The Board of Directors of the American Jersey Cattle Association (AJCA) has named six recipients of the Young Jersey Breeder Award for 2024. They are Grady Auer, New London, Wis.; Branden and Rebekah Brown, Cortland, N.Y.; Kristen Duden, Princeton, Minn.; Nicole Fletcher Schwab, Southampton, Mass.; Maria Noble, Gillett, Pa.; and Lyman and Chelsey Rudgers, Attica, N.Y.
The first Young Jersey Breeder Awards were presented in 1976. Since then, more than 310 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 Springfield, Mass., on June 19, 2024.
Grady Auer
When Grady Auer was growing up on his family farm in New London, Wis., he was surrounded by Holsteins. However, in 2010, a key purchase at the Illinois Production Sale changed the trajectory of the Our-J Jerseys and Bakake Acres herd. Today, their family farm milks around 140 Jerseys and 500 Holsteins.
Auer credits his success to great mentors and breeders of animals that he’s purchased in the past. When talking about their influence, he said, “The purchases from these herds made our group better, but knowing the breeders made me better as an owner and person.”
With a strategic breeding plan in-hand, Auer has developed a Registered Jersey herd that averages over 17,200 lbs. milk, 951 lbs. fat, and 655 lbs. protein on the 140 milking cows. These leading ladies also have an average appraisal score of Very Good-84.6% as of December 2023.
With several impressive accomplishments, such as a seventh-generation Excellent cow and a lifetime production award winner, Auer is an avid supporter of USJersey programs. He’s enrolled in REAP, Equity, and has advertised in the Jersey Journal. Auer has also been an advocate of Jersey Marketing Service throughout the years.
With a motto of “I will try to educate anyone who wants to be educated,” Auer is known in his community for making a difference. He opens his farm to educate the public and give them experiences they otherwise may not have had. In addition, he allows multiple youth each year to exhibit his animals at their county fair and sits on several breed association boards. Auer also coaches youth sports.
With multiple letters of support, one touching letter came from an 11-year-old young neighbor who shows one of Auer’s Jersey heifers at the county fair. He credited Auer for giving him an understanding of dairy cattle. The influence Auer has on his community is clear.
One thing is obvious for Auer—family is everything. Grady is passing the passion for Jersey cattle onto his son, Griffin and daughters, Emery, Macy, and Brynn. While Auer’s former business partner—and father—Jim Auer, is no longer earthside, Auer is confident in continuing the family tradition of dairy farming to ensure the farm’s success for future generations.
Branden and Rebekah Brown
Looking back, neither Branden or Rebekah Brown, Cortland, N.Y., would have predicted they would be milking a herd of solely Registered Jerseys and processing their own milk. But with hard work, dedication, and the right opportunities, these Young Jersey Breeders have made their mark.
The Browns own Trinity Valley Dairy which is a herd of 60-Registered Jerseys milked with a robotic milking system. After Branden and Rebekah married, rather than using their degrees in electrical and nursing, they quit their off-farm jobs and began farming with Rebekah’s parents.
In the beginning, the herd consisted of Holsteins milked in a tie-stall barn. Knowing they needed to add additional revenue to support two families, they began processing their own milk into cheese and bottled milk that is sold in stores around New York State and the East Coast. A few years later, they built the robotic milking facility. Eventually, they would like to also process their own ice cream.
“It was very important to me to start out with a solid group of cows,” Brown wrote in their application. “We decided to switch to Jerseys because of the high component milk they produce; with us making cheese on the farm, we wanted to make the plant as efficient as possible.”
Branden credits Betsy (Luchsinger) Czadzeck as his biggest influence and contributor to his passion for Jersey cattle. He purchased his initial Jersey additions from her in 2019, as well as the remainder of her herd when she passed away suddenly from COVID.
Today, the Browns have a very profitable herd of cows. On the January 2024 test, their herd of 62-Registered Jerseys had an actual rolling herd average of 17,690 lbs. milk, 972 lbs. fat, and 672 lbs. protein.
The Trinity Valley herd is enrolled in REAP. Branden enjoys the genetic side of dairying as well, and especially finds joy in the genetic and phenotypic progress his herd has made in recent years. In fact, in 2023, they exhibited the second-place spring calf at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Jersey Show in Harrisburg, Pa.
“The entire Brown family has an amazing zest for farming,” Christine Sheesley Rozler, Canton, N.Y., wrote in a letter of support. “The energy surrounding their family is contagious.”
With a passion for agriculture advocacy, the Browns built their new robot barn with the community in mind. They regularly host open houses and have an area where the public can watch the milking herd in action. Many events have taken place at Trinity Valley.
