Reynoldsburg, Ohio--Ten young Jersey cattle owners will be recognized Saturday, November
3 in Louisville, Ky., for their accomplishments in the National Jersey Youth
Achievement Contest.
The contest recognizes outstanding achievement by junior
Jersey owners in four areas: work with Registered Jerseys™, related dairy
activities, relative progress, and future goals. They were selected from 20
outstanding youth nominated by state Jersey associations, based on their
cumulative record through December 31, 2017.
The American Jersey Cattle Association will present cash
awards totaling $4,500, including $750 to the contest winner, at the Junior
Banquet held in conjunction with The All American Junior Jersey Show.
The Top Three
Honorees
Ranked first was Kaila
N. Wussow of Cecil, Wis., the fifth generation in her family to be involved in
the dairy business. Given a Jersey calf on her first birthday, she has
developed a herd of 30 Registered Jerseys, the cows averaging 20,219 lbs. milk,
1,062 lbs. fat and 868 lbs. protein actual in 2017. Kaila was the national
winner of the FFA Dairy Production-Entrepreneurship Proficiency Award in 2015.
She placed first in the 2008 National Jersey Youth Production Contest, is a
two-time winner of the Pot O’Gold Production Contest (2008 and 2011), and has a
long list of top three placings in The All American Junior Jersey Show. Kaila
was the first alternate National Jersey Queen in 2016 and a member of the fifth
class of Jersey Youth Academy in 2017. Wed this past July to her high school
sweetheart Joey Tauchen, Kaila will graduate next month from the University of
Wisconsin-River Falls with a double major in dairy business and ag marketing
communications.
McCalister Russell,
Hilmar, Calif., placed second. A student at the University of California-Berkeley,
McCalister received her first Jersey heifer at four years of age and now owns
nearly 200 Registered Jerseys, with the milking cows averaging 22,962―1,128―835
m.e. in 2017. Three times her animals have placed in the top five of the Pot
O’Gold Production Contest. She was exhibitor of the Junior All American Aged
Cow and Premier Performance Cow of The All American Junior Jersey Show.
McCalister was the 2016 California Jersey Queen.
Third place was
awarded to Wesley Noble, the eighth generation to breed Jerseys on his family’s
operation, Nobledale Farm, Gillett, Penna. He owns 56 Registered Jerseys,
including 23 cows that averaged 20,503―963―738 m.e. in 2017. As the farm’s
herdsman and reproductive manager, Wesley’s responsibilities include mating
selections and A.I. breeding as well as registrations, genomic testing and
making culling and sale decisions. His animals have placed among the top 10 of
the Pennsylvania Youth Production Contest since 2014. Wesley was a member of
the fifth class of Jersey Youth Academy.
Rounding Out The
Top 10
Ranking fourth through tenth in the contest were:
·
Anneke
Boer of Dalhart, Texas, an agricultural communications major at Texas Tech University
who is responsible for her farm’s website and advertisements and who was a
member of the fourth class of Jersey Youth Academy;
·
Catherine
Savage, Dickerson, Md., a student at Virginia Tech who has earned many awards
for dairy judging, fitting and showmanship, done Jersey promotional and advocacy
outreach events, and was a member of the fifth class of Jersey Youth Academy;
·
Allison
Foster, Portage, Wis., the first alternate in the 2017 National Jersey Queen
Contest and a senior at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville
majoring in dairy science with aspirations to advocate for and promote the
Jersey breed in her future career;
- Allison Schafer
of Westphalia, Mich., a student at Michigan State University majoring in
agribusiness management who has earned numerous awards in dairy management
and dairy judging competitions and stays involved in the home operation by
doing mating selections and registration;
·
Emma
Olstad, Stoughton, Wis., who has developed and marketed a series of high-placing
animals at The All American Junior Jersey Show and World Dairy Expo and now as
a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is
studying to work in calf and heifer nutrition;
·
Samantha
Schuessler of Antigo, Wis., a student at California Polytechnic State
University and member of the fifth class of Jersey Youth Academy who has
received the state and national FFA Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) Grant
for Dairy Production; and
·
Erin
Leach, Linwood, Kans., also a member of the fifth Jersey Youth Academy class
who has garnered top awards with her Jerseys at regional and national Jersey
shows and is now a student at Oklahoma State University living and working at
its Ferguson Family Dairy Center.
The National Jersey Youth Achievement Contest has been
sponsored annually since 1957 by the American Jersey Cattle Association.