THE TEAM
Showbox Sires is a collaboration between Mike and Julie Duckett and Tim and Sharyn Abbott. Both couples have had tremendous success in the industry and have combined their experiences and sheer passion for genetics to launch this new venture.
Mike & Julie
Mike and Julie met on a “Showbox” in Louisville KY in November of 2000 and started their first farm in 2004 knowing that marketing, buying and showing cattle would be a huge focus of their business. In 2007, they were partners in a special cow named Frosty, who would be named Reserve Grand Champion at WDE. The popularity of her pedigree and reproduction status gave them the idea of starting a recipient business. In 2009 they partnered in the purchase of a commercial style farm – the beginning of Genetic Futures. Today Genetic Futures is owned solely by Mike and Julie and sits on 300 acres and averages 200 IVF calves born monthly for customers and themselves.
They have hosted 9 hugely successful farm sales to help with return on investment as well as capitalize on their breeding and marketing. Mike and Julie have developed and owned a share of 3 WDE Supreme Champions; in 2010 they with the ownership and development of both the Grand and Reserve Champions, something achieved once 27 years earlier and not since! Family and friendships are important to the Ducketts; that is how the discussion of Showbox Sires began.
Tim & Sharyn
Tim and Sharyn have been active in the dairy business their entire lives. Raised in Vermont on family farms, they were actively involved with 4-H and breed youth activities before meeting while attending the University of Vermont. Tim’s career started with the American Jersey Cattle Association as Manager of Jersey Marketing Service. He then moved to ABS Global acting as a Sire Analyst, sales manager and eventually as the leader of St. Jacobs ABC, a division of ABS. Sharyn was involved with several breed magazines, including time as editor of the Guernsey Breeders Journal as well as work with the Jersey Journal and Holstein World. In 2011 the Abbotts purchased St. Jacobs ABC - the cattle breeding company Tim had been running while at ABS. St. Jacobs ABC experienced tremendous success throughout their time as owners, selling semen in markets around the world and eventually hitting the mark of over a half million units of semen sales per year before the company was sold in April 2016 to ABS Global. After the sale of St. Jacobs, the Abbotts decided to focus on the female part of the business and purchased a farm in northern Vermont, creating Borderview Genetics. They have been involved in such one named cows as Hez, Blexy, Footloose, Gold Barbara, Talent Barbara, Cameron and Maple-Red and are always looking for the next great one!