USJerseyRichard G. (Dick) Smith, Waunakee, Wis., will receive the 2014 Award for Meritorious Service from the American Jersey Cattle Association and National All-Jersey Inc.

Richard Smith
The presentation will be made at the Breeders' Recognition Banquet on June 25, the opening event of the AJCA-NAJ Annual Meetings at the Holiday Inn & Suites-Historic District in Alexandria, Va.

Dick Smith has been active in the A.I. industry for more than 35 years as a geneticist and A.I. industry professional. He has worked in leadership positions from product management, to young sire development and sire selection. Dick received his B.S. in dairy science from Delaware Valley College in 1968 and went on to receive an M.S. in animal science in 1974 from Iowa State University. That same year he began working for American Breeders Service.

Smith stepped into the role of Jersey Sire Analyst at ABS Global Inc. in the late 1990s, and is widely respected for his breed knowledge and astute observation and judgment abilities. He works closely with breeders to discover and select bulls breeders will appreciate, focusing on inheritance and potential transmitting patterns that best represent the traits associated with increased profitability. "He can discuss cow family performance and scientific analysis of the most sophisticated genetic information with equal ease," observes Benny Rector, manager of D&E Jerseys, "allowing him to effectively bridge any potential gaps between herd owners and managers and that scientific information."

Dick also stands out for his effective utilization of genomics to accelerate Jersey breed progress through the sire selection process. "His articulate explanation of how to effectively utilize this ground-breaking new tool in breeding programs, delivered with his trademark enthusiasm for breeding better cattle, has been helpful to many breeders as they have tackled the best way to incorporate genomic information in their service sire selection criteria and herd mating decisions," notes Kip Keller, owner of Den-Kel Jerseys, Byron, N.Y.

Registration for the 2014 AJCA-NAJ Annual Meetings is open on the USJersey web site. At the AJCA annual meeting on June 28, officials will report a second consecutive year over 100,000 registrations, records in all primary service categories, and the highest level of Jersey production in history-a per-cow average of 20,392 pounds energy-corrected milk.

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.
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5.30.2014