As Always, the Voice of the Jersey Breed
January 2022 marks the last time the Jersey breed’s official publication, Jersey Journal, will be published as a printed document. Far from an epilogue, the magazine and its publisher, the American Jersey Cattle Association (AJCA), are writing a new chapter. From February 2022 forward, Jersey news will be brought to folks electronically in a more contemporary, timely manner.
Though the decision to discontinue the print edition was a difficult one for the AJCA Board of Directors, it was not unforeseen. Over the past decade, print publications like Jersey Journal have transitioned to digital or died altogether as printing and postage costs rise, technology advances and consumers demand greener products.
For Jersey breeders, their beloved magazine will carry on because its purpose carries on. As a communications and marketing vehicle, the need for Jersey Journal is as great today as when the first issue rolled off the presses in October 1953.
Consider the words of Frank B. Astroth, president of the American Jersey Cattle Club (AJCC), in the premier issue: “We own a magazine. Those of us who milk Jerseys for a living, and no one else, own this magazine. . .The purpose of the JERSEY JOURNAL will be to give better news coverage, more helpful articles to breeders, lower rates to advertisers, larger circulation, and more promotion to the Jersey cow.”
These words could be published verbatim today. But the world looks very different than it back then, when Americans drove the Buick Roadmaster and watched Leave it to Beaver on black and white televisions. Today our world looks more like The Jetsons and life without computers and cell phones is unimaginable.
Technology has not only changed the way we live, but our ability to deliver news as well. Information can be broadcast to readers across the globe in moments, relatively inexpensively, in a variety of formats, including video and audio. Analytics allows the Jersey Journal to analyze statistics to determine what content is of interest to readers and tailor messages to specific audiences. It allows Jersey Journal to report news in a manner that does not destroy a tree in the process and uses less fossil fuels for delivery. It allows readers to digest content anytime, anywhere there is service and connect with people in ways that were impossible decades ago.
With the last print issue, it is fitting to look at some of the milestones in Journal history. The act celebrates what we have accomplished and reminds us that decisions and opportunities often are shaped by what happens to and around us. Change is a means of adapting, even in Jersey circles.
Over the past 67 years, other changes have come to Jersey Journal, most largely unnoticed by readers. Mastheads change, nameplates change, staff come and go. In the next six decades, other changes are sure to follow. This pivot to digital will likely be but a footnote in the magazine’s story.
For now, let us use the opportunity technology provides to continue telling the Jersey story across the globe, just in a different way.
Timeline of Milestones and Parade of Covers
October 5, 1953: Inaugural issue. Published by Greenfield Printing and Publishing Co., in Greenfield, Ohio, as bi-monthly magazine on the 5th and 20th of each month. More than 100 Jersey breeders advertise in the 92-page issue that features a pasture scene at Cedarcrest Farms, Faunsdale, Ala., on the cover.
January 20, 1954: Pinnacle Royal Danna Countess, born on Clair Lake Farm, Olivet, Mich., becomes the two millionth Jersey to be recorded in the herdbook.
November 20, 1954: The first Herd Sire Issue, a 184-page book of bulls, is published.
June 5, 1955: The All-Jersey milk program, originated in Oregon and Washington, becomes a national program in September 1954. The “Queen of Quality” graces the cover to salute June Dairy Month and the 87th AJCC Annual Meeting in Salem, Ore.
July 20, 1955: Four-color process is used for the first time to print the inaugural Jersey Handbook Issue. “The Jersey,” a painting by Edwin Megargee, is used for the cover.
May 20, 1956: A collage on the cover promotes the all-donation All-American Sale of Starlets to expand youth programs. The 44 heifers sold June 5 in Springfield, Mo., grossed $13,315.
July 5, 1956: The “Sable” cow family, developed by Victory Jersey Farm, Tulia, Texas, becomes the first in history with four generations making records over 1,100 lbs. fat.
