A24-Lancast«r Farming, Saturday, Inna 22,1985
National Jersey breeders convene in Lancaster
LANCASTER A record crowd
of Jersey breeders from across the
United States converged on
Lancaster this week for the annual
meetings of the American Jersey
Cattle Club and .National All-
Jersey, Inc.
Nearly 600 Jersey cattle en
thusiasts attended the national
meetings, the highest ever in the
AJCC’s 117-year history.
Many individuals were feted
during the four-day event, in
cluding some aggressive new
leaders in the Jersey breed, as well
as some long-tune contributors to
the growth and success of the
Jersey organization.
Among the Jersey newcomers
were the recipients of the highly
coveted Young Jersey Dairyman
Awards. Seven couples overcame
stiff national competition to earn
these Young Jersey honors, which
were awarded during the AJCC
Awards Breakfast on Wednesday
morning. The winners were;
•Dean and Chris Blackhurst, of
Pleasant Grove, Utah;
•Dennis and Cheryl Cline, of
Waterville, Iowa;
•Edwin and Cheryl Ettmger,
Mocksville, N.C.;
•Roger and Anita Marcoot,
Greenville, 111.;
•Bill and Kathleen Schaeffer,
Acme, Wash.;
•Richard and Paula Schlot
terbeck, Lewisburg, Ohio, and;
•Dan and Connie Schweigert,
Ten busloads of Jersey breeders came to view the cows at George and Doris Hough's
MitknHoney Farm, as well as several other top Jersey herds in Lancaster County.
Retiring AJCC Executive Secretary J.F. “Jim” Cavanaugh
receives best wishes and a fancy Jersey cow from Angie
Koontz, representative of the Pennsylvania Jersey Cattle
Club.
Tremont, 111.
Also presented at the Wednesday
morning awards breakfast were
national production trophies,
which went to a couple of the
Jersey breed’s old favorites.
Referred to as the “perennial
winner,” Basil Lucy Minnie Pansy
captured two lifetime awards. The
19-year-old Pansy, owned by
William Henry Diley and Sons, of
Canal Winchester, Ohio, received
for the seventh time the Ogston
Farm Trophy for Living Lifetime
Milk and the High Lawn Farm
Trophy for Living Lifetime Fat.
Her lifetime production record
stands at 275,624 milk, and 13,342
fat in 5,173 days.
Winning the President’s Trophy
for the breed’s top lactation was
SLJ Faithful Mary Francis, owned
by Hays State Line Jerseys,
Seneca, Mo. At 7 years and 6
months she produced 22,910 pounds
milk and 1,285 pounds fat in 305
days.
Among the veteran Jersey
breeders to earn recognition at the
national conference was Newell
Mills, of Fallon, Nev. During the
AJCC annual meeting, he was
honored with the receipt of the
club’s Master Breeder Award.
Also at the annual meeting,
retiring executive secretary J.F.
Cavanaugh presented his final
annual meeting address, in which
he expressed his optimism for the
future of the Jersey breed. “I like
' 'J§
* i
Co-chairs Helene and Robert Dreisbach (left) and Angie and Donald Koontz
were congratulated and thanked for organizing the successful AJCC/NAJ annual
meetings.
our goal,” he concluded with his
trademark phrase, “Making
owning Jerseys more profitable
Cavanaugh recognized for service
BY ROBIN PHILLIPS
Staff Correspondent
LANCASTER - The crowd
was billed as the largest ever as
almost 600 Jersey breeders
gathered at the Americana Host
Farm Resort Tuesday evening
to honor their retiring leader,
J.F. “Jim” Cavanaugh.
Recognizing 38 years of
dedicated service and
leadership to the Jersey breed,
“The J.F. Cavanaugh
Recognition Banquet,” part of
the American Jersey Cattle
Club’s annual meeting, honored
the retiring executive secretary
of the Club.
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For his outstanding and
unselfish service toward the
advancement of the Jersey
breed, Cavanaugh was honored
with the AJCC Distinguished
Service Award at the banquet.
Presented by C.L. Collins Jr.,
AJCC president, the award
marked the celebration of
accomplishments by
Cavanaugh for the Jersey cow.
A major and combat fighter
in the Army Air Corps for four
years durine World War 11,
M.E. Core, soon-to-be
AJCC executive secretary.
than owning any other breed of
dairy cattle.”
Assuming the position of
executive secretary will be current
treasurer and assistant secretary,
M.E. Core. During the AJCC an
nual meeting, he reviewed the
breed organization’s favorable
performance status and financial
stability.
Participation in Jersey per
formance programs is now at a 20-
year high with 724 TPE and DHIR
herds, and type appraisers scored
a record number 40,567 cows on
over 1000 farms this year.
DHIR production per cow has
risen to a new high of 12,501 pounds
milk, and 598 pounds fat.
During Tuesday’s National All-
)
Cavanaugh left in 1946 to i eturn
to the Hoard’s Dairyman staff.
He joined the AJCC staff in 1947
as assistant secretary, and in
1953 he became the first editor
of the Jersey Journal.
Instrumental in launching the
All-Jersey milk program in
1957, he continually emphasized
the increase of production of the
Jersey cow and the expansion of
milk marketing programs.
He preached improving the
profitability of the Jersey cow
and urged breeders “to make
owning Jerseys more profitable
than owning any other kind of
dairy cattle.”
Because of Cavanaugh’s
foresight, a major ad
vancement toward this end
came with the AJCC adoption of
the USDA Sire Summary in 1967
as the official method of
ranking Jerseys.
Cavanuagh’s leadership
brought the Jersey breed to its
present strong position in the
dairy marketplace. Under his
guidance the Genetic Recovery
Program advanced, the Equity
Program began, and the Jersey
Jersey, Inc. annual meeting, the
year-end review was also bright.
Assistant Secretary Calvin
Covington stated, “NAJ is making
you money. In 1984 as a result of
being paid on an Equity Pricing
system, Jersey dairymen received
an additional $l6 million.”
In addition, over 100,000 pounds
of Jersey Pride Natural Cheese
was sold in 1984, the first full year
of the commodity's existence.
In addition to attending the
AJCC and NAJ annual meetings,
convention participants also en
joyed the festive Tuesday evening
annual banquet, which honored
Jim Cavanaugh. Other conference
highlights included the National
Heifer Sale* held at the Solanco
Fairgrounds, and several tours of
I-ancaster County Jersey farms.
The Pennsylvania Jersey Cattle
Club was congratulated for hosting
the highly successful annual
meeting. Due to the hard work and
fund-raising efforts of the club
members, conference costs were
kept to a minimum, which con
tributed to the record attendance
figures.
Co-chainng the national Jersey
convention were Robert and
Helene Dreisbach, Hamburg, and
Donald and Angie Koontz,
Fredonia
Pride Cheese Program was
launched. Jersey Marketing
Service also expanded, and the
linear appraisal system was
also initiated.
As the first breed association
to ever begin many of these
programs, the AJCC and Jersey
breeders enjoyed countless
advancements and recognition
under Cavanaugh’s 38-year
tenure, the longest in the 117-
year history of the AJCC.
His friends and co-workers at
the banquet on Tuesday evening
roasted the celebrated leader as
Jersey breeders filled in the
applause. Numerous gifts and
plaques were also presented by
several state clubs to the
distinguished executive
secretary.
As host of this annual
meeting, the Pennsylvania
Jersey Cattle Club presented
Cavanaugh with a quilted wall
hanging of a Jersey cow at the
conclusion of the banquet.
Angie Koontz, Fredonia, made
the presentation and echoed the
sentiments of Jersey breeders
nationwide.