HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen Agriculture, 2003-03-19, Page 39PAGE A-14. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2003.
Armstrong jerseys continue to be Royal winners
Winning herd
Fred and Ruth Armstrong show off just one of the award
winning Jerseys they have raised. (Janice Becker photo)
By Janice Becker
Citizen staff
Though the personal participation
has dropped off in recent years, Fred
Armstrong’s Jerseys continue to
have an impact at the Royal Winter
Fair and with international breeders.
It was his father Jack who first
brought Jerseys to the family farm,
earning a contract in 1961 to ship
Jersey milk to Toronto.
After moving into registered cattle
in the mid 1970s, Fred Armstrong
followed the suggestion of a hired
hand who thought the animals
should be shown.
Ed Franken, who had a
background in showing through
involvement in 4-H, was the first to
encourage the family to take the
Jerseys to local fairs. The cattle
eventually went to Western Fair in
London and by 1978 were being
shown at the Royal.
It was a family affair for the
Armstrongs, with wife Ruth helping
and the children soon stepping into
the ring.
“They were all good showmen,”
said Armstrong.
The children began by showing
calves through 4-H, attending the
Seaforth Fair, Clinton Spring Show
and the Perth and Huron County’s
show for Jerseys.
As their experience and
confidence grew, the youngsters
helped at the Royal as well.
“Once you get started (showing) it
is hard to stop” said Armstrong. “We
enjoy it and we meet people from all
over the world, thanks to a little
Jersey cow. That is why we do it.”
Showing involves considerable
work as the training of the selected
animals begins months in advance.
“It takes extra people to train them
on the lead and do the washing and
clipping just before the show,” said
Armstrong.
The selection process is also key
to entering potential prize winners.
“We look for good dairy qualities
such as good fat and good leg size.
We look at the breeding behind her
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even if something doesn’t look right
at the time of choosing.”
Armstrong said they often use
smaller fairs prior to the Royal to
compare the cattle and work to
improve show qualities.
He pointed out that the small fairs
play a very important role in
developing not only the
showperson’s abilities, but allows
local breeders to scrutinize other
stock.
Armstrong said he begins by
showing a group of cattle in Clinton,
then moves on to Seaforth and
Stratford in the fall.
“If they are in the top four or five
in Stratford, then they are good
enough for the Royal.”
The Stratford show, with 130-160
head on display, is second only to the
Royal in the number of animals. (It
is often held in conjunction with the
Holstein show.)
Armstrong said attending the
Royal regularly and networking with
exhibitors is a great source of
advertisement for the livestock.
“We can compare with others and
see if we are on the right track (with
the breeding),” he said.
It also can bring international
attention to a breeding line.
“We got a lot of attention for a
two-year-old that won second this
year,” he said. “We had calls from
Oklahoma and Texas.”
However, as the cropping portion
of the Armstrong operation grew and
the children moved on to other
endeavours, the time available for
showing decreased.
Where they once showed as many
as 20 cattle, though they averaged 10
head over the years, the Armstrongs
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have only taken one or two in the
last couple years.
In spite of that, Armstrong said,
“We have accomplished more with
only one animal at the show.”
In 2002, Armstrong was named
Premier Breeder as animals raised
and shown by others took numerous
prizes. This is where the success of
the breeding program shines
through.
With nine other cattle on exhibit
which had originated from the
Armstrongs herd, there were three
first-place finishes including milking
yearling, senior yearling and four-
year-old. There were also three
reserve champion awards.
“It is the first time the Premier
award has been won by someone
with only one cow,” smiled
Armstrong.
With the herd prefix attached to
any animals sold from the
Armstrong farm, his line still gets
the advertisement. “We are proud of
the showers, but also proud of the
breeding on this farm as well,” he
said.
That continued success of the
breeding line at events such as the
Royal has brought buyers from
around the world. Since their first
win, the Armstrongs have been
fielding calls from the States about
bulls, embryos and breeders.
“A lot of them want to get show
animals. They will buy what will
win a prize and nothing else
matters.” said Armstrong.
However, some are looking for
good breeding stock, he added.
As Royal winners, information is
posted on the internet which has also
helped open up the international
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With his triumph at the 2002
Royal, Armstrong said he will
probably continue for a few more
years as long as he still enjoys it.
“If it was not for trying to breed
great cattle, I wouldn’t milk,” he
said. “The part I enjoy is trying to
breed a better cow, to cross the right
genetics to get the perfect
one.”
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