1957: National All-Jersey (NAJ) is incorporated. An All American Show and Sale is approved for Columbus, Ohio, in October 1958.
February 5, 1957: Marlu Milady, owned by Marlu Farm, Lincroft, N.J., is the first National Jersey Milk Champion featured on a cover. She broke a 28-year record and then surpassed her own record in the next lactation with 25,293 lbs. milk and 1,210 lbs. fat.
July 5, 1957: Charlene Johnson Nardone, 1957 Jersey Jug Queen and AJCC receptionist, and Shari Lewis, American Dairy Princess, lend a hand at a June Dairy Month display that featured a cow, four calves and a 12-foot replica of an All-Jersey milk carton on the front lawn of AJCC headquarters in Columbus, Ohio.
January 20, 1959: A rendition of a billboard promoting the All-Jersey program is featured on the cover.
July 20, 1959: Marlu Favor Commando supervises his transfer from W. L. Payton, Stephenville, Texas, to Noba, Tiffin, Ohio, by paying a visit to AJCC headquarters.
March 20, 1961: AJCC Executive Secretary James F. Cavanaugh receives a bouquet during planeside ceremonies that marked the arrival of 14 Jersey heifers at Tokyo International Airport in “Operation Jersey Bounce,” an effort to help Japan develop its livestock market.
April 20, 1961: Gordon Ropp and his three-year-old daughter, Diana Lee, Normal, Ill., spend a few moments with Natura’s Timberedge Janetta before she is auctioned to launch the “5,000 Heifers for Jersey Promotion” drive in Illinois.
June 20, 1961: Pictured on the cover are three of the 14 bulls to earn Century Sire status to date: Advancer Record Jester at ABS and Blonde Wondrous Sultan and Signal Commander at COBA. They have the distinction of being the first bulls in A.I.
August 20, 1962: Dandymac Beacon Marilyn, becomes the new National Jersey Fat Champion, with a record of 23,678 lbs. milk and 1,343 lbs. fat. She is owned by Mr. and Mrs. William R. Stinson, Urbana, Ohio.
September 5, 1962: The first Artificial Insemination issue is published.
January 20, 1963: Maurice E. Core, then administrative assistant for the AJCC, is pictured at the quarantine station of the Ryukyu Islands with one of 13 Jerseys shipped to Okinawa to help establish a Jersey demonstration herd.
1964: Registration, classification and testing records are converted to electronic data processing equipment.
December 5, 1965: The cover photo is the AJCC exhibit at the All American: Jersey Cows and Jersey Milk Mean More Net Profit for Dairymen. The group of seven cows includes two National Grand Champions, two Jersey Jug Winners and a two-time Canadian National Grand Champion. Their best records average 20,261 lbs. milk and 1,039 lbs. fat. A similar exhibit was on display for the National Dairy Cattle Congress at Waterloo.
March 20, 1966: The cover introduces the advertising campaign prepared by NAJ and its ad agency, Byer and Bowman, to promote All-Jersey milk to distributors and consumers.
November 5, 1966: Marlu Milad becomes the highest selling Jersey bull in history, reportedly selling for more than $70,000 to ABS. He was bred and developed by Marlu Farm. The previous record was $65,000 for Sybils Gamboge in the 1919 Butler Auction.
December 5, 1966: The inaugural Brood Cow Issue is published.
1967: The AJCC Research Foundation is created as 501(c)(3) charitable trust sponsoring scientific research.
August 20, 1967: The 16-page “1968 NOBA Jersey Bull Book” is published as a center section.
January 5, 1968: The AJCC centennial is commemorated with a photo of company headquarters. The annual meeting was moved from its usual June timeframe to October to coincide with All American festivities and the Sixth International World Jersey Cattle Bureau (WJCB) Conference in Columbus.
July 5, 1968: The Kentucky National Sale ushers in the concept of buyer’s choice when three options out of Fashions Fernette, #2 for Cow Performance Index, are offered. The high seller at $6,800 is the calf she carries. Among the other options was buyer’s choice of a sire for a future mating. Sunbeam Farms, Cherryville, N.C., is the consignor and a syndicate of breeders the buyer.
