Little Pond Jerseys garner top state awards
BY ROBIN PHILLIPS
Staff Correspondent
TROY Each year many dairy
herds across the state are honored
for besting all others of their breed
in milk, fat, and lately, protein
production. Sometimes a
dairymen is proud to obtain two
awards, for high milk and fat
production, or high milk and
protein production or vice versa.
Very rarely can a dairy herd claim
all three awards, but it’s not un
possible.
The Little Pond Jersey herd of
Calvin and Judy Watson, R 2 Troy,
proved it. Earlier this year, the
Watson herd was honored by the
Pennsylvania Jersey Cattle Club
with the awards for the highest
Jersey herd in the state for milk,
fat and protein production.
A young dairyman with a young
herd, 23-year-old Calvin Watson is
quick to point out that he had his
father’s help. His father, Roy
Watson, helped him to purchase
his farm and set him up with a
dairy herd. Although Calvin moved
away from the family for a time in
1982, the farm was waiting for him
when he got back.
With a few of his own cows,
Calvin’s father again helped him
get started by supplying him with
first-calf heifers to fill the barn.
With an average of 34 cows, two
thirds of them were 2-year-olds,
this young Jersey dairyman
achieved 14,616 pounds of milk, 5
percent butterfat and 737 pounds
fat and 3.7 percent and 545 pounds
of protein (actual production) in
1983 with his herd to bring him
statewide honors.
“We had a good bunch of first
calf heifers this last year,” Calvin
admits. Amoung them is a heifer
his father had purchased as a calf
which will be featured in the elder
r
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Watson’s Smokey Hill Production
Sale. Pine Buff Generals Gladys in
365 days at one year and 10 months'
pumped out 18,568 pounds milk, 5.3
percent butterfat and 976 pounds
fat.
Another herdmate that Calvin
bought from his father as a calf,
Smokey Hill Chocolate Mindy,
milked 14,228 pounds milk, 5.1
percent butterfat and 731 pounds
fat actual at one year and ten
months of age. Calvin states that
he likes to have his first-calf
heifers milk at least 10,000 pounds
and says that with proper care
they usually do. He only culls them
for a poor record “if she doesn’t
have any excuses.”
According to Calvin, it is the
fresh feed he makes available to
his cows all the time that makes
them milk and test so well. His
cows receive grass haylage twice a
day, corn silage twice a day and
gram on top of the silage twice a
day.
“Everytime we feed silage, we
feed grain on top of it,” Calvin
says. The Watsons grind their own
rations and balance it according to
the forage that is being fed. Forage
smaples are taken every six
months.
The haylage does not contain
much alfalfa and, Calvin says, this
helps to keep lus butterfat test
high. “Our herd average is running
5.1 percent now. We’ve never been
under 5.0 percent,” he says. No dry
hay is fed to the cows and the
haylage is chopped quite long.
They do not use the recutter when
chopping their haylage. Calvin
adds, “The grain on the silage
makes them eat it better, they’ll
eat more.”
The cows are fed four times a
day. Before each feeding, Calvin
scrapes away any uneaten feed
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| R D 2 Box 90A
i Watsontown PA 17777
1 717-649-5947
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and gives the cows fresh portions.
Roy adds, “feeding on time is as
important as milking on time,” a
fact he taught his sons as
youngsters. Both Watson’s admit
that the herd average began to
climb when the ration was
The Calvin Watson fam..,, from left, Marty, Judy, twins Matthew and Mark and Calvin,
stands with Honey Babe, an excellent 15-year-old which was Calvin's first Jersey cow.
Crider’s Dairy Equipment
R D 1
Shippensburg PA 17257
717-532-2196
Schmidt’s Equipment
R D 2 Box 122
Hawley PA 18428
717-253-3048
balanced according to their forage
and when they switched to four
times a day feeding. “I spend a lot
of time out there, I feed them a
lot,” Calvin says.
Calvin got his start with Jerseys
when he was 8-years-old. He said
Young Farm Family
“l know you’re interested
In faster milking and
improved herd health.
So is NuPulse. Our new MLX Milkers’ bigger bowl with larger
inlets and outlet has increased milk flow substantially. Even with
high producers, my customers are reporting faster milking. With
equalized vacuum on both sides of the inflation, we get far less
fall-off or creeping. We’re finding better udder health and teat
condition. More and more, dairymen tell me the NuPulse
System is not only easier on their cows, it’s easier on them
why 1 sell NuPulse.”
Call or visit the dealer in your area
Curt Cassidy
District Sales Manager
519 Golden St., Lititz, PA
Dairymen, Inc.
600 Liberty Rd
Sykesville MD 21784
Abe’s Service Center
R D 2 Box 82
Mifflinburg PA 17844
717-966-1707
Northampton Farm Bureau Stiner’s Refrigeration _ „ ._ . .
Coop Assn. 25 Crooks Terrace Penn York R*^lgerat.on
300 Bushkill St Canton, PA 17724 R D 2 Box 390
Tatamy PA 18085 717-673-8351 Knoxville PA 10928
215-258-2871 814-326-4496
717-626-1065
Ira Slater „ _ .
RD i Box 34 Luc « s Barn Equipment
Stoneboro PA 16153 RD 2 Box 339 D
412-253-2870 Belletonte PA 16823
814-383-2806
the deal was that dad gave them
their first calf when they reached
10 years of .age. “Since I went to
the bam the earliest, I got mine
when I was eight,” Calvin says
smiling.
(Turn to Page A 37)
Henry Jaquith
RD 1
Spring Creek PA 16436
814-664-2397
Jim’s Equipment
R D 4 Box 233
Tunkhannock PA 18657
717-836-3228