David E. Parkinson, Sahuarita, Arizona, received the AJCA-NAJ Award for Meritorious Service on June 24 during the annual meetings of the American Jersey Cattle Association and National All-Jersey Inc. in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. At the same time, Dan K. Bansen, Dayton, Oregon, was named the 68th recipient of the Master Breeder Award of the American Jersey Cattle Association.

Meritorious Service

The Meritorious Service award is given annually to a living individual who, in the joint opinion of the Boards of Directors of the national Jersey organizations, has made a notable contribution to the advancement of the Jersey breed and the livelihood of Jersey owners in the U.S. through research, education, development, marketing, or other significant activities of the allied dairy industry.

Parkinson’s commitment to the Jersey breed traces to his youth growing up on a Jersey farm in Waterville, Quebec. Early in his career he worked as a herd manager and a fieldman for the Ontario Jersey Cattle Club. He became one of the founders of the annual calf rallies in Canada and helped establish the Royal International Jersey Futurity.

In 1977, Parkinson was hired as managing editor of the Jersey Journal, then became AJCA-NAJ Area Representative for the northeast U.S. He served in that position for a total of 25 years.

After managing the Comfort Hill Jersey Farm in Ferrisburg, Vermont, and developing the great Greenridge FW Chief Althea-ET, Parkinson rejoined the AJCA staff in 1993. He helped as Jersey Marketing Service expanded its services into large volume consignment sales in New York and Ohio. Parkinson also worked with Jersey breeders in various countries as a cattle marketer, judge and type evaluator. He traveled to India, Denmark and twice to Guatemala.

Above all, he enjoyed helping young people get started in the Jersey business. Whether it was youth asking advice at the Pot O’Gold Sales, or new breeders purchasing at National Heifer Sales or private treaty, he devoted hours to teaching them what to look for in their purchases.

Parkinson has previously received service awards from the Pennsylvania and Vermont Jersey organizations, as well as the New England Jersey Breeders Association.

Parkinson retired from the Jersey organizations in 2007 and now resides in Arizona with wife Sara and the youngest son of five children.

Master Breeder

The Master Breeder award is bestowed annually to a living AJCA member, family, partnership or corporation that, in the opinion of the Board of Directors, has bred outstanding animals for many years and thereby made a notable contribution to the advancement of the Jersey breed in the U.S.

Dan Bansen has become a second-generation Master Breeder Award recipient, after his father, Stanley, who won the award in 1990. They are the only father-son duo to win the award in AJCA history.

“Forest Glen is a prefix known and respected around the world,” said Ray and Margaret Schooley, Marshfield, Missouri, in a letter of support for Bansen. “Both bulls and cows from this herd have been used widely and have made it possible for many Jersey breeders to significantly improve their herds.”

Bansen returned to the family operation after graduating from Oregon State University in 1973. The herd became full recorded with the AJCA after Genetic Recovery was introduced in 1976, and gained recognition through enrollment on official performance evaluation programs. The current Forest Glen herd has 1,500 milk cows and 1,770 heifers. The 2010 AJCA lactation average is 16,529 pounds milk, 737 pounds fat and 614 pounds protein on 1,189 lactations. There are currently 78 Excellent cows and 877 Very Good cows in the herd. Forest Glen has twice received the President’s Trophy presented annually to the highest producing cow.

Forest Glen bred the all-time leader for Jersey semen sales at Select Sires, Forest Glen Avery Action-ET. Since 2004, the herd has sent 38 bulls to A.I. and there are currently nine bulls on the active A.I. list and one bull on the genomic young sire list bearing the Forest Glen prefix.

As of April 2011 there were 42 Forest Glen cows on the Top 1.5 percent list for Jersey Performance Index with genomic evaluations. The herd ranks second in the nation for average genomic JPI and is thirteenth for traditional JPI herd average. Seven Forest Glen cows rank among the Top 200 for genomic JPI, with another five on the Top 200 traditional JPI list.

Over the years, high genetic merit females have been added to the herd. Topping this list is Havs Chief Berretta Jade, who went on to produce more than 27,000 pounds milk as a 4-year-old and score Excellent-95 percent. She had 60 offspring, with countless granddaughters and grandsons making an impact in herds throughout the country.

Bansen is an Equity investor and has been very involved with milk marketing through his involvement as Board President of Farmers Cooperative Creamery and with Organic Valley CROPP cooperative. Bansen has also served as a director of the American Jersey Cattle Association and National All-Jersey Inc. PD

—From AJCA-NAJ news release

PHOTO:
TOP: Paul Chittenden, past president of the American Jersey Cattle Association, presents the AJCA-NAJ Award for Meritorious Service to David E. Parkinson on June 24 at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. With them are Parkinson’s wife Sara and two sons, Geoffrey and Cameron.

BOTTOM: Dan K. Bansen (center) receives the Master Breeder Award of the American Jersey Cattle Association from his daughter and AJCA Director Jamie Bansen (left) and past-Director Dennis Egelston.
Photos courtesy of AJCA-NAJ.