Posted: July 26, 2008 at 3:44 pm
By News Editor
Congratulations to the following The Young Jersey Breeder Award winners: Amanda Elmore Baldwin, Statesville, N.C., Ryan A. and Freynie E. Lancaster, Ferndale, Wash., Brian Nichols, Lyndonville, Vt., Christy Ratliff, Garnett, Kan., Brian S. Seacord, Greenwich, N.Y. and David and Yvonne VanBuskirk, Carleton, Mich. The award is given annually to individuals or couples who are at least 28 years old and under the age of 40 on January 1 of the year nominated, who merit recognition for their expertise in dairy farming, breeding Jersey cattle, participation in programs of the American Jersey Cattle Association and National All-Jersey Inc., and leadership in Jersey and other dairy and agriculture organizations.
Amanda Elmore Baldwin has been active in the Jersey industry since childhood. She is now co-manager of Dusty Road Jersey Farm, and owns 130 of the herd’s 175 milking Jerseys. The herd has a rolling herd average of 13,720 lbs. milk, 591 lbs. fat and 489 lbs. protein.
Ryan A. and Freynie E. Lancasters’ Family Hill herd includes 68 Excellent cows and another 47 Very Good cows, with an overall average final score of 89%. It is also an outstanding herd for production. Enrolled on REAP, the herd posted a 2007 AJCA herd average of 17,578 lbs. milk, 831 lbs. fat, and 633 lbs. protein on 86 completed lactations.
Brian Nichols has known exactly what he wanted to do for as long as he could remember, and that was to be a dairy farmer. He rented his first farm in 1988 after graduating from Vermont Technical College with a degree in dairy farm management. After a few years of transitions, he established Speedwell Farms of Lyndonville, Vt., in 1998.
Christy Ratliff has been described by people close to her as “hard-working, competitive and passionate.” These traits have helped her develop Ratliff Jerseys, owned with her husband Ron, into a herd highly-regarded for production and show-winning type.
Brian Seacord got his start at the age of five when his father gave him the gift of a Registered Jersey™ calf. Since then he has been busy building his herd and now has 150 Registered Jersey milking cows. Seacord Farm posted a 2007 AJCA lactation average of 17,858 lbs. milk, 850 lbs. fat, and 655 lbs. protein. The herd includes 29 Excellent and 103 Very Good cows; and is enrolled on REAP and a member of New England Jersey Sires, Inc.
David VanBuskirk is the eighth generation to produce food on a farm which has been the family since 1835. He is intent on improving the family’s Registered Jersey™ herd and giving back to his community. David operates JVB Red Hot Jerseys in partnership with his parents, Jim and Janet. The 100-cow herd is enrolled on REAP and a member of Liberty Jersey Sires Inc.; and had a September 2007 rolling herd average of 16,122 lbs. milk, 741 lbs. fat and 609 lbs. protein on 112 lactations.
Posted: July 22, 2008 at 5:13 pm
By News Editor
The Jersey Association is proud to announce 11 Junior member winners from its third national Jersey youth public speaking contest, TalkJersey. The contest, offering cash awards sponsored by ABS Global Inc., De Forest, Wis., was held at Piedmont Jerseys in Lincolnton, N.C. on June 26, 2008, during the 140th Annual Meeting of the American Jersey Cattle Association. Check out all of the winners photos here!
There were entries in three of the contest’s four age divisions. Contestants could speak about any topic related to Jersey cattle or Jersey milk, including current affairs and dairy industry trends. Presentations were scored on content and organization (25 points), language and voice (10 points), presentation (5 points), and total effectiveness (5 points). Each contestant received written evaluations from each member of the judging panel. A new category, the audio-visual presentation, was introduced for this year’s TalkJersey contest. Videos or narrated PowerPoints produced and presented by the contestant on Jersey-specific topics were eligible.
Rankings in each division were as follows.
Division II (11-13 years)
1. Sydney Endres, Lodi, Wis., “Jersey Beef: It’s What’s for Dinner”
2. Andrew Theobald, Waymart, Penna., “The Jersey Cow”
3. Mitchell Endres, Lodi, Wis., “The Power of the Little Brown Cow”
4. Ben Grammer, Sebring, Ohio, “Three A Day The Jersey Way!”
5. Douglas Chapple, Jr., Clover, S.C., “Jersey Producers Involvement with Youth”
Division III (14-16 years)
1. Cassie Chittenden, Schodack Landing, N.Y., “Jersey Milk”
2. Billy Grammer, Sebring, Ohio, “The Brightest Star in the Sky”
Division IV (17-20 years)
1. Emily Waggoner, Pendleton, S.C., “The Southeastern Swing Towards Grazing Dairies: The Jersey Advantage”
2. Tyler Boyd, Parrottsville, Tenn., “Jerseys: What Brown Can Do For You”
3. Amber Ettinger, Kinards, S.C., “Milk: Squeeze Out the Goodness”
Audio-Visual Presentation (all ages)
1. Colin Russell, Hilmar, Calif., “Keeping Our Cows Comfortable”
Posted: July 15, 2008 at 8:01 pm
By News Editor
Congratulations to Renée Norman from Liberty, Pa., who is the new Assistant Editor of the Jersey Journal, published by the American Jersey Cattle Association and National All-Jersey Inc.
