The Cooter Crew

The Abbotts are no strangers to the world of elite show cattle and are excited to be the leaders of the Cooter Creek Cattle Company, forging the way for this group of friends to start a new adventure. Tim and Sharyn have been active in the dairy business their entire lives. Raised in Vermont on family farms, they were both involved with 4-H and breed youth activities before meeting while attending the University of Vermont. The Abbotts purchased St. Jacobs ABC - the cattle breeding company Tim had been running while he worked at ABS. St. Jacobs ABC experienced tremendous success throughout their time as owners 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 are now focused back on the sire marketing side of the business, forming Showbox Sires, LLC with their friends and partners Mike and Julie Duckett. Along with their two daughters, Chelsea and Caitlyn, they are excited to see where the friends that CCCC comprises of can go! 

Chelsea Abbott is a Vermont girl at heart, but currently lives in Sula MT, working as a regional business development manager for Trans Ova Genetics. She travels the west working with IVF centers and clients to develop advanced reproductive strategies.   She enjoys all aspects of the cattle genetics world, be it show animals and top pedigreed animals, or large commercial operations.  She has her degree in Dairy Science from Virginia Tech and a master's in animal Reproduction from University of Tennessee.   She spent several years in Montana as a guide in the Bob Marshall wilderness and still loves to hike and horseback ride out there as much as she can.   Her newest passion is SKI JORING (check that sport out) and loves to ski as well.   Her favorite cow of all time is Juror Edith Ex 94.  Edith and Chelsea started a journey together when Chelsea was about 8 years old, and Edith was a December calf.   Edith lived to be 17 years old, and they won dozens of championships together including several Jr All-American nominations from Edith and her daughters. Chelsea is awaiting the March birth of Ediths last 3 babies from embryos frozen a decade ago!

Caitlyn Abbott is currently a travel nurse working around the US in NICU; she has a great passion for intensive care of newborns.  Her job is intense and important as she is saving lives of very sick babies. She has traveled the country the past several years with stints in Charlotte, NC, Baltimore, MD, Charlottesville, VA, Colorado Springs, CO and Bozeman, MT.   She has a position at the University of Vermont hospital NICU as well, doing 300 hours per year at that hospital. She went to Virginia Tech for her undergraduate degree in childhood development and then got her nursing degree from Marymount University in DC. Caitlyn loves traveling and exploring, hiking and spend time in the SUN.   Caitlyn still loves the cows and got her start with a Jersey cow named Jackie that brought her great success. This year Caitlyn wanted to show again at WDE and she bought a heifer that stood 2nd at that great show.  

Cubby has strong ties to the Vermont ag industry, growing up with cows and is now a partner in 2 large commercial herds. He owns a crop farm with his brother and is involved daily Bourdeau Bros, FCI & Faubert Feeds, spending days with farmers across upstate NY and New England. Shannon’s grandparents, aunts and uncles were all involved in dairy, though these are her first owned cattle. Today Shannon splits her time with kids, sports, The Abbey Restaurant and her new real estate business.
In 2024 Cubby & Shannon bought a camp on Lake Carmi, directly across the lake from the infamous Cooter Creek and are excited to see what the future of CCCC will bring.

Easton is the youngest member of CCCC.  He lives in Fairfield, VT and works with his father, Cubby, in all aspects of the family business.  In his free time Easton likes to hunt, ice fish, ride his jet ski and hang out with his friends.  Tim peaked Easton’s interest in high end genetic cows in the summer of 2022 during their first conversation ever, and it just happened to be at Lake Carmi.

​We are the third generation to farm on the Home Farm in Sheldon, Vermont. We named the farm “Windy Meadow Farm” when we bought it in January of 1991. While we no longer milk cows, agriculture runs deep in our blood. The cows, the land, and the beautiful maple trees have been a huge part of our lives. It was a privilege to get to raise our family on this land we love and we look forward to our eight grandchildren being part of it too. We got back into owning dairy cows with our friends the Abbotts and CCCC is a continuation of that. It is a great opportunity to own animals with friends and family and it has been such a fun experience so far. We look forward what the future holds.

Justin and Sara Rainville live in Franklin VT, with their two daughters Brooke and Emma. Although the two didn’t grow up on a dairy farm, both of Justin’s parents did and Sara’s mom did. Both of Justin's grandparents owned and operated small dairy farms with their kids in Franklin County, VT. Sara’s maternal grandparents operated a small dairy farm in Sheldon, VT and that same grandfather was also the local cattle dealer for many years. When her grandparents sold the farm to her uncle, she spent many days there with her cousins. Justin grew up going to his family’s farms to help with chores and as he got older, started working for numerous area dairy farms, helping with chores and stacking hay during the summer months. As he got into high school, he worked on a farm milking cows before and after school. Justin, Sara and the girls love spending their free time and summers on Lake Carmi at their camp and on the lake with their friends.

