Jersey Leaders to be Elected in Kentucky

Dutch Hollow Farm has been enrolled on REAP since 1997 and contributed to Project Equity since 1977. Dutch Hollow Farm regularly consigns animals to the All American Jersey Sale, the National Heifer Sale, and the Pot O’Gold Sale and supports several regional Jersey sales with consignments. The Chittendens use JerseyTags to permanently identify the herd, have been a contract advertiser in the Jersey Journal since 1980 and host a website on JerseySites.com. Dutch Hollow Farm sponsors the Best Bred and Owned awards at the All American Junior Jersey Show each year.

The dairy is a member of Agri-Mark, which owns the “Cabot” and “McCadam” brand names. Milk from Dutch Hollow Farm is also used by fellow Jersey breeders High Lawn Farm, Lenox, Mass. and Mapleline Farm, Hadley, Mass., to supplement their Queen of Quality® bottling programs. Milk is also sold to Four Fat Fowl, Stephentown, N.Y. Dutch Hollow Farm joined with 11 other dairy farms in the Hudson Valley to market milk under the “Hudson Valley Fresh” label as well.

Alan graduated from Cornell University in 1990 with a degree in dairy science. He won the National Jersey Youth Achievement Contest in 1988 and earned the AJCA Young Jersey Breeder award in 2000 with his wife, Donna. In 2012, Dutch Hollow Farm LLC received the AJCA Master Breeder Award.

Chittenden is currently a director for the New England Jersey Breeders Association and has also served the organization as president. Chittenden has been a 4-H leader and county dairy judging coach for more than two decades.

Alan and Donna have three children, Emily (Kirk), Maxwell and Lydia, who have been active in Jersey youth programs. Their son-in-law, Quade Kirk, and grandsons, Jackson and Henrich, are proud breeders of Registered Jerseys as well.

John grew up in Tiffin, Ohio, on Mar-Jean Jerseys, established by his grandparents, Jean and Agnes. His parents, Jerry and Barb, took over the farm in the early 1970s, and then they sold the herd in 1990. Several years later, John and his parents and his sister, Julie Ziegler, established Oakhaven Jerseys with the help of friends, who took care of the cows.

In 1990, John graduated from the Ohio State University’s Agricultural Technical Institute. He continued his studies at OSU, earning his undergraduate degree in dairy science in 1994. He was a member of the dairy judging team for both schools, leading his peers to several wins and top-five finishes. While in college, he was also a member of the JMS crew that prepared cattle for sales across the country and helped to professionally photograph cattle.

John was also a student herdsman at Waterman Dairy on the OSU campus. He became the dairy’s herd manager shortly after graduation, a position he holds today. Over the years, he has helped the dairy transition from a milking string of just five Jerseys to an all-Jersey herd of 100 cows. The 2024 AJCA lactation average of the OSU herd is 20,637 lbs. milk 1,238 lbs. fat and 763 lbs. protein. The herd includes nine Excellent and 52 Very Good cows and has an average final score of 84.9%. The herd ranks #17 in the nation for genetic merit with an average JPI of +79 (April 2025). The university is currently building a new milking facility for Lely robots.

In his position as dairy center manager, John works with many people to achieve the university’s mission of teaching, outreach and research. All three areas have blossomed over the past 30 years. Today, the dairy hosts well over 10,000 visitors from across the country each year through allied industry tours; college, FFA and 4-H activities and events; and intercity outreach. The dairy has hosted Jersey Youth Academy several times and the World Jersey Cattle Conference as well.

John has been the Buckeye Dairy Club’s advisor for the past 30 years and a state 4-H dairy judging coach as well. He received the Young Jersey Breeder award in 2002. He has twice helped with the annual meetings of the national Jersey organizations when they were hosted by Ohio Jersey breeders and worked closely with JMS in managing the Buckeye Classic Sale, the Ohio Spring Classic Sale and the Ohio Fall Production Sale.

He has served as president of the Ohio Jersey Breeder’s Association for the past five years and just completed a term as president of the Ohio Purebred Dairy Cattle Association. He represents the latter on the board of the Ohio Dairy Producers Association. He is also a member of the North American International Livestock Exposition Show Committee, which he has chaired several times.

John resides in Hilliard with his wife, Vicky, their sons, Justin and J. T., and a granddaughter, Ellie.

