World Dairy Diary

Dalevalley OT1 J Lulu has had four calves and produced 12,007 kgs of milk in her last lactation (approximately 2,500 gallons.) She was bred in the North of Ireland, in Donegal, as part of the Dale Valley herd, owned by Roy Cromie and was purchased by the Murphy’s as a heifer-in-milk. She is the daughter of sire, Astronomical and dam Dalevalley Cousteau Lulu. She adds the title of Baileys Irish Champion to her recent success at the Cork Show.

The ability to develop outstanding Registered Jersey™ cattle runs in the family at Cascadia Farm. Christy purchased her first Jersey calf in 1985 at the Washington County (Ore.) Junior Jersey Sale, bidding on the first animal to enter the ring. After attending college and earning a Bachelor of Science degree in business management, Christy went back to Cascadia to join her parents and brother in operating the dairy.

Christy is responsible for the majority of the mating decisions at Cascadia, where she has developed a progressive breeding philosophy that takes into account both high production and type traits for fitness and longevity.

The average appraisal score of the herd is 83% and the December 2010 AJCA lactation average was 15,718 lbs. milk, 643 lbs. fat, and 567 lbs. protein on 143 records. The farm also has five heifers on the Top 500 Heifer list (May 2011), and one cow ranked on the Top 1.5% list for Genomic Jersey Performance Index (GJPI).

David and Beth met at the Ohio State Fair in 2000 and bonded through their love for the Jersey breed. A month after taking their marriage vows in 2004, David accepted a position as manager for a 200-head commercial dairy operation in northern Ohio and after a year, incorporated their Jersey herd into the farm. David’s knowledge of the breed eventually influenced the farm owner to change his breeding and soon they were using only high JPI Registered Jersey™ sires.

In 2009, David and Beth entered into a partnership with the farm’s owner and have increased their Jersey cattle holdings to 295 head, of which 170 are in milk. The 2010 AJCA lactation average on 134 lactations was 20,512 lbs. milk, 1,027 lbs. fat and 745 lbs. protein with a cheese yield of 2,560 lbs.

Wayne and Lisa of Golden Pride Dairy Farm have learned many lessons during their 15-year adventure with Jerseys. One of the first lessons they learned was the value of owning registered cattle. The Genetic Recovery program brought them to a fully registered herd in just four short years. Then they purchased additional fully registered Jerseys.

One of their greatest accomplishments has come from Golden Prides Jamaica Ginger, Excellent-90%, a homebred cow that placed in the top 10 at World Dairy Expo that was selected as the first Jersey cow for the Semex USA “Walk of Fame” exhibit at Expo. Fifty-percent of their herd is consistently bred to young sires, focusing on bulls that will provide quality udders, sound feet and legs and overall type.

In the Junior division, first place honors went to Elisabeth Regusci from California. The Intermediate division winner was Tony Lopes from California, and in the Senior division contest, Nathan Ulmer of Pennsylvania bested the competition and was named champion.

Dairy Bowl
In the National Dairy Bowl contest, four-person teams compete within two age divisions – Junior, ages 9-15, and Senior, ages 16-21. Twenty Junior teams and 14 Senior teams competed this year.

The final round of the Junior division saw Indiana square off against Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania came out victorious in the championship match. Coaching the Pennsylvania team was Pat Kitchen, Amanda Wolfe and Randy Wolfe, and team members included Travis Holtzinger, Paula Holtzinger, Carrie Shuman and Taylor Wolfe. The runner-ups of Indiana were coached by Michelle Blough, with team members Annie Achen, Christy Achen, John Achen and Jennifer Fry.

Maryland claimed the national champion title in the Senior division with team members Carissa Doody, Mandi Ramsburg, Clayborne Zimmerman and Kristin Zimmerman. The team was coached by Clay Zimmerman. They defeated Indiana in the last round. The Indiana team was coached by David Blough, and competitors were Rachel Achen, Jason Fry, Jessica Fry and Joe Gardner.

