Matt Simon receives Young Breeder Award

Matt with his wife Kaci after accepting the 2025 IA Holstein Outstanding Young Holstein Breeder Award

GenoSource's CFO and Managing Partner, Matt Simon, was named one of the Iowa Holstein Association's 2025 Outstanding Young Holstein Breeders! Congratulations Matt on all your success and your dedication to not only the Holstein breed but the dairy industry as a whole!

Here you can find the speech that was given when Matt was announced the recipient of this prestigious award:

This young man’s journey began on his family’s farm, where he was actively involved in genetics, feeding calves, and milking cows. In his early years, he was highly involved in the Junior Holstein Association, helping his Quiz Bowl team win a National championship, a DJM semi-finalist and was involved with 4-H and FFA. Through these experiences, he traveled across the country and connected with other dairy enthusiasts.

In 2003, he and his brother Mark sent their first bull to AI, out of an 86-point Emerson dam, marking a significant milestone in their genetic work.

After high school, he attended Iowa State University, where he majored in Finance and Management. He remained connected to the dairy industry through his involvement in the dairy judging team, dairy challenge, and the Dairy Science Club. Following college, he spent six years working in the agricultural business sector while earning an MBA from the University of Iowa.

In 2014, he returned to the dairy industry to apply his business knowledge, helping launch GenoSource. As the company’s CFO, he plays a crucial role in its success, overseeing operations including HR, feed purchasing, banking and insurance relationships, and data analysis to drive efficiency and genetic direction. He is also deeply involved with the Farnear Holsteins genetics program.

Outside of his daily work, he has been a dedicated leader in the agricultural community. He served eight years on the Dubuque County Extension Council and is currently a board member for Foremost Farms USA, the World Dairy Expo, the Iowa State Dairy Association, and the Midwest Dairy Iowa Division.

He and his wife, Kaci have three young children, Bodie, Lettie and Griffin. They love working with the calves and are very excited to get more involved in showing.