While Elaine spent her childhood in northern New Jersey, she moved to Gillett in 1980 as a 14-year-old to live on a dairy farm owned by her aunt and uncle, Ronald and Hilda Moore. Her family milked a herd of Registered Holsteins and Brown Swiss and then added Jerseys to the mix in 1986. She met Stuart in the middle of a show ring while exhibiting Jerseys at the county fair. Elaine became an official part of Nobledale Farm in 1992 when she and Stuart married.

The farm, now operated as a general partnership between Stuart and Elaine, is being transitioned to Maria and Wesley. Day-to-day duties are handled full-time by Stuart, Maria and Wesley. Filling the void where needed are Elaine and Maria’s husband, Ryan.

While the dairy industry has certainly changed in the 33 years Elaine and Stuart have been married, the breeding philosophy at Nobledale Farm has not. Cows continue to be bred for functional type, high components and longevity. The top half of the herd is bred up to two times with sexed semen. Females that do not settle are bred with either conventional semen or beef semen. To capitalize on today’s lucrative markets for “black” calves, the bottom half of the herd is bred to Angus bulls or implanted with embryos from the herd’s elite donor dams.

For many years, the Nobles managed a closed herd. However, in the late 1990s, Elaine and Stuart and their children began introducing high-end genetics to the herd with purchases from elite dispersals and sales like the National Heifer Sale and the All American Jersey Sale.

The most renowned cow family to hail from the farm is Nobledale Juno Vermont, Excellent-94%. Born just two months after their marriage, she was named after the destination of their honeymoon. Nearly 2/3 of the current herd can be traced to “Vermont.” She has 72 registered progeny to date, including Nobledale Pitino Victoria, Excellent-94%, high seller of the 2002 All American Jersey Sale.

A more recent standout is Nobledale Action Bella, Excellent-95%. While officially retired, the 15-year-old underwent her last in vitro fertilization session just last year, and embryos are currently being implanted. The Nobles believe her best daughters are yet to be developed.

A favorite pastime for the Noble family is showing at the county fair. The event draws not just immediate family, but extended family and adopted family too. The Noble family’s “showcations” include district, state, regional and national shows as well.

Elaine’s post-secondary schooling is in early childhood education. For the past 23 years, she has been the 4-H program educator for neighboring Chemung County in New York. She recently became the educator for the Ag in the Classroom program that brings industry awareness to urban elementary students. The National Association of Extension 4-H Youth Development Professionals presented Elaine with its distinguished service award in 2021 and the meritorious service award in 2023.

In addition, Elaine serves on the boards of the American Dairy Association North East and the Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program and has been a director for the Pennsylvania Jersey Cattle Association for more than 20 years. She was a member of the committee that planned the annual meetings of the national Jersey organizations held in Pittsburgh in 2005 and Gettysburg in 2017. She and Maria help to create the state Jersey association’s newsletter.

Elaine also sits on the local county dairy promotion board, helps to facilitate the dairy princess program in Bradford County and serves on the advisory council for her local FFA chapter. She is a member and elder for Coryland Church in Columbia Crossroads.

As fewer farmers earn a living milking cows, Noble thinks it is important to embrace change but not lose sight of what makes the Jersey cow an integral part of the future dairy industry. Though change can be painful, inaction and complacency can result in decline, or even extinction. Programs and policies need to be accessible and adaptable to all breeders regardless of size, geographic location, age, or experience. It is crucial to entice new breeders without alienating those who have helped us get to where we are today.

In addition to Maria and Wesley, Elaine and Stuart are parents to Cory Noble and grandparents to Maria and Ryan’s eight-month-old daughter, Isabella.

The 400-cow Jersey herd at Sand Creek Dairy is enrolled on REAP, and cattle are bred using the prefix Sandcreeks. Under Ethan’s guidance, the dairy ranks #16 in the nation for genetic merit with a herd average Jersey Performance Index (JPI) of +79 (April 2025) on 300 cows. The dairy owns 15 females ranked among the top 1% for Genomic JPI. Twenty-six bulls have been sent to A.I. since the Haywoods began focusing on genetic development. As well, live bulls have been exported to Brazil, Canada, Mexico and Nepal.