In the future, one thing if for certain, Branden, Rebekah and their four children—Landen, Lillian, Tanner and Dariel—will continue growing their Jersey herd and their involvement within the Jersey community.
Kristin Reiman Duden
Kristin Reiman Duden is driven. She has many goals, but one of the most inspiring is ensuring her family farm—Brickton Jerseys in Princeton, Minn.—makes it to its centennial anniversary in 2033. The beloved Jersey cow will help support Kristin and her husband, Thomas, to accomplish this goal.
Brickton Jerseys currently milks 28 Registered Jerseys in a tie-stall barn. Duden grazes the cows as often as possible throughout the year, but supplements with a basic ration as needed throughout the cold Minnesota winters. All of her animals are enrolled in the REAP program.
Strategic and methodical, Duden has worked meticulously to set the farm up for success. She runs a strict herd health program, has implemented vaccination and health testing protocols, and identified key areas of opportunity to upgrade on the dairy to make the day-to-day tasks more efficient and manageable.
Duden wears many hats: dairy farmer, wife, mother, mentor, cattle judge, educator, etc. She is known in the community for her involvement in a very wide range of events and activities, which is obvious from her extensive list of accolades and achievements.
Throughout her youth, Duden was extremely involved showing dairy cattle and competed in the National Jersey Queen contest twice. She also was an avid participant in FFA.
“Transparency and connections with consumers are paramount,” wrote Duden in her application. A statement Duden obviously lives by, as she champions multiple community awareness events and allows youth to lease her animals each year. In addition, she sits on the Minnesota Jersey Cattle Association board and is the state’s Jersey Queen Coordinator.
Abby Grimm, former Fred Stout Experience Award recipient from Milaca, Minn., is one of the individuals who has benefited from Duden’s generosity and support.
In a letter of recommendation she wrote, “Kristin showed me that it didn’t matter that I did not have the chance to grow up on a farm. She taught me all about farming and about what I am capable of doing.”
Kristin and Thomas are advocates for mental health in rural/farming communities. “It is our mission to let everyone know that there is help out there,” wrote Duden. “It’s okay to not be okay.”
The couple has done multiple interviews to recount their own experiences to hopefully inspire others to seek help with depression and mental health. Their transparency and overall care for others in their agriculture community is inspiring.
Duden has and hopes to continue inspiring youth. For her, that is her inspiration and passion. As she continues this venture, her and Thomas’ children, Madelynn, Cordell and Marilyn, will certainly benefit from such supportive, advocative, and passionate parents.
Nicole Fletcher Schwab
Fourth-generation dairy farmer, Nicole Fletcher Schwab, Southampton, Mass., proudly inherited her grandmother’s passion for Jersey cattle. Today, her herd of 30-Registered Jerseys calls Fletcher Farm home where she farms and runs a farm stand with her parents and younger brother.
Nicole’s herd has not always been registered. At 15, she took the initiative to go through the genetic recovery process with their current Jersey herd. Today, their Jerseys and Holsteins are all registered.
The Jersey herd’s AJCA lactation average in 2023 was 19,102–938–724 m.e. on 30 cows. Fletcher is a proud supporter of USJersey programs, being enrolled in REAP, contributes to Equity and uses JerseyTags.
One of Nicole’s passions is the genetics on the farm. Currently, the herd has an average appraisal score of Very Good-85.5% with seven homebred Excellent cows. She breeds for strength, width, and style, while focusing also on positive production and udder traits. Based on the bulk tank and appraisal results, Fletcher’s focus and dedication to this program has paid off.
“I am a true New England Jersey breeder,” wrote Schwab. “I value longstanding cow and bull families, Jersey breed history, and appreciate the traits that make Jerseys a great choice for the New England climate, terrain, and consumer product market.”
In addition to the family farm, the Fletchers have an on-farm store. They support local businesses—such as Mapleline milk, Cabot cheese, Echo Farm pudding—as well as offering seasonal items such as flowers, pumpkins, and Christmas trees. Nicole also champions the agritourism efforts for the family businesses, taking pride in educating and advocating for the industry.
As a youth, she did it all—dairy judging, quiz bowl, trips, conferences, showing, etc. Therefore, her decision to pursue a future with cattle was simple. What makes her special is that she has continued with those activities but rather as a coach and mentor to the next generation.
In each of her four letters of support, her nominators detailed the influence Nicole has had on youth involved in her programs. It is clear that her dedication and passion for youth will greatly influence our next generation of dairy leaders.
She believes in being involved in local organizations and committees. She sits on multiple boards and holds leadership positions on many of those. In fact, she is the youth chair for the upcoming 2024 AJCA-NAJ Annual Meetings.
