??Katie Dixon of Phillipsburg, Missouri named 2014 National Outstanding Young Guernsey Farmer!
At the recently concluded National Guernsey Convention, numerous awards were presented for outstanding performance within the Guernsey breed. The National Outstanding Young Guernsey Farmer is Katie Dixon of Phillipsburg, Missouri. Katie and her father milk and raise Guernseys on 177 acres in Southwest Missouri. Katie was born into dairying and says she was "raised in the barn" and fell in love with the cows from the very beginning of her young life. A partner in the Dix-Lee Farm with her father, Keith, Katie is raising her daughter, Whitney to enjoy the show ring and dairy life as she has over the years.
pic l-r: Rachel Nance, 2013 National Guernsey Princess; Keith Dixon, Katie's father; Katie Dixon; Deb Lakey, Wisconsin Guernsey Breeders' Association, sponsor of the award;2013 National Guernsey Queen, Bethany Trotter; AGA Executive Secretary Lewis Jones.
A graduate of the University of Maryland with a degree in animal science, Katie has been an active member of the Guernsey association in both Maryland, and now in Missouri, for years. She served as the 2000 National Guernsey Queen, was the 2001 Outstanding Senior UMD AGNR Alumni Award and NESA runner-up Outstanding Senior. She was an exhibitor and breeder of several Junior All-American and All-American nominees and winners. She currently coaches youth in dairy judging, is an advisor for the Missouri Junior Guernsey Breeders and tied for first at last year's dairy judging contest at the National Guernsey Convention.
When she was very young, the herd consisted primarily of Holsteins. During her teen years, the herd was converted to predominately Guernsey through Genetic Recovery and the sale of the Holstein herd. She says, We have two registered Holsteins left that are earning their keep. Component pricing makes Guernsey milk far more valuable than other breeds. We also do intensive grazing and Guernsey's are perfect for this production system. Also, quite simply, Guernsey's are just very dear to my heart; extreme personal preference if you will."
Katie's breeding philosophy is "a desire for cows that are of moderate size, dairy yet very powerful with plenty of width throughout and depth of heart and body. They must walk on an outstanding set of feet and legs and have a well attached and balanced mammary system. A cow with these traits should be able to easily milk well with high components on grass, hay and minimal grain. Emphasis is placed on bulls with the desired type traits as well as high components."
Along with the daily routine of milking and farming, Katie handles all the responsibilities of the showing and preparation of the show string. Her daughter Whitney is gaining more responsibilities in this area as well and showed at Louisville for the first time this year. They plan to continue showing at the local, state and national level. Katie has recently assumed the majority of the farm and milking responsibilities, along with help from her 10-year-old daughter, Whitney, since her father's knee surgery.
Future plans include purchasing equipment to harvest their own quality forage to increase milk yields. Katie also would like to add an additional product to market to increase the farm's bottom line. "I would love to be able to sell raw milk or some value added farmstead product. Hopefully with my daughter getting older and being more helpful with the cows and making small changes to reduce time needed to do necessary duties, I can find the time to research this kind of venture and delve into making it a reality. Weather and the government are two things we have no control over, taking the middle man out of selling my product would improve my bottom line significantly," she said.
The runner-up for the Outstanding Guernsey National Young Farmer is Ashley Bridges McMurray of Shelby, North Carolina.
Ashley, along with her husband, Dustin and son Charlie operate Sunrise Farm which began in the late 50's by her grandfather, Charles A Bridges, Jr. The tradition of the Grade A dairy of Guernseys was continued by her and her father after the untimely death of her grandfather in 1999. In 2011 she began the Guernsey Girl Creamery when the main herd was sold focusing on the Guernsey A2 milk. "I chose to continue working with the Guernsey cow for several reasons, including her amazing ability to turn simple grass into rich high quality milk loaded with A2 proteins. Promoting our products with A2 protein and lower cholesterol makes for a quick sell. Her high butterfat content makes for beautiful golden butter and creamy cheeses," Ashley stated.
Ashley utilizes only A2A2 bulls in her breeding program along with young sires from proven cow families. The cows are fed a hammered feed that consists of non GMO corn, wheat, cottonseed and alfalfa along with dry hay during the winter months and rotationally grazed spring through fall. She started the creamery with two milk cows and five heifers and now has a total of 14 Guernseys. She plans to continue marketing her products locally, build a cheese cave to age cheeses longer and build an on-site store to promote more "off the farm sales." "Overall, I want to grow my herd large enough o fit the needs of my growing creamery so I can meet the demands of A2 milk products in my area," she says.
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