Exemplary sportsmanship is also rewarded in each division to encourage courtesy and friendliness throughout the contest. The Missouri team received this honor in the Junior division. Team members were Austin Moreland, Steven Nelson, Jacob Peters and Lauren Whitehead, coached by Sherri Moreland Peters.

The Pennsylvania team was proud to be named the Senior division sportsmanship winners. Team members included Isaac Haagen, Tucker Hardy, Naomi Ulmer and Lisa Zimmerman, coached by Dr. Bob Cloninger.

Dairy Knowledge Exam
The Dairy Knowledge Exam is open to any youth attending that National Junior Holstein Convention who wants to test their skills. The top three in each age division were awarded with a plaque.

In the Junior division, first place went to Elisabeth Regusci, Calif.; second place was Tony Lopes, Calif.; and coming in third place was Travis Holtzinger, Pa.

Dan Bansen has become a second-generation Master Breeder Award recipient, after his father, Stanley, who won the award in 1990. They are the only father-son duo to win the award in AJCA history.

Bansen returned to the family operation after graduating from Oregon State University in 1973. The herd became full recorded with the AJCA after Genetic Recovery was introduced in 1976, and gained recognition through enrollment on official performance evaluation programs. The current Forest Glen herd has 1,500 milk cows and 1,770 heifers. The 2010 AJCA lactation average is 16,529 lbs. milk, 737 lbs. fat and 614 lbs. protein on 1,189 lactations. There are currently 78 Excellent cows and 877 Very Good cows in the herd. Forest Glen has twice received the President’s Trophy presented annually to the highest producing cow.

Forest Glen bred the all-time leader for Jersey semen sales at Select Sires, Forest Glen Avery Action-ET. Since 2004, the herd has sent 38 bulls to A.I. and there are currently nine bulls on the active A.I. list and one bull on the genomic young sire list bearing the Forest Glen prefix.

Groves has taken a lifelong interest in genetics and worked to breed the best herd of Registered Holstein cattle that he can. Today he and his family are milking 160 cows twice a day. Their ME production averages last year were 34,250 pounds of milk, 1,272 pounds of fat and 1,037 pounds of protein. They have a 107.9 percent BAA, with 18 Excellent, 54 Very Good and 45 Good Plus cattle on their last classification. They have marketed embryos to foreign countries and across the U.S.

Brad and his wife, Gail, have two children, Taylor, age 12, and Kiera, age 10. He volunteers several groups, including serving as secretary/treasurer for his county DHIA for over 10 years. Groves is involved with planning the 2012 National Holstein Convention and was recently named to the Genetic Advancement board for KABA/Select Sires.

Elite Breeder
Frank Raymond Ruby, of Fir-Ridge Holsteins in Scio, Ore., was recognized as Holstein Association USA’s 2011 Elite Breeder. The Elite Breeder honor is given annually to a Holstein Association USA member who has bred quality Holstein cattle and made notable contributions to the breed and Association.

Ray passed away in March 2010, but his legacy lives on through his family, wife Ida, children Scott and Michele, and three grandchildren; and the sound breeding program he dedicated his life to. He bred over 100 Excellent cows in his lifetime and over 500 cows scored Very Good. Ruby’s herd also excelled in milk production, with over 1,200 cows carrying the Fir-Ridge prefix achieving over 100,000 pounds of lifetime milk, 88 of which went on to make over 200,000 pounds. The herd received Holstein Association USA’s Progressive Genetics HerdSM distinction numerous times.

Numerous organizations benefitted from Ray’s involvement through the years. He was a longtime active member of the Oregon Holstein Association and Holstein Association USA, and served two terms on the national board of directors from 1996 to 2003. He was involved as a director for the Farmers’ Cooperative Creamery, the Oregon Dairy Farmers Association and his county DHIA. Additionally, he served his community on the Scio School Board for several years, and was a member of the Lions Club.

Distinguished Leadership Award
Charles Iager of Fulton, Md., was announced as the 2011 Distinguished Leadership Award recipient. This award is given annually to an individual who has provided outstanding and unselfish leadership to the Holstein Association or dairy industry as a whole.