In this position, Renée will work closely with Jersey Journal editorial and ad design and also on JerseySites, the AJCA’s website service for Jersey owners.
The daughter of David and Aggie Norman, Renée has worked on her family’s farm, Normandell Jerseys, assisting with all areas of herd management.
She was the winner of the 2006 National Jersey Youth Achievement contest, and received the Russell Memorial Scholarship for advanced studies in 2005 and the V. L. Peterson Scholarship in 2007. She was the winner of the Pennsylvania Jersey Cattle Association Youth Production Contest in 2005.
Norman graduated in May from the Pennsylvania State University, earning a B.S. degree in animal science, with a business/management option and a minor in agribusiness management. She was a member of university’s Dairy Challenge team that received Gold honors at the 2008 competition in Madison, Wis.
Renée completed internships at Select Sires Inc. (2006) and with AgChoice Farm Credit (2007). For the past two years, she has also worked with the Pennsylvania All-American Dairy Show.
Posted: July 8, 2008 at 6:57 pm
By News Editor
The Holstein and Jersey national breed associations have several new “stars” in their midst.
The Holstein Association named their very first Star of the Breed, MS Crockettacres Monique-ET, owned by Wabash-Way Holsteins, New Weston, Ohio. The Jersey Association honored Duncan Hibrite of Family Hill, Excellent-93% as the breed’s new all-time lifetime champion for all production measures. “Hibrite” is owned by Ryan A. Lancaster, Ferndale, Wash.
Star of the Breed
MS Crockettacres Monique-ET, owned by Terry and Marcia Stammen and their son, Zach, and daughters Allison, Elizabeth and Emily, was purchased as an embryo, and delivered by c-section on June 12, 2004. Sired by Braedale Freelance-ET, Monique is classified Very Good-88 and in her first lactation made a record of 2-5, 2x, 305d, 32,900M, 1,491F, 1,169P. Her dam is Crackholm M Madonna-ET, VG-85, with records of 2-2, 2x, 365d, 33,596M, 1,451F, 1,185P and 3-9, 2x, 365d, 36,850M, 1,378F, 1,120P. She is sired by Sildahl BW Dutch Boy-ET. Maternal Granddam is Crackholm Comestar Memory-ET, VG-87, with a record of 2-2, 2x, 365d, 41,250M, 1,667F, 1,299P.
Monique was the third place junior three-year-old at the 2007 Mideast Spring National Holstein Show and was third in the futurity class. She had previously placed third in the summer yearling class at the 2005 Mideast Fall National show.
To be eligible for the Star of the Breed award, a cow must have placed in the top five in her class at a National Holstein Show, must be in a herd enrolled on the Association’s TriStar program and must have an official classification score. A point score is determined by the following calculation: Combined ME Fat and Protein + Age Adjusted Classification Score x (Breed Average ME CFP/Breed Average Age Adjusted Score).
Lifetime Production Champion
Duncan Hibrite of Family Hill, Excellent-93%, “Hibrite”, produced 322,382 lbs. milk, 14,954 lbs. fat and 11,722 lbs. protein in 5,211 days and 12 lactations.
As of December 31, 2007, her lifetime milk and protein records toppled the nine-years-standing records of 310,330 lbs. milk and 11,058 lbs. protein made by Maplerow Mercury Aron-PTL-P in 1999. “Hibrite’s” lifetime fat production also overtakes the 14,669-lb. fat record made by Chasin-Rainbows Brig Gold, which had stood since 2005.
For the second consecutive year, “Hibrite” swept all categories of the AJCA’s Leading Living Lifetime Production Contest. In the past year, the Excellent-93% daughter of Highland Magic Duncan, added 21,235 lbs. milk, 981 lbs. fat and 1,246 lbs. protein to her lifetime totals. She outdistances her closest competitor by 26,452 lbs. milk, 912 lbs. fat and 1,188 lbs. protein.
As “Hibrite’s” owner, Ryan Lancaster received the Ogston Trophy for lifetime milk production, the High Lawn Trophy for fat production and the Edyvean Farm Trophy for protein production. “Hibrite” was bred by Kelle J. Weisberg, Enumclaw, Wash.
