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| Back Row: Ryan Timm, Brandon, Maryellen, Michael, & Garritt Front Row:Tiffany Timm, Clarence, Andrew, & Gwen |
The farm was purchased by Grandfather, Albert Boettcher, in 1908. He built the main barn in 1911 after spending two winters hauling sandstones by team and stone boat from a quarry a mile away. He operated a dairy farm until 1938 when a tornado destroyed the top of the main barn. At that time, Albert and his wife Selma moved to a smaller farm in Augusta selling the original farm to their son, Clarence E. Boettcher. He and his wife, Bernice, operated it as a sheep and poultry farm until 1950 when he again started a Jersey dairy herd that became the mainstay of the farm until it was dispersed in 1972. A lamb feedlot was added to the operation during the late fifties and continued until 1988. A steer feedlot was started in 1963 and continues as part of the operation today. The first registered Polled Hereford arrived in 1966 as an FFA project heifer for Clarence L. “Butch” Boettcher. The first three original heifers all came from Roy and Esther Brenizer of Sterling Polled Herefords. The registered and commercial beef cow herds grew substantially following the sale of the dairy herd. The farm operation was taken over by Butch and Maryellen Boettcher following the death of Clarence E. in 1980. With the help of all four children; Tiffany, Brandon, Garritt, and Michael, the farm became principally a registered seedstock operation selling bulls, replacement females, and finished cattle to document breeding stock performance. A herd of registered Polled Shorthorns was added in 1989. The herds now number 100 brood cows handled in a forage based environment with youngstock developed on home grown forages with limited grain.
Butch and Maryellen operate the home farm. Brandon purchased a neighboring farm in 2002 and operates it along with the home operation. Tiffany & Ryan Timm, Garritt & Gwen Boettcher, and Michael Boettcher have all retained ownership of some of their project cattle and they are integrated into the breeding herd. In August of 2008 the farm was awarded the prestigious of ‘Century Farm’ from Wisconsin Dept of Ag.
The breeding program is focused on producing functionally sound cattle that will efficiently convert low value feeds into high value breeding stock and beef. The breeding herd is handled under commercial cow environmental conditions in an effort to ensure that bulls will perform and produce offspring that will thrive in typical upper Midwestern conditions.
SHF Missle 236G M48 (Governor son out of an Interstate cow) purchased from Sandhill Farms in Yard Pen Show at NWSS in Denver in 2003.
- Mohican Slugger 32S (Mohican Mint son out of a Kelso cow) purchased from Mohican West in Yard Pen Show at NWSS in Denver in 2007.
- NJW Z17 Vaquero 25C (Southern Cross son out of a Wrangler 832W cow) Sire of Distinction. Foundation Sire of cowherd.
- C&L LLL Trpl Tradition 9B 20P (Doubletime son out of 434V cow) purchased at Genetic Selection 2004. Calving ease specialist.
Cowherd:
- Built on Wrangler 832W bloodlines through Vaquero 25C, Wrangler 21D and Wrangler 20D. Added growth from Thunder 62J daughters.
Heifers to watch in the future:
- SSF MS Java 885 ET (full sister to Shrek)
- Brookview M48 Twang 07T
- NWJ 73C Wilma 15P
Off the farm, Boettchers’ sell carefully selected breeding stock at Genetic Selection Sale in Fond du lac, Wisconsin Polled Hereford Spring Sale in Lancaster, World Beef Expo at West Allis, Indianhead Polled Hereford Sale in River Falls, and Central Wisconsin Calf Sale in Marshfield. Showing is very limited now since all the kids have full time jobs. Small show strings, however, still make it to the Central WI State Fair at Marshfield, World Beef Expo, and Badger Kickoff Classic.
Family careers:
- Butch – Farm Business Instructor at Chippewa Valley Technical College (recently retired and now full time farmer)
- Maryellen – substitute teacher at Osseo Fairchild Schools
- Brandon – Artificial Insemination technician for ABS Global and self employed farmer
- Garritt – Design engineer for John Deere at Horicon, WI
- Gwen – Agriculture Instructor at DeForest High School
- Michael – Sale and show cattle manager at Gaffney Family Angus at Barneveld, WI
- Tiffany Timm – Agriculture instructor at LeRoy, MN
- Ryan Timm – Senoir Meat Scientist for Hormel, Inc. at Austin, MN
- Andrew and Clara Timm – the next generation!!
cmboettcher@centurytel.net
http://www.brookviewacres.com/
(This Member Profile was taken from the Wisconsin Hereford association Website)