October 20, 1968: In the cover photo, Mayor Sensenbrenner presents a “Key to the City” to Jester Emily Jean, owned by Wetherell Dairy of Pickerington, in declaration of “National Jersey Week” in the city of Columbus. The presentation took place on the mall in front of City Hall.
July 20, 1969: Among the five AJCC Type Conferences scheduled for the year is this one, hosted by Happy Valley Farm, Danville, Ky. Members of the AJCC Type Advisory Committee make official placings.
September 20, 1969: Marlu Milestone becomes the first of just 10 Jersey bulls in history to be honored with a special issue. His passing is also commemorated with an issue in January 1972.
1970: Jersey Marketing Service (JMS) is formed as subsidiary of NAJ. Jersey Journal has been the primary vehicle for promoting JMS-managed sales and producing its catalogs.
July 5, 1971: Sir Basil Standard Susan, grand matron owned by Vaucluse Farm, Newport, R.I., becomes the first Jersey to produce six consecutive records over 21,000 lbs. milk and 1,000 lbs. fat.
December 1971: Beginning in 1970, just one Journal was published in December. Holiday images were the norm for December covers, including this scene staged by the American Dairy Association of Tennessee.
January 20, 1972: Elsie, the world-famous Bordon cow, is pictured at AJCC headquarters with club employees, AJCC Treasurer Ray Schooley, AJCC Executive Assistant Core and owners of Nor-Lea Chiefs Golden Eta Kriket (aka Elsie), Drs. Robert and Florence Fletcher, Galena, Ohio.
March 5, 1972: The top 12 winners of the 1971 Great Cow Contest are revealed, with reigning National Milk and Fat Champion, The Trademarks Sable Fashion, owned by Victory Jersey Farm, earning the top prize.
August 20, 1972: The top 20 finalists for the Great Bull Contest are announced from a field of 81 bulls. The eventual winner by popular vote is Marlu Milestone, revealed in the December issue.
November 5, 1972: A scene from the historic fire that destroyed the main dairy barn at the Ohio Exposition Center in October and brought the All American Jersey Show to a halt is the cover image. The cover of the next issue, November 20, was historic too. Just one National Grand Champion (four-time champion bull, Brownys Masterman Jester, owned by Heaven Hill Farms, Lake Placid, N.Y.) was announced because no female champion had been named.
February 20, 1974: February has traditionally recapped auction prices with the annual sales summary. The image this year is a ring shot of Keepers Delight Lavenders Lass at the 1973 All American Jersey Sale. The 1972 National Jersey Jug Winner was the high selling female for the year at $8,600 and paced the breed to a record high average of $653.86 on 2,540 head.
March 5, 1975: The cover photo features Olympic swimming champion Mark Spitz milking Top-O-Hill Miss Labor Day on the set of the Mike Douglas television show. “Labor Day” is owned by Mildred E. Seeds, Downington, Pa.
April 20, 1975: Sunny King Berna becomes the first Jersey to produce more than 230,000 lbs. milk and 13,000 lbs. fat in her lifetime. Bred and owned by the estate of J. W. Coppini, Ferndale, Calif., she is the all-breed, all-time fat producer in the U.S.
1976: Project Equity is launched to advocate for component-based milk pricing and higher minimum standards. All American festivities are held in their current venue—Louisville—for the first time.
July 20, 1976: Ettas Master Milestone Babe breaks a 30-year-old record for high selling Jersey female when she is struck off for $25,000 at the 49th Annual Folck Classic Sale.
December 1976: Milestones Generator is honored with a special issue.
1977: Jersey Journal becomes a 12-times a year magazine, published the 5th of each month.
March 1980: The word “Equity” is carved into a block of Cheddar cheese for the cover shot. Among the features is Campaign Equity: 800 in ’80 to fund Project Equity and the push for component pricing.