A proud female farmer, Nicole has also recently accomplished another lifelong goal: being added to the list of qualified national show judges by Holstein USA. As one of only a few females on the list, she hopes to see more women added to the docket in the near future.
“Evaluating cattle is one of my favorite things to do,” said Fletcher. “Meeting people and seeing nice cows keeps me excited to farm.”
Maria Jo Noble
The 2016 National Jersey Queen, Maria Jo Noble of Gillett, Pa., has been selected as a recipient of the 2024 Young Jersey Breeder Award.
Nobledale Farms is a family affair of Noble and her parents, Stuart and Elaine. They milk 76-Registered Jerseys, 23 of which are owned solely by Noble. Noble returned to the farm full-time in 2020 after several years of balancing other jobs while contributing part-time.
The genetic program became a focus for Noble in 2018. Using the foundation her parents established, Maria has utilized the AJCA JerseyMate program to further their genetic selection efforts. Today, the herd averages 18,196 lbs. milk, 893 lbs. fat, and 690 lbs. protein.
To date, Noble has added 14 Excellent cows to the herd, as well as over 25 animals scored Very Good-85% or higher. One of the individuals she is most proud of is Nobledale Action Bella, Excellent-95%. “Bella” is the farm’s first homebred Excellent-95% cow and has also been a force in the showring for the Nobles.
Maria took full advantage of Jersey and dairy youth programs. She was a regular face at local, state and national shows growing up, as well as an active member in the state’s junior association. Noble also attended Jersey Youth Academy in 2011 as part of Class II, as well as served as the 2012 Pennsylvania State Dairy Princess.
Today, she has taken on the role of inspiring youth as the Pennsylvania Jersey Youth Program Coordinator and the queen coordinator.
“This is a way for me to give back to an organization that has molded me into the young adult I am today and get the next generation of Jersey enthusiasts involved,” she explained.
Noble is forward thinking and has many goals for both herself, as well as Nobledale Farms in the future. She wants to continue breeding quality cattle, as well as animals that make an impact in the A.I. industry and show ring. In addition, she wants to explore genomic testing and see how this can enhance her mating decisions.
“Maria demonstrates leadership within our Pennsylvania Jersey community and has a strong vision that makes a positive impact on the dairy industry, and more specifically the Jersey breed,” explained Renée Norman-Kenny, Enon Valley, Pa., in a support letter.
Noble is a proud eighth generation Registered Jersey breeder. Perhaps her biggest goal is to hopefully raise the ninth generation at Nobledale and continue the family’s legacy of breeding quality Jersey cattle.
Lyman and Chelsey Rudgers
As stated in their application, Lyman and Chelsey Rudgers began their dairy industry careers with ‘a dream and some cows.’ What they left out of this statement was that they had the drive, ambition, and willpower to use this as a catalyst to create a successful Registered Jersey Farm.
At the young ages of 21 and 18, Lyman and Chelsey Rudgers began their careers as dairy farmers with 23 cows in a tie stall. Since then, they have grown the herd to 350 milking individuals which are milked in a double 10 parallel parlor and housed in a six-row freestall barn, all designed by the couple. The pair also grows and harvests all of their own forages on around 500 acres of land.
“We have spent most of our career breeding Jerseys that milk great, breed well, have good udders and correct feet and legs,” the couple wrote in their application. The herd is enrolled in REAP.
These efforts have paid off, as the farm has an overall rolling herd average of 22,030 lbs. milk, 1,095 lbs. fat, and 824 lbs. protein on 394 cows. This has resulted in multiple Hall of Fame production award winners, as well as several other production awards from the AJCA.
In 2022, the couple received the Platinum Level National Dairy Quality award for producing high quality milk.
Rudgers Mackenzie Belle, Excellent-94%, is a testament to the breeding program for the couple. Having just completed her fifth lactation, “Belle” has received three Hall of Farm awards and was named Reserve Supreme Champion at the Wyoming County Fair Open Show. She also won the ‘moneymaker class,’ which is an all-breeds class based on the production per day of life.
“The Rudgers have always had a strong focus on milk quality, cow comfort and the efficiency of the brown cow,” explained Katie Carpenter, Attica, N.Y., New York Jersey Breeders Vice President.
Lyman is an active member of the Westco Milk Producers Cooperative board and has served as the secretary for the last two years. He also sits on the local school board. Both Lyman and Chelsey are active in the local Farm Bureau chapter, while Chelsey is currently a member of the Wyoming County Farm Service Agency County Committee.
Greg and Jodi Chamberlain of Hi-Land Farms, Wyoming, N.Y., wrote in a letter of support, “The Rudgers have always impressed us with their clear goals and motivation. They exemplify productive and energetic young Jersey breeders.
