WDE may be all about the cows, but at its heart it’s just as much about the people.
One of the emotional stories of the day came in a class of 48-head of winter heifer calves – the biggest Ayrshire class in five decades – in the Ayrshire show under judge Brandon Ferry.
The heifer that rose to the top of that class had a fairytale story, which framed a “homage” to one of the big personalities of the industry, Richard Caverly, who died in February. The heifer, Palmyra Magellan Gigi-ET, has not only added a new colour to Kueffner Holsteins and Jerseys, she now resides at her Boonsboro address minutes from where she was bred – Palmyra Ayrshires.
The sense of Richard’s loss lingers in the Kueffner and Packard camp – heightened by the additional industry loss of Michael Heath – who introduced Ernie and Terri to Richard 30 years ago.
Ironically, the Ayrshire calf was a recent buy from Katie Shultz, of Chambersburg (this year’s inaugural recipient of the Richard Caverly Memorial Dairy Award)*.
While Terri says there had to be some emotion in the buy, everyone knows this couple doesn’t get off the bench for no reason. The ball started rolling on Ayrshires the day Ernie idlily commented that he was bored, and that he needed a project.
“It was two years ago when I first heard Ernie say, ‘I’d like to own a good young Ayrshire’,” Terri said.
“I looked at him and I thought he was joking, but he didn’t laugh. Then Richard [Caverly] was on the hunt for one from there.
“Ernie and Richard became obsessed with a cow from Quebec [Vieux Village G Montana] who went on to win Intermediate Champion last year, and they spent five days trying to get her bought. They were disappointed they didn’t get her.
“Then recently, Katie was tied next to us at our State Fair, and she started telling Ernie about a good Ayrshire calf she had at home. Then she started showing him pictures and video and told him about the genomics and that’s when he started getting interested.”
Ernie may have wanted an Ayrshire, but his team knows he doesn’t prefer heifers. One of the couple’s longtime friends and cattle partner Nate Oleniacz, from Gettysburg, put it into perspective.
“He really appreciates the cows – and he likes that we all get along with the heifers – but he calls them the ‘little pains in the arses’,” Nate said.
Terri agreed: “If I had a dollar for every time he said, ‘I hate heifers’ for the last 28 years…I could have paid for that heifer twice over. He sees no value in them until they are cows.”
However, this time Ernie was on the page, because this heifer came with some special credentials, in addition to be sired by Magellan and bred by Palmyra Farm – Ernie and Terri’s neighbours – who would go on to win Premier Breeder yesterday.
Terri said, “This one has a great pedigree, along with very high genomics for her mammary. Genomics were so important for Richard because he thought the Ayrshire breed should be doing more testing to help move them forward, so they would have more information for their mating decisions.
“He was adamant about that, and Katie is too. She tests all of her heifers. So, we’ve ended up with pedigree and genomics, which he would have liked.”
Terri said the Gigi handled like a dream – almost as if Richard was watching over them – and that the other Ayrshire breeders had been very welcoming.
“When we were waiting for the class, people were very positive and happy to have us. I guess it also creates some excitement at a level, and it was great for Katie too,” Terri said.
Nate said the team still feel like Richard is with them.
“You always feel at WDE that Richard is here, and we miss him a lot. This win for our group who knew Richard and his desire for the Ayrshire breed to shine…is a homage to him.”
The International Ayrshire heifer show included 201-head. Judge Ferry (and associate judge Michelle Upchurch) chose their winning winter yearling, Budjon-Vail Autograph Kristina-ET (sired by Autograph) and owned by Budjon, Peter Vail, C Rupprecht, Brothers Three and S & S Nehls of Watertown, WI, as their Junior Champion.
Reserve Junior Champion was Ullmstar A Rectify (sired by Andy) owned by Damian & Kiley Ullmer, Seymour, WI. Honourable Mention was another Autograph daughter, Budjon-Vail Autograph Kimberley (2ndwinter yearling) owned by Cole Rupprecht, Lomira, WI.
* The Richard Caverly award was established by friends to honor Richard’s memory. Richard is remembered for his deep cow sense, love of breeding, animal husbandry, and his enduring belief in the importance of training and guiding dairy youth.
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