International Extravaganza Set For New Jersey July 10
BY GINGER SECRIST MYERS
Adams County Correspondent
WASHINGTON, N.J. - Max
Spann, his family, his farm staff
and his Heron Run Farm herd of
100 registered Jerseys are making
preparations for visitors.
However, this event will not be the
typical county field day or even a
State Meeting. On July 10 to 13,
Heron Run Farm will host one of
the premier Jersey events in the
world this year, the International
Jersey Extravaganza. Not since
1968 when the World Jersey Cattle
Bureau held its meeting in
Columbus, Ohio, has there been a
Jersey event of this scope held in
the Umted States.
The Extravaganza is the
brainchild of Max Spann, a third
generation Jersey breeder, who
describes himself as a displaced
farmer who still understands
farmers and agriculture. Spann
left active fanning when he was 35
years old to pursue a career in real
estate sales. Still, he longed to
return to owning a herd of Jerseys
and a farm, much as his grand
father, W. R. Spann, and father
had operated. Spann’s grandfather
had been a premier broker of
Jerseys in the early 1900’s and was
instrumental in the procurement of
the foundation stock for such herds
as Curtis Candy and Marlu Farm.
Five years ago the Spanns
purchased a property in the
Asbury area and built all new
cattle facilities designed especially
for Jerseys. He re-established a
herd of cows, selecting from a
varied pool of genes which include
Jerseys imported from the Island
of Jersey, Canadian breeding, and
brood cows from some of the best
herds in the States.
Max characterizes his herd as
the only truly international Jersey
herd in the world. Cows such as
Valley Stream B Dial 47L, a for
mer senior 2-year-old butterfat
HM| pf *
Spann characterizes his herd as the only truly international
Jersey herd in the world. Pictured here is Golden Munifordia
Noble, an imported herd sire from the Island of Jersey. His
dam has over 250,000 pounds of milk credited to her lifetime
production.
-Jgl
travaganza will be housed at Heron Run Farm. A special sale
crew is already at-work tending consignments that started to
arriye at the farm in mid-June.
champion in Canada; W.F. Brass
Allure, ranked 62nd on the January
AJCC Cow Performance Last; and
Geldria Titles Opal EX-92; all
make their home at Heron Run
Farm. According to Dave Wallace,
farm manager, the current RHA is
over 12,000 pounds of milk and 599
pounds of butterfat.
The realization of his ambition to
return to active dairying has
proven not to be an end in itself for
Spann, but rather a new beginning.
He feels that now, as never before,
there is a need for a world-wide
exchange of Jersey ideas and
Jersey genes. He explains, “It is so
important now to stimulate in
terest in the breed and in
agriculture world-wide. We in the
Jersey business have a great
opportunity to lead the way in
agriculture with our cow’s ef
ficiency factors. I want this event
to promote Jerseys, milk, and
pride in agriculture.”
Spann has organized the event to
provide a balanced mixture of
business and pleasure.
The program for the first day,
July 10, will feature a Breeders
Symposium to be held at the
Holiday Inn in Clinton. The mor
ning session, to be chaired by Ed
Grotty, president of the Jersey
Cattle Cooperative Association,
will feature such speakers as
Maurice Core, Dr. John Wilk, Dr.
Jim Justin, John Whit, Fred Stout
and Calvin Covington. Their topics
will focus on developing and
managing the Jersey cow and
marketing her products to their
best advantage. There is a $7
charge for lunch. The afternoon
session will include a round table
discussion with audience par
ticipation.
A trip to New York City is
scheduled for July 11 for visitors
and their families. The trip will
include a bus tour of Manhattan,
lunch at South Street Seaport, a
Max Spann is a third generation Jersey breeder who strongly believes that promotion
and a forum for an open exchange of ideas from around the world is vital to rejuvenating
agriculture. It was this idea that motivated him to host the International Jersey Ex
travaganza at his Heron Run Farm July 10 to 13. Shown here with Max (right) are his
son, Louis, and his wife, Jean.
visit to the observation tower at the
World Trade Center, and a ride on
the ferry around the Statue of
Liberty.
