8 minute read
Adult Hosltein Convention
The Distinguished Supporter Award is presented annually to recognize an individual or company, not a dairy farmer/producer, who through their work has supported and enhanced the work and goals of the Pennsylvania Holstein Association. This year’s award winner spent hours and miles traveling across Pennsylvania and beyond, in a career spanning 50 years. Jack Remsburg, Jr. captured dairy cattle with his camera lens, resulting in tens of thousands of professional cattle photographs. After graduating from the University of Maryland in 1951, Jack began taking pictures in 1953. Using his knowledge of dairy cattle, he helped neighboring dairy breeders and exhibitors take pictures of sale consignments and show winners. As word spread, he became busier, traveling up and down the East Coast and eventually overseas. He photographed bulls for the breeding cooperatives, developing prints in his basement darkroom. Many famous cattle had Pennsylvania connections, including Osborndale Ivanhoe, Plushanski Chief Faith, Arlinda Jet Stream, Northcroft Ela Elevation, and more. Jack served as the Maryland State Fair official photographer for 25 years and as the All-American Dairy Show official photographer for 33 years. He served on county and state Holstein boards, and in 2019 was honored with the Dairy Shrine Pioneer Award at World Dairy Expo.
John Fisher, grandson of Jack, with David Lentz
Advertisement
Distinguished Young Breeder- Rosie Zaginaylo
This year’s winner of the Distinguished Young Breeder award is Rosalie Zaginaylo of Four-Zag Holsteins in Berwick, PA. Rosie Z. (as people refer to her since most people struggle with pronouncing her name) has served the Association in numerous leadership roles over the past seven years. These roles include the Executive Committee, finance committee, National Convention planning committee, state convention planning committee, and the transition team that helped this Association plan for life after Ken Raney’s retirement. Fairwood Chairman Beryl and North-Rush Lou Gaye are the two cows that had the greatest influence in her herd that she owns and operates with her family. Beryl was purchased by her parents from a neighbor and mentor, William Fairchild in 1987. Beryl was one of three heifers that introduced 100%RHA Holstein cattle to Tri-John Holsteins, her parents’ prefix. From Beryl’s line came Tri-John Macys Parade, the first bred and owned excellent cow on the family farm. Rosie’s second most influential cow, North-Rush Lou Gaye was purchased on a production sale PHA managed for another of Rosie’s mentors, Marlin and Karen Shultz of Danville. Gaye hailed from the Shultz’s best cow family. She eventually scored EX-90 for Rosie. Rosie described her importance, “Gaye was an important purchase for us because her granddaughter is our second Bred and Owned Excellent cow, Tri-John Perky Gorgeous, who recently scored EX-91. Gorgeous is one of our oldest cows and we are milking two of her daughters and she is pregnant again. She is our ideal cow in the barn, because she has an excellent set of feet and legs, along with the dairy character for a strong cow. Plus, her personality is second-to-none.” In 2015, Rosie took over the herd from her parents and collectively they built a new dairy facility centered on cow comfort. This wellventilated compost pack barn with a step-up parlor has allowed the Zaginaylos to expand from 30 cows to 120 cows over the past six plus years. Those first cows that moved into the new barn from their old tie-stall barn increased in milk production almost overnight, and have an increased longevity. As Rosie expanded the herd she brought in a significant portion of Marlin and Karen Shultz’s herd. With this deal, she also received more coaching from Marlin, a fun-loving masterful breeder. Four-Zag Holsteins is a Holstein Complete herd that uses Tri-Star at the Premier level, Tag ID along with EASY ID to register calves. Currently the herd BAA is 106.6 with 3 Excellent & 26 Very Good cows; they had a 105BAA just 5 years ago. In that span, she increased the herd average from 20,506 to 21,803. Rosie has aggressive goals for her herd like a 110 BAA, 2400 for her heifers average GTPI, and 23,000 RHA. Rosie is using high GTPI bulls with a minimum of 2600 GTPI. She is focusing on building a strong cow with good health traits, along with positive net merit, solid functional type, feet and legs and udders, especially in the bedded pack facility. Off the farm she works as a consultant support analyst. She keeps up with the news about what is going on in the Dairy Industry and Agriculture as a whole. In her application Rosie says, “I try to be a resource for my dairy farmer friends and neighbors that might not understand programs, or other issues that come up in the industry. For example, when the changes were made to the Dairy Margin Coverage Program and recently with the added Supplemental DMC. I researched the program and filled out the applications early on so I could explain the process to others and what items were needed. I also researched the Dairy Revenue Protection program to use for my operation and offer advice to others. I have a strong financial background and have offered advice to other farmers that might have questions about different capital purchase decisions, or budgeting concerns. I also forward contract milk for my own farm with my cooperative, so I have also helped others understand that process.”
