Son of Swiss immigrants, Fred Schoenbachler’s family purchased a dairy in Stanwood, Washington in 1972. Although they strictly bred grade animals Fred convinced them to let him buy two registered Holstein embryos from Rockalli Holsteins in 1982 while he was in high school. These two embryos resulted in two calves, a heifer and a bull. The heifer, Rock Alliance SWDV Majesty went EX-90 at 3 years of age and became the foundation cow for Fred’s registered Holstein herd and the prolific “M” family that is still a major force in the herd today.

Fred and Tammi were married in 1985 and took over the farm from his parents in 1988, milking 120 cows and farming 120 acres. They raised three daughters and a son on the farm. Their son, Blake works on the farm full time with everyone else (including grandkids), pitching in as well. Fred and Tammi have developed many cow families and have sent multiple bulls to AI, including the #1 TPI bull Sildahl BW Dutch Boy and perennial top 10 bulls Sildahl Airraid and Sildahl Jett Air. Sildahl breeding is not just limited to bulls. They bred All-American Sr. 2-year old in 2007, Sildahl Astro Zelda as well as Sildahl Amazing-Red, Red and White All-American in 2010 and 2011 and most recently, the breed’s second 20th generation Excellent, Sildahl-KH Rise-N-Shine. Today, the focus is on using high GTPI bulls with balanced linears. Now that the family has grown and the next generation has decided to pursue other career opportunities, we are announcing our online retirement sale – “SUNSET AT SILDAHL” March 10-17, 2021.