Family Day continues on July 12
with a genuine Jersey banquet and
a Parade of the Extravaganza Sale
consignments hosted at the Heron
Run Farm. Max emphasizes'that
“Jersey” is the theme of the
banquet which will feature pit
roasted Jersey beef, Jersey milk,
New Jersey grown sweet corn and
tomatoes, and all the trimmings.
Evemng musical entertainment is
also planned.
The Extravaganza will conclude
on July 13 with a sale of 65 Jerseys
of diverse backgrounds. Con
signments are coming from many
of the top herds in this country and
Canada, as well as two con
signments direct from the Island of
Jersey. Included in the offering are
two 1986 All-American winners,
daughters of two more winners,
plus descendants of four U.S.
National Grand Champions, along
with USDA Elite List Cows,
daughters of Canadian Class, and
offspring of AJCC High CPI List
cows.
All the sale cattle will be housed
in a 80-by-40 foot building at the
farm that usually houses their
calves and dry cows. A special sale
crew has been secured for the
fitting and care taking assign
ments. Sale cattle had already
started arriving at the farm by
mid-June.
I,OOOth Dairyman Signs RCMA Contract
HARRISBURG - The final push
to sign members to Regional
Cooperative Marketing Agency
contracts is paying off and the
I,oooth Pennsylvania dairy farmer
will get his contract on Friday,
June 26.
Steve Commen, who operates
“Justa Beauty” farm with his
father Creedin, has signed a
contract to let RCMA collect a
premium on his milk,above the
federally set minimum price.
Steve’s sign-up is another
milestone and shows how strong
RCMA has become during a recent
campaign to win a 14-year struggle
to turn the concept into reality.
:*>* *
» ;
The milking string at Heron Run Farm is housed in a
comfort stall barn designed especially for Jerseys. Here they
receive a ration of haylage, shelled corn, concentrate, and
baled hay. Their ration is balanced by the staff at New Bolton
center.
Spann notes that while the ex
change of ideas among breeders is
imperative at this event, the up
coming sale has become a
highlight for him. He, along with
Norman Nabholz and the Jersey
Marketing staff, have logged
countless hours and miles in
making these selections. Stated
Spann, “The quality of the con
signments is great. There are at
least 30 cows, any of which we
could start the sale with. Every
breeder I visited gave the pick
from the top of his herd.” Catalogs
RCMA’s purpose is to get over
order prices for dairy producers.
This concept is endorsed by
Secretary of Agriculture Boyd E.
Wolff and by the Pennsylvania
Department of Agriculture.
“The Northeastern U.S. has lost
more than 2,000 daily farms in the
last 12 months,” said Secretary
Wolff,” and I think RCMA provides
the kind of help farmers need to
stay in business.” The Secretary
added, “Producers need all the
help they can get to preserve our
precious supply of milk and
preserve Pennsylvania’s family
farm system.”
for the sale can be obtained for a $5
charge. Send request to: In
ternational Jersey Extravaganza,
P.O. Box 256, Bedminster, N.J
07921.
Max Spann is optimistic about
agriculture, Jerseys, and people in
general. He has applied his
philosophy to this event When
asked if all the time and travel
spent in its organization has been
worth it, he just grinned, raised his
eyebrows and said, “Just wait to
you see what we’ve got planned for
next year.”
With an RCMA contract, a
producer who milks 70 cows could
receive an extra 5,000 dollars a
year for his milk. Ninety-five
percent of the dairy farmers in the
11 state area from Maine to
Maryland have signed RCMA
contracts. However, the program
has lagged behind that figure in
Pennsylvania so RCMA officials
launched a last-minute campaign
to sign up more farmers before a
July 10 deadline. On July 10 the
RCMA board will meet to vote on a
premium. Farmers who have not
signed contracts cannot share in
that help.
* cJ
* „*****
< *