Four Young Jersey Breeders to be Honored
The Board of Directors of the American Jersey Cattle Association (AJCA) has named four recipients of the Young Jersey Breeder Award for 2023. They are Jed and Laura Barens, Mount Upton, N.Y.; Dustin and Carrie Gingerich, Shippensburg, Pa.; David King, Fremont, Ohio; and Michelle Moore, Frederic, Wis.
The first Young Jersey Breeder Awards were presented in 1976. Since then, more than 280 producers have received this award, including this year’s recipients.
The Young Jersey Breeder Award is presented to individuals or couples younger than the age of 40 on January 1 of the year nominated who merit recognition for their expertise in dairy farming, breeding Jersey cattle, participation in AJCA and National All-Jersey Inc. (NAJ) programs, and leadership in Jersey and other dairy and agriculture organizations. The honorees will be recognized at the Young Jersey Breeders Banquet to be held in conjunction with the AJCA-NAJ Annual Meetings in LaCrosse, Wis., on June 21, 2023.
Jed and Laura Barnes
Located in Mount Upton, N.Y., Jed and Laura Barnes own and operate CoBar Dairy, LCC, a 700-cow family dairy farm with an additional 500 young stock. Today, the Registered Jersey herd makes up about 30% of the herd and is rapidly growing.
“My love and passion for the Jersey breed started when I was in 4-H showing cows,” wrote Jed in the couple’s application. Having grown-up with commercial Holstein cows, Jed credits his Aunt Pat for influencing his love of Jerseys.
After graduating from Cornell in 2007, Jed moved to Idaho to work for a large commercial dairy that had multiple sites consisting of Jerseys and Holsteins. Jed explained, “Being able to observe the difference in profitability between the two breeds helped fuel my passion for the Jersey breed.”
“Jed once told me that there will always be a place for the Jersey cow in profitable herds,” wrote Meghan Potter of Springdale Farm Jerseys in her letter of support. “As a fellow Jersey farmer, I am excited and energized by the forward direction that Jed and Laura will help take the Jersey breed.”
The next step for the couple was moving home to New York and forming CoBar Dairy, LLC, with his family in 2010. Over the years, the facilities and number of Registered Jerseys has continued to grow, partly fueled by their milk cooperative moving to a base program.
Two years ago, the Barnes joined REAP to help manage the genetic progress of the herd. “It (REAP) has helped us keep up on our registrations, which helps us manage the genetic lines within the herd,” they wrote. “Also, it’s been a great tool to help us figure out which traits we need to focus on when selecting bulls to use.”
It is important to the family to raise only the necessary replacements, so a strict beef-on-dairy strategy is utilized. For the commercial herd, the Barneses focus on using sires that create animals that produce high components with high volumes of milk. They want long-lasting cows with high fertility and production to maintain a profitable herd.
These efforts have paid dividends. The herd has a rolling herd average of over 18,600 lbs. milk with 979 lbs. fat and 680 lbs. protein based on 172 cows.
Deanna Dunham of MT Wharton Farm in Summit, N.Y., touched on the learning investments made by the couple to ensure they could meet their long-term goals. “Jed and Laura immersed themselves in learning the innovations of the dairy industry by visiting farms, attending seminars and learning online,” she wrote.
It’s a true family affair at CoBar Dairy. Jed and Laura’s children have a high interest in the animals, particularly within the show ring. While she did not grow up within the industry, Laura has taken on the challenge of improving the show herd by making all mating decisions. These efforts have paid off as the family has brought home multiple Junior or Reserve Junior Champion ribbons in recent years. The Barneses also help other local families by housing animals and allowing them to exhibit at local shows.
Jed and Laura are active within the Jersey community. Jed is a board member of the Delaware County Jersey Club, as well as active with the New York Jersey Cattle Club. Jed enjoys being part of the state sale committee which allows him to help the next generation find quality Jerseys to show and breed from.
“Our mission is to transform to a complete Jersey herd to best utilize our land availability.,” wrote the Barneses. “We believe in the profitability of the breed and really enjoy working with them daily.”
Dustin and Carrie Gingerich
Dustin and Carrie Gingerich have established their 140-cow Registered Jersey herd from the ground up. Today, Rocky Ridge Jerseys is a successful operation known for exceptional milk and animal quality.
