LOREN OLSON

Loren has been a life-long breeder and promoter of the registered Holstein breed. He grew up exhibiting in 4-H and FFA and became primary owner of Raylore Farm in the late 1970’s. He met his future wife, Laura, at the Minnesota State Fair and they were married in 1982. They have four children; Sarah, Luke, Lana and Elizabeth.

Raylore Farm has done very well in the show ring, winning numerous championships and Premier Breeder and Exhibitor awards at the McLeod County Fair. They’ve also exhibited registered Holsteins for many years at the Minnesota State Fair, having several class winners and being recipients of Premier Breeder, Premier Exhibitor and receiving herdsmanship recognition several times. They were the showcase herd in 2002. At World Dairy Expo, they bred the 1^st place Junior-Two-Year Old & All American winner in 1983 and the 1^st place dry 3 & 4 year old, Genetic Merit, bred and owned winner in 1997. As a testament to their breeding, they’ve had 58 cows scored “Excellent” by the Holstein Association, USA. Loren also has judged many county fair dairy shows throughout Minnesota as well as shows outside Minnesota, including the Clay County Fair in Iowa and AK-SAR-BEN in Nebraska.

Locally, Loren has served on the Board of the McLeod County Holstein Club, and has been its President. He was recognized as their Person of the Year in 2003. He’s also served on the McLeod County American Dairy Association, where he was recognized for Outstanding Service in 2003. He worked to help form the Lynn Hustlers 4-H club in 1993. The club continues to thrive today. He serves as an adult volunteer for the club and has served as a Dairy Project leader. He was an active member of the McLeod County Agribition Board, and he worked hard to generate funds for a new building. He also lobbied hard in 2000 for the reinstatement of the Hutchinson FFA chapter. Raylore has also hosted many judging teams at the farm, including the University of Minnesota.

Loren has been very active with the Minnesota Holstein Association and always attends the annual state convention. He has served on a variety of committees, including State Show, Publications, Sale, and History. He has served on the Board of Directors for nine years, including two years as Vice-President and two years as President. He was recognized for his service with the Presidents’ Award in 2005. His involvement state-wide includes, as well, legislative work regarding bills related to agriculture.

Loren has attended over 15 National Holstein Association conventions and regularly serves as a voting delegate. He has also served on numerous committees on the national level. The farm was a Progressive Breeders Registry recipient in 1970, 1971, 1972, and 1981.

For his many contributions to the dairy industry, Loren is a very worthy inductee to the Minnesota Livestock Hall of Fame.