Skagvale Holstein Farm

“Breeding cattle is no instant utopia. Building a great herd is a lifetime’s work … livestock improvement is a continuing process that is never finished. It’s striving towards perfection in which the goal is always moving upward to a higher plane.” (Jake Grauer – Frasea Farms)

Skagvale Holstein Farm, located in the Northwest corner of the State of Washington, is owned and operated by Mark and Carolyn Tenneson, a brother-sister duo who are third generation dairy farmers. They took over the reigns from their Dad (John) and Uncle Glen in 1994 following the “Skagvale Changing of the Guard Sale”. John and Glen Tenneson started their career in the dairy business in August 1953 with a herd of grade Holsteins purchased from their uncle, who in turn had purchased them from John and Glen’s dad in 1948. While the brothers had absolutely no background or knowledge of the registered business, they had, through 4-H and FFA, developed a keen interest in registered Holsteins. (Interestingly, their dad shuddered at their fascination with purebred cattle and warned them that purebred breeders were too often untrustworthy, as were their cattle!!) The original registered cattle that came to Skagvale were the very “inexpensive” kind, … some as older blemished cows, some as unimpressive heifers. But the one thing in common that each one of these foundation cattle had was that they came from GREAT BREEDING HERDS!

Several local master breeders served as important role models in the building of the Skagvale herd, as well as molding the inspirations and ideals upon which the Skagvale breeding program was built. These influential breeders included: Charlie Waltner of PUGET SOUND HOLSTEINS; Jake Grauer of FRASEA FARMS; and early-CARNATION FARMS and COLONY FARMS.

Of great importance in the continual development of the Skagvale Holstein herd is the fact that nearly all of the foundation females, … the outcross sires used, … and Skagvale’s own herdsires … are not only from potent and powerful cow families, but they have stemmed from these afore-mentioned Great Breeding Herds that have stood the TEST OF TIME and have been designed by MASTER BREEDERS!

At Skagvale, we’ve left no stone unturned in our attempt to breed that very special kind of cow: A tough, trouble-free, long-lasting cow … one that is fun to LOOK AT, … and is fun to WORK WITH!! For over fifty years, our formula has not changed! Cross the milkiest, strongest, best-uddered, longest-lived, easiest-keeping, deepest-pedigreed cows to sires with the same credentials … for generation upon generation upon generation!! We make extensive use of our own herdsires, crossing cow families and using line-breeding techniques. At Skagvale, NO ATTENTION IS PAID TO “NUMBERS” … at least the ones that are generated by computers and academic folks who haven’t milked a cow in years … or maybe even EVER! We are convinced that the best numbers one can ever look at are the HARD FACTS: milk records, lifetime totals, fat and protein tests, and classification scores.
It is our firm belief that working with the same cow families for generation after generation allows us to intimately know our cows’ strengths and weaknesses, increasing our chances of breeding great ones! While it is true that not every individual will live up to our expectations, … most will meet them, and many will surpass them!! Few cow families of our breed accomplish these goals, … the Skagvale cow families excel at them!

     The milking herd at Skagvale today consists of 8 cows (2 Holsteins, & 6 Jerseys from our parents’ Elysian Meadows herd), milked twice daily in a 35-year-old individual side-opener parlor, with all concentrates fed at milking time (2x/day). Skagvale’s cows receive an average of roughly 16-18 pounds of 14% protein dairy ration daily. Hay is purchased, laid in the barn, from Eastern Washington, and Skagvale’s cows consume an average of 40-50 pounds/day of primarily first-cutting alfalfa. We feed no TMR, no sileage or baleage, don’t use BST, … and sometimes our milk records reflect this, but we feel that our feeding strategy is simple, natural and good for both man and beast alike!!
     Skagvale is a long, narrow farm of roughly 130 acres, all in permanent grass. We consider ourselves to be “Good Dairymen, but Poor Farmers”, and therefore no fields have been plowed for nearly thirty years, and absolutely no commercial fertilizers have been used!! Manure from the cattle housed at Skagvale has been the only commodity of any sort added to our pastures!
     Bred heifers are on pasture year-round, and open heifers are fed low-quality hay, with little to no grain past 12 months of age. All cattle housing at Skagvale Farm is either free-stall or packs, with wood shavings used as bedding.
     At Skagvale, simplicity is key!! This low-maintenance, low-cost feeding and housing strategy allows us to keep healthy cattle (we cannot even remember when the last DA surgery was performed here!), as well as requires lower inputs in terms of equipment, cash and stress!!