For each of the past five years, Sand Creek Dairy has ranked among the top 10 herds in the nation for at least one measure of production. Currently, the dairy ranks sixth for milk and protein and 10^th for fat with a 2024 actual herd average of 22,794 lbs. milk, 1,156 lbs. fat and 853 lbs. protein.

Though there have been many standouts at Sand Creek Dairy, Ethan is especially proud of Sandcreeks Critic Chipster-P-ET, Excellent-93%. With a balance of functional type, production (27,930 lbs. milk, 1,466 lbs. fat and 1,049 lbs. protein at 6-2) and genomic value, she has been a building block of the heifer program at the farm in southwestern Michigan. The Haywood family is focused on breeding more like her: long-lasting, functional-type cows that push the production ceiling while also proving their worth by transmitting exceptional genetics to their progeny and subsequent generations.

Ethan is also a genetic specialist with the dairy sire department at Select Sires Inc., assisting with the Jersey and Holstein programs, working to streamline data flow and assisting breeders with genetic decisions while furthering the two breeds. He works with breeders both domestically and internationally to analyze data and leverage new technologies to improve efficiency and gain in breed-leading genetic programs.

Prior to returning home to Sand Creek Dairy, Ethan earned an animal science degree from Michigan State University (MSU). He was a member of the team that won the National Dairy Challenge in 2018 and competed on the university’s dairy judging team as well. He was president of FarmHouse Fraternity, state vice president for the Michigan FFA Association and an officer with the MSU Dairy Club.

Ethan has broadly supported Jersey activities and youth programs as a member of the JPI Advisory Committee and the All American Sale Committee and through regular consignments to the All American Jersey Sale, Pot O’Gold Sale and National Heifer Sale.

He serves on the board of the Michigan Jersey Cattle Club and the Michigan Holstein Association. He is a member of the MSU Department of Animal Science Stakeholder Advisory Council and an active alumnus for his local FFA chapter and 4-H program. He recently completed service with the United Dairy Industry of Michigan and is a former dairy advisory committee member of Michigan Farm Bureau.

Ethan believes that the future of the Jersey breed will be a modern cow with functional type, excellent production, improved fertility, high milk quality and improved health traits. He would like to assist breeders in moving the Jersey breed forward and providing ample opportunities and options to fellow Jersey breeders, no matter their herd goals.

He resides in Hastings near the centennial farm with his wife, Elena.

Jason has been active in the agriculture and dairy industry since his youth. His passion for his profession sprouted when he joined both 4-H and FFA and served the latter as an officer at the state level. He furthered his studies at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, where he earned an undergraduate degree in animal science with an emphasis on dairy. During college, he participated in numerous leadership opportunities. A member of the university’s dairy judging team, his performance was highlighted by top-five finishes at contests held at World Dairy Expo and the Fort Worth Stock Show. Upon graduation, he returned to the family dairy to become the third generation to work the farm in southwestern Wisconsin.

Though neither Jason nor Leah has roots in the Jersey community, the brown cow found her way to the farm shortly after they married in 2011, and the two have never looked back. Jerseys have long overtaken the “majority” of the herd, and their efficiencies continue to advance their numbers in the milking string.

The first purchase was a group of bred heifers sourced through Jersey Marketing Service. Amazingly, all five heifers freshened with heifer calves, and sped up the Jersey presence in the herd. The most influential cow from that group was Circlehawk Regina Tana Tbone, Excellent-94%, with multiple records over 1,000 lbs. fat. Her daughter, Circlehawk Kyros Rizzo of PVF, was also Excellent-94% and has many milking daughters in the herd. Most notable is PVF Chrome Reva-ET, who completes three generations of cows appraised Excellent-94%. The “R” family continues to have a large impact on the herd and exemplifies what the couple is striving for: a balanced cow with both type and production.

Another impactful purchase for the herd, Clareshoe Allstar Zoom Zoom, was made at the 2014 National Heifer Sale. The impact of the Excellent-91% donor dam extends far beyond Pine-Valley Farm. Her grandson, JX PVF World Cup Zinc {5}-ET, a former #1 GJPI bull, was widely used as a sire of sons. Six other bulls from this cow family were sold to A.I. as well.

The development of these kinds of genetics helped Jason and Leah earn an AJCA Young Jersey Breeder award in 2018.

