Jersey Production Achievements Recognized
Three Registered Jersey cows were honored for outstanding production achievements at the Annual Meetings of the American Jersey Cattle (AJCA) and National All-Jersey Inc. in Springfield, Mass., on June 22, 2024.
Oakfield TBone Vivianne-ET, owned by Kevin and Annetta Herrington, Dansville, N.Y., has topped every division of the AJCA Leading Living Lifetime Production Contest and will receive the Ogston Trophy for milk, the High Lawn Trophy for fat and the Edyvean Farm Trophy for protein production. Her lifetime totals through December 31, 2023, are 293,676 lbs. milk, 15,693 lbs. fat and 11,773 lbs. protein in 3,916 days.
Dodan Crisp Complete Krumple-ET, owned by D & D Jerseys, Newton, Wis., will receive the President’s Trophy for protein production with a 3-4 record with a mature equivalent (m.e.) of 1,327 lbs. protein.
Exels Marcin Ellie 3977, owned by Hank and Carolyn VanExel, Lodi, Calif., will be presented with the Hilmar Cheese Yield Trophy for actual cheese production with a 5-9 record of 4,545 lbs. cheese yield.
Leading Living Lifetime Production Contest
The 2023 Leading Living Lifetime Production Contest distinguishes cows alive as of December 31, 2023, who produced a minimum of 225,000 lbs. milk, 10,000 lbs. fat or 8,000 lbs. protein. Forty-one cows qualified for the contest. Fourteen of them are represented in the top 10 placings for milk, fat or protein. As a group, the top 10 in each division produced 250,114 lbs. milk, 12,590 lbs. fat and 9,393 lbs. protein, with average daily production of 77.2 lbs. milk, 4.1 lbs. fat and 3.0 lbs. protein. They hail from farms in California, Iowa, New York, Ohio and Wisconsin.
A genetically diverse group, the 14 cows represented in the top placings in each division are sired by 13 different bulls. BW Academy-ET, GJPI +35, is the only bull that sired multiple daughters that ranked among the top 10, at two.
As mentioned, “Vivianne” was the top producer in every contest division this year. She first placed in the contest in 2021 and ranked second in each category last year. She calved eight times, most recently in October 2021, and added 21,937 lbs. milk, 1,293 lbs. fat and 1,018 lbs. protein to her lifetime totals in 2023. Her average daily production stands at 75 lbs. milk, 4.01 lbs. fat and 3.01 lbs. protein.
Seven of her eight lactations exceed 21,000 lbs. milk and two are over 30,000 lbs. milk. Two lactations rank on the current National Class Leader list for production among cows 10 years and over. Her 10-10 record (28,060 lbs. milk, 1,418 lbs. fat, 1,095 lbs. protein) ranks for protein and cheese yield (3,671 lbs.). Her 11-10 record (31,720 lbs. milk, 1,676 lbs. fat, 1,179 lbs. protein) ranks for milk and protein and is the class leader for cheese yield at 4,078 lbs.
“Vivianne” is the highest appraised matriarch in the contest at Excellent-96% and has the most registered progeny at 74. Sired by Richies Jace TBone A 364, GJPI -18, she was bred by Alicia and Jonathan Lamb, Oakfield, N.Y., and purchased by the Herringtons privately in June 2010 after they bought her full sister as a choice in the Oakfield Corners Spring Sensation Sale in 2009. Her grandam is Huronia Centurion Veronica 20J. The Herringtons have heavily marketed descendants from the “Queen of the Barn” over the years.
“Vivianne” and her herdmates at Kevetta Farms are housed in a compost pack barn and milked in a 12-stall flat barn parlor. Cows are rotationally grazed from May through October and offered free choice baleage as well. During the winter, they are fed a total mixed ration and fed at a rate of 50% with free choice baleage. A custom grain mix is purchased and top-dressed based on production.
The Kevetta herd ranks fifth in the nation for milk with a lactation average (m.e.) of 23,494 lbs. milk, 1,163 lbs. fat and 930 lbs. protein on 45 lactations. With the latest herd appraisal in March 2024, the herd includes 25 Excellents and 22 Very Goods (none lower) and has an average final score of 89.7%. Nine of the Excellents descend from “Vivianne,” including Kevetta Citation A Vintage-ET, Excellent-94%, and Kevetta Casino Versa, Excellent-93%.
