Frank Albertsen, Toledo, Iowa
Franklin D. Albertsen is the owner/operator of IXL Breeding Herds, a swine and cattle breeding operation located near Toledo, Iowa. Albertsen was raised on a diversified livestock and poultry farm in Western Iowa. Active in 4-H and FFA, he had registered swine, dairy and sheep projects and was on livestock, dairy and crops judging teams. He was the top FFA Holstein-Friesian judge at the Waterloo National Dairy Cattle Congress. Albertsen studied agricultural education at Iowa State University where he traveled extensively on their successful livestock evaluation, meats, and wool judging teams, as ell as the European Ag Travel Course. In 1973, the American Angus Association recognized him as the top certified market beef judge in North America. In the swine industry he has pioneered work with AI, Ultrasound scanning, foreign exports and imports, sow productivity indexes, support of central test stations, progeny tests, and pork quality. His eye for a good one has earned him industry admiration as he has produced national champions, test station record setters, premier sires, and AI stud sires, and judged county, state, and national shows. He's tried to pay back to the industry by serving on various breed association boards of directors, was an original founder and director of the Iowa Pork Producers Association, sat on the NASR board, was on the original WPX Steering Committee, and also served on the National Pork Board FFA Swine Management Learning Center Task Force, the Pork Education Resource Center, and Iowa Agricultural Education Curriculum Materials Development Committee. He's been named a Master Seedstock Producer, Master Pork Producer and national American-Cyanadmid Swine Award Winner. He currently serves on the Iowa Purebred Swine Council, Iowa Beef Breeds Council, ISU Animal "U" Advisory Committee and Better Tomorrows ECI.