A3B-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 27, 1998
REYNOLDSBURG, Ohio —
The American Jersey Cattle Asso
ciation and the National All-Jersey
Inc., its affiliated marketing orga
nization, arc to hold their annual
meetings June 26-27 in Burling
ton, Vermont
A number of awards are to be
presented by the AJCA during the
annual meetings a master
breeder award, a distinguished ser
vice award, and nine young Jersey
breeder awards.
Master Breeder
The Robert Stiles family of
Clearbrook, Va., is to receive the
Master Breeder Award, bestowed
to a living AJCA member, family
partnership or corporation who or
that, in the opinion of the AJCA
board of directors, has bred out
standing animals for many years
and thereby has made a notable
contribution to the advancement of
the Jersey breed in the United
States.
The Stiles family moved from
Montgomery County, Md., to Vir
ginia in 1967 and started Waverly
Farm.
Roberts Stiles died in 1974 and
his wife Hazel died in 1989.
Prior to Hazel’s death, in 1982,
Dr. Ray Murley and Dr. Joe Line
weaver developed a partnership
with Waverly and began WF/
L&M.
Today, three brothers, Ken,
Mike and Paul Waverly and their
families operate Waverly Farm.
They are well-known among
United States Jersey breeders.
On the Nov. 1997 active artifi
cial insemination sire list, five
bulls in the top 65 were bred at
Waverly Farm, including the 12th
ranked bull, WF/L&M Duncan
Barber-ET, the highest ranking
Highland Magic Duncan son.
Another Duncan son bred by
Waverly Farm is listed 23rd, WF/
L&M Duncan Booker-ET.
Twenty-fifth on the list is WF/
L&M Lester Banjo-Et, one of the
highest ranking Duncan Lester
sons.
Other bulls bred at Waverly
considered influential to the breed,
but no longer active, include Top
Brass Babes Lad-ET and W.F.
Generator Justin, named several
times as the premier sire of the All-
American Show.
The Waverly herd consists of
242 cows, including 105 Excel
lents, 140 Veiy Goods and 18
Desirables (a Jersey ranking). The
herd average appraisal score is
86.7 percent.
Since starling, Waverly Farm
has bred or developed 351 Excel
lent cows, three at 96 percent,
seven at 95, and more than 13 at 94
percent.
Their December 1997 rolling
herd average was 15,711 pounds
of milk, 784 pounds of fat, and 591
pounds of protein on 262 cows.
Currently 75 cows have actual
records exceeding 20,000 pounds
of milk or 1,000 pounds of fat
Distinguished Service
Richard Clauss, of Hilmar, Cali
fornia is to receive the 1998 Distin
guished Service Award from the
AJCA during the annual meetings.
This award is annually bes
towed to a member of the AJCA
“who has rendered unselfish ser
vice for many years and, in doing
so, made a notable contribution to
the advancement of the Jersey
breed in the United States.
Richard Clauss became a Jersey
breeder in 1954 with a herd of 20
Jerseys. In participating in the
leadership of the AJCA and in
helping to build a large cheese pro
duction business that recognizes
and reward component produc
tion, he has made several signific
ant contributions to the Jersey
breed industry.
He served on the boards of the
AJCA and NAJ Inc. for a com
bined total of 17 years. He was
president of NAJ from 1984 to
1994, and served as president of
AJCA from 1994 to 1997.
During his tenure as president of
NAJ, the nationwide acceptance of
multiple component pricing
increased. In fact, the first muldple
component pricing was imple
mented in a federal milk marketing
order during his watch.
In addidon, under his leader
ship, equity fees increased from
$140,000 per year to well over
$200,000.
Also, as AJCA president, he was
involved in the implementation of
two major organizational
programs REAP and a busi
ness re-engineering plan.
A strong proponent of breed
programs, his Clauss Daily Farm
herd was one of the first to be
enrolled in the organization’s
genetic recovety program. In addi
tion, he has been an active particip
ant of young sire sampling.
In 1979, he and 14 other Jersey
breeders founded Jerseyland Sires,
a young sire proving group. Since
starting, the group has proven
more than 24 young sires each
year.
One of the 11 founding mem
bers of Hilmar Cheese, he current
ly serves as chairman of the board
of directors. The business has
grown from processing 125,000
pounds of milk per day in 1986 to
becoming 'the largest single site
cheese plant in the world.
It currently processes about 4.5
million pounds of milk per day.
In addition the plant has consis
tently paid its producers premiums
above state required minimums.
