Sunrose Tops Michiana BAA List
Published: Friday, February 6, 2026
Seven Indiana Holstein breeders have landed on a list of outstanding Holstein herds.
The top Holstein Breed Age Average (BAA) lists recognize outstanding Holstein breeders nationwide who participate in Holstein Assn. USA's classification program. Herds with 10 or more cows who participate in the Classic or Standard options of the classification program receive a whole-herd BAA.
"By factoring in age and stage of lactation, Breed Age Average values help provide a fair comparison across all animals," said Amy Fletcher, senior manager. "Congratulations to all registered Holstein breeders earning a spot on the Top BAA lists."
In 2025, 878 herds had a BAA value eligible for inclusion in these lists. The average number of cows included in the BAA calculation for the entire group was 66, and the average BAA was 108.3.
Topping the 2025 highest overall BAA list is Matthew T. Mitchell from Tennessee, with a BAA of 116.4.
The top Indiana herd, owned by Sunrose Holsteins of Millersburg, had a BAA of 114.5. With 23 cows, the Sunrose herd ranked 15th on the list.
Other top Indiana herds included: Nise-N-Fancy, Leesburg, 18th, 114.3 BAA and 36 cows; Lookwell Farm, Elkhart, 20th, 114.2 BAA and 23 cows; Steven R. Landis, Goshen, 36th, 113.2 BAA and 26 cows; Stookeyholm (estate of John R. Stookey), 81st, 111.9 BAA and 41 cows; Marcus and Julia Troyer, LaOtto, 118th, 111.1 BAA and 15 cows; and Kyla and Ally Sickafoose, Whitley County, 183rd, 110.3 BAA and 15 cows.
There were two Michigan herds on the list. The first was Winterfield Farm LLC, Wheeler, 46th, 112.8 BAA and 10 cows. The second was Timothy Baker, Byron Center, 91st, 111.7 BAA and 63 cows.
Lists were also broken down by herd size. For the smallest herd size of 1-45, Sunrose's herd ranked 12th while Nise-N-Fancy and Lookwell ranked 14th and 16th, respectively.
Baker's herd ranked 20th among herds of 46 to 70 cows.
For herds of 108 to 249 cows, there were three herds from Indiana and Michigan. They included: Wyatt Schwoeppe, Huntingburg, Ind., seventh, 110 BAA and 108 cows; Wieber Dairy LLC, Fowler, Mich., 15th, 108.4 BAA and 129 cows; and Oneeda Farms, Syracuse, 25th, 107.4 BAA and 144 cows.
For herds of over 250 cows, Kuehnert Dairy of Fort Wayne ranked sixth, while Brand Dairy Farm of Waterloo ranked 20th. Kuehnert's 280 cows had a BAA of 108.4, while the Brand herd, with 315 cows, had a BAA of 106.
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