CULLOM, Ill. — Watch any national Milking Shorthorn show and you are bound to see a few Halpin Farm animals stroll through the ring and into the winner’s circle.

The Halpin family of Cullom are seasoned veterans of the show circuit, taking a show string to nearly every major dairy show – and back home, their operation is as unique as the next one. Instead of being on the halter of a cow in the center of the ring at this year’s Kentucky State Fair, though, Mike Halpin was in the center judging the Milking Shorthorn show.

Emigrating from Croatia, Halpin’s great-grandparents arrived at Ellis Island and traveled west, settling in Cullom. “My grandparents were given two Milking Shorthorn cows and a yearling bull as a wedding present in 1939, right during the Depression, and that’s how we got into the shorthorn business,” explained Halpin.

“And my grandmother, Julia, at 98 years old still lives at the original farm, and is still the boss. She says what goes and how it goes, and we listen.” He chuckled and added, “And when my grandmother gets mad, she talks in Croatian – so we all know how to speak some Croatian.”

Halpin with his two sons, Owen and Colt, his parents, George and Marge, and sister and brother-in-law, Amy and Todd Hoffman, run the 4,000-acre farm where they grow corn and soybeans in the fertile flats of the Midwest. While they focus their breeding goals on the 130 head of Milking Shorthorns, “We have all the breeds sprinkled in the herd.”

The dry cows, breeding heifers and calves are housed at the home farm and the milking herd of approximately 50 cows are housed on two neighboring farms. “We don’t milk any cows at the farm anymore, and haven’t since 2009,” Halpin explained.

Their most recent classification of the Milking Shorthorns produced an average score of 88.2  out of 100 on 34 cows. Breeding the best Milking Shorthorn is their goal and from the results in the show ring they’ve reached that goal – almost.

In 1974, George Halpin, at a young 20 years old, exhibited at World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wis., for the first time. A Halpin show string has graced the colored shavings every year since. They have garnered several champion banners around the country.

“We’ve had Grand at Harrisburg, Louisville and several state fairs but we’ve never had Grand at Madison,” Halpin explained. “We’ve had Reserve Grand at Madison four times. Last year Halpins Mona II was Reserve and Halpins Ruthann was Honorable Mention, but just haven’t had Grand yet. We’re always the bridesmaid and never the bride.”

One of the best cow clans that has come from the Halpin farm is the Mona family, and they have flushed her and her daughter Halpins Mona II EX-93 and Halpins Ruthann EX-92 extensively.

When asked about immediate goals the answer was easy for Halpin: “To take care of the farm and to raise my two sons, Owen (9) and Colt (7) properly.”

Look for Halpin Farms in the winner’s circle as they travel the tanbark trail with Halpin Farms Milking Shorthorns.