ypi,
Green Dream Farm, New Hamp
shire; High Lawn Farm,
Massachusetts; Fair Weather
Farm, New York; and Ogston
Farm, New Jersey. Additional
heifers have also been pledged
from other supportive breeders,
including Waverly Farm,
Virginia; Cedarcrest Farm,
Alabama; and Senn-Sational
Jerseys, South Carolina.
“I wanted to help with this
program, ” says Roller. He states
that he and his son, Kenneth, both
graduated from VPI.
Even though his own herd was
dispersed in 1981, Roller remains
very active in the Jersey breed. A
former director for over eight
years of the American Jersey
Cattle Club, Roller served as
chairman of the Performance
Committee when the PDT
program was initiated. “I saw it as
a real good opportunity to have
another college involved in Jersey
breeding, feeding, and research
type work," Roller says. “This was
my part in it,’’ he continues. “It
will be that much more benefit to
the Jersey breed.”
“We do want to have a good,
strong, representative Jersey
herd,” Dr. White states. With
facilities for 200 cows. VPI
ftolstein herd had increased to
approximately 190 milking cows.
Because of the ongoing research,
Tfnlfifpin frario 1116 Jerse y herd had decreased to
11UI8 11 UilC seven milking animals. The heavy
research program trains ap
proximately 125 undergraduates
and 30 graduate students yearly in
one of the largest dairy science
programs in the country. Five
hundred and fifty acres are farmed
and cows are separated in as many
as 20 to 22 groups for nutrition,
genetics, reproduction, and
mastitis research.
Berry College has had registered
Jerseys since 1905. In 1983, their
Jersey herd ranked sixth in the
nation for herd size of 75-100 cows
with an average of 14,152 M and 631
F. They remain at the top of the
breed list for milk production in
Georgia in the last five years.
Students are involved in all
segments of the dairy operation at
Berry and the herd is used for
judging, reproductive physiology
research and management
education.
BY ROBIN PHILLIPS
Staff Correspondent
VIRGINIA “A university
ought not to be a single breed
organization,” states Dr. John M.
White, head of the Dairy Science
Department at Virginia
Polytechnic Institute & State
University, Blacksburg, Va.
Also echoing these sentiments
was Dr. Stewart Fowler, head of
the Berry College Agricultural
Department, Mount Berry, Ga.
“He felt that since Holsteins
comprise the majority of the dairy
cattle in the United States, our
students should be exposed to the
Holstein cattle,” states Mark
Grundahl, dairy supervisor at
Berry College.
With the same purpose in mind,
these progressive-minded faculty
members of these two colleges
were able to trade their bovine
resources for the mutual benefit of
both colleges. Berry College, home
of an outstanding Jersey herd,
needed to add Holsteins for ad
ditional research and student
involvement. VPI, after
sacrificing several Jerseys in
research several years ago, faced
dwindling numbers of this breed in
their 190 cow Holstein herd.
Jersey,
benefits
both schools
“We didn’t have the funds to go out
and buy,” states Dr. White of
VPl’s need for additional Jetseys.
“We found out that VPI wanted to
increase their Jersey herd, ” says
Mark Grundahl of Berry College.
“We worked out a trade that
benefitted both of the institutions,”
he says.
This past spring negotiations
were completed. Sixteen Holstein
heifers and calves left VPI for
Georgia 18 Jersey heifers and
calves left Berry College dhd
headed for Virginia.
With the • faculty members of
both colleges well known to Jersey
breeders throughout the nation,
Dr. White says that Jersey
breeders were very much in
terested in this plan to increase the
Jersey herd at VPI. In fact, he
says, it was Tracey Stiles and his
wife, Janet, of Waverly Farm,
Clearbrook, who mentioned to him
that Berry College was interested
in a small Holstein herd. “I just
picked up the phone and called, ”
Dr. White stated about his plans
for the trade.
After negotiations were started,
Jersey breeders took the initiative.
Harold Roller, Rockingham
County, Va. a dairy extension
agent and former Jersey breeder,
rallied the support of several of
New England and Southern Jersey
breeders, With Roller’s
organization, richly pedigreed
Jersey heifers were donated to VPI
from Briarcliff Farm, Maine;
Berry College swap dairy breeds
Negotiations
start in
spring of ’B3
Mostly bred heifers were in
volved in the trade between the two
colleges. Most animals were
moved in December, 1983, and any
calving before that included the
calves also.
It was in the early spring of 1983
that negotiations were started and
in July, 1983, faculty members
from each college visited to select
heifers for their respective herds.
Dr. Fowler and Mark Grundahl,
Berry College, came to select
Holstein animals that they would
'olytechnic Institute cover
consider for their herd. Dr. White,
along with Dr. Bernard Cassell,
and Dr. Mike Barnes, VPI,
traveled to Berry College, to select
their Jerseys. The two groups of
selected animals were then ap
praised by an impartial cattle
appraisor and they were traded on
a dollar for dollar value.