Clauss has also been honored by
other organizations. He was
named World Dairy Expo’s 1995
Daiiyman of the Year, and Califor
nia Polytechnic State University’s
1995 Daiiyman of the Year.
This year he is to be honored by
Daily Shrine as its 1998 guest of
honor during its meeting in Madi
son, Wisconsin.
Ninc young Jersey breeder
awardees are to be recongized dur
ing the annua] meetings.
The breeder awards are bes
towed annually to as many AJCA
members who, in the opinion of
the board of directors, deserve
recognition.
Deborah Osborn, of Keymar,
Maryland, is to be recognized as a
recipient of a 1998 young Jersey
breeder award.
Young Jersey
Breeder Awards
News
Osborn works in partnership
with her parents, James and Sha
ron Os bom, and together they own
and operate Queen-Acres Farm.
Originally the farm had a Hols
tein herd, but Deborah influenced
the switch to Jerseys. Currently
they milk 150 and raise about 200
replacements.
She said her long term goals ate
to achieve a herd with high produc
tion and functional type.
Through the third quarter of
1997, she has worked with and
developed 27 cows with 33 Hall of
Fame records, and three cows
named to the Jersey national class
leader list One of those on the list
is Queen-Acres Boomer Celeste,
the United States milk production
record holder. Among herd rank
ings by size, the Osborn herd is
nationally ranked in the top 10 for
milk, fat and protein for 1996 and
1997.
Deborah has served as chairper
son of the Maryland Jersey Cattle
Club Production Committee, and
encouraged the club to host a sate
to boost the operating budget and
promote interest in Jerseys as
youth project animals.
Frank Easter of Laurens, South
Carolina, also is to receive a young
Jersey breeder award.
Easter has worked in partner
ship with his family since they
moved their Eastglen Jersey herd
from Vermont in 1978. He is
responsible for milking, equip
ment maintenance, herd health,
heat detection, breeding, matings,
keeping the herd records on the
computer, merchandising cattle,
and taking care of the show string.
The Eastglen Farm annually
supports the Dixie Invitational
Sale, the South Carolina 4-H Dairy
Heifer Project sale, and the All
American sale.
International export has been
very important in their marketing
efforts. During last year’s Brazil-
American Jersey Breeders’ Prom
otional Sale, their consignment
was the top-selling open yearling
of the sale.
Easter is always looking to
improve their herd through the
purchase of superior animals. He
represents the farm at many local
and national sales and is pleased
with the type and production of
cattle they have been able to
purchase.
In addition to coordinating East
glcn's marketing plan, Easter
spends a great deal of his time in
the showring. Each year he travels
to several local and regional
shows, as well as the All Ameri
can. This year marked the 20th
year Eastglen exhibited Jerseys at
the South Carolina State Fair.
Brian Spahr, of Findlay, Ohio, is
to receive a young breeder award.
He is the fifth generation of his
family to milk Jerseys in Findlay.
He and his wife Laurie has a young
daughter Tristen.
In 1994, Spahr expanded the
milking herd from 40 to more than
270. In doing so, he added a
200-freestall bam, a double-eight
milking parlor, bunker silos, and a
manure storage system. The herd’s
rolling average milk production
has grown more than 2,500 pounds
per cow since then.
In addition to the daily expan
sion, Spahr has incorporated sev
eral soil and water conservation
practices on the farm. In 1996,
Spahr Jersey Farm was selected as
the finalist from northwest Ohio in
a conservation farm family award
program. In 1995, the farm was
named Hancock County Soil and
Water Cooperator of the Year.
Spahr has been active with the
Ohio Jersey Breeder’s Associa
tion, currently serving as District II
president, chairman of the All
American Sale Committee, and as
a member of several of it milk and
promotion committees, he has
served as the 1990 state sale co
chairman, and on the All American
Open Show Committee.
Scott and Kristin Carson of New
Lebanon, New York, is to receive a
young Jersey breeder award. The
couple have been involved with
dairy cattle their entire lives. The
have a young daughter, Kayla.
After graduating from Virginia
Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, the
couple moved to Vermont to man
age the family farm with Scott’s
parents. In 1992, they purchased
51 registered Jerseys and moved to
New York.
In 1993, they formed a partner
ship with Kristin’s parents, larty
and Barbara Benson, owners of
Shaker View Jerseys in New Leba
non. The move provided a mote
efficient management system,
superior feed and land resources,
and the opportunity to rapidly
improve herd performance.
In January 1997, they purchased
the last 95 head of die Shaker View
Jersey herd.
Their 1997 DHIR rolling herd
average was 18,816 pounds milk,
869 pounds of fat, and 698 pounds
of protein on 132 cows. That ranks
eighth for protein and fat in the
United States among AJCA herds
with 8Q to 149 milking head. They
also have bred 12 Hall of Fame
cows.
