage received the Holstein-Friesian Progressive Breeder Award in 1973. Many animals have been sold throughout Missouri and a dozen other states for foundation purposes.
The Althage farm consist of 330 acres, with 230 acres owned and 100 acres rented. About 250 acres are in crops and provide grain, silage and hay for the herd. A loose housing system with a Double Four Herringbone milker is in use.
Mr. Althage was married in 1946. He and his wife Alice, have three sons Karl Jr., Dean and Gregory. The family has been active in FFA and 4-H junior dairy work and many community activities. Two of the sons Karl Jr. and Dean were member of the Missouri 4-h Dairy Cattle Judging Team.
Mr. Althage has long been a leader in Missouri’s dairy industry. He has been active in milk marketing programs and concerned with the income of dairy farmers. His participation in Missouri and National dairy organizations are numerous which include: Vice-President, St. Louis Division of Mid-America Dairymen; Chairman, Advertising and Promotion Agency Federal Order No. 62, the St. Louis and Ozarks Order area; Board Member United Dairy Industries Association and The St. Louis Dairy Council. He is active in Community Affairs including the Lutheran Laymen’s League where he has held many offices. He is a member of the American Legion and recently was appointed to the Executive Committee of the St. Louis District Dairy Council.
In describing his reasons for choosing dairy farming as a career Mr. Althage says “In reality I wouldn’t have had it any other way for my own environment and the ideal setting for my wife Alice and me to rear our three sons.”