Yosemite Delta Blair J5440 {4}-P, owned by Matos Dairy, Hilmar, Calif., ranks second for milk and third for protein with lifetime totals of 276,982 lbs. milk, 10,582 lbs. fat and 9,640 lbs. protein in 4,063 days.
Bred by Yosemite Jersey Dairy, also of Hilmar, she sold to Matos Dairy as a youthful 13-year-old in January 2022, a month fresh with her 12th calf. She is sired by Fairway Klassic Delta-P, JPI -67, and was made Excellent-90% at 10-05.
She ranked for milk and protein in last year’s contest too and has average daily production of 68 lbs. milk, 2.6 lbs. fat and 2.37 lbs. protein. Six of her records exceed 22,000 lbs. milk. She has a best record of 7-7 305 3x 27,810 3.8% 1,049 3.5 960 94DCR.
One of five cows at Lawton Jersey Farm, owned by Merle Lawton and his family of Newark Valley, N.Y., ranks third for milk. Lawtons Academy Kassie has lifetime totals of 251,803 lbs. milk, 10,581 lbs. fat and 8,532 lbs. protein in 3,181 days. She added 25,034 lbs. milk, 1,035 lbs. fat and 832 lbs. protein to her lifetime totals in 2023 to move up in the rankings from last year. Her average daily production is 79 lbs. milk, 3.33 lbs. fat and 2.68 lbs. protein.
The Excellent-95% “Academy” daughter is a milk wagon, with a nine lactation m.e. average of 26,143 – 1,097 – 880. She made an actual record of 19,510 lbs. milk, 817 lbs. fat and 654 lbs. protein as a milking yearling and then never completed a lactation below 23,000 lbs. milk. She has a top record of 4-1 305 28,400 4.4% 1,237 3.4% 964 102DCR. She calved last in February 2023 with a heifer, Lawtons Graduate Kali, and has three other registered daughters by natural birth.
The Lawton’s herd ranks second nationally for fat production, third for milk and fourth for protein with an actual 2024 herd average of 24,220 lbs. milk, 1,207 lbs. fat and 866 lbs. protein on 73 lactations. With the March herd appraisal, the herd includes 53 Excellents and 43 Very Goods (none lower) and has an average final score of 89.1%. Cows are managed in a tiestall barn and four group pens. The Lawtons attribute consistent feed quality and constant access to production and profitability along with genetics and cow comfort.
Returning to the top rankings again this year is another production standout, Lost Elm Action Erotica-Twin, owned by Jason Luttropp, Berlin, Wis. She ranks fourth for milk and second for components with 250,782 lbs. milk, 13,767 lbs. fat and 10,118 lbs. protein in 3,799 days. She produced 25,132 lbs. milk, 1,329 lbs. fat and 942 lbs. protein during 2023 to boost her lifetime totals and has an average daily production of 66 lbs. milk, 3.62 lbs. fat and 2.66 lbs. protein.
“Erotica” has 10 complete lactations – seven over 20,000 lbs. milk – and a top milk record of 8-6 305 26,010 5.1% 1,316 3.9% 1,020 98DCR. She first placed in the lifetime contest in 2021 and moved up in the rankings each year thereafter.
Sired by Forest Glen Avery Action-ET, GJPI -44, she is appraised Excellent-92% and has six registered daughters. “Erotica” is out of a foundation cow family at Lost Elm Jerseys. Her dam, Excellence of Lost Elm-ET, Excellent-90%, was purchased as an embryo from the Top of the World Sale two decades ago. Her dam, Hollylane Rene Esmeralda, EX 93-4E (CAN), is a former Canadian fat and protein champion who was also Reserve All-Canadian Senior Two-Year-Old in 1995.
“Erotica” is one of 35 Excellent and 15 Very Good cows that call Lost Elm home. One of her herdmates, Hi Poits-Concept Spunky Morgan {6}, was recently appraised Excellent-96%. The ladies also know how to milk, with an actual 2024 herd average of 23,640 lbs. milk, 1,146 lbs. fat and 886 lbs. protein.
JX Lawtons Academy Stella {4}, a paternal sister and herdmate to “Kassie,” makes her debut in the lifetime production contest ranked fifth for milk with 246,079 lbs. milk, 9,502 lbs. fat and 7,874 lbs. protein in 2,812 days. She has the second-highest milk production per day of the top 10 in the milk division, with 88 lbs. milk and components of 3.38 lbs. fat and 2.8 lbs. protein.