Jason served multiple terms on the board of the Wisconsin Jersey Breeders Association and nine years (maximum term) on the county committee for the Iowa Farm Service Agency. He chairs the committee that selects cattle for the FFA dairy judging contest at World Dairy Expo and is a former member of Expo’s exhibitors committee. As well, he is a graduate of the Managers Academy for Dairy Professionals and the Foremost Farms young producer program. Jason stays busy in the community as an active member of the Wisconsin Parish 3 Jersey Breeders and a coach for his daughter’s basketball team.

Among his passions is helping youth get started in the agricultural industry. Each summer, Pine-Valley opens the barn doors to juniors, who lease show animals during the summer. Last year, more than a dozen juniors leased animals that made their way to county shows across southern Wisconsin. Jason and Leah and their family enjoy showing too and are regulars at local, state and national shows. In addition to show-winning Jerseys, they have also bred and exhibited nationally recognized Milking Shorthorns, including the Reserve Grand Champion of the breed show held at World Dairy Expo in 2022.

Jason has also spent time on the other side of the fence as an accomplished judge who has officiated multiple shows at the local and regional level.

He is most excited to see his children eagerly working with cattle and raising them as the fourth generation on the farm.

Rob and Gail received the AJCA Young Jersey Breeder award in 2018 and have continued to support the national Jersey organizations. They were co-chairs of the annual meetings hosted by Wisconsin in La Crosse in 2023, and opened the gate to the farm as one of the tour stops for the event.

Klinkner’s passion for the Jersey breed sprouted at an early age when he began working for neighbors Steve and Annette Trescher of Cashton. The Treschers allowed him to work with their cattle and exhibit them at local and state shows. When he was 13, Rob purchased his first Registered Jersey, Feniwis Peep T Perky, who fostered a love of the breed and a determination to become a first-generation dairy farmer.

Rob graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s farm and industry short course with a dairy herd management and crops specialty in 2001. He belonged to the Badger Dairy club, was a dorm representative for college functions and helped to organize trips to fellow students’ farms to learn more about the dairy industry.

After graduation, he worked at Norse Star Jerseys in Westby, Wis., He began dairying on his own in 2002 on a rented farm and started buying Jersey cows. He saw the value of REAP from the onset, so signed up for the program and began to identify cows, mate females to Registered Jersey bulls and permanently identify calves using JerseyTags.  Over half of the Jersey herd today traces to cows Rob and Gail enrolled in the Genetic Recovery program as Original Animals in their early years of dairying.

In 2006, the Klinkners purchased their current farm, making significant upgrades early on to improve cow comfort and management. Over the years, herd size has fluctuated to maintain margins specific to their operation. Today, they milk 35 Jerseys and 20 Holsteins and raise replacement heifers on the farm.

Each of Rob and Gail’s five children—Reagan, 19, Garrison, 17, Rubi, 13, Ginger, 11, and Rylan, 9—is actively involved with the operation of the farm. The Klinkners enjoy showing cattle locally and at the Wisconsin Jersey Spring Spectacular, the Wisconsin State Fair, World Dairy Expo and The All American Jersey Show.

Pine Prairie Jerseys has consigned to The All American Jersey Sale, the Top of the World Sale, the Wisconsin Jersey Breeders Sale and the National Heifer Sale. The Klinkners have also merchandised cattle privately, with destinations both domestic and international.

Rob has recently completed his third term on the board of the Wisconsin Jersey Breeders Association (WJBA), serving as president the past two years. He has also served for many years as president of Parish 4 Jersey Breeders. For the past 24 years, he has served on various cooperative boards, including the Vernon Crawford Dairy Herd Improvement Association, and been a delegate for East Central Select Sires and Accelerated Genetics.

He has also been active with the Franklin Lutheran Church, where he serves on the pastoral call committee.

Given his start in the dairy industry, Rob always strives to encourage youth. He has been a 4-H dairy leader for Vernon County and donated Registered Jersey calves to the WJBA as prizes for the youth achievement contest three times. He has supplied animals for fitting and showing clinics and for non-farm youth to exhibit at shows, and housed animals for juniors who don’t have facilities to raise cattle. He has opened the farm to dairy judging teams for practice sessions and other community youth groups to learn more about dairying.

