Brown Swiss:

Rural towns are often the home of thriving agricultural practices and deep-rooted family traditions. For Allen County, Kentucky resident Dr. Kenny Joe Manion, that is especially true and proven several times over with his success in showing dairy cattle––something he has both learned from family, and passed along.

Speaking of proving it, winning an international national championship at the World Dairy Expo goes a long way.

For Manion, cows have been a constant in life. But Brown Swiss, in particular, is a breed he came to know later, after deciding he wanted to follow in the footsteps of his nephew, Mark Cornwell, showing dairy cows.

“How I got exposed to showing cattle was actually through my nephew. He was involved with his grandfather showing Jerseys at the time. I would tag along with them to some of the county fairs and things like that,” he recalls. “Subsequently, we didn’t want to compete against one another, so I chose a different breed (Brown Swiss).”

Having been involved with beef cattle all his life, this was quite a change. Manion’s father helped develop a small group of Angus for him as a young child, and after getting involved in 4-H and starting a project of his own, Manion put his plan into action and auctioned off his small herd of beef cattle in order to invest in a particular breed of dairy cow that he would later become world renowned for.

“Brown Swiss was the breed that I liked the most, and so, I chose those to get involved with.”

“Involved” is quite an understatement coming from a man who has been recognized all over the world as an expert in the breed, and chosen as a sort of ambassador for American agriculture, which he has represented with pride in multiple countries.

Manion, a 1977 graduate of Allen County-Scottsville High School, is not just involved with the breed. He’s a figurehead in the industry, and a household name among those in dairy cow circles.

Manion went on to study at the University of Kentucky, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in animal science.

“I know that sounds off, considering I’m now a doctor,” said Manion. “But I was originally planning to be a veterinarian.”

He took curriculum for both veterinary and medical schools while at UK, before making the decision to continue his pursuit of a medical degree at the University of Louisville . He graduated from U of L in 1985.

Carving out his career path next, Manion ended up in a clinic in Madisonville, Kentucky, where he practiced family medicine, enabling him to complete his residency. He stayed there another six years until being hired in Glasgow as the ER Director at T.J. Samson Community Hospital, which brought him closer to his Allen County roots and enabled him to open his own clinics a few years later in Glasgow.

Although he had been on the move since graduating from AC-S in 1977, Manion had bought a farm in Allen County and managed to maintain it while being away. He’s now the owner of approximately 600 acres around the Holland Road area, from which he and daughter Kelly Jo both raise and show Brown Swiss.

“The number has varied some over time,” said Manion. Currently he has around 130 registered Brown Swiss. Out of his original five that he purchased after selling his small Angus herd, one went on to win Grand Champion at the Kentucky State Fair for four years in a row. That highlighted his first success in showing dairy cows, but certainly not his last.

In fact, Manion celebrated perhaps his signature win October 3 at the annual World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin, where his six-year-old beauty, Delilah, took the title of not only Grand Champion at the national Brown Swiss show, but also was voted Supreme Champion of all breeds nationally. The expo is the largest dairy cattle show in the world. For the first time, however, Manion took the title of not only Grand Champion with Delilah, but also Grand Champion Reserve with his cow, Faye. There were an astounding 2,500 head of cattle shown at the expo.

“She is the supreme dairy cow of all breeds in the United States and North America, including Canada and Mexico,” Manion noted with pride. “I am very proud of Delilah. She is a great cow.”

Delilah scored the maximum score for her breed, a whopping 95 points, and remains one of only three animals in the country to be scored that high currently.

Manion elaborated on Delilah’s lineage, noting a new trend in breeding that has recently become available to farmers: Invitro fertilization, or IVF. This enables a particular cow to continue their bloodline by way of surrogacy, without compromising the bodies of the winning cattle.

Delilah, who Manion plans to bring back to defend titles next year, will be able to produce offspring without having to carry the calves herself. Other farmers are able to purchase her descendants all over the country, increasing their chances at maintaining champion bloodlines such as hers, and perhaps even gaining a title themselves.

“She has multiple surrogate mothers for her babies,” laughed Manion.

The technology has only been available for about two years. Delilah currently has several contracts with bulls, and there’s a vast interest in her embryos from farmers in Peru, Columbia and Germany, to name a few locations.

In addition to showing cows, Manion has made a name for himself in judging competitions as well. In fact, in high school he was the National FFA Judging Champion in 1976. Currently, he’s on the national Brown Swiss official judging list. Aside from shows in the U.S., he has judged in Brazil, Mexico, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and has even traveled “down under” to show off his expertise in Australia.

“The nice part is I get to represent the U.S. when I do that,” said Manion. “You are officially a representative of the U.S. Department of Agriculture promoting U.S. genetics, and that sort of thing while you’re in foreign countries to do judging. It does help in promoting the sale of semen, embryos and live cattle. It’s always interesting to talk to other breeders in other countries about their livestock.”

In fact, gaining notoriety in 1981, Manion sold a young cow to Columbia, where she went on to become the four-time national champion there. Occasionally running into descendants of cows he’s bred in foreign countries, he has been exposed to the similarities and differences from U.S. agriculture that other countries exhibit. Although cows aren’t able to be shipped to other countries for competitions due to health regulations, the fact that he judges the breed enables him to take his hobby across international borders.

Along with his daughter, recent State Fair winner, Kelly Jo, Manion plans to continue traveling to other countries to both learn about and teach methods regarding raising and showing these animals he and his daughter have grown so familiar with.

Manion added, “I love to go to different locations, and meet people of different cultures, and just talk with them about this sort of thing.”