Iager’s Maple Lawn Farms has been in the family since 1939. Passed down through the years, they now have 350 Registered Holsteins and 1,000 acres of crops, along with a rapidly growing fresh retail turkey operation. He and his wife Judy have been married for 46 years, working tirelessly for the causes they’re involved with. They have three sons, Mike, Matt and Mark, and seven grandchildren.

The call asks for nominations of active U.S. dairy farms that are improving on-farm efficiency through progressive management practices, production technologies and/or marketing approaches. Nominees will be judged on current methods as well as their positioning to meet future economic and business challenges.

The award recipient will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to the 2012 Dairy Forum to attend a special presentation ceremony held during the program. The person nominating the winner will receive complimentary registration to Dairy Forum.

In addition, the winning operation will be highlighted in the January 2012 issue of Dairy Today.
Dairy Forum is widely recognized as the most important processor and producer conference of the year for the U.S. dairy industry. The 2011 event drew a record crowd of more than 900 industry participants.

Below is a picture of Stephanie (that’s her sitting on top of the giant container of Turkey Hill ice cream) along with her friends with the Giant Cow. Speaking of pictures, don’t forget to send in your pictures of you, your family or your friends enjoying some Turkey Hill ice cream. The pictures don’t have to be anything fancy (you can even take it with your cell phone if you want), just make sure Turkey Hill ice cream is in the picture.

“Obie Snider was the consummate dairy leader, setting a high bar for the industry and for the All-American Dairy Show,” said acting Agriculture Secretary George Greig. “We invite nominations for the award based on Obie’s commitment to strengthening the dairy industry and providing opportunities for youth to succeed as they prepare to be future leaders.”

Past winners of the award are Donald Seipt of Easton, Northampton County; Creedin Cornman of Carlisle, Cumberland County; David Patrick of Woodbine, Md.; Berneta Gable of New Enterprise, Bedford County; Dieter Krieg of Lititz, Lancaster County; George Cashell of Shippensburg, Franklin County; and the 2010 winner John Cope of Mechanicsburg, Cumberland County.

Tell us in 300 words or fewer how the farm mom you are nominating contributes to her family, farm, community and agriculture. Ready to nominate your mom? Tell us her story by May 8, 2011. Five regional winners will be announced in mid-May. An online vote will determine the national winner, which will be announced on May 27, 2011.

Prizes: American Agri-Women will select the five regional winners. Each winner will receive a $5,000 prize. The national winner will receive an additional $2,500. To learn more about the regions, view our official contest rules and regulations.

Entries will be judged based on:
Supporting her Family — What makes this mom really special to her family? What attributes are especially appreciated above and beyond all the daily tasks and responsibilities moms perform?

Supporting her Farm — Whether it’s keeping the books or driving a combine, how does the mom play an important role in the success of the family farm?

A key objective of the dairy challenge is to present students with real-life situations that stress the importance of teamwork and professionalism. This contest is a hands-on event where students take what they have learned at the various schools and actually apply it to real-life situations, says Tami Tollennar, 2011 Western Regional Dairy Challenge Chair.

Participating universities at this year’s competition included: the University of Alberta (Canada), University of Idaho, Washington State University, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Texas A&M University and the California State University of Fresno.

The host farm for this year’s Western Regional Dairy Challenge was Diamond H Dairy a 4,500-cow operation in Chowchilla, Calif. Diamond H Dairy is owned by Greg and Jennifer Hooker.

Judges for this year’s competition were: Bud Keister with Cargill Animal Nutrition; Henry Tevelde, JVJ Dairies; Michael DeGroot with DeGroot Dairy Consulting; Claudio Ribeiro with Western Milling; Brian Mitchell with J.D. Heiskell & Company; Chad Wright with Walco Vet Outlet; and Scott Tripp with DHI- Provo.

Judges at this year’s competition agree that the dairy challenge is one of the best development tools for dairy science students to see and evaluate dairies and then be judged by recognized experts in the industry. “Students who participate in these events are our future industry leaders, dairy farmers and allied industry,” says Henry Tevelde, owner of JVJ Dairies and judge at this year’s competition. “It’s a Joy to see the quality of the students who participate each year.”

