Farm Progress

The Woeblers started the dairy in 2000, following Luke’s graduation from Texas A&M. John and Holly also are Texas A&M graduates.

Ron Smith 1, Senior Content Director

September 23, 2014

2 Min Read
<p>New Mexico Secretary of Agriculture Jeff Witte (far left) presented the New Mexico Farm Family of the year award to the Woelber family recently at the New Mexico state fair. Pictured (left to right are, front row: Secretary Witte; Katy Woelber (daughter of John and Holly); Becky Woelber (daughter-in-law of John and Holly, and wife of Luke); James Woelber (Becky and Luke&#39;s 3 year old); Holly Woelber; Patrick Woelber (2 year old son of Becky and Luke); Danielle Woelber (daughter of Becky and Luke). Back row: Luke Woelber (son of John and Holly) and John Woelber.</p>

The Woelber family of Belen, New Mexico, has been named the 2014 New Mexico Farm Family of the year by New Mexico Secretary of Agriculture, Jeff Witte. John and Holly Woelber and their son Luke are owners of HAW Farms, a 2,500-head dairy farm with 700 acres of corn silage.

Secretary Witte presented the award recently at the New Mexico State Fair.

The Woeblers started the dairy in 2000, following Luke’s graduation from Texas A&M. John and Holly also are Texas A&M graduates.

“We take great pride in caring for our animals with proper nutrition, cow comfort in our corrals, milking barn, our heifer operation and calf operation,” Holly told Southwest Farm Press. “We also are proud of our employees and the job they do every day, rain or shine, in caring for and milking our cows. We all live on our dairy; John and Luke are both hands-on and are there, with our employees, every day.

All three are active in the dairy industry. John served on the New Mexico Dairy Producers board of directors for several years, serving as secretary and vice president.  He now is a director and serves as secretary for the Southwest Agency of DFA.

Luke recently completed three years as president of New Mexico Dairy Producers and continues to serve on the board as past president. He is a delegate to COBA/Select Sires, Inc. for the area.  He has served as the resolution delegate for DFA and also on the New Mexico Beef Council Board.

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Holly has served as a delegate for GENEX Cooperative, was an officer of the Belen Chamber of Commerce and member and past president for the New Mexico Extension Support Council.

About the Author(s)

Ron Smith 1

Senior Content Director, Farm Press/Farm Progress

Ron Smith has spent more than 40 years covering Sunbelt agriculture. Ron began his career in agricultural journalism as an Experiment Station and Extension editor at Clemson University, where he earned a Masters Degree in English in 1975. He served as associate editor for Southeast Farm Press from 1978 through 1989. In 1990, Smith helped launch Southern Turf Management Magazine and served as editor. He also helped launch two other regional Turf and Landscape publications and launched and edited Florida Grove and Vegetable Management for the Farm Press Group. Within two years of launch, the turf magazines were well-respected, award-winning publications. Ron has received numerous awards for writing and photography in both agriculture and landscape journalism. He is past president of The Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association and was chosen as the first media representative to the University of Georgia College of Agriculture Advisory Board. He was named Communicator of the Year for the Metropolitan Atlanta Agricultural Communicators Association. More recently, he was awarded the Norman Borlaug Lifetime Achievement Award by the Texas Plant Protection Association. Smith also worked in public relations, specializing in media relations for agricultural companies. Ron lives with his wife Pat in Johnson City, Tenn. They have two grown children, Stacey and Nick, and three grandsons, Aaron, Hunter and Walker.

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