Reynoldsburg, OH —Neal Smith, Executive Secretary and CEO of the American Jersey Cattle Association and National All-Jersey Inc., has announced the hiring of new staff, plus expanded responsibilities for current personnel to strengthen on-farm service and cattle marketing support for Jersey owners nationwide.
Heather J. Lord, Litchfield, Conn., will join the staff as Area Representative for Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma effective December 1, 2014. She will also travel nationwide as a cow-side evaluator for the AJCA Linear Type Traits Appraisal program.
“Heather brings many years of professional expertise in the Registered Jersey™ business and valuable customer service know-how to the position,” said Smith. “Her understanding of Jersey genetic evaluations, benefits of genomic testing and commercial dairy management will make her an invaluable resource person for current AJCA members as well as producers considering adding Jerseys to their dairy operations.”
Most recently employed as the milking barn manager for the 82-cow Holstein, Jersey and Brown Swiss herd at Arethusa Farm, Lord earned a B.S. in Animal Science from the University of Connecticut in 2007. After graduation she became a store manager for Agriventures Agway, and was also a feed specialist focusing on farm animal nutrition and growing the company’s delivery business.
Lord became herdsman at High Lawn Farm, Lee, Mass., in 2009, a year later becoming responsible for breeding decisions, expanding its flush program and marketing bulls to five different A.I. organizations. In the fall of 2011, she became farm manager at High Lawn, taking on additional responsibilities for crop, equipment and employee management. She helped with the transition to a robotic milking system as part of the farm’s business redevelopment plan.
At the 2013 meeting of the New England Jersey Breeders Association, Heather received its Young Breeder Award.
In related moves, the field territory assigned to Jason Robinson has been restructured. Robinson, who also manages Jersey Marketing Service, will continue to serve Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and west Tennessee and add Texas, jointly covering the panhandle with Maija Haggith. The remainder of the southeast region–Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, east Tennessee and Virginia–has been assigned to Erica Davis, who continues as Internet Marketing Coordinator for Jersey Marketing Service.
Greg Lavan, AJCA-NAJ Area Representative for Ohio and Michigan, has undertaken expanded responsibilities as Marketing Coordinator for Jersey Marketing Service. He will also continue work as a type traits evaluator.
The Jersey CEO also announced that Clark Morgan, who joined the appraisal staff this past February on a part-time basis, will now work full-time for the AJCA linear type appraisal program.
Morgan has lifelong experience with Registered Jerseys™ on his family’s dairy and grain operation located near Urbana, Ohio. He has also been employed as a cold storage and general warehouse manager, and as a production supervisor for Weidmann Electrical Technology.
Jared Smith, Plain City, Ohio, joined the staff November 3 as production assistant for Jersey Marketing Service and Jersey Journal. He will produce catalogs, advertising and sale promotional materials, plus assist with magazine subscriptions and the National Jersey Jug Futurity.
Jared is a senior at the Ohio State University, majoring in community leadership with a minor in agricultural business, transferring to the main campus after completing two years of studies at the OSU Agricultural Technical Institute. Active in the Buckeye Dairy Club, he is co-chair of the Buckeye Classic Sale committee. Jared was a member of the OSU team that placed fourth at the 2013 National Intercollegiate Dairy Cattle Judging Contest, and previously ranked as fourth-high individual in the National 4-H Judging Contest in 2009. He also served as president of the Fairbanks FFA chapter and in 2011 earned the American FFA Degree.
The American Jersey Cattle Association, organized in 1868, compiles and maintains animal identification and performance data on Jersey cattle and provides services that support genetic improvement and greater profitability through increasing the value of and demand for Registered Jersey™ cattle and genetics, and Jersey milk and milk products.
For more information on the association’s complete line of services for dairy business owners, visit the website at www.USJersey.com or connect at Facebook.com/USJersey.