Receiving Platinum awards were:

Philip deVries – Washington State University, Jami Lady – California State University Fresno, Heather Fleck – University of Alberta, Jennifer Trice – Washington State University, Tyler Reynolds – University of Idaho

Receiving Gold awards were:

“It is truly an honor to receive this award as a Junior member who enjoys all aspects of the showring; the competition, sportsmanship, herdsmanship, and marketing opportunities,” said Wood. “Being a Junior Holstein member has taught each of us, as dairy youth, many valuable lessons as we exhibit cattle, attend conventions, and participate in youth contests. The Junior Holstein Association has a lot to offer all of us in our lives.”

Corbin is the 20-year-old son of Steve and Chris Wood, and is working towards his degree in Building Construction Technology and Management at the Pennsylvania College of Technology. He enjoys being very involved in their home operation, Penn Gate Farm, caring for their 100 Registered Holsteins. He received the Judi Collinsworth Award at the Premier National Junior Holstein Show in Harrisburg, Pa. in September.

Wood has been an active member of the Pennsylvania and National Junior Holstein Associations for the past 12 years. He annually attends Holstein Conventions and has competed successfully in several activities, including dairy jeopardy, the folding display contest and prepared public speaking at state and National levels. In 2007, Corbin was named a state and National Young Distinguished Junior Member (YDJM). Showing his Holsteins is another favorite activity, and through the years, Wood has received several National Junior Breeder awards, All-Pennsylvania, Junior All-Pennsylvania and Junior All-American nominations and awards. He has won several fitting and showmanship competitions, and recently, after placing in the top ten several times, Corbin placed second in the All-American Youth Fitting and Showmanship Contest in Harrisburg, Pa.

Now in its 13th year, this award recognizes U.S. dairy producers that apply creativity, excellence and forward thinking to achieve greater on-farm productivity and improved milk marketing. The award is co-sponsored by IDFA and Dairy Today magazine.

With 850 cows and 700 young stock, Brubaker Farms produced 20,200,000 pounds of milk last year. It has 13 full-time employees and more than 1,500 acres of farmland.

Brubaker Farms uses new technologies, such as solar panels on the barn roof and a methane digester, to provide energy for the farm and hundreds of local homes. Brubaker Farms also participates in nutrient trading (offsets) to enhance the economic viability of the dairy operation.

“Luke Brubaker and his sons, Mike and Tony, are well known for their early adoption of new technology. They own and operate one of the most innovative farms on the East Coast,” said Russell C. Redding, who nominated the farm for the award. Redding is the secretary of agriculture for the state of Pennsylvania.

According to Redding, the owners realized that the methane digestion system could produce more electricity by accepting food waste from local manufacturers. Working with the manufacturers, they have expanded the system so that it can accept 2,600 gallons of food waste per day, waste that otherwise would be disposed of in a local landfill. This process provides additional revenue for the farm, while demonstrating community partnerships that have a positive impact on the environment.

The farm offers help to the community in other ways, too. Once the digester waste is dried, the organic material is used to fertilize fields. The farm then sells nutrient credits to a local municipality to help it to meet federal requirements and to keep sewer bills from rising.

Their mission is to produce quality milk for today’s consumer, along with peas, sweet corn, and alfalfa. They strive to be competitive and efficient in the dairy industry, using modern technology and environmentally sound practices, while providing their employees with a quality place of employment.

Combining their years of experience with the youth and excitement for new technology, the two families have made many facility changes over the last few years focusing on cow comfort, herd performance and employee satisfaction. Their 34 full-time and 14 part-time employees help milk 1,800 cows, raise 1,700 youngstock and farm 2,800 acres. Having a rolling herd average over 30,000 pounds with a cull rate under 28 percent is a glimpse at their achievements.

The same commitment toward excellence bleeds into their community and industry involvement. The family members have hosted various farm tours for dairy producers, agricultural professionals, international visitors, and consumers. They’ve also hosted hayrides in conjunction with Eyota Days, served ice cream to over 300 people, and taught ag-in-the-classroom.