November 1980: On the cover, AJCC Executive Secretary James F. Cavanaugh poses with Elsie at the French Market in Columbus.
December 1980: Generators Topsy, 1973 National Grand Champion and the first cow to be appraised Excellent-97%, and her three embryo transfer calves are pictured on the cover. “Topsy” is owned by James Chaney, Bowling Green, Ky., and bred by Cedarcrest Farms.
May 1982: Jersey Journal adopts computer-based word processing. A catalog for the 25th National Heifer Sale and the Great Plains Classic is included as a 92-page supplement. The following year the catalog is stitched in the center.
April 1983: On the cover are Albert and Lynette Bradford, Goodnow Farm, Turner, Maine, with Observer Althea Anna, one of the first Jerseys to produce an official record over 1,000 lbs. protein. The Bradfords lead the nation in fat production with a herd average of 855 lbs.
February 1984: Among the articles is “Farm Computers … the Future is Here Today,” a feature on Wickstrom Dairy, Hilmar, in advance of the AJCC-NAJ Annual Meetings in Monterey, Calif.
April 1984: A lovely print of a milkmaid and her suitor is published on the cover and 100 years of “official” production testing by the AJCC is celebrated. This cover and the one from March 1982 are offered as prints.
August 1984: The first Jersey Directory is published as an insert. The print Directory was published as an insert every 18 months in February and July until February 2014. It was published online, with continual updates, beginning in January 2016.
February 1986: Generators Topsy is named winner of the 1985 Great Cow Contest.
June 1986: The 50th anniversary of Elsie, the best-loved Jersey cow in America, is celebrated with a collage of photos on the cover.
November 1986: The first Jersey named Supreme Champion of World Dairy Expo, Gil-Bar Unique Bonnie, is honored on the cover. She is owned by Pinehurst Farms, Norman Nabholz, Robert Fisher, Elginvue Farm and Shamsie Ranch, West Union, Iowa, and bred by Gordon C. Barlass, Janesville, Wis.
July 1987: Basil Lucy Minnie Pansy, nine-time winner of the lifetime production contest, graces the cover. She is bred and owned by William H. Diley and Sons, Canal Winchester, Ohio.
December 1987: The 30-year anniversary of the incorporation of NAJ is commemorated with the famous red and yellow All-Jersey trademark on the cover.
1988: Jersey Journal begins using the desktop publishing software PageMaker to create pages for the magazine.
December 1988: The construction journey of the new AJCC headquarters in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, is shown on the cover. Ground is broken in June and move-in accomplished by December.
January 1989: Post Printing Co. of Minster, Ohio, becomes the Journal’s printer.
June 1989: A-Nine Top Brass becomes the fourth bull to be honored with a special issue. With 184 pages, it ties as the largest Journal in history.
November 1990: Among the most recognized covers is this one, of 1977 Master Breeder Marjorie L. Wilde, Lenox, Mass., with one of her favorites, Peter Fast Time.
December 1990: A unique design of black and gold foil is used on the cover of this issue, which focuses on feeding and breeding for milk protein.
1991: REGAPP software introduces paperless registration.
March 1993: Highland Magic Duncan is the seventh Jersey sire celebrated with special issue. The 132-page magazine includes bound ad inserts from ABS and Semex and an insert from Select Sires shrink wrapped to the front.
October 1993: The 40th anniversary of the Jersey Journal is commemorated with a black and white image of the very same pasture scene from the first issue.
1994: AJCC is reincorporated in the state of Ohio and its name changed to AJCA.
1995: REAP is introduced.
1997: Jersey Journal purchases scanners to allow images to be input into the computer at the office. Scans are black and white initially and then all color by 1999.
July 1996: Embryo transfer is featured. The cover is a photo of Sunset Canyon Cliff Ginger-ET, owned by Sunset Canyon Jerseys, Turlock, Calif., with three of the first sexed embryos.