For her lifetime to date, “Hibrite’s” average daily production is 61.9 lbs. milk, 2.9 lbs. fat and 2.3 lbs. protein. The 18-year-old cow has 12 completed lactations, seven of them exceeding 20,000 lbs. milk. Her best record was made after calving at nearly 10 years of age, when she produced 23,620 lbs. milk, 1,101 lbs. fat and 852 lbs. protein.
The 2007 Leading Living Lifetime Production contest recognized Registered Jersey™ cows alive as of December 31, 2007, who produced a minimum of 200,000 lbs. milk, or 9,500 lbs. fat or 7,500 lbs. protein. Only official AJCA production credits are used to calculate the standings.
Posted: July 7, 2008 at 6:53 pm
By News Editor
Congratulations to the dairy industry’s latest award winner, James S. Huffard III from Crockett, Va., who was named the sixty-fifth Master Breeder of the American Jersey Cattle Association on June 27, 2008.
The Master Breeder award is bestowed annually to a living AJCA member, family, partnership, or corporation that, in the opinion of the Board of Directors, has bred outstanding animals for many years and thereby made a notable contribution to the advancement of the Jersey breed in the United States.
Huffard Dairy Farms, located in the mountains of southwest Virginia, has been in the family for more than 200 years. Jim’s grandfather, James Schultz Huffard, Sr., acquired Registered Jerseys™ in 1929. He established the guiding philosophy for Schultz Jerseys: production-pure genetics with sound functional type.
Since he assumed management of Huffard Dairy Farms in 1975, Jim Huffard has sent more than 60 bulls to A.I. that bear the Shultz prefix or a prefix that is used for animals bred in partnership (L&H, H&B, and Fairway).
Huffard was just 25 when he made the mating that resulted in Schultz Performing Legend, who went on to sire 11,345 daughters and 535 sons recorded in the AJCA Herd Register. “Legend” daughters were not just top producers; they had another characteristic which was important to Huffard—longevity.
Schultz Brook Hallmark entered Active A.I. service in May of 1999. He was one of the most heavily used bulls in the breed and his popularity both domestically and internationally garnered him ABS Diamond Sire status (1,000 milking daughters) in 2003. To date, the American Jersey Cattle Association has registered 6,874 daughter and sons, with at least as many “Hallmark” daughters recorded in Australia, Canada, Great Britain and South Africa combined. In 2002, “Hallmark” was the top sire of sons in the U.S., with 219 sons recorded with the American Jersey Cattle Association.
For 17 of the past 20 years, Schultz Jerseys has ranked in the top 10 in the nation for production among herds with 300 or more cows. Its 2007 AJCA lactation average of 20,435 lbs. milk, 908 lbs. fat and 721 lbs. protein ranked eighth for milk and tenth for protein among herds.
In 1985, Huffard became a founding member of Dixieland Jersey Sires, Inc., the first breeder young sire sampling cooperative organized in the Jersey breed. He served as that organization’s president.He was elected President of the American Jersey Cattle Association in 2001 and served in that position until June of 2004. That followed two terms on the AJCA Board of Directors (1988-1994). He has also served on the important AJCA Type Advisory Committee.
Huffard is currently Vice-President and Director of National All-Jersey Inc. He is also chair of the sale committee for the 2008 All American Jersey Show and Sale, and a member of the AJCA Investment Advisory Committee.
Posted: July 1, 2008 at 9:27 pm
By News Editor
There’s new leadership at the two of the USJersey organizations! The board members and officers were elected during the recently concluded Annual Meetings of the American Jersey Cattle Association (AJCA) and National All-Jersey Inc. (NAJ).
David Chamberlain, Wyoming, N.Y., was elected to his second one-year term as President of the American Jersey Cattle Association. Elected as Vice President for a one-year term was Libby Bleakney, Cornish, Maine.
Three new Directors were elected to the AJCA Board, succeeding two-term members Dennis Egelston, Fultonville, N.Y. (Second District); Eric Lyon, Toledo, Iowa (Ninth District) and Scott Wickstrom (Twelfth District).
The new director elected from the Second District is Robin Denniston-Keller, Bryon Center, N.Y. Jerry Spielman, Seneca, Kans., was elected as Director from the Ninth District. The third newly elected Director, from the Twelfth District, is Jim Quist, Fresno, Calif.
Re-elected to a second term on the AJCA Board of Directors from the Seventh District was James VanBuskirk, Carleton, Mich.
James Ahlem, Hilmar, Calif., was re-elected as the President of National All-Jersey Inc. (NAJ). James S. Huffard III, Crockett, Va., was elected to the NAJ Board from District 5, and also elected Vice President of the organization.
