In the spring of 2023, the dairy industry lost a friend in a farm accident. Michael Heath wasn’t just a part of the show side of the industry; his impact was felt in cow families that he developed, bulls he sent to stud, as a fitter, sale manager, showman and judge.
Heath would stop in as he drove by an unfamiliar herd, just to see what they had. He didn’t need to know the farmowner; once he stopped, the person had a new friend. Heath was a friend to everyone he met, as evidenced by the positivity that radiated around him. He’d travel with his yellow legal pad and write down animals he saw – no matter the breed – that he had an interest in. Just a few weeks before he died, he stopped in at my tiny barn to look at a heifer that he had bred both the sire and dam of. He didn’t need to do that, but he did and that’s the kind of person I have known him to be since the day many years ago when I first met him as a junior member.
If you were fortunate enough to have an animal at Madison, Harrisburg, Louisville, Richmond, Springfield or any other national show, Heath had seen it – he walked through them all. He traveled to and judged numerous state fairs, state shows, regional shows, county fairs and everything in between. He loved looking at cattle, remembering their pedigree like no one else could and talking with the owner, whom he wouldn’t forget either. After all these months, I haven’t been to a dairy cattle event that I didn’t still expect to see him come around the corner with his head tilted to one side, pointing a finger in the air and talking with a friend about the good one he’d seen.
After the shock of his untimely death in March of 2023, his friends decided to honor his life and legacy with a special award. It is only fitting that this award be given at the World Dairy Expo, site of his famous Bing, Bang, Boom speech and where he exhibited and judged countless animals. Even more so, recognizing youth for their dedication to the craft of fitting is just like something Heath would do – his friends knew him so well.
Heath didn’t just talk with the important people in the industry – everyone with a calf was lucky enough to chat with him and youth were no exception. He’d be fair when purchasing a good one from a young exhibitor. Often, he would find an up-and-coming young person to partner on an animal with, giving them an opportunity they probably wouldn’t have had otherwise. He’d let them raise it and show it as a learning opportunity, and he’d be with them every step of the way as their mentor.
At the 2023 World Dairy Expo, Savannah Crack of Quebec won the Overall Top Fitter Award and was awarded a $500 award in Heath’s memory. In 2024, the friends and family of Heath are honored to present the Michael Heath Overall Fitter Award, which will be presented to the top fitter of the entire contest to recognize his life and legacy. The winner will receive $1,000, a plaque to commemorate the victory and will have their name engraved on a perpetual award that will be displayed at the World Dairy Expo office.
A great tribute to genuinely one of the best we’ve ever known.
