On Tuesday, December 13, 2022, Waverly Farms in Clear Brook, Virginia, sold their herd and milked their cows for the last time. As Laura Dufford Jackson took the photos here, she wrote about the experience on her Facebook page:
As most of you know from my brother, Zach Stiles’s post, a chapter closed at WAVERLY today. So many have reached out to us via FB messages, texts, phone calls and emails. Many have brought a smile to our faces, caused a few belly laughs and we’ve also used up some tissues today. It’s a day we’ve both dreaded and looked forward to, bittersweet as many of you described it. Mikey had always said he could never sit through a dispersal sale at the end, for it would be too difficult on him…and our hearts didn’t have to endure that. All of the milking herd and many bred heifers all went to one place, in Vermont. It’s one of the parts that has made this transition more tolerable. Our herd staying together and to a family that was so excited to have them. Their new owners studied their pedigrees and were so excited with their depth of pedigree and the tremendous cow families they purchased. Knowing we found a couple that appreciated the breeding our family worked years to perfect meant so much to us all. Today, for the last milking at WAVERLY.
Claire, Zach (and Tanner) and I, joined Mikey as we started up that milk pump for the last time. It was the last sounds of the pulsator that so often calmed your soul. The last hum from that aged compressor and the last cooling from that Mueller bulk tank. The cows made their way down the entrance ramp into the parlor where, like second nature to us, we stripped, dipped, dried and applied those Milkers. As a family, we loaded the cows and heifers and as a family we watched them pull away. Yes, we told stories today and laughed, and we also snapped pictures of the normalcy that has been our lives for years upon years that will be no more. I know that I can speak for all of Mikey’s kids and Todd too…we all feel so blessed to have been raised on the farm. We feel blessed to have been afforded the many opportunities we had. We feel blessed to have worked with high caliber cattle, and befriended so many incredible people. The memories we have no one can take from us and the lessons the farm and the Jersey cow taught us are forever instilled in us all. Today I feel proud…Proud of the accomplishments my family made over the years from exhibiting and breeding national champions to breeding bulls used world wide…to hosting visitors from all over the US and international visitors as well. Our family never turned away a judging team looking for a place to hone their judging skills and we always welcomed anyone interested in our herd. We thank you for the memories and for the many friends we’ve made along the way. We hope we will only see more of you as we are freed up from the day to day milkings. And if we check in on some of our cows that you may have purchased over the years, humor us and tell us all the good parts of breeding from a WAVERLY cow. Thank you all for the support of our family, our cows – for we only hope that we may have made a lasting imprint or impression on the Jersey breed or a positive impact on you. So tonight…
T’was the night before Mikey no longer needed to rise before dawn. Not a creature was stirring, for the cows were all gone.
His muck boots were washed and his coveralls hung with care in hopes the milk truck soon would be there.
We will let the rest play out as Mom and Mikey enjoy retirement. They hope to see you at some of the grandkids’ activities and events. Or maybe Mikey can get out and enjoy judging shows again. Nonetheless, we thank you all for the memories of a life well lived in this great Jersey breed and dairy industry!
(T21, D1)