The Carsons strive for continu
ous improvement and develop
ment with a goal of seeking a total
performance Jersey herd. Their
goal is for Celestial Jerseys to be
known worldwide for excellence.
Russell Isley, of Burlington,
North 'Carolina, is to receive a
young Jersey breeder award. Rus
sell and his family own Bellemont
Acres, Their 46-cow herd had a
December 1997 rolling herd aver
age of 14,804 pounds of milk, 686
pounds of fat, and 535 pounds of
protein.
In his youth, as a junior breeder,
he was active in showing and judg
ing Jerseys. He won the 1980
Jersey youth production contest
and placed fourth in the Jersey
youth achievement contest He
was the top scoring individual at
the 1981 Pennsylvania All-
American judging contest
Known as “Rusty” to friends
and family, he has been a 4-H advi
sor for 16 years and frequently
loans out some of his Jerseys to
4-Hcrs to show at the state fair.
A 15-year member of the North
Carolina Jersey Association board
of directors, aand a four-year
member of the Alamance County
Dairy Herd Improvement Associa
tion, in 1993 he served on the
JJCA/NAJ annual meeting Plan
ning Committee.
In addition he has served as
president and vice president of the
North Carolina Purebred Dairy
Cattle Association and chairman
of its youth fund-raising
committee.
He and his wife Sharon have .
three children, Jordon, Kayla, and
Blake.
Harvey and Jackie Menn, of
Norwalk, Wisconsin, are to
receive a young Jersey breeder
award. They have a 47-head milk
ing string with a rolling herd aver
age of 14,006 pounds of milk, 660
pounds of fat and 660 pounds of
protein. The herd has an average
appraisal score of 81 percent
The Mcnns took over his
parents* farm in 1988. The first
thing the couple did was to put the
grade cows through the associa
tion’s genetic recovery program.
Using the recovery program was
one of many changes implemented
by the couple. Over the past 10
years, they have added the use of a
total mixed ration, a ventilation
system, heifer bam, cow mattres
ses and tie stalls.
Harvey currently holds director-
ships with the Monroe Count/
DHIA and the Monroe County
Farm Bureau Association. Jackie
has served as secrctaiy/treasurer of
the Parish 4 Jersey Breeders since
1989. They were the winners of the
Monroe County Farm Bureau
young farmer award, and were in
the top ten for the state award.
They have three young children,
Taylor, Jenna and Ryan.
Kevin and Annette Thomas of
Tillamook, Oregon are to receive
the young Jersey breeder award.
The Thomases have been
involved with the dairy industry
since Kevin graduated from the
dairy herd management program at
Utah State University. After rent
ing a farm in California, they pur
chased a farm and moved to Ore
gon in 1994.
Silver Mist Farm has 90 acres
with 86 in pasture. In the spring
and summer the Thomases graze
their cattle and arc able to make
grass silage. In the winter the cows
are fed a TMR with com silage,
grain and cottonseed.
Through state sales, the Western
National Sale, and the Pride of the
West Sales, the Thomases have
been able to build a herd with
excellent genetics. Their Sib Mist
Berretta Buttons recently scored
92 percent and is currently eighth
on the PTI list. Buttons is a daug
ther of Marv Du Malcolm Buttons,
a cow they purchased at the 1992
Western Sale.
The couple have six children,
Devin, Kashan, David, Michol,
and Lukas.
Jill Thomas Hewitt of Tigard,
Oregon, is to receive a young
Jersey breeder award. She has
been involved with Jersey cattle
since 1977, when she purchased
her first Jersey, Thomas Milestone
Carom Lassie, at the Washington
County Youth Sale. That animal
became the foundation for her
herd.
She spends much of her summer
preparing the show string and
attending several county, state and
regional fairs, including the West
ern National Show. She showed
the reserve grand champion there
in 1997, Thomas Opportunity
Abby.
In addition, she serves as liason
between the Oregon State Fair
board and Jersey exhibitors. In
1996, she successfully convinced
the fair board to feature the Jeseiy
breed at this year’s state fair.
Involved with the Washington
County Youth Sale, she serves as
president of the Oregon Jersey
Cattle Club and the Western Jersey
Breeders Association. For four
years she also has served as coach
for the state 4-H dairy judging
team.
The family has plans to relocate
this year. After the move, Hewitt
said she plans to hire a nutritionist
and adopt a TMR in pursuit of a
rolling herd average of 16,500
pounds milk.
C.A. and Kirs tin Russell of Hil
mar, California, arc to receive a
young Jersey breeder award.
In 1989, the couple purchased a
(Turn to Pago A 39)