WAUKON, Iowa — A fixture in the northeast Iowa dairy community, Frank Regan of Regancrest Holsteins, was recognized as the Allamakee County Pioneer Dairyman for 2025. Regan, along with his brothers, Bill and Charlie, have been farming together throughout their lives and are now bringing in the next generations of dairy producers at the farm near Waukon.
“Being named the Pioneer Dairyman, it was nice to get that recognition,” Frank said. “But this is a family award. Bill and Charlie are out there feeding the herd, putting the crops in. Without their high-quality work, we would never be where we are today.”
Other family members who contribute to the effort are Mitch, Brian, Sean, Braylon and Owen Regan. Three generations work together to continue the legacy of Regancrest Holsteins, which began in 1951 when Frank’s father, William, first hung milkers on 36 cows in a tiestall barn. Today, Regancrest Holsteins is milking 1,050 cows in a double-16 parallel parlor three times a day.
“Our farm has always been about innovating, starting with my dad,” Frank said. “It’s been good to work with family and the younger generation. Sometimes I butt heads with the young guys, but it’s great to have those other opinions. That’s how we can continue to improve and work together.”
Part of Regancrest’s legacy is linked to its contributions to the Holstein breed. This includes Snow-N Denises Dellia, purchased by Regancrest as a 4-year-old. She is the dam of some of the most impactful bulls in the industry, including Regancrest Dundee-ET, Regancrest Elton Durham-ET, Regancrest RBK Die-Hard-ET and Regancrest Iota. Die-Hard and Iota both reached the coveted “millionaire’ status, with more than a million units of semen sold.
“We’ve been lucky with our bulls,” Frank said. “Charlie Will at Select Sires was instrumental in that. He talked to me about breeding Dellia to Roebuck, and that produced Die-Hard. Charlie was great; he would tell you what bulls he thought would work on each cow, and that helped us, along with many others, make decisions. A lot of times, he was right.”
With these genetics, Regancrest cemented a reputation in the industry, balancing type and production. Durham is a cornerstone for dairy farms across the globe. The bull balanced high production with a high Daughter Pregnancy Rate,
which made him popular in breeding programs.
“I like to breed bulls that every dairyman or breeder could use, the cows that you can make a living with,” Frank said. “I like good type. Our focus was always to make one that would look good but overall could produce at a level where the common dairy could use our genetics and continue to be profitable milking cows.”
Helping others build their dairy herd is a focus for Regancrest, as they bred bulls that helped define the breed.
“We had a lot of guys that told us that their best cows came from Durham,” Frank said. “That makes you feel good because you know you’re helping build up their herd and helping make another farm profitable. We want them to be good enough to milk and make money, and if you can get them in a show ring, that’s extra.”
Regancrest Holsteins has earned several accolades throughout its history. Providing top-notch genetics in both type and production, available for all farmers, is one of the farm’s greatest recognitions. That legacy is something that Frank, along with the rest of the Regans, hopes to continue.
“There’s so much new technology that goes into breeding; it’s incredible,” Frank said. “It’s a little late for me to learn it all, but I hope I can teach others a little bit about what I know. They can use that, along with the technology, to continue to make an impact on the Holstein breed.”
Frank, Bill and Charlie Regan.
Photo credit: Regancrest Farms