RAGERSVILLE, Ohio – Putt Dairy Farm of Sugarcreek, Ohio, has captured a lion’s share of the Tuscarawas County top dairy production awards.
The top producers were recognized during the 2003 Tuscarawas County Dairy Farmers annual banquet Feb. 27 at Ragersville Zion United Church of Christ, with about 125 people attending.
After Dean Putt received an armload of plaques, he gave credit to a number of others for his success.
“I would like to thank my father, Francis H. Putt, who started our dairy farm and all the good helpers who have worked with us through the years. It is working together, adjusting to the times and being able to change that make the difference,” Putt said.
“My father was only 8 years old when my grandfather, Lester J. Putt, purchased our farm in 1917, but my father was the one who added good cows to build up the dairy herd,” he said.
Putt also credits several of his farm employees for contributing to his award-winning herd.
Putt’s herd of 360 Holsteins produced an average of 27,381 pounds of milk, 983 pounds of fat and 830 pounds of protein, winning the high-herd production award in three categories.
More highs. Putt Dairy Farm also had the high lifetime cow, with production of 264,430 pounds of milk, 8,754 pounds of fat and 7,771 pounds of protein in nine lactations.
Putt also had the high first lactation cow, high cow in milk and high cow in protein.
Putt’s Holsteins, which are milked three times daily, were also honored for having seven of 10 top individual cows for pounds of milk produced and seven out of 10 top individual cows for protein production.
Milk production ranged from 33,497 to 39,234 pounds, and protein production from 1,017 to 1,091 pounds.
In addition, Putt Dairy Farm received the Elite Herd award for Holstein herds in the top five percent in Ohio for milk, fat and protein.
Carlene Farms. Another multi-generational farm, Carlene Farms, received the high herd of less than 75 cows production awards in all three categories.
Charlie Finton is the fourth generation on the farm started by his great grandfather, Cliff Finton, back in the early 1930s, added to by his grandfather, Carl Finton, and continued by his father, Cliff Finton.
Charlie and his parents, Cliff and Connie Finton, now operate the farm together.
The Finton herd of 74 cows produced 21,347 pounds of milk, 882 pounds of fat and 662 pounds of protein.
More awards. Also receiving county plaques were Lemuel Farms (Steve and Jill Henry) of Uhrichsville, Ohio, and Edoris Farms Inc. (Mark Stucky for Doris Troendly and the late Edwin Troendly) of Stone Creek, Ohio.
Lemuel Farms received the most improved herd award for an increase of 2,593 pounds of milk and high cow in fat production, 1,419 pounds of fat.
Edoris Farms Inc. received the low somatic cell count herd award for a count of 156,000 for its 112-cow herd.
High herds. Herds in the county with 2002 averages in milk, fat and protein above the Tuscarawas County averages were also recognized.
Putt Dairy Farm, Gary Burky, Lemuel Farms, James Rowe, Edoris Farms Inc., Regula Farms, Specht Farms Ltd., Welch Bros., Kenneth Ridenour and Carlene Farms were recognized for having higher averages than the county averages.
The 2002 county averages were 21,190 pounds of milk, 811 pounds of fat and 650 pounds of protein.
The 2002 state averages were 19,445 pounds of milk, 767 pounds of fat and 621 pounds of protein.
Winning Jerseys. Dale Anderson of Anderson’s Jerseys was recognized for having the top colored breed herd.
His 82-cow herd had productions in milk, fat and protein that exceeded state averages for all Jersey herds.
Anderson’s herd produced 16,132 pounds of milk, 798 pounds of fat and 594 pounds of protein.
Crowning. Brittany Young, 14, daughter of Jim and Sandy Young of Baltic, Ohio, and Christine Mutti, 17, daughter of Kevin and Sheila Mutti of Stone Creek, were crowned 2003 junior and senior dairy princesses, respectively.
Young is an eighth grader at Garaway Middle School and is a member of Ragersville Kountry Buddies 4-H Club, a junior member of the Ohio Holstein Association and junior member of the American Holstein Association.
The new junior princess has shown animals at the District 3 Holstein Show, county and state fairs and the National Livestock Exposition.
Mutti is a junior at Buckeye Career Center in New Philadelphia, Ohio, and previously served as junior dairy princess.
She helps with milking, testing and other farm work, including the care of the 4-H animals, at Mutti Dairy Farms.
She is a nine-year member of Milkmakers 4-H Club and serves as its current president.
Attendants. Their attendants are Keturah Kneuss, 13, daughter of Dave and Jennifer Kneuss of New Philadelphia, and Heidi Schwab, 14, daughter of Mike and Amanda Schwab of Port Washington, Ohio.
Speakers. John Juhasz, a motivational speaker and former 4-H and FFA member in northwest Ohio, made the distinction between agri-business and agriculture.
Tom Smith, industry relations manager for American Dairy Association and Dairy Council Mid East, discussed the 3-A-Day dairy marketing campaign.