The Klinkners also operate an on-farm market, the Klinkner Kountry Store, where they sell farm-fresh beef, pork and lamb along with dairy products from Westby Cooperative Creamery. During the summer, they enjoy hosting “Summer Nights on the Farm,” where they encourage the community to come to the farm during chores to experience all the activities of daily dairy farm life.

In closing, Rob is excited for the opportunity to represent his fellow Jersey breeders as a member of the AJCA board and welcomes questions and thoughts to continue to improve the breed.

Joe grew up in central California on a dairy farm established by his family in 1966. He attended California Polytechnic State University, where he met Sarah, judged on the dairy team and earned an agriculture and dairy science degree in 1992. He returned to the family farm and wed Sarah. A year later, he and Sarah, his parents, and their 180 head of dairy cattle moved to the present farm on the Oregon Coast to capitalize on component pricing offered by Tillamook Creamery and a more comfortable environment for the cows.

Though they started with just 100 acres, the Rochas have expanded their enterprise over the past three decades by purchasing additional land and equipment to grow and harvest their own feed and house more animals. Pacific Edge Jerseys operates an extensive in-vitro fertilization/embryo transfer program, with multiple donor dams aspirated biweekly, to grow the elite portion of the herd.  The dairy regularly consigns to elite Jersey sales and has marketed bulls they have collected privately to Jersey breeders across the country.

Cows are managed in a freestall facility and milked in a double-22 parlor.

The Rochas enjoy showing Registered Jerseys at their county fair, the Western National Jersey Show, the All American Jersey Show and World Dairy Expo. Twice they have exhibited the GJPI Senior Champion at the show in Louisville, Ky., along with the Reserve Winner of the 2021 National Jersey Jug Futurity, Pacific Edge Colton Jazmin-ET. They have also partnered with other Jersey breeders on prize-winning Jerseys, including the reigning Winner of the National Jersey Jug Futurity, LC Reckless Armadillo, and the National Junior Grand Champion, Pacific Edge VIP Tessah-ET.

While they have shown champions at every level, their most treasured prizes are banners for Premier Breeder and Premier Exhibitor. They have been Premier Breeder at the All American Jersey Show three times and the International Jersey Show once. They have also been named Premier Exhibitor at the All American Jersey Show.

In 2001, Joe and Sarah received the AJCA Young Jersey Breeder award. Joe was the associate judge at the All American Junior Jersey Show in 2019 and has served on the All American Open Show Committee for many years. Currently, he chairs the committee and is also a member of the World Dairy Expo Dairy Cattle Exhibitor Committee.

Joe is a past president and 20-year director of the Tillamook County Creamery Association and sat on the board of the Oregon Dairy Farmer’s Association for six years.

He has a deep love for the Jersey breed and can bring a wide perspective to the board.

Ahlem Farms Partnership is a charter investor in Project Equity and a contract advertiser with the Jersey Journal. The dairy is also a founder of Hilmar Cheese Company. Both Ahlem herds have production averages of more than 20,000 lbs. milk on an actual basis. Ahlem Farms Partnership ranks among the top five of its peers nationally for all measures of production on an actual and m.e. basis with an actual herd average of 21,156 lbs. milk, 1,030 lbs. fat and 783 lbs. protein on nearly 3,000 cows. The dairy ranks sixth in the nation for genetic merit with a herd average Jersey Performance Index of +88 following the April 2025 genetic evaluations.

Merriam grew up on 400-cow dairy farm in central California, where he and his family milked 250 Registered Jerseys and 150 grade Holsteins. His grandfather, William Merriam, established the dairy herd with Jerseys in 1929 and added Holsteins in the 1960s, when the creamery required their addition due to public concern about high fat milk.

As a youth, he was active in 4-H and FFA, where he earned the American FFA Degree. A highlight of his show career was exhibiting Supreme Champion at the California State Fair with a cow bred by James Pappas of Stardust Jerseys. He also exhibited cattle at The All-American Junior Jersey Show and helped with the All American Jersey Sale. He placed third in the National Jersey Youth Achievement Contest.

