CHESTERVILLE – The 77th Annual General Meeting of Jersey Ontario will be hosted by the St. Lawrence Valley Jersey Club at the Best Western Parkway Inn & Conference Centre in Cornwall, Ontario on March 3 and 4. The St. Lawrence Valley Jersey Club is one of 10 regional clubs across Ontario, “consisting of breeders from across the counties of Renfrew, Ottawa-Carleton, Dundas, Stormont, Glengarry, and Prescott Russell.
Jersey Ontario was established in 1946 and is described on its website as “a non-profit breed association organization incorporation under the Province of Ontario, providing innovative services to Jersey Breeders throughout the province of Ontario.”
Information obtained from the hosting organization describes the event as an opportunity to “host fellow breeders from across the province for a weekend of farm visits, fun and fellowship, as well as the business pertaining to Jersey Ontario.” Theo Elsof, president of Jersey Ontario, provided the schedule and information on the AGM, which includes tours of local farms, the Jersey Ontario Annual General Meeting and a Saturday symposium.
There are four barn tours planned for Fri., March 3 throughout the day, with buses leaving the Best Western Parkway Inn and Conference Centre at 8 a.m. and returning in the late afternoon. Walnut Lane Jerseys are located near Cardinal, Ontario and operated by Ed, Victoria and Benjamin Cooper and Belsmith Farms on County Road 1, Iroquois are operated by Robin, Ann Marie and Ashley Smith.
The final visit before lunch at North Stormont Place in Avonmore will be to Therihof Jerseys operated by Theo, Ria, Kevin and Marleen Elshof near Berwick, followed by a visit to Jamink Farm which is owned and operated by Thomas, Julia, Felicity, Thys, Heidi and George Boojink. On Friday evening, a presentation on “Preparing Your Animals for Sale & Show” will be presented by Kyle Stockdale, Ky-Vision following dinner.
On Saturday the Jersey Ontario Annual General Meeting is planned to be held in the morning followed by a Jersey Management Symposium, scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Speakers include: Lactanet director of innovation and development Debora Santschi; Kristin Benke, an economist with Dairy Farmers of Ontario; director of the Co-op Embrun AGTREK Division Mario Leclerc and Nick Thurler from Green Energy Trading Corporation/GET. Elshof explained the symposium will be open to non-members at a cost which will include lunch and coffee breaks. It is suggested those interested to contact Ria Elshof at 613-984-0900.
There are plans for a youth seminar for those between the ages of 16 and 21 to be held in conjunction with the 2023 AGM starting on Thurs., March 2. This will include a visit to a local goat farm, Zipgrow in Cornwall, participation in weekend events such as the Farm Tour on Friday and the Jersey Management Symposium. More information is available on the Jersey Ontario website.
Following the Saturday evening banquet, Ontario Awards and Jersey Ontario Production Awards will be presented, with a silent and live auction planned. As it becomes available, more information on the event will be posted on the organization’s social media pages.