Be sure to check out the PA Holstein Breeders Forum “Holstein Genetics 2022 and Beyond-A Breeder’s Vision” on the PA Holstein Association Facebook page! With panelists John Burket, Dean Good, Blake Hansen, Dick Witter and Hank Van Exel
Denny Wolff, of Millville, has been the owner and operator of PenCol Farms since 1970. The Pen-Col prefix has bred 380 award winners, including Dams of Merit, Gold Medal Dams, Gold Medal Sires, and animals on the Locater and Elite Cows lists and 60 Excellent cows and bulls. PenCol had several sales on the farm through the years, offering top quality cattle and genetics. Cattle were sold to friends and local neighbors, across the United States, and more than 30 countries worldwide. In 1984, JonLin Jerry Myra, along with six heifer calves, was sold for $255,000 at the National Holstein Convention Sale. Denny served as the chairman of the PHA Sale Committee from 19811983, and Chairman for the National Holstein Convention held in 1995 in Pittsburgh. He has been a member of the Columbia-Luzerne Holstein Association since 1970 and served several terms on the PHA Board of Directors. From 2003-2009 Denny served as Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture, helping implement the “PA Preferred” labeling program to promote the state’s agricultural products; he also helped establish the Center for Dairy Excellence. Denny has also served boards ranging from Agway Insurance and the North Central Bank and Pennsylvania Gaming Control. He served on the Agricultural Technical Committee of the World Trade Organization and has received the Distinguished Service Award and the Barn Raiser Award from the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, as well as the Holstein USA Distinguished Leadership Award in 2009. He is also the founder, president and chairman of Camp Victory, A Special Camp for Special Kids, for the last 34 years. Camp Victory is a summer camp for chronically ill children and their families. Since the first campers arrived in 1994, Camp Victory has hosted more than 30,000 overnight campers and counselors. One of the nominators for this award said this about Denny: “While Denny Wolff is often dressed in a suit and tie and seen traveling to meetings throughout Pennsylvania and across the United States, he’s a constant advocate for agriculture. He can still put on his coveralls and head to the barn to work with great Holstein cows and bulls. There is no denying that Denny is an entrepreneur, a smart businessman, dairyman, and friend to farmers near and far.”
Denny Wolff with children L-R Tim, Elizabeth, and Corey
Pennsylvania Holstein Pioneer Award- Ellis Rearick
The Pennsylvania Holstein Association Pioneer Memorial Award is awarded posthumously to recognize an individual, not already in the Pennsylvania Holstein Association Hall of Fame, for their contributions to the Holstein industry at the local, state, and national levels. This year’s Pioneer Memorial Award winner was Ellis Rearick, of Gladell Farm in Millheim, a dairy farmer, Holstein breeder, and charter member who helped start the Centre County Holstein Association, becoming one of the club’s first presidents. Farming was in his blood and until his death in 1958, he strived to improve his Holstein herd to be the best they could be. With his wife Gladys, Ellis started their dairy herd in 1940. When they were first married, he worked on his father-in-law’s farm, buying the farm in 1943. The next year, a fire destroyed all the farm buildings except the house. Despite only $1,000 of insurance on the barn, they set to work rebuilding a modern dairy farm complete with 30 stalls, calf and maternity pens, granary and milk house. A bull barn was added in 1950. Penn State professors often brought students to the farm to see the progressive dairy; and Ellis would apply new research information to achieve high results on the farm. Jim and Kristen Houser, grandson and great granddaughter of Ellis During this time, Ellis developed a good eye for breeding. He began Rearick to AI the herd, using his own herd sires. In 1942, the herd was the highest Holstein herd for butterfat on 2x milking with 523.6 pounds of fat and 15,054 pounds of milk. . For a 14-year period, the herd averaged 14,000 pounds of milk and 470 pounds of butterfat. Ellis had an eye for good Holstein cattle and his homebred animals were class winners and champions at the Centre County Grange Fair, the first PA state 4-H Show, Pennsylvania Farm Show, and the Central District Holstein Show. He served in several different capacities on the local and state Holstein boards, and used his knowledge and ideas to help start the Mifflin County Holstein Association. The Gladell herd earned the Progressive Breeders Award in 1956, 1957 and 1958.