1999: Federal Order Reform takes effect. Jersey Journal launches the historical review series highlighting a program of significance to AJCA-NAJ in each issue of 1999.
March 1999: The cover shows an AJCA type appraiser using a new technology—a hand-held computer—to send data via modem to the AJCA computers for processing. The magazine announces AJCA services are now available via internet.
December 1999: Executive Secretary Cavanaugh and Elsie again pair for the cover image, this time in front of a special barn created for her birthday bash by Dairy Farmers of America near Times Square.
October 2000: A feature is the story of UT Millennium, the first Jersey clone created by the University of Tennessee Agricultural Experiment Station from an adult somatic cell.
2001: The five millionth animal is registered, and performance program enrollment surpasses 100,000 for the first time. JerseyMate is introduced.
March 2001: To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Project Equity, three Jersey leaders—William Ahlem Jr., Richard Clauss, and Vern Wickstrom—are pictured at Hilmar Cheese. Hilmar Cheese is the largest single-site cheese processing plant in the world and the largest contributor to Equity.
July 2001: Mason Boomer Sooner Berretta becomes the ninth and final bull recognized with a commemorative issue. On the cover, he is pictured with his dam, OSB E Settler Shadow Maggie, a former National Protein Champion. Her feat was twice superseded by “Berretta” daughters.
November 2001: Four bronze Jerseys on the Isle of Jersey—the birthplace of the Jersey breed—grace the cover. The sculptures were created to commemorate the Year of the Jersey and Golden Anniversary of the WJCB.
July 2002: Jersey Performance Index (JPI) is introduced.
October 2003: The Silver Anniversary of the magazine is commemorated with a pasture scene at Sun Valley Jerseys, Cloverdale, Ore., staged to replicate the inaugural cover.
June 2005: The 50th anniversary of the Jersey Jug Futurity was commemorated with a historical feature, parade of champions and the People’s Choice contest for winners. C Tops Impressive is chosen as winner while Ettas Master Babe is runner-up.
August 2005: $412,000 is raised for the AJCC Research Foundation and youth programs from the all-donation 48th National Heifer Sale.
April 2007: Production standouts at Mainstream Jerseys, Lyndon, Wash., are pictured on the cover: Lagerweys 285 Silky, the first Jersey to complete three consecutive records over 30,000 lbs. milk, her daughter, Mainstream Barber Joy, the former world milk champion, and her daughter, Mainstream Barkly Jubilee, the reigning World Milk, Protein and Cheese Yield Champion, with 55,590 lbs. milk, 2,550 lbs. fat, 1,796 lbs. protein and 6,201 lbs. cheese yield. Mainstream Jerseys holds the distinction of the highest herd average in breed history—32,395 lbs. milk, 1,502 lbs. fat and 1,134 lbs. protein on 21 cows in 2009.
November 2008: On the cover is a work of art created to honor winners of The Art of Fine Breeding contest sponsored by Select Sires and Jersey Journal. As well, availability of genotyping from the AJCA is announced at the rate of $240 per sample for Registered Jersey females.
May 2009: Sunwest More Carrier Miss 100000, owned by Sunwest Jersey Dairy, Hilmar, Calif., becomes the 100,00th Jersey identified with double matching approved ear tags. The feature, “Genomics: Adding Power to the Prediction,” follows release of the first official dairy cattle evaluations in January.
August 2009: In the feature story, results from a Jersey beef study funded by NAJ reveal opportunity, but a different approach for success.
October 2009: The inaugural class of Jersey Youth Academy is featured on the cover. Classes are held every other year, the most recent, Class VII, in 2021.
August 2010: The feature discusses results from the Capper-Cady sustainability study, which show the Jersey carbon footprint per unit of cheese production is 20% less than that of Holsteins. Joint boards of AJCA and NAJ approved an update by Dr. Frank Mitloehener, University of California-Davis, with a projected completion by year-end 2022.
