ASHTABULA, Ohio – The Loren and Nancy Ring family was selected as 2004 Ashtabula County Farm Family of the Year at the 54th annual Ashtabula County Dairy Banquet.
The honor was bestowed March 6 at the Williamsfield Community Center in Williamsfield.
Annual award. In 2000, in honor of Dick Johnson, a retired DHI milk testing supervisor, from Monroe Township, the dairy service unit board of directors established this new farm family of the year award.
This award is presented annually to a dairy farm family that simply does things right.
Milk production, genetics, herd health and community service are all factors that are considered.
The Ring Family’s Ringbyre Jersey Farm has been in operation for nearly 40 years and is currently milking 350 Jersey cows.
Dairy princess. Hannah Sundberg, daughter of Paul and Heidi Sundberg of Cherry Valley, was crowned dairy princess at the event.
As part of the competition, each contestant was interviewed by a panel of judges and presented a speech relating to the dairy industry or her involvement in dairying.
Sundberg is currently a junior at Pymatuning Valley High School.
Production awards. Nine farms were recognized for having top cows in Ashtabula County by breed and age.
Alfa-Creek Brown Swiss led the way by having 24 award winners followed by Ringbyre Jersey Farm with 16 awards.
Additional farms earning high cow awards were: Alfa-Creek, Comp Dairy Farm, Gaylord Millard and Son, Destiny-M Holsteins, Byler & Sons, and Bossy’s Way Inc.
Alfa-Creek had the top cow in the county this past year. One of their 3-year old cows finished her lactation with 39,825 pounds of energy corrected milk.
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