Neil Jensen of Comstock, Wisconsin, was awarded the 2014 Distinguished Service Award.
At the recently concluded National Guernsey Convention, numerous awards were presented for outstanding performance within the Guernsey breed. Neil Jenson, along with his wife Janice and two daughters, Laura and Jillian, operate an 82-cow registered Guernsey milking herd in Comstock, Wisconsin. Idle Gold Guernseys operate a grazing-based herd emphasizing functional type. A strong supporter of the young sire programs, he uses every young sire released for AI sampling in the breed. He bred the former number one CPI cow, Idle Gold Royal Contessa with nearly 200,000M lifetime. He bred Idle Gold E Challenge-ET, one of the most popular sires of the last decade. He has been able to sell many cows, calves and bred heifers every year due to the longevity of his herd of Guernseys. The herd has received many awards and honors over the years, including being listed among the top 30 CPI herds, numerous top CPI cows, many Gold Star cows and several class-leaders.
Jensen served for five years as the Executive Secretary of the American Guernsey Association and as an AGA employee for several years prior to that. During this time, he pushed hard for improvements in production in the breed, strived to improve and expand young sire proving programs and worked tirelessly to make Guernsey Marketing Service a respected and trusted force providing a fair and accessible market for registered Guernseys.
He has served as chairman of the World Guernsey Cattle Federation for several years. He has also served as president for the Dairybelt Guernsey Sires board, is a member of the local DHIA board and serves on many committees for the local and state Guernsey associations. The family hosts judging groups, both local and collegiate and Jensen is a judge listed on both the Wisconsin certified list and AGA approved judges list. He is also active in his local church and a 4-H club leader.
The American Guernsey Association is dedicated to the advancement and promotion of the Guernsey dairy cows. The American Guernsey Youth Association boasts membership of over 700 young people nationwide.
For more information and photos, contact Lewis R. Jones, executive secretary of the American Guernsey Association at 1224 Alton Darby Creek Road, Suite G, Columbus, Ohio 43228, 614.339.5391, ljones@usguernsey.com or visit the website at www.usguernsey.com.
7.16.2014