POLK, Ohio — Over the years, Esther Welch earned the title of Madame Ambassador for Ohio Holsteins, a title she doesn’t take lightly. No matter where she was or what she was doing, promoting the dairy industry and Ohio Holsteins were at the top of her agenda, especially as editor of the Ohio Holstein News. Welch retired in August 2014 after 23 years as editor.

“She knows everyone and is interested in helping people meet each other,” said Ryan Welch. “She has never met a stranger. She always put the association before herself.”

Ryan said his grandmother enjoys making connections for people who might not be able to make them otherwise.

Tom Thorbahn, executive director of the association, said Welch has been extremely helpful to him over the years. As a breeder, she helped him put together his ads for the magazine. “When I ran for the national board, Esther was my biggest cheerleader,” Thorbahn said. “She made sure everyone knew who I was. She was instrumental in getting me elected to the board. She is a good friend and has done a lot for me. I admire her.”

Welch grew up on a farm near Ashland, but did not get involved in the Holstein world until she met and married her late husband, Eugene, in 1949, following his return from military service during World War II.

“I knew I needed to marry a farm boy who would understand me,” she said. “Eugene and I had similar backgrounds; we both grew up on farms.”

Welch was an only child, but Eugene came from a family of six children, including a brother, Dean, who along with his wife, Doris, farmed with Eugene and Esther at U-Dean Farm in Polk.

“Dean and Doris have been a big part of making the farm work,” she said. “No one does it alone. Success doesn’t happen overnight, no matter what you do.”

Welch has three children and four grandchildren. Her daughters, Karen and Patricia, are retired educators and reside in Ashland, while son Scott resides in Florida with his family, including daughters Riley, Madison and Madeline. Her grandson, Ryan, was struck with the farming bug at an early age, according to Welch.

“Ryan has always wanted to milk cows,” she said. “He followed us around to shows, sales and farm tours.”

Welch added though she liked the smell of hay, she didn’t get involved with registered Holsteins until she married. She also began reading breed publications such as the Holstein World and the Ohio Holstein News.

“County Holstein Clubs were big back then,” she said. “Eugene was elected as the news reporter for the Ashland County Holstein Club, but I ended up writing the reports. That got me started in the newspaper business.”

As a stringer, Welch covered local meetings and other events. She said submitting articles to the local paper got her on the news committee. She became editor of the Ohio Holstein News in 1991. She said doing the magazine was invigorating for her. “I think I spent my whole life preparing for this job,” she said. “I knew people and I knew cows. I like the people. Dairy farmers work so hard (that) they need to be recognized, and this is something I was glad to do for them.”

Every magazine was a victory for Welch, who estimates she produced 135 magazines over the years, with the issue prepared for the Holstein convention in 2000 as one of her favorites. She said the thing that set that magazine apart from others was that it was a historical record of the association.

“We wanted the breeders to feel good about what they have done and what they are doing,” she explained.

Welch joked the best part of the job was when the magazine was finished and on its way to the mailboxes of Holstein breeders and friends. “I put a lot of time and energy into the magazine,” she said. “It is rewarding when it is printed.”

But she truly enjoyed meeting the people who were involved in the dairy industry and with the Holstein breed in particular. Welch said she liked watching junior members grow up and get involved with the association.

And, she enjoyed selling and writing ads for the magazine.

“I enjoyed finding that ‘Cinderella’ cow and putting her in the limelight,” she said. “So many people responded and got involved in the association. I tried to find someone deserving of recognition that may not be getting it otherwise. It is all about the people, everyone wants some recognition. You have to be more concerned about other people and not yourself.”

Welch said deadlines were her least favorite part of the job. Meeting deadlines is always a challenge, and getting other people to meet those deadlines, even more so.

Another challenge, according to Welch, is encouraging breeders to advertise in the magazine.

“Advertising is a luxury,” she said. “Other bills come first for dairy farmers; advertising is discretionary spending for them.”

When Welch started doing the magazine, the most advanced machines she had to work with were fax machines and typewriters, and the magazine layout was done on graph paper. Today, with computers, email and digital photography, the process has been simplified. But computers and the internet also change how the information is presented.

With several online publications gaining momentum, print publications may lag behind with the information, as many shows and sales are now online minutes after they occur. “I hope that people continue to want hard copies of magazines and newspapers,” Welch mused. “Many people don’t have the high-speed internet needed to download a publication.”