Posted: May 27, 2008 at 6:24 pm
By News Editor
The 2008 Annual Meetings of the American Jersey Cattle Association and National All-Jersey Inc. will feature Jeffrey P. Roberts, principal consultant for the Vermont Institute for Artisan Cheese, as the opening program presenter. The seminar, slated for Wednesday, June 25 in the Asheville, N.C., will include Roberts’ insights on artisan cheesemaking, specific to the Jersey breed.
In his seminar, Roberts will relate Jersey-specific insights about regional and national trends in artisan cheesemaking, the types of cheeses being produced, and marketing directions.
He will also conduct a guided tasting of artisan cheeses similar to his program at the 2007 Fancy Food Show in New York City, but this time using only Jersey milk cheeses.
“Artisan cheese represents something distinctive about an area,” Roberts says in his widely acclaimed book, The Atlas of American Artisan Cheese. “The key is milk: its flavors, color, butterfat, protein and other elements depend upon myriad factors. Each dimension adds another layer of complexity to the quality of milk.”
Sixty percent of the 180 cheesemakers using cow’s milk profiled in the Atlas use Jersey milk for all or part of their production. Roberts identified 37 cheesemakers making cheeses exclusively with Jersey milk, and another 71 producers using Jersey milk in combination with milks from other cattle breeds, goats, and/or sheep.
The seminar starts at 3:00 p.m. at Asheville’s Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza Resort. It is free and open to the public. There is a charge of $15 for the guided tasting, with a limit of 100 tickets available.
Posted: May 21, 2008 at 7:01 pm
By News Editor
The 50th annual meeting of National All-Jersey Inc. will feature Sonia Fabian, chief operating officer of the Southeast Area Council of Dairy Farmers of America, Inc. as featured speaker. The meeting takes place on Friday, June 27, 2008 at 8:00 a.m. at the Crowne Plaza Resort in Asheville, N.C. Complete information on the convention program and registration forms are available on online.
Fabian’s presentation will focus on the dairy situation in the southeast U.S. and the reasons component pricing may help attract milk to a fluid-deficient marketing area.
Fabian began her career in the dairy industry with Southern Milk Sales in 1979, and has been with DFA, the nation’s largest producer-owned dairy marketing cooperative and food company, and its predecessor cooperatives for 27 years. Prior to being named to her current position in the spring of 2007, she served as Vice President of Marketing and Accounting for the southeast council located in Knoxville, Tenn.
DFA’s southeast area serves a milkshed extending into 16 states, representing approximately 3,000 member farms that market 5.4 billion pounds of milk annually. It has five manufacturing facilities located in Louisiana, Missouri and Texas.
Posted: May 14, 2008 at 5:51 pm
By News Editor
The 2008 annual meetings of the American Jersey Cattle Association and National All-Jersey Inc. will have a unique and tasty event - a guided sampling of six artistian cheeses made exclusively with milk from Jersey dairy cows. The tasting will take place at 4:00 p.m. on June 25 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Asheville, N.C. Don’t miss out - the event is limited to 100 people!
The North Carolina Jersey Breeders Association is hosting the annual meeting and the guided tasting. Registrations can be made online for both events.
The tasting, part of the program for the 2008 will be conducted by Jeffrey Roberts, principal consultant for the Vermont Institute for Artisan Cheese and author of the acclaimed Atlas of American Artisan Cheese.
The cheese tasted will be:
Orb Weaver Cave Aged Farmhouse Cheese by Marjorie Susman and Marian Pollack of New Haven, Vt.; Thistle Hill Farm Tarentaise, made by John and Janine Putnam and family of North Pomfret, Vt.; Vache Sant from Bittersweet Plantation Dairy in Gonzales, La.; Blue Ridge Dairy of Leesburg, Va., will be represented by its fresh mozzarella; Hickory Grove by Portia McKnight and Florence Hawley at Chapel Hill Creamery, Chapel Hill, N.C.; and Blue Thistle by Eric Rector at Monroe Cheese Studio in Monroe, Maine.
Posted: April 28, 2008 at 7:28 pm
By News Editor
More news from the Jersey Association - their board of directors have announced two new Honorary Members: Robert E. McDowell, Raleigh, N.C., and John M. White, Blacksburg, Va. Both recipents will be recognized at the organization’s 140th annual meeting, June 25-28, 2008 in Asheville, N.C.
“Honorary Membership is a high distinction previously awarded to only 20 people in the 140-year history of this organization,” noted Neal Smith, Executive Secretary and CEO. “The Board of Directors was unanimous in singling out Dr. McDowell and Dean White for recognition this year.”