The Excellent-91% “Academy” daughter has an m.e. average of 28,418 – 1,075 – 896 across seven complete lactations. She made 18,740 lbs. milk, 707 lbs. fat and 599 lbs. protein as a junior two-year-old and then took off, with six lactations over 25,800 lbs. milk. She has three records over 30,000 lbs. milk and a top record of 7-0 305 35.320 3/8% 1.334 3/0% 1.066 102DCR. She last calved in December 2022 with a heifer, JX Lawtons Matt Shamrock {5}, and completed a 10-03 record of 29,020 lbs. milk, 1,138 lbs. fat and 890 lbs. protein.
In the fat division, Cold Run Belvedere Marcella returns to the contest ranked third with lifetime production of 234,177 lbs. milk, 12,495 lbs. fat and 8,504 lbs. protein in 3,017 days. One of two members of the milking string at Cold Run Jerseys LLC in Salem, Ohio, she is sired by Sunset Canyon Belvedere-ET, GJPI -5, and appraised Excellent-93%.
“Marcella” placed in the lifetime contest in 2021 and 2022 and produced 22,376 lbs. milk, 1,008 lbs. fat and 731 lbs. protein during 2023 to rise in the rankings this year. She has a top record of 5-2 305 32,730 6.8% 2,215 3.3% 1,087 104DCR, which ranks sixth on the current National Class Leader list for fat. The 11-year-old freshened in November 2022 with her sixth calf and has three registered daughters. Her average daily production stands at 78 lbs. milk, 4.14 lbs. fat and 2.82 lbs. protein.
Cold Run Jerseys has been one of the country’s leading fat producers for many years and currently ranks 10th with a 2023 lactation average (m.e.) of 22,640 lbs. milk, 1,221 lbs. fat and 817 lbs. protein on 219 cows. The farm is owned and operated by James and Tara Herron and their family. Cows are housed in a four-row freestall barn with pasture mats and sawdust bedding and milked in a double-10 GEA parallel parlor with rapid exit and fully automated milk metering. Feed is pushed by a GEA RoboRebel feed pusher.
A pair of matriarchs at Lawton Jersey Farm round out the top five fat rankings. Lawtons Champ Half, owned by Jersey junior Ryan Lawton, is making her debut in the contest ranked fourth for fat and eighth for protein with 224,611 lbs. milk, 12,467 lbs. fat and 8,703 lbs. protein in 2,567 days. Sired by Margandale Cherry Champ, GJPI -12, she is appraised Excellent-90% and has average daily production of 87 lbs. milk, 4.86 lbs. fat and 3.39 lbs. protein.
“Half” has eight complete lactations and freshened with her ninth calf on May Day 2024 as a youthful 12-year-old. She gave 71 lbs. milk for the tester in late May and has an actual projected record of 19,757 lbs. milk, 916 lbs. fat and 668 lbs. protein. She is a steady performer, with five records over 23,000 lbs. milk and a top record of 8-10 305 27,840 5.6% 1,562 3.7% 1,031 102DCR.
She is a product of the Pot O’Gold program. Ryan purchased her dam, SAR Walker Harley, from Clifford Henry Stiles of Newberry, S.C., at the Pot O’Gold Sale in 2009. “Half” has a maternal sister and four registered daughters.
The other Lawton matriarch, Lawtons Legal Peanut, is owned by Ryan’s brother, Nathan. No stranger to production contests, she ranks fourth for protein, fifth for fat and seventh for milk in this year’s lifetime production contest with 240,177 lbs. milk, 12,384 lbs. fat and 9,350 lbs. protein in 2,885 days. “Peanut’s” average daily production stands at 83 lbs. milk, 4.29 lbs. fat and 3.24 lbs. protein.
The Excellent-91% daughter of Tollenaars Impuls Legal 233-ET, GJPI -5, placed among the top 10 in the component divisions of the contest last year and has won state youth production contests as well. She was an early production star, with more than 19,700 lbs. milk in her first lactation followed by seven consecutive lactations over 26,000 lbs. milk. She made her best record of 31,150 lbs. milk, 1,576 lbs. fat and 1,179 lbs. protein at 7-11. “Peanut” last calved in late July 2023 and just completed a 305-day record of 26,150 lbs. milk, 1,358 lbs. fat and 963 lbs. protein at 11-6.