We are Jason and Jennifer Bessette, proud owners of a 150-acre farm that borders the beautiful Lake Carmi. Together, we are raising our four daughters: Jenna (26), Jaiden (22), Madison (19), and Hailey (16).

Jenny grew up surrounded by dairy farms, with family ties to farming that shaped her love for the countryside and community. At our home, Jenny operates our charming country wedding Barn and her flower shop, Flowers by Jenny, specializing in weddings, and special events.

Jason’s passion for agriculture began from an early age, as he spent his early years milking dairy cows, working hard on the farm from age 14 to 24. He then joined the agriculture and construction dealership Champlain Valley Equipment, where his dedication and expertise eventually led to him becoming a partner in the business. Today, he is a partner in an 11-store dealership serving Vermont and northern New York.

Despite our busy schedules, we make it a priority to devote Sundays to family time. We head to our camp on Lake Carmi, hop on our boat, and make our way to Cooter Creek, where we spend the day enjoying the company of family and friends.

Charlie has spent her entire life in Franklin County, VT. She entered the ag business over 50 years ago, when her husband, Remi Bourdeau, purchased a Ralston Purina mill, which grew to become the local feed and fertilizer companies, Bourdeau Brothers Inc. Charlie was the orchestra director of the growing company, ensuring the employees, customers, and community knew that they could trust, partner, and creatively address the many challenges that farming brings. Charlie kept everyone organized, fed, and continues to still greet farmers with a smile, hug, and warm words. Charlie, mom, nana is the strength, glue, and heart of our family. She is thoroughly loved by her 3 children and their families, which has resulted in 11 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren.

I work as a construction estimator and also own a flooring retail store and flip houses as part of Whitehat Properties. I grew up in the Ag Industry as my father and grandfather owned a De Laval dealership and I spent a lot of time on farms installing and repairing parlors.  I like the thought of a close-knit comradery type group that can invest but have fun together. My personal goal is to have a top cow in the world but also want to be a force in the merchandising side as well. During Sam's free time he likes to spend time with his wife Jenessa and two boys, Parker and Hudson.  They spend a lot of time playing sports and at their camp on Lake Carmi.

Sherry Underwood is a lifelong Vermonter, born and raised on a dairy farm in the heart of her close-knit farming community, where she has lived her entire life. Over the years, she has worn many hats: mother, wife, grandmother, and business owner. Sherry’s love for learning and adventurous spirit have fueled a diverse career and life. She owns and operates a food service management company, a packing facility, a restaurant, multiple rental properties, and agricultural land holdings. When the opportunity came to join the cattle community through embryo sales, it was an easy decision—combining her farming roots with her enthusiasm for new ventures. She has recently added house flipping to her list of pursuits, bringing her creative vision and hands-on approach to renovating and reimagining spaces. Sherry’s work reflects her commitment to growth, her love for her community, and her belief that every chapter in life is a chance to try something new.  

Dana Kittell was born, raised, and still resides in East Fairfield VT. He left East Fairfield to go to Champlain College where he earned his accounting degree and from there he worked for a couple top end firms until 1986 when he and two partners started the CPA firm KBS, which grew under Dana’s vision and leadership and has become one of the largest and most trusted firms in Vermont. Dana still loves to work with clients and stays involved in the firm to this day but is semi-retired.   Dana and his late wife of 50 years raised two children and have 5 grandchildren.   Interestingly Dana’s first exposure to investment in top end genetic cattle was through his client and close friend, the late Jeff Chapple.   In the late 80s and early 90s, Jeff's Comfort Hill Jersey Farm invested in some of the top cows in the Jersey breed and eventually had several successful bulls in AI. Dana now spends most of his time at his home in Daytona, FL but still gets back to Vermont for much of the summer.   Dana loves car racing, and you will find him at the Daytona 500 every year!   Along with this Dana is an avid golfer which lead to his investment with longtime friend Carl Stone in the Bakersfield Country Club, a successful Franklin County golf course.  He also loves to hunt and has traveled the country doing hunts with friends and he is always up for a game of 500!

Kevin has been a lifelong resident of Franklin, Vermont, where he and his wonderful wife Darla raised their two children, Ryan and Rachel.

Kevin started into ag when he bought a small farm at the age of 22 with the goal to raise beef cattle, primarily Herefords.  He also worked for a local boat business, eventually purchasing it and has been running Boat Headquarters in Swanton, VT for the last 30 years. 

After purchasing a cow with Tim and Sharyn Abbott a couple of years ago, Kevin started growing interested in the elite dairy cattle show world. When he heard a great bunch of people were forming CCCC, there was no doubt that he wanted to be a part of it!