—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, Jan. 11, 1975
16
The Kennard Henley Jr, Family
Shows Get Top Priority
Ayrshire showmanship is
serious business to the
Henley family of
Cochranvlllc, Chester
County. Kennard Henley 111,
in fact, was not in the best of
moods when we first saw
him Monday morning in the
Farm Show cow bam just
after the end of Ayrshire
judging. His thirteen-year
old face wore that clench
jawed, snapping-eyed look
that is the unmistakable
hallmark of thwarted am
bition.
“He doesn't like to lose,”
we were told by young
Kennard’s father, Kennard
Henley, Jr. "He really
wanted the grand cham
pionship.” Henley cows did
win both grand and reserve
grand junior ribbons, but the
overall grand and reserve
prizes went to William
Ocker, a Cumberland County
dairyman from Ship
pensburg.
York Co.
4-H Activities
Monday, January 13
River Hill 4-H Horse Plan
ning Mtg. 7:30 p.m.
Elmer Sueck’s RDI -
Airville
Glen Rock-Loganville 4-H
Tractor Club 7:30 P M. C
Harry Miller’s RD2 Glen
Rock
Jefferson 4-H Planning Mtg.
7:30 P.M Dale Doll’s
RDI Glen Rock, Pa.
Wednesday, January 15
Stoverstown 4-H Handyman
youVenever farther
your next meal ~,
&
We asked Henley how he
feels in the showring. "It's
just the same as playing a
football game,” he said. "I
always go out with a positive
attitude. I always want to
come back with a grand
championship."
Young Henley’s com
petitive spirit is a quality he
comes by naturally. Ken
nard Jr. has been an Ayr
shire breeder and showman
since 1949, when he had an
Ayrshire FFA project. From
that beginning, he built a
topflight Ayrshire herd that
performed well both in the
showring and the weighing
jar. It was a good operation,
with 200 animals and 150
acres of good Chester County
cropland. But the lure of the
showring eventually won out
over the assurance of a
regular milk check.
In 1970, Henley Jr. sold his
Club 7-00 P.M. Jeff
Hersh’s RDI Spring
Grove
York County 4-H Design
With Lane Training 9:30
A.M. 4-H Center
Thursday, January 16
Shrewsbury 4-H Vet Science
Club 8:00 P.M.
Shrewsbury Boro. Bldg.
Saddle-Up 4-H Horse and
Pony Club 7:00 P.M.
Shrewsbury Boro Bldg.
farm and most of his
animals. He bought 21 acres
of pastureland and a few
show animals, and now has a
herd that totals 45 animals,
18 of them milking.
"Our operation is kind of
unique,” Henley said at the
farm Show. "I enjoy
showing. We all enjoy
showing. And you can’t
spend a lot of time on the
road and still do a good job
with a dairy farm.
“We sell some milk. We
sell all the manure from our
cows to a fertilizer company.
I drive school bus and we
make money showing. It’s
been working out pretty
well.”
Henley takes his prize
Ayrshires to major shows
throughout the East.
“Anywhere East of the
Mississippi,” he said.
“We’ve been to Ohio, New
York, Florida. At the end of
this month, I’m going to
West Palm Beach, Florida,
for a show, then I’ll stay
there for a show in Tampa
three weeks later.”
How does he fare at all
these shows? “Last year,
1974, we were in 19 shows.
Out of a possible 29 grand
championships, we took 25.
I’m pretty well pleased with
that. This year we’ll
probably be in 21 shows.”
Even though they might be
some of the most well
traveled Ayrshires in the
history of cowdom, the
Henley DHIR herd average
last year stood at 12,000
tlim,
*'a **'
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u
K
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Kennard Henley, 111, left, his father
Kennard, Jr., and brother William are
all serious Ayrshire showmen. The
Chester County family from
pounds of milk and 480
pounds of fat. As his father
recited the production
figures, Kennard 111 was
quick to point out, “We could
boost that by 2000 or 3000
pounds a year if the cows
weren’t on the road so
much.”
His work with Ayrshires
and his enthusiastic support
of the breed have earned
Kennard Jr. the respect of
> <t.
* x .
y
his fellow breeders, and he is
currently serving his second
term as president of the
Pennsylvania Ayrshire
Breeders Association.
Sharon, his 16-year-old
daughter, is president of the
state’s Junior Ayrshire Club.
The other Henley, nme-year
old Bill, is carrying on a
Henley tradition by already
showing Ayrshires. And he
likes to win, too.
PENNSYLVANIA
' •
Cochranville took the reserve grand
championship ribbon in Ayrshire
competition at this year’s Farm Show.
Steer
(Continued From Page 11
brother Ed captured the
reserve lightweight prize in
the show.
The reserve champion
middle weight prize went to
Jeffrey Heisey from
Lebanon RDI. Kristi Kohr of
York County took the
reserve ribbon in the light
heavyweight competition.
*