Rounding out the top five rankings in the contest for protein is Cinnamon Ridge Visionry Chastity-ET, owned by Amy Maxwell of Donahue, Iowa. “Chastity” ranks in the lifetime production contest for the first time with 224,195 lbs. milk, 12,111 lbs. fat and 9,095 lbs. protein in 3,047 days. The marks rank fifth for protein and sixth for fat. The Very Good-84% daughter of All Lynns Legal Visionary-ET, GJPI +53, has an average daily production of 74 lbs. milk, 3.97 lbs. fat and 2.98 lbs. protein.
“Chastity” has seven complete lactations. She made 15,700 lbs. milk in her first lactation as a milking yearling and followed this up with 20,700 lbs. milk as a junior three-year-old. She completed another five lactations over 25,000 lbs. milk and has a best record of 8-6 305 3x 28,800 5.2% 1,492 3.9% 1,109 104DCR. She freshened with her eighth calf in early March 2024 and has a projected 305-day record of 23,728 lbs. milk, 1,329 lbs. fat and 843 lbs. fat actual at 11-7.
“Chastity” is out of Cinnamon Ridge Artis Praise, Very Good-87%, who won many production awards for Amy in youth competitions and was in the donor dam program at Cinnamon Ridge Dairy. Amy purchased her dam, Woodstock Hallmark Louisa, from Woodstock Dairy, Corning, Calif., in the 2007 Pot O’Gold Sale. Cinnamon Ridge Nitro Noble-ET, a maternal sister to “Chastity,” won the Hilmar Cheese Yield Trophy last year.
Cows are milked in a robotic facility at Cinnamon Ridge Dairy, owned and operated by Amy’s family. The dairy leads the nation in milk production and ranks second for protein and seventh for fat with a 2023 herd average of 25,485 lbs. milk, 1,155 lbs. fat and 924 lbs. protein. The Maxwells make cheese on the farm and sell milk to Brewster Cheese as well. They incorporated agrotourism into their business model many years ago and included robot-viewing windows and an upstairs meeting room with windows that overlook the barn to allow visitors to see the cows in action.
President’s Trophy and Hilmar Cheese Yield Trophy
As mentioned, Dodan Crisp Complete Krumple-ET is the winner of the President’s Trophy. This award is for the Registered Jersey with the highest protein yield on an m.e. basis. In her second lactation, “Krumple” made a 3-4 record with an m.e. of 40,466 – 1,376 – 1,327 to win the award. Actual production was 37,080 lbs. milk, 1,303 lbs. fat and 1,239 lbs. protein, which ranks second on the current National Class Leader list for milk production among junior three-year-olds.
“Krumple” made 28,320 lbs. milk, 1,211 lbs. fat and 986 lbs. protein in her first lactation as a junior two-year-old. Sired by Progenesis Completely-ET, GJPI +30, she is appraised Desirable-78% and has two registered daughters.
She is in good company at D & D Jerseys, which ranks among the nation’s top 10 herds for all measures of production with a 2023 herd average of 23,286 lbs. milk, 1,128 lbs. fat and 866 lbs. protein on 74 lactations. The herd also ranks among the top 50 herds in the country for genetic merit with a herd average Jersey Performance Index of +70 (April 2024). Nearly every female is genotyped.
Fittingly, the winner of the Hilmar Cheese Yield Trophy, Exels Marcin Ellie 3977, produces milk that is shipped to Hilmar Cheese, the largest single-site producer of natural American-style cheese and whey products in the world. The Desirable-78% daughter of Glynn Valentino Marcin, GJPI +22, produced a five-year-old record of 27,590 lbs. milk, 1,645 lbs. fat and 1,378 lbs. protein, with a cheese yield equivalent of 4,545 lbs. to win the award.
“Ellie 3977” made 23,200 lbs. milk as a milking yearling and then three subsequent records over 30,000 lbs. milk. She made a top record of 5-9 305 3x 37,590 4.4% 1,645 3.7% 1,378 95DCR, which ranks for protein on the current National Class Leader list. She calved in mid-February 2024 but was sold a month fresh.
The VanExels milk a mixed herd of Holsteins and Jerseys. The Jersey herd has an actual 2024 herd average of 21,249 lbs. milk, 1,031 lbs. fat and 802 lbs. protein on 570 lactations. With the April herd appraisal, the Jersey herd includes 47 Excellents and 174 Very Goods and has an average final score of 85%. Hank was named Dairyman of the Year by World Dairy Expo in 2016.
