National Jersey Leadership Named at Annual Meetings

Officers and directors of the USJersey organizations were elected during the Annual Meetings of the American Jersey Cattle Association (AJCA) and National All-Jersey Inc. (NAJ) held on June 23 and 24, 2023 in LaCrosse, Wis.

Alan Chittenden, Schodack Landing, N.Y., was elected to his second one-year term as President of AJCA on June 24. He is a fourth-generation breeder and owner of Registered Jerseys at Dutch Hollow Farms LLC. He owns and operates the farm with his parents and two brothers. They milk 900 Registered Jerseys and have the herd enrolled in REAP, are contract advertisers in the Jersey Journal and have contributed to Equity for nearly 50 years. In 2012, the family was honored with the AJCA Master Breeder award. In addition, he has served as General Chair of The All American Jersey Shows & Sales in 2018, and chair of The All American Sale Committee in 2016. He served two terms as AJCA Director from the Second District from 2014-2020.

Rebecca Ferry, Johnstown, N.Y., was re-elected to her second three-year term as a Director from the Second District. She owns and operates Dreamroad Jerseys LLC, an 80-cow Registered Jersey herd, with her sister Sandra Scott. The herd is enrolled in AJCA’s REAP program. Becky was the 2002 National Jersey Youth Achievement winner and received the AJCA Young Jersey Breeder Award with Sandra in 2013. She was co-chair of the 2019 AJCA-NAJ Annual Meetings in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. In addition, she has served as co-secretary and vice president of the New York Jersey Cattle Club. She is a member of the Identification and Information Technology and Development committees.

Ted DeMent, Kenney, Ill., was elected to a three-year term as Director from the Sixth District. Ted and his family own and operate DeMents Jerseys, a 260-acre dairy farm established by his parents, Don and Shirley, in 1955. Ted was an appraiser for the AJCA for six years before returning to the home farm. In 2009, he and his wife, Cheryl, assumed management of the dairy. DeMents Jerseys is enrolled on REAP and uses JerseyTags for permanent identification. Ted and Cheryl received the AJCA Young Jersey Breeder Award in 2005. Ted was named the winner of the Max Gordon Recognition Award in 2021. He succeeded Karen Bohnert, East Moline, Ill., after she completed two consecutive terms as director.

John Maxwell, Donahue, Iowa, was elected for his second term as AJCA Director from the Eighth District. He and his family own and operate Cinnamon Ridge Dairy, a 190-cow Registered Jersey herd. The herd is enrolled on REAP. The farm has diversified through the years, adding a large agri-tourism business that hosts an average of 7,000 visitors a year. The tours aim to educate visitors on practices of a modern dairy and row crop operation. John received the AJCA Young Jersey Breeder Award in 1997. He is currently serving as dairy superintendent of the Mississippi Valley Fair, a supervisor for Scott County and fire commissioner for the Donahue Volunteer Fire Department. He is a past president of DHIA and the Outstanding Young Farmers Organization. As well he sat on boards for Dairyland Jersey Sires Inc., Iowa State University Extension Council and River Valley Cooperative. He serves on the AJCA Finance and Development committees.

Cornell Kasbergen, Tulare, Calif., was elected to AJCA Director from the Eleventh District. Kasbergen and his wife, Teri, and son and daughter-in-law, Case and Allison, own and operate Rancho Teresita Dairy. The dairy consists of 1,800 acres of farmland; 3,600 Registered Jerseys and 1,400 Holsteins. The herd is enrolled on REAP and has many animals that rank among the elite of the breed for Genomic Jersey Performance Index. Cornell chairs the Milk Producers Council and recently completed 22 years of service on the Land O’Lakes board of directors. He chaired the audit committee for Land O’Lakes and represented the organization on the National Milk Producers Federation board. Kasbergen is a member of the dairy committee for the Agriculture Council of California and the milk producer review board for the California Department of Food and Agriculture. As well he served on the California Dairy Environmental Justice Fund. He serves on the AJCA Finance and Breed Improvement Committees and the Jersey Performance Index Advisory Committee.

Chairs of standing committees for 2023-24 are Bradley Taylor, Booneville, Miss., Finance; Joel Albright, Willard, Ohio, Breed Improvement; Garry Hansen, Mulino, Ore., Development; Donna Phillips, Newton, Wis., Information Technology and Identification.

National All-Jersey Inc.
John Kokoski, Hadley, Mass., was re-elected as president by the Board of Directors for National All-Jersey Inc., on June 23, 2023. Kokoski has been a member of the NAJ Board since 2007. He and his family own and operate Mapleline Farm LLC. The enterprise includes a 135-cow Registered Jersey herd enrolled on REAP and a dairy plant that processes and distributes a full line of Jersey milk products to grocery retailers, restaurants and university food service. Kokoski is a past director of the Massachusetts Cooperative Milk Producers Federation and has served more than 25 years on the New England Dairy Promotion Board.

James S. Huffard III, Crockett, Va., was re-elected as Vice President of National All-Jersey Inc., and will continue to serve as Finance Chair. He owns and operates Huffard Dairy Farms, an all-Jersey herd enrolled on REAP, with his family.

Jason Cast, Beaver Crossing, Neb., was re-elected for his third four-year term as Director from District One to the NAJ board. Cast owns and operates JJC Jerseys with his wife and six children. The herd was been enrolled on REAP since 2013.

Appointed to the NAJ Board of Directors as an at-large director by AJCA President Chittenden was Tom Seals, Beaver, Ore. He succeeded retiring director Walter Owens, Frederic, Wis. Tom served on the AJCA board from 2013-2019. Along, with his wife Jennie and son Coltan, Tom operates Legendairy Farms LLC, a 300-cow Registered Jersey™ herd enrolled on REAP. Tom was a member of the AJCA Type Advisory Committee from 2006 to 2010. He has served on the board of the Oregon Dairy Farmers Association and as president of the Oregon Jersey Cattle Association. Tom is currently a board member of Tillamook County DHIA and Tillamook County Creamery Association.

Ex officio directors on the NAJ Board for 2023-2024 are AJCA President Alan Chittenden and AJCA Board committee chairs Bradley Taylor, Finance, and Garry Hansen, Development.