Robert E. McDowell’s professional career as a researcher, teacher and consultant spanned six decades, starting in 1946 as a research scientist at USDA’s Beltsville laboratory, then serving 20 years on the faculty of Cornell University (1966-1986) rising to Professor Emeritus, and after retirement to his home state becoming a Visiting Professor at North Carolina State University for another 20 years.McDowell’s ground-breaking research on crossbreeding, evaluation of indigenous and European dairy breeds in the tropics, livestock production and dairy records continues to inform and be cited by the current generation of dairy scientists.
“Even 20 years later, Dr. McDowell’s review is regarded as one of the most valuable investments ever made by the AJCC Research Foundation,” commented AJCA’s Smith. “‘Some Indications about Jerseys’ is an essential part of the information packet that our organization distributes to students across the world and also dairy producers who are considering adding Jerseys to their herds.
From the late 1970s through the ’80s, John M. White of the Virginia Tech faculty was a key contributor to the development and implementation of breeding tools and programs that helped advance the Jersey breed.
In the area of applied dairy cattle genetics, Dr. White utilized extensive data from the American Jersey Cattle Association, among other sources, to help develop procedures for improving the accuracy of sire and female genetic evaluation procedures.
An innovative educator who received three different awards for teaching excellence in the late 1970s, White was one of the first to utilize computers in his teaching. Starting in 1969, he used computer simulations in a senior-level class to demonstrate the effectiveness of genetic selection methods. It contributed to the academic climate at Virginia Tech that fostered development of MAXBULL, a computer program written by Mike McGilliard and John Clay to optimize sire selection relative to herd goals.
With the benefit of hindsight, however, Dr. White’s longest-lasting contribution to the Jersey breed came through his leadership of the Jersey Research Panel, appointed in 1985 by then-president C. L. Collins Jr. to evaluate the state of Jersey research. The panel’s discussions led to the formulation of five priority areas for Jersey research and, more importantly, the declaration of a five-year campaign to raise $1 million for the AJCC Research Foundation endowment.
“Jersey youth are drawn to Virginia Tech because of the excellence of its programs,” noted the AJCA’s CEO Neal Smith. “Jersey producers in not only Virginia, but across the United States and the world, benefit directly from its extension services. Virginia Tech dairy scientists, working with one of the few university dairy herds that includes Registered Jerseys™, have answered questions of importance to all Jersey breeders through a vigorous research program.”
Previous Recipients
McDowell and White join these previous recipients of Honorary Membership in the American Jersey Cattle Association: Hilton Boynton, Ph.D., University of Massachusetts; Clyde Chappell, Ph.D., University of Tennessee; Blair Maxwell “Max” Drake, NOBA, Ohio; Professor W. H. Eaton, Auburn University; Morris B. Ewing, American Breeders Service; Peter Kayano, Kiyosato Educational Experiment Project, Japan; Richard H. Kellogg, COBA, Ohio; W. D. Knox, Hoard’s Dairyman; Norma Stong Lyon, artist-sculptor, Toledo, Iowa; Eugene C. Meyer, Hoard’s Dairyman; Anne E. Perchard, M.B.E., La Ferme Ltd., St. Martin, Jersey; Ronald E. Pearson, Ph.D., Virginia Tech; W. E. Petersen, Ph.D., University of Minnesota; R. Dean Plowman, Ph.D., Agricultural Research Service, USDA; Carlos E. Robert, Barva Heredia, Costa Rica; Harry A. Strohmeyer, White Plains, N.Y.; Antonio C. Urquiza, Queretaro, Mexico; Danny Weaver, Cary, Ill.; John C. Wilk, Ph.D., North Carolina State University; and Merlin Woodruff, Urbana, Ohio.
Posted: April 28, 2008 at 5:18 pm
By News Editor
The American Jersey Cattle Association reminds Juniors that July 1 is the deadline to submit applications for 2008-09 academic scholarships.
Applicants must be a junior or life member of the American Jersey Cattle Association upon submitting their application. A minimum grade point average of 2.5 (on a 4.0 scale) is required to apply for these scholarships. A copy of the applicant’s high school or college transcript must be included with the application form.
The largest award is the Russell–Malnati Scholarship for Advanced Studies of $5,000. Undergraduate students who have completed at least one-half of coursework credit hours required for a degree in dairy science, animal science (dairy emphasis), large animal veterinary practice, dairy production or manufacturing, or dairy product marketing, and graduate students in those program areas are eligible to apply. The William A. Russell Memorial Scholarship of $1,000 will be presented to a student who will begin a program of study at an accredited college or university in the fall of 2008 The Cedarcrest Scholarship of $1,000 will be awarded to an undergraduate or graduate student seeking a degree in large animal veterinary practice, dairy production, dairy manufacturing, or dairy product marketing. The V. L. Peterson Scholarship and Paul Jackson Memorial Scholarship will be awarded to students who have completed at least one year of college or university work. Also to be awarded is the Bob Toole Jersey Youth Award, which can be used for either college expenses or a well-defined practical experience related to breeding, developing and showing Registered Jerseys™.