“I was attracted to Jersey cows in the beginning because of their components and their personalities,” wrote Dustin in the couple’s application. He graduated from high school in 2000 and a few months later started milking 26 Jerseys at his grandfather’s farm. From there, the numbers grew.
Carrie and Dustin wed in 2003. Today, their children Hannah, 16, Abigail, 13, Lydia, 11, and Leah, 5, all have a passion for the dairy cow thanks to the opportunities provided by their parents. Carrie works full-time as a teacher, however, helps on the farm on weekends and before school.
In 2012, the Gingerich family outgrew their current facility and began renting a larger farm which allowed for a herd expansion to 100 cows. Just a few years later, the family’s dream of owning their own farm became a reality. This allowed them to add additional cows and has transitioned into their current milking herd of 140 that are housed in free stalls and milked in a swing-10 parlor.
Their current rolling herd average is 19,217 lbs. milk, 996 lbs. fat and 691 lbs. protein on 161 cows. Overall, 90% of the herd has scored Very Good or Excellent. This has been achieved through meticulous sire selection based on the Gingerich’s strategy and their utilization of the Jersey Mating Program. Over the years, Rocky Ridge Jerseys has been home to five Hall of Fame cows.
“Once genomics became standard and awareness of generation count apparent, I chose to use purebred bulls with type and production focus, rather than JPI,” explained Gingerich. “I may not have quite as much milk as before, but I think animals stay in the herd longer and look nicer.”
Dustin and family take great pride in producing a high-quality milk product. They regularly receive milk quality awards from their milk cooperative. One of the family’s highlights was being presented a Dairy of Distinction Award in May 2022 which accentuated those efforts.
The Gingerich’s daughters also play a pivotal role on the farm being very involved with milking and farm chores. However, a real hobby and passion of the girls’ is exhibiting their cattle at local shows. The girls research and choose the bulls they want their animals bred to which has been a great learning experience. Neither Dustin nor Carrie grew up showing, so the girls have had various mentors who helped them with aspects like feeding, nutrition and showmanship.
In their letter of support, Jeff and Gayle Benedict, Pulaski, N.Y., wrote, “The management on the farm is top notch with a work ethic that is unmatched. It is impressive to visit the farm and see the whole family working together to get the work done and doing it well.”
Once Hannah decided she wanted to show animals, the Gingerich’s began utilizing the USJersey programs such as REAP and type traits appraisal. For their family, they look forward to appraisal day each time it comes around.
“Showing our homebred animals was important to us,” expressed Dustin. “We really like the platform for registering calves. It’s convenient since it can be done online.”
As the family looks to the future, they are excited to continuing breeding even better cows, but are especially proud of the growth the herd has experienced since beginning in 2000.
David King
The fourth generation of Jer-Bel Farms, David King has been selected as a 2023 Young Jersey Breeder Award recipient.
A 2011 graduate of The Ohio State University Agriculture Technical Institute, King brought home a progressive mindset and education to help better the future of his family’s dairy operation. With that, the herd has seen much evolution and progress since his return to the farm in 2014.
King’s 380-cow Registered Jersey herd is milked by two Lely A4 robots which were installed in 2014 when the family expanded their operation from a 42-stall tie stall barn. With that transition, King implemented feeding a TMR ration. Today, they average milking around 150 cows or more at any given time.
“I have always been impressed with the way David took on the many major challenges in transitioning from the tie-stall barn to robots,” detailed Sherry Smith of Cows Come First/Bullseye Dairy Consulting in her letter of support. “He has learned to successfully balance the tightrope between taking care of cows and letting them do their thing in their robot barn.”
The Jer-Bel prefix is recognizable across the Jersey breed, as they frequent charts for milk production and genetic merit. At the end of 2022, the herd was boasting an actual rolling herd average of 17,962 lbs. milk, 842 lbs. fat and 656 lbs. protein on 167 cows.
“While making my breeding decisions, I select bulls with high milk and high combined fat and protein, along with type and high udder indexes,” explained King in his application.
