Ayrshire breeders boast annual gains

COLUMBUS – The Ayrshire Breeders’ Association had positive reports for its members present at its annual meeting June 22 in Rockford, Ill.
Treasurer Andy Stevens of Ostrander, Ohio, reported a gain in net assets of $3,322 for the 2006 statements of activities. Outgoing president Doug Murray presented statistics for 2006.
Registration and transfer totals were consistent with the previous year with a decrease in 19 registrations. There was an increase in the number of cows classified and cows enrolled in the association’s production recording program.
Actual production for milk, fat and protein increased to the current breed average of 17,980 milk, 691 fat and 564 protein, and milk energy averages increased to 18,544 milk, 695 fat and 572 protein.
Elections. David Koss of Epworth, Iowa, was elected president for a two-year term. He and his wife, Karen, are the breeders and owners of Ski-Pal Ayrshires, a herd prefix.
Lynn Lee of Smyrna, Tenn., was elected to serve as vice president. Lee owns Lee’s Dixieland Ayrshires, farms with his family and auctioneers cattle of all breeds and for equipment sales.
Pam Jeffrey of Wakefield, R.I., was re-elected as director of Region 1. Jeffrey owns Diamond Ridge Ayrshires. In addition to her work with Ayrshire cattle, Jeffrey is a registered nurse.
Mary Creek of Hagerstown, Md., was elected to the board of directors for Region 2. Creek and her husband, Mike, are in partnership with her brother Ralph Shank and his family on Palmyra Farm.
Gene Hall Jr. of Cushing, Okla., was re-elected to service as director for Region 3. Hall has been developing his herd of Hall’s Ayrshires for many years.
Sale was a hot one. After anticipating the sale of the year for several months, Ayrshire enthusiasts were not disappointed with the quality of consignments offered at the National Ayrshire Convention Sale.
Sponsored by the Illinois Ayrshire Club and managed by Chairman Gregg Borchardt of Caledonia, Ill., the sale was held June 23 in Rockford, Ill.
Auctioneer Lynn Lee of Smyrna, Tenn., struck off 59 live consignments averaging $3,283.
Top consignment. After successfully parading the tanbark in 2006 and winning the All-American Spring Calf award, bidding was spirited when for Oak-Valley’s Wilton Bobbi Sue, which topped the sale at $11,100.
She was consigned by Jeff, Lisa and Mary Holtz of Maquoketa, Iowa, and purchased by Ryan, Gwen and Kailyn Clark of Toulon, Ill. Bobbi Sue is sired by Labrie Wilton-ET.
The second-high seller at $10,000 was a fall calf sired by Lagace Sexapeal. Hall’s Jaye Sexy Blackie comes from maternal line of high producers and show winners.
She was consigned by Gene Hall Jr. of Cushing, Okla., and purchased by Beverly Donovan of Chesterfield, Mass.
Highlight. Another highlight of the sale came from the Moy-Ayr herd in Whitewater, Wis. Moy-Ayr Laro Lacey-ET, a junior 3-year-old sired by Des Chamois Pat Laro-ET, sold for $7,200 to the partnership of Kara Kelly and Rebecca and Emily Schmidt of Deerfield, Wis.
Scott Haynes of Tully, N.Y., sent one of his best 4-year-olds to the sale. Sired by Rosayre BB Marshall, Haynes-Farm Nikata brought $7,000 from the partnership of Steve McDonald of Princeton, Ill., and Family-Af-Ayr Farm of Caledonia, Ill.
Rounding out the top five sellers was a Woodland View Pardner-ET summer yearling from the same cow family as the grand champion of the 2006 Mid-Atlantic National Show and reserve grand champion of the 2006 World Dairy Expo. Maple-Dell Zorro Dafourth is an Excellent-94, Elite Cow with over 22,000M.
Maple-Dell Pardner’s Dallas-ET sold for $6,800 to the partnership of Steve McDonald, Princeton, Ill.; Covey-Farms, Rose, Okla.; and P&A Ayrshires, Dyersville, Iowa.
Dallas was consigned by David Patrick, Woodbine, Md.
Embryos. In addition to the live animals, 11 embryo lots sold averaging $520 per embryo. The high-selling package at $825 per embryo was Lagace Modem-ET x Valevue BBK Minerva, Excellent-94.
This embryo package was consigned by Steve and Vicki Searles, Pine Island, Minn., and purchased by P&A Ayrshires, Dyersville, Iowa.