Residents of Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia who are at least high school graduates, but not older than 36 years of age as of January 1, are eligible to apply for the Reuben R. Cowles Jersey Youth Award. Applicants must state whether the award money will be used for to support their education or to fund a trip to the All American Jersey Show and Sale, the AJCA-NAJ Annual Meetings or other Jersey educational activities.
Posted: April 10, 2008 at 5:56 pm
By News Editor
Good news for Registered Jersey breeders! The Jersey breed remains first for Productive Life among the six dairy breeds based on USDA genetic summaries.
Data published by the USDA Animal Improvement Programs Laboratory show that for cows born in the years 1997 through 2001, Jerseys have the longest average productive life of 33.7 months, or 1,029 days. A total of 196,713 Jersey cows were included in the evaluations.
By comparison, the weighted average Productive Life for more than three million cows of the other five breeds, including Ayrshire, Brown Swiss, Guernsey, Holstein and Milking Shorthorn, and born in the same five-year period was 27.7 months, or 844 days. The difference in favor of Jerseys is 185 days, or six months of herd life.
The trait of Productive Life is defined as - time in the milking herd before removal by voluntary culling, involuntary culling, or death. Its evaluation combines information from direct longevity, measured by DHI data on calving dates, disposal dates, reasons for disposal and lactation lengths, with correlated traits.
Posted: March 26, 2008 at 5:42 pm
By News Editor
Jersey Juniors are reminded that the deadline for the public speaking competition, TalkJersey, is Monday, June 2, 2008.
The contest is open to all AJCA Junior or Lifetime Members, ages 7 through 20 as of January 1, 2008. The judging will be held on Thursday, June 26 at Piedmont Jersey Farm, Lincolnton, N.C., starting at 6:30 p.m. The contest will be preceded by a fun workshop for all Jersey youth attending the annual meetings on Wednesday, June 25. Cash awards sponsored by ABS Global Inc. and prizes offered by the American Jersey Cattle Association will be presented in all divisions at the opening of the National Heifer Sale, June 28.
Juniors will be divided into groups by their age on January 1, 2008: I – 7 to 10 years; II – 11 to 13 years; III – 14 to 16; and IV – 17 and older. Presentations must be the individual work of the contestants. The topic can be any aspect of the Registered Jersey™ business, including current affairs and dairy industry trends.
Division I (7-10 years) juniors present demonstrations between 4 and 6 minutes in length. Posters may be used in addition to demonstration materials. Juniors in Divisions II, III and IV present speeches between 5 and 7 minutes in length. Visual aids are not allowed. Speaker notes are permitted. No more than four (4) 4” x 6” notecards may be used. Judges will ask questions following each presentation.
Posted: March 19, 2008 at 6:59 pm
By News Editor
Congratulations to Katie M. Albaugh of Walkersville, Md. for being named the 2008 recipient of the Fred Stout Experience Award. The award, given by the American Jersey Cattle Association, was created in 2000 in memory of Fred J. Stout Jr., Mt. Carmel, Ill., a lifelong Jersey breeder and member of the Jersey Marketing Service staff from 1978 to 1997.
Stout believed that the best learning experiences happen in the everyday world. This award honors that conviction. It will provide partial support for Albaugh’s internship with Jersey Marketing Service during the summer of 2008. Her responsibilities will include preparation of sale catalogs and advertising, working with consignors to meet health test requirements and arrange trucking, and providing service to buyers. She will also work on the crew for the 51st National Heifer Sale, June 28, 2008 at the Haywood County Fairgrounds in Waynesville, N.C.
Albaugh is a junior majoring in dairy science at Virginia Tech, having completed an associate’s degree at Frederick Community College, Frederick, Md., last May. An ambasssador for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech, she was chair of the catalog subcommittee for the 2008 Showcase of Virginia Tech Sale and also involved in production of the Dairy Club’s yearbook, the Milky Way.
Katie was raised on her family’s farm, Daysland Acres, and has been active in all areas of the dairy operation since 1995. Albaugh was a member of the Maryland team that won the 2006 National 4-H Dairy Cattle Judging Contest, then competed in the international competition in Scotland last summer. She was Maryland FFA Star Farmer in 2005 and served as the organization’s State Vice President for 2005-06. She has served on the Maryland State Junior Fair Board since 2005. She was also the National Milking Shorthorn Queen for 2006-07 and the 2007 Maryland Jersey Queen. She received the Maryland Dairy Scholarship and Maryland State Fair Marlin Hoff Scholarship in 2007.
