Richard and Shirley Best
The Best Sunrise Dairy near Houston in Texas County was founded in 1978 when Richard and Shirley Best bought 43 grade Holstein cows from Shirley’s parents.
The first registered animal was purchased in 1979 at the Missouri Dairymen’s Institute Sale held in Columbia. Since the purchase of that first registered animal the Bests have focused on breeding Holsteins that combine index, production, and type.
While most of the animals currently on the farm are bred at Best Sunrise, a few key purchases have helped Richard and Shirley meet their breeding goals. One of such purchases, Paulkays Blackstar Sandra, has played a key role in the Best Sunrise operation.
The Bests bought Sandra at a dispersal sale and brought her to Best Sunrise to be developed. She has been flushed extensively and is now the matriarch of one of the leading cow families at Best Sunrise.
Two of her descendants sold at the 2001 National Holstein Convention Sale, bringing national attention to the Best Sunrise breeding program.
With the emphasis Best Sunrise places on cow families, index, type, and production, the artificial insemination industry has taken note and the Bests have received contracts for bull calves. They have an active embryo transfer program that has helped them accelerate their breeding program. Best Sunrise continues to build a national reputation for breeding good Holstein cattle.
At the present time the entire Best Sunrise herd of 115 or so are all registered Holsteins. The milking herd that varies between 90 and 100 cows at any one time currently has a rolling herd average between 22,000 and 23,000 pounds and, at times, has been well over the 23,000-pound level.
The Bests have a 350-acre farm with a cropping operation designed to provide forage for the milking herd. Their alfalfa acreage produces alfalfa haylage and hay and they double crop wheat and com for silage. The Best farm produces 75% of the forage needed for the dairy operation.
The Bests maintain membership in both the National and Missouri Holstein Associations. They have shown their Holsteins at national, regional, state, and local levels including the International Dairy Exposition in Louisville; Southern National Holstein Show; Missouri State Fair; and other shows and events.
The Bests have received the Progressive Breeders Registry Award for the past seven years. The National Holstein Association award is in recognition of a Holstein breeder who has achieved high standards of production and type.
Richard and Shirley treat their operation as a business with several enterprises in mind including the marketing of milk; bull sales; special consignments of young cows and heifers; bull contracts; embryos; and the sale of young cattle that don’t fit into their breeding program.
“Each year we try to increase the sales from each enterprise,” Shirley said.
The Bests also use student help with daily chores teaching responsibility along the way.
“It’s said that bigger is better but we choose to get better before we get bigger,” Shirley said. “Our goal is top performance and cattle that will stay around for years to come.”
Both Richard and Shirley are active in national and local organizations. Shirley has been a delegate to National Holstein Association meetings and is a board member. She is also a board member and secretary of the local DHIA and is secretary for the Missouri DHIA. She has been a Sunday School teacher for the Ozark Baptist Church in Houston and contributes to decorations for church events.
Richard is a board member of the Texas County Farm Bureau; has served as a delegate to MFA annual meetings; and serves on the advisory board for local U.S. Department of Agriculture programs.
Both Richard and Shirley are Texas County natives and both graduated from Houston High School. They were married May 21, 1966 at the Christian Church in Houston.
They are also supporters of Texas County Extension and Outreach programs. In the early 1980s they received recognition for their dairying operation when they were named a Regional Farm Management Award Family by University of Missouri Extension.
They have two children. Daughter Pennie and her husband Brad Hooper have two children, Nicole and Cole, ten and five years old respectively. Pennie attended the School of the Ozarks and is now a marketing associate for Sysco Food Services of Kansas City.
Son Mike and wife Hope have two children, Tyler is six and Trenton three. Mike has a business degree granted by Southwest Baptist College and works at Best Sunrise with his parents and also has a small engine repair business. Hope is an office worker at the Texas County Hospital.
The Missouri Holstein Association nominated the Bests for the Hall of Honors award.