Jonathan has an associate’s degree in dairy science from Modesto Junior College. He graduated from California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo with a major in dairy science and a minor in agriculture business. He also received a master’s degree in dairy genetics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Merriam was selected for the California Agriculture Leadership program, a two-year leadership program with extensive training in leadership areas of health, communication and politics. The program included a week-long trip to Washington D.C. to meet with politicians to discuss agriculture issues and a three-week excursion to India and Nepal to share agricultural knowledge and experience with third-world countries.

Jonathan was general chair for the 2019 All American and served on the board of Jerseyland Sires. Jonathan has served on the Hickman School Board for more than 20 years—three times as president—a position that has given him experience and an understanding of all aspects of public education, government regulations, negotiations, and staff evaluations. He helps coach the FFA dairy judging team, is a 4-H dairy project leader and volunteers to serve community through church and other civic opportunities.

Jonathan’s wife, Becca, is a paraeducator in middle school and together they have four children. Kathryn, an elementary school teacher in Dayton, Nev., is married and has two sons. Reva is married and completing her studies to become a nurse. Grace is married as well and starting nursing school. Nathan is a radiographer with a national research lab. Kathryn, Reva, Grace and Nathan have all received their state FFA degrees. Nathan attended the 2019 Jersey Youth Academy.

Albright owns and operates Albright Jerseys LLC with his wife, Mary Beth, their children, Lauren and Luke, and his parents, Fred and Becky. The 600-cow Registered Jersey herd is enrolled on REAP and uses JerseyTags for permanent identification and JerseyMate for the top half of herd matings. The Albrights are also contract advertisers with Jersey Journal and members of the White Eagle Cooperative.

Albright Jerseys has a 2024 actual herd average of 21,520 lbs. milk, 1,071 lbs. fat and 781 lbs. protein, marks that rank first for milk, fifth for fat and fourth for protein nationally among herds with 300-749 cows. The herd ranks #9 in the nation for genetic merit with a herd average JPI of +84 (April 2025).

The Albrights have been milking Jerseys since 1947. Joel grew up on the family farm and graduated from The Ohio State University with a degree in agriculture education in 2000 and a master’s degree in human and community resource development in 2003. He taught agricultural education at Crestview High School from 2001 to 2018 and then returned to the dairy to farm full time.

The herd was expanded from 340 cows in 2012 to its present size by capitalizing on the Jersey breed’s internal growth advantages. During this time, the Albrights also nearly doubled production per cow by focusing on the basics of cow comfort, feed quality, reproduction and protocol consistency.

To manage the expansion, the Albrights undertook several facility upgrades, including construction of a new maternity and special needs area, a flush system and a pair of six-row freestall barns. They retrofitted their barns to accommodate robotic milkers and constructed a new milk house. Cows are milked by nine Lely A4 robotic milkers and fed a partial mixed ration prepared with two twin-screw vertical mixers. The milking cow ration includes corn silage, wheatlage, bag haylage and high-moisture corn. Feed is pushed with a Lely Juno feed pusher.

The Albrights regularly consign animals to local, state and national Jersey sales, including the Ohio Fall Production Sale, the Buckeye Classic Sale and the Pot O’Gold Sale. Twice, their consignments to the National Heifer Sale have garnered the top price. In 2020, Sexing Technologies purchased AJ Chief 4611 for $42,000, and, in 2023, Matthew Steiner of Pine Tree Dairy purchased AJ Chief 5545 (now AJ Chief Galadriel, owned by the Semex Alliance) for $27,000. Half of the proceeds from the Albright consignment to the 2017 Ohio Spring Classic Sale were donated to help fund the AJCA-NAJ Annual Meetings hosted by Ohio in 2018.

Joel received the AJCA Young Jersey Breeder award in 2016. He was the associate chair of the All American in 2022 and general chair the following year. He currently serves on the All American Sale Committee, which he chaired in 2021. He sat on the Ohio FFA Board of Trustees and chaired the organization’s proficiency award program from 2015 to 2017. During his 17-year tenure as Crestview FFA advisor, chapter members earned 94 state degrees and 43 American degrees. Joel has also served FFA as an assistant coordinator for career development events. Joel was elected to serve a three-year term on the AgCredit board in 2024.

Albright Jerseys was a tour stop for the International Conference of the World Jersey Cattle Bureau held in conjunction with the AJCA-NAJ Annual Meetings in 2017 and hosted Jersey Youth Academy several times. The dairy was also a virtual farm tour for World Dairy Expo in 2018.