Previous recipients of the Fred Stout Experience Award are Tara Bohnert, Illinois (2003), Allison Waggoner, South Carolina (2004), Dan Bauer, Wisconsin (2005), Aaron Horst, Pennsylvania (2006), and Jacob Pieper, Maryland (2007).
Posted: February 29, 2008 at 10:45 pm
By News Editor
One lucky and deserving Jersey breeder from New York will be among those attending the 18th annual International Conference of the World Jersey Cattle Bureau. Robin Denniston-Keller, from Bryon, New York is among one of the recipients of the 2008 International Young Jersey Breeders Educational Travel Award (JETA) which sponsors five young farmers to attend the conference in May 2008.
The five JETA winners will each present a paper at the 18th International Conference of the World Jersey Cattle Bureau on their ‘Jerseys at home’, visiting herds in the Island of Jersey, making new friends in the international Jersey world.
Robin, with her husband Kip, have developed Den-Kel Jerseys milking 80 cows averaging 20,440 pounds of milk (9,271 litres) and have 20 home-bred bulls on test with A.I. organizations. Robin is President of the New York Jersey Cattle Club and Vice President of the Genesee County of the New York Farm Bureau.
Other region winners are:
Ruben Dario Galvis Goez, from the Antioquia, Colombia in the Latin American region, Henrik Dalgaard Christensen, from Denmark in the European region, Wikus van der Merwe, from the Republic of South Africa in the African region, Lyna Beehre, from Northland, New Zealand in the Oceania region.
Posted: February 13, 2008 at 6:54 pm
By News Editor
Attention Registered Jersey breeders! Is one of your herd destined to be the 100,000 Registered Jersey identified with Allflex double-matching approved ear tags during 2008. If so, you will win a year’s supply of Double Matched Pair sets of JerseyTags™ with HDX High Performance EID tags, up to a maximum of 500 sets, plus a stick reader from Allflex USA Inc!
The American Jersey Cattle Association and animal ID leader Allflex, are working together to launch this campaign to record the 100,000th Registered Jersey in recognition of the association’s 140th anniversary.
According to Executive Secretary and CEO Neal Smith, orders for the AJCA’s line of JerseyTags™ manufactured by Allflex have grown at double-digit rates annually, with just under 100,000 sets sold in 2007.
“The primary reason AJCA members have adopted eartag identification,” Smith said, “is that the foundation for maximizing profitability with Jerseys is accurate, verifiable animal identification.”
Not only is positive ID a requirement for day-to-day herd management, the Jersey executive explained, it’s also vital for Jersey breeders who want to increase to their income by marketing Registered Jerseys™.
“High-visibility eartag ID and increasingly electronic ID is a requirement of the people who purchase through our cattle marketing company, Jersey Marketing Service,” said Smith. “Buyers are paying for pedigree and performance information and they expect it to be linked up through the animal’s identification number.
The American Jersey Cattle Association has recorded over 68,000 animals identified by approved eartags since its members overwhelmingly approved new rules for registration five years ago. The Allflex Tamperproof™ tag line is the only product approved by the AJCA for that purpose.
Posted: February 4, 2008 at 8:08 pm
By News Editor
The American Jersey Cattle Association is proud to announce two seminars focused on dairy calf and applied genomics research at the Association’s winter meetings on March 8-9, 2008 in Columbus, Ohio. Reservations for the seminars can be made by contacting the Association.
The first program, scheduled for 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 8, will be presented by Mike Van Amburgh, Ph.D., dairy cattle nutritionist and Associate Professor in the Department of Animal Science at Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. Curtis P. Van Tassell, Ph.D., research geneticist at the Bovine Functional Genomics Laboratory at the Animal and Natural Resources Institute of the Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, Md., will present the second seminar at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 9.
Dr. Van Amburgh’s seminar is entitled: “Calculate What’s Needed, Feed to It” and Dr. Van Tassell’s seminar is entitled: “Genome-Enhanced Evaluations: The Future Has Arrived.”
Posted: February 1, 2008 at 5:14 pm
By News Editor
Genex Cooperative, Inc., Shawano, Wis., has purchased the No. 1 lithograph print entitled “Wide Load Ahead” with its donation of $1,500 to the American Jersey Cattle Association Scholarship Funds endowment. The donation was announced at the opening of the 55th All American Jersey Sale held November 4, 2007 in Louisville, Ky.
David Chamberlain, President of the American Jersey Cattle Association, and Neal Smith, Executive Secretary and CEO, were on hand to accept the contribution and in turn present the framed print to Coburn and Genex Area Program Consultant Lowell Stevens.
