Donald "Donnie" Sherman, a well-known California dairyman and a co-founder of Hilmar Cheese Company, passed away on Oct. 19. The fourth generation to dairy in central California’s San Joaquin Valley, Sherman – who was born in 1946 – grew up in a family blessed by out-of-the-box thinking. His great-grandfather, H. F. Sherman, operated Pioneer Dairy and Cheese Plant, the first dairy in Stanislaus County, from 1888 to 1898.
Donnie grew up on the Orestimba Dairy, which was named after a local native American tribe. His parents, Bob and Ruth, owned the dairy, along with Donnie's uncle Raymond. They brought the first Jersey to the place in 1938.
Donnie purchased his first calf in 1960 for a 4-H project. After attending Modesto Junior College and serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, he returned to the family dairy in 1970.
In 1978, Donnie and his wife Elsa started their own dairy, D&E Jerseys, with 75 cows. They were one of the twelve Central California dairy families that founded the Hilmar Cheese Company in 1984.
D&E Jerseys expanded with the growth of Hilmar Cheese and a second dairy was started in 1996, D&E Too. In 2007, D&E Jerseys and D&E Jerseys Too were consolidated. The two herds reside at facilities in California and Texas.
Avi-Lanche Jerseys, based in Dalhart, Texas, is owned by Donnie and Elsa's daughter Jennifer and son-in-law Richard Avila.
Donnie was positive in his outlook, fair in his dealings with every person, and knowledgeable about Jersey bloodlines.
He deeply enjoyed the Jersey business and gave freely of his time and energies to the American Jersey Cattle Association. He also is a past president of the California Jersey Cattle Association and the Central Valley Jersey Breeders Association.
He served six years on AJCA's board of directors (1996-2002), chairing the breed improvement committee and acting as co-chair of the type advisory committee. He was elected president in 2004 and served three terms.
In his final presidential address at the AJCA Annual Meeting, he talked about the great opportunities for the Jersey breed in the U.S. dairy industry and the profit-oriented services that had been put in place by the boards he had served on and with.
He then issued the following challenge: “Cultivate these opportunities and help every dairyman who is thinking about Jersey to become an an owner of Jerseys and a user of USJersey services. Let’s grasp these opportunities and grow while we have the momentum.”
Donnie supported programs for Jersey youth in every possible way. He even donated to the AJCA scholarship fund the proceeds and ongoing royalties from a bull sold in the 2005 All American Sale – D&E Rebel Scholar-ET.
Donnie was one of only 11 people to receive the two highest awards presented by the American Jersey Cattle Association: the Master Breeder Award in 2010 and the Distinguished Service Award in 2011.
The funeral service was Oct. 26. The family requested that in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to The American Jersey Cattle Association Youth Programs. PD
—Information compiled from AJCA and D&E Jersey's website
PHOTO
Photo courtesy of AJCA.