Over the years, the Kings have had 10 cows make Hall of Fame records. In turn, those individuals became matriarchs of powerhouse cow families. One of these individuals—Jer-Bel Bancroft Adeline, Excellent-92%—produced 7JE1769 Jer-Bel Maldini Archie. “Archie” is one of King’s most recent accomplishments, as he was the #1 genomic young sire in 2020 for GJPI. King bred and developed three of his closest dams, all appraised Excellent.
The King family also utilizes IVF to market and expand their highest genomic females. Currently, 10 Jer-Bel bred females are among the top 1.5% females for GJPI, with the highest being ranked 17th.
“My roots and passion run deep for this breed and industry,” wrote King. “I take pride in the husbandry of my cattle and making sure the operation runs smoothly.”
King’s passion for the industry floods over into his extracurricular activities as well. Growing up involved in 4-H and FFA, King exhibited animals at county, district and state shows. One of his lifelong highlights is having exhibited the Reserve Grand Champion Cow at the Ohio State Spring Dairy Expo one year. He was also an active dairy cattle evaluator.
Supporter Marc Bolen of Select Sires believes King exemplifies what the AJCA Young Jersey Breeder Award stands for. In his letter of support, he wrote, “David is a young, energetic individual that is willing to serve to ensure the voice of agriculture is heard and maintains its eminence in the eyes of the world.”
Today, King takes pride in hosting various dairy judging teams at the farm and helping them prepare for their competitions. His family also hosts many other tourist groups to aid in educating the public on the dairy industry and what dairy farmers do.
The future is bright at Jer-Bel Farms. One thing is for certain, King’s impacted on the Registered Jersey industry is only beginning.
Michelle Moore
Michelle Moore maintains many titles—mother, wife, daughter and most notably, shareholder in Owens Farms Inc.
As part of the operation, Moore’s role focuses on managing the calves, but she also aids with everyday chores, herd health, and field work. Within recent years, Moore also balances these responsibilities while raising son, Lane, 5, and daughter Callie, 2, with her husband, Derek.
“Balance is the word I strive to achieve on a daily basis,” wrote Moore in her application. “It is important to be present in the day-to-day at the farm, but also give my family the best of me.”
Owens Farms Inc. is home to 1,500 Registered Jersey cattle. The herd’s rolling herd average as of December 2022 was 19,650 lbs. milk; 1,021 lbs. fat, and 770 lbs. protein based on 748 cows.
The family operation has been long-time supporters of the Equity initiative, as well as REAP, the Jersey Mating Program, Jersey Regional Young Sire Sampling Program, and are a regular Jersey Journal advertiser.
For Moore, a benefit of being part of a family farm is that everyone is at different stages of life. This allows partners to adjust personal farm duties and goals while trusting the others to make sure the business goals are still met.
Throughout her youth, Moore was active in 4-H. She exhibited and judged cows at various shows and competitions throughout her youth and college career. While a student at UW-River Falls, she spent one summer interning at Barlass Jerseys LLC. There, Moore found her passion and purpose when she returned to the family operation after graduation.
“I returned home to the family farm in a time of transition,” Moore said. “We had outgrown our calf facility and were in the planning process for a new one.”
Moore was able to help design the facility and develop the protocols for the new calf raising area. She especially values the calf barn because it’s a place her children can tag along and learn life skills, while just having fun as a family.
Another passion for Moore is helping mentor local 4-H youth with the dairy project. She enjoys working with them to pick out the calves in the spring and seeing the fruition of hard work and dedication later in the summer. She enjoys seeing the benefits of 4-H just by witnessing the youth grow their communication skills and learn how to set and see goals through.
A long-time member of the Wisconsin Jersey Breeders Association, Moore started as a youth member and has continued to be active at the parish and state level.
For now, Moore’s main focus will remain on the calf barn and on her growing children. She closed her application with “Being present for them is my most important job right now and tagging along in the calf barn is the best of both worlds for right now.”
Nominators Bill and Marion Barlass of Barlass Jerseys LLC wrote, “Michelle has a strong love for family and farm life. We’re confident she will continue to help expand their farm and the Jersey breed.
In the future, she would like to continue working with local 4-H members, expand her responsibilities on the farm and oversee the farm’s herd health initiatives, and continue working with her family to ensure future generations have a farm to return to if they so choose.
