American Jersey Cattle Association                             Contact:   Cherie L. Bayer, Ph.D.

6486 East Main Street                                                                  Director of Development

Reynoldsburg, Ohio 43068-2362                                                     614/861-3636 Ext. 334

Phone 614/861-3636    Fax 614/861-8040

www.USJersey.com

TEN JERSEY JUNIOR BREEDERS RECOGNIZED FOR ACHIEVEMENT

BY NATIONAL JERSEY ASSOCIATION

Reynoldsburg, Ohio (July 19, 2005)—Ten young people actively involved in the Registered Jersey™ business have been selected for recognition in the 2004 National Jersey Youth Achievement Contest, sponsored annually since 1957 by the American Jersey Cattle Association, Reynoldsburg, Ohio.

The contest honors outstanding achievement by junior Jersey breeders in four areas: work with Registered Jerseys™, related dairy activities, relative progress, and future goals. They were selected from 16 outstanding youth nominated by state Jersey associations, based on their cumulative record through 2004.

Awards will be presented at the banquet concluding the junior dairy shows, including The All American Junior Jersey Show, at the North American International Livestock Exposition on Saturday, November 5, 2005, in Louisville, Ky.

The Top Three Honorees

First place in the National Jersey Youth Achievement Contest went to Amanda Jo Johnson, of Fallen Oak Jerseys, Molalla, Ore. She has worked with Registered Jerseys™ for 17 years as a member of 4-H and FFA, building a herd of 26 cows averaging 18,942 lbs. milk, 932 lbs. fat and 717 lbs. protein (completed lactations of 305 days, 2x, mature equivalent basis). In 2003,she was named State Star Farmer of Oregon, after receiving the FFA Gold Award at the national level for Dairy Proficiency in 2002. Johnson has earned many awards for her Jersey exhibits at county, state and national shows, including The All American Jersey Shows in Louisville, Ky. She is currently attending Oregon State University, majoring in general agriculture.

Joshua M. Parks, of Aspen Grove Jerseys, Morristown, Tenn., ranked second in the contest. Over the past 14 years, through a combination of selective purchases from the national Pot O’Gold Sale and his own breeding, he has developed a herd of 34 cows and 22 young stock. The lactation average of his cows in 2004 was 19,458 lbs. milk, 794 lbs. fat and 682 lbs. protein (2x-305-m.e.). This group also includes three cows ranking in the top 200 of the breed for Jersey Performance Index™. He has also sold bulls into A.I. sampling programs, with Sir Patrick of Aspen Grove being the first to return to active service. Josh is majoring in animal science at Walters State Community College.

Third place was awarded to Brett Barlass, of Barlass Jerseys, a 300-cow family operation located near Janesville, Wis. The lifelong Jersey breeder who says that he has “done almost everything” in managing and promoting his Registered Jerseys™ currently owns 12 cows with actual production per cow in 2004 of 19,464 lbs. milk, 1,034 lbs. fat and 755 lbs. protein. He earned numerous leadership and dairy proficiency awards in 4-H and FFA. Now as a student in the dairy management program at Cornell University, he is expanding his knowledge through internships in California and with a major animal health products supplier.

Rounding Out The Top 10

Ranking fourth through tenth in the contest were:

• Brittany Marcoot Wheeler, Greenville, Ill., involved full-time in the management of Marcoot Jersey Farm, Inc. while completing an Associate’s Degree from Kaskaskia College;
• Erica Renee Ettinger, of Will Do Jerseys, Kinards, S.C., who has earned numerous production and show awards for her outstanding herd, averaging 23,541 lbs. milk, 1,035 lbs. fat and 813 lbs. protein (2x-305-m.e.);
• Sara LaFever, Sparta, Tenn., a FFA State Farmer who owns 33 cows and 22 young stock at her family’s LaLu Farms and also earned the Clyde Chappell Award during 2004;
• Renée Norman, of Normandell Jerseys, Liberty, Penna., who has achieved national production and show ring success with her Registered Jerseys™, now majoring in animal science at The Pennsylvania State University;
• Wendy Marie Bok, the owner of 40 cows averaging over 23,000 lbs. milk in the Bok Family herd at Defiance, Ohio, and a four-time winner of the Pot O’Gold Production Contest sponsored by the American Jersey Cattle Association;
• Neal Frerichs, of Frerichs’ Dairy Inc., La Grange, Texas, who has had growing responsibilities for managing the 225-cow operation which includes “The Jersey Barnyard” public touring facility; and
• Rachel Ann Baum, of DeMents’ Jerseys, Clinton, Ill., owner of numerous top 10 animals at the Illinois State Fair and The All American Junior Jersey Show and a winner of showmanship and the skill-a-thon phase of the Superior Young Dairy Producer Contest in 2004.

About the National Jersey Youth Programs

Organized in 1868, the American Jersey Cattle Association has sponsored educational programs and activities for young people interested in the Jersey breed since 1917. Junior members have the same registration privileges as Lifetime Members, and also the incentives of a comprehensive program leading to national recognition for their achievements with Jersey cattle.

These programs include:

• Free membership in the association until the youth’s 20^th birthday (upon application to the association);
• The All American Junior Jersey Show, to be held for the fifty-third time on November 5, 2005, in Louisville, Ky., providing the thrill of competition and introductions to lifelong friends from across the United States;
• the National Jersey Youth Production Contest and Pot O’Gold sales, which create incentives for keeping production and management records;
• national scholarships that help pay for hands-on work experiences and college educations; and
• the National Jersey Youth Achievement Contest, the ultimate recognition for Jersey youth between the ages of 16 and 20.

The annual National Heifer Sale is the primary source of funding for the AJCA’s youth program. The 2005 sale, held June 25 at the fairgrounds in Washington, Penna., featured 95 lots and raised $25,000 for Jersey youth programs. Additional funds are available from the Maurice E. Core Jersey Youth Fund, the Carl Bourne Memorial Fund, and the American Jersey Cattle Association scholarship funds.

For More Information

For more information about the American Jersey Cattle Association’s youth development programs, contact Dr. Cherie L. Bayer, Director of Development, at 614/861-3636, or visit the USJersey web site at www.USJersey.com.

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