April 2011: The first online Jersey Journal is published using the ISSUU platform.
August 2011: More than $300,000 is raised for Jersey Youth Academy and youth programs from the all-donation National Heifer Sale.
July 2012: Betty Thompson, Davenport, Okla., runner up in the 2012 Miss America competition, is pictured with one of her favorite Jerseys on the cover. She competed with the platform, Milk: It Does a Body Good.
March 2013: Baby calves at the CDFD-Hartley Calf Facility represent the influx of Jerseys to the Texas Panhandle thanks to expansion of Hilmar Cheese in Dalhart in 2007. The AJCA-NAJ Annual Meetings will be hosted by the High Plains Jersey Breeders in Amarillo.
October 2013: The Jersey Journal celebrates 60 years of publication.
November 2013: Select Sires partners with Jersey Journal in a joint venture to highlight daughters of Jersey sires marketed by the organization. Joint magazine ventures were also conducted with ABS in June 2014, Genex in July 2015 and Accelerated Genetics in June 2016.
2015: A record 158,324 cows are enrolled on AJCA performance programs. Of these, 154,587 are enrolled on REAP in 990 herds. A record is also established for linear appraisal, with 119,545 animals scored.
April 2015: Payneside Mac N Cheese becomes the highest selling female in history, struck off for $267,000 in the Best of Heath and Triple T. She was purchased by Arethusa Farm, Litchfield, Conn., and consigned by Triple T, Michael Heath and David Dyment, Cable, Ohio.
2016: Genetic Recovery and Jersey Expansion programs are retired and replaced by Generation County recording system.
March 2016: Huronia Centurion Veronica 20J, winner of the 2015 Great Cow Contest, adorns the cover. She is chosen victor from more than 2,000 ballots cast from voters around the world.
May 2016: Mainstream Jace Shelly, owned by Mainstream Jerseys, the all-time leader for lifetime production, is pictured on the cover. Her credits are 406,683 lbs. milk, 20,159 lbs. fat and 15,156 lbs. protein in 4,331 days.
2017: A record 184,957 animals are recorded in the AJCA herdbook. A record is set for sales of JerseyTags at 581,866.
February 2018: The Jersey Journal has long reported news from colleagues across the globe and featured international images on the cover, including this month, a shot of the Brookbora Jerseys herd of northern Victoria, Australia.
June 2018: The collective achievements of members is recognized with a collage of portraits of national Jersey organization presidents to mark the Sesquicentennial Anniversary of the AJCC/AJCA.
August 2018: Gracing the cover is the front view of “The Jersey,” painted by Bonnie Mohr and commissioned by the AJCA to depict a Jersey cow, correct in conformation from nose to tail and displayed in a natural setting. Three views were unveiled at the 150th AJCA Annual Meeting held concurrently with the 21st International Conference of the WJCB.
March 2020: Lyon Renegade Barb, owned by Logan and Autumn Courtney, Chouteau, Okla., and bred by Lyon Jerseys, Toledo, Iowa, becomes the new World Jersey Fat Champion with a record of 35,716 lbs. milk, 3,072 lbs. fat and 1,382 lbs. protein.
January 2021: Even COVID-19 did not stop Jersey breeders from exhibiting at the All American thanks to passage of the Kentucky Healthy Work Initiative and precautionary measures. As has been done for decades, coverage includes a collage of champions for the cover.
February 2022 Forward:
Subscribers will continue to receive the Jersey Journal as an online magazine and have access to an archive of past issues ‘round the clock. They can also read news through a regular email newsletter and on the website at usjerseyjournal.com.
Jersey breeders can also keep up with Jersey happenings on the Facebook page, which now has more than 13,000 followers. Among the upcoming social activities is a “Favorite Cover Contest” in which Jersey enthusiasts post and vote on their favorite Journal cover.
No matter the vehicle, Jersey Journal will continue to be the “Voice of the Jersey Breed.”