Dr. White states that the people
at Berry College were “tremen
dous to work with.” “I’m really
pleased with it,” (the trade) he
continued. He also credits Harold
Roller and Mike Stiles, Waverly
Farm, Clearbrook, who did “a
tremendous job of helping to get
this thing going.”
VJerseys are an extremely
strong alternative breed,” Dr.
White goes on to say. “We feel that
the Jersey breed is the only really
strong viable to the Holstein
breed,” he says. When he in
terviewed seniors, White states
that they also expressed concern
over the dwindling Jersey num
bers. “We made the decision as a
faculty,” he says.
Students
have mixed
feelings
Mark Grundahl, dairy super
visor at Berry College, says he
received mixed comments from
their students. “Some students
come here because of the out
standing Jersey herd. These
students did like the idea of the
Holsteins. Other students prefer
the Holsteins. 1 think it is good to
be able to compare the two breeds.
We plan to maintain 20 milking
Holsteins and 80 milking Jerseys.”
Virginia Tech now has over 17
milking Jerseys with plans to
maintain 160 milking Holsteins and
50 milking Jerseys. Dr. White says
that with the donated animals and
new animals freshening, VPI will
be very close to that goal by this
coming fall. “I’m really excited
about it,” he continues. The Jer
seys that VPI received from Berry
College included daughters of
Favorite Saint, Samson, Earl,
Boss Man, Top Brass, and Magic of
Ogston. The donated animals are
of comparable quality. The top
record of the traded Jerseys was
close to 17,000 pounds milk (m.e.)
and of the -17 they are currently
milking only two are older than
two years old. The actual rolling
herd average is running over 11,000
pounds milk with 4.8% fat on these
two year olds.
Jersey production levels
COLUMBUS, Ohio Jersej
cows have proved themselves to bt
efficient producers of milk, fat anc
protein throughout the years
Rapid genetic improvement and
better management practices have
helped set a new all-time high
breed average for both milk and
fat. The 1983 DHIR lactation
average was 12,234 pounds milk
and 584 pounds fat.
These figures, released by The
American Jersey Cattle Club,
Columbus, Ohio, are based on a
305-day, 2x, mature equivalent
basis. There were 40,275 cows
included on official DHIR test in
1983.
The top five states in the nation for milk production with five herds or
more on test were
State
Maine
Alabama
Washington
Oregon
Virginia
This is part of Jersey herd at VPI, which is being built back
up through donations and swap with Berry College.
Modern milking parlor is featured at VPI
Berry College traded for some
daughters of Lucky-Royal, Pete,
Milestone, Cinnamon Mars, and
Bell. Their top producer is VA Bell
Crystal Mermaid, a Bell daughter
projected to 24,044 milk, and 723
fat. “We tryed to get a mix of the
popular high PD bulls,” states
Grundahl
As Harold Roller pointed out,
most of the current data on
nutrition, feeding, etc., is based on
Holstein animal research. Because
of this, according to Roller, this
trade will benefit breeders across
The President’s Cup Winner for
1983 was Samson Leader Loll, bred
and owned by Lake and Piepkow
Farms, Olivet, Mich. Lill, Ex
cellent-91, produced 25,250 pounds
milk, 1,194 pounds fat and 888
pounds protein in 305-days at six
years, three months of age. Her
production was 28,010 lbs. 4.0
percent fat-corrected milk.
For the sixth consecutive vear,
Basil Lucy and Minnie Pansy is the
Leading living Lifetime Producer
for milk and fat. The Excellent-91
cow produced 273,630 pounds milk
and 13,243 pounds fat in 4,985 days.
That production is equivalent to
55.9 pounds milk and 2.7 pounds fat
No. Cows
862
1,429
1,281
1,427 •
498
Lbs. Milk Lbs. Fat
13,744 649
13,667 622
13,445 671
13,390 654
12,889 600
the country. Research on nutrition
with Jersey animals will become
available.
Dr. White states “you need 40 to
50 animals in a herd to have a good
teaching program.” He looks
forward to the additional research
they will be able to conduct at VPI
with Jersey breed. Mark Grun
dahl> Berry College, concludes the
trade with,“l feel the trade was
beneficial to both schools and
should make both teaching
programs stronger.”
rise again
produced per day of Pansy’s
milking lifetime. She is the only
Jersey cow in history to complete
three records over 30,000 pounds
milk in 365-days. Pansy is owned
by the William H. Diley Family,
Canal Winchester, Ohio.
Rocky Hill Debbie Rockal, VG
-88, is the second leading living
lifetime producer for both milk and
fat. The cow produced 261,277
pounds milk and 12,163 pounds fat
in 3,470 days. Those figures give
Debbie Rockal a daily average of
75.3 pounds milk and 3.5 pounds
fat. She is owned by Foundation
Associates, Newberry, S.C.
For more information on today’s
high producing Jerseys, contact
The American Jersey Cattle Club,
P.O. Box 27310, Columbus, Ohio
43227-9987, phone 614/861-3636.
* &
—t— m