1 is the NAAB marketing code number assigned to Genex Cooperative, which was created from a series of mergers of A.I. organizations including 21st Century Genetics, Noba, Inc., and Eastern A.I. Cooperative. Thus its consolidated history includes the influential Jersey bulls Observer Chocolate Soldier; Vaucluse Sleeping Surville, the first of the high genetic merit, unproven bulls to be sold in The All American Sale; and MVF Bold Venture Daniel, among others.
Genex is under the umbrella of Cooperative Resources International (CRI), which in 1993 became the nation’s first agricultural holding cooperative. Its other subsidiaries are Central Livestock Association and AgSource Cooperative Services. Their collective mission is “To provide products and services as effectively as possible to maximize the profitability of members and customers worldwide while maintaining a strong cooperative.”
The AJCA Scholarship Program provides financial support for Jersey youth enrolled in colleges or universities or, in some cases, youth seeking hands-on experience in the development and management of Registered Jersey™ cattle.
Posted: January 24, 2008 at 9:05 pm
By News Editor
Accelerated Genetics is excited about a young Jersey sire that reached the top ten JPI during the January 2008 Dairy Sire Summary. The stud comes out of the company’s PACE young sire program.
014JE00431 Oomsdale Jace Grat Grieves-ET is an early Jace son from the Excellent Gratitude cow at Oomsdale Farm in Volatie, N.Y. Grieves is +233 JPI. Grieves enters the Accelerated Genetics Jersey lineup as their top sire for Net Merit at +412 NM$. His levels of milk production (+1840 PTAM) and protein (+57 PTAP) rank him among the Top Ten of the breed for these traits as well. The Grieves daughters are tall, strong and have plenty of width and capacity. They have correct feet and legs with very high and wide rear udders. Look to Grieves for a great combination of high production and solid type!
014JE00406 Wilderness Blueprint increased +50 NM$ to +357 NM$ mainly due to his improvement on health trait information. Blueprint is a Heino son from a VG-88% Berretta and an E-90% Barber grandam. 014JE00414 Windhavens B JadeFox-ET made great gains on milk production (+2048 PTAM) and he jumped +37 points on JPI to +189. Fox is a Barkley son out of a VG-88% Bold.
Posted: January 9, 2008 at 7:13 pm
By News Editor
The American Jersey Cattle Association has declared 2007 “the greatest year in the history,” for U.S. Jerseys! The association continues to see record numbers in all areas of its operation.
“It’s hard to imagine how 2007 could have been better for members of the USJersey organizations,” said Neal Smith, Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the AJCA and National All-Jersey Inc., headquartered in Reynoldsburg, Ohio. “The organizations achieved major milestones last year and each of the three companies operated in the black.
“The AJCA recorded 79,535 animals last year,” Smith reported. “That made 2007 the third-best year in our history and the fourth consecutive year that the association has recorded at least 70,000 animals.
Use of official Jersey performance evaluation programs surged to new heights in 2007. As of December 31, 121,049 cows were enrolled in one of seven programs available from the AJCA, breaking the previous record by more than 8,200 cows.
“REAP continues to grow to its ultimate potential,” Smith continued, “as evidenced by 2007’s numbers: 115,653 cows and 781 herds, both all-time records.”
Linear type evaluation services were delivered to over 60,000 cows for a sixth consecutive year. “Our staff visited 1,010 different herds in 2007 and scored 69,182 cows, second only to the 70,165 cows that were evaluated in 2005.”
The official Jersey lactation average increased to 18,391 lbs. milk, 842 lbs. fat, and 655 lbs. protein. On a Cheddar cheese equivalent basis, average yield is 2,208 pounds. All are new category records, as are the 72,094 lactation records processed by the AJCA for 2007. The lactation average is calculated on a standardized 305-day, twice daily, mature equivalent (m.e.) basis. Actual 305-day yield per cow for 2007 averaged 16,539 lbs. milk, 765 lbs. fat (4.6%), and 591 lbs. protein (3.6%). Actual cheese yield was 1,995 pounds per cow, equivalent to a yield of 12.1 lbs. per hundredweight.
“Dairymen in all parts of the U.S. were looking for, and paying top dollar for quality Jersey cows and close-up bred heifers,” said Smith. “Nationally, the average price paid for Registered Jerseys™ at auction increased by nearly $170 per head to set an all-time record of $2,425.
“According to the National Association of Animal Breeders, domestic sales of Registered Jersey™ bull semen stood at 1.4 million units annually, a 7.4% increase over the previous year and a 130% increase in the past 10 years.
The organization has set 2010 goals of 90,000 registrations and 150,000 cows on performance programs. In the short run, Smith is confident that 800 herds will be enrolled on REAP before the association convenes its annual meeting in late June, and that the total number of cows enrolled on AJCA performance programs will exceed 125,000.
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