The World Dairy Expo is kickstarting a year long celebration of it’s 50th anniversary in 2016 with the publishing of We Need A Show, a commemorative book on the prestigious show’s history. Among the many contributors to the book’s content is Roy Hetts, son of World Dairy Expo Founder Alan Hetts.
Alan Hetts’ was a lifelong Wisconsin Dairyman, and his vision for hosting an expo on such a large scale stemmed from his genuine love of showing dairy cattle: “Dad loved showing cows, and he showed at the National Holstein Show in Waterloo, Iowa since he was a young man,” said his son following a press conference on the book, “He loved the show life.”
Roy Hetts remembers the first Dairy Expo in 1967: it was ten days long, and a humble beginning for the show. Most of the attendees hailed from the Midwest, it would be a few years until the expo became the top quality dairy show it is today.
Hetts is proud of the event his dad’s grand idea has become and of all that it does for the industry, as both a cow show and an international forum that facilitates professional collaboration among the global dairy industry.
“What World Dairy Expo has done is so much more than a cow show,” he says, “People in all areas of the dairy business plan meetings around it. That’s the biggest impact of the show: It is where all of the dairy people of the world come together to meet.”
We Need A Show is available at this week’s expo, and will be available online following the show’s completion.
Listen to my interview with Roy here:Interview With Roy Hetts, Crescent Beauty Farm
View and download photos from the event here: 2015 World Dairy Expo Photo Album
