Saturday, May 21, 2022
Saturday, May 21, 2022 | Country Acres • Page 1
ountry C
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Volume 9, Edition 39
Focusing ing ng on on Today’s Tod To da a ay y’’s Rural Environment y
Dairy
Down Under
Gavenlock experiences family farming in Minnesota, Australia BY GRACE JEURISSEN | STAFF WRITER
TALLYGAROOPNA, AUSTRALIA – Dairy differs around the world, and Jessica Gavenlock has been fortunate enough to experience dairy growing up in rural Minnesota, as well as rural Australia. Gavenlock grew up on her family’s farm near Sauk Centre. Being the oldest of 11 can have its challenges, but the farm and show calves kept the whole family busy. Much of Gavenlock’s youth was spent participating in dairy shows and helping her parents on their 60-cow dairy farm. “I remember participating in all of the dairy shows at the state fair,” Gavenlock said. “After one encampment a few of the siblings would be sent home with everyone’s clothes. Mom would do a ton of laundry, and come back for set-up for the next show.” This all happened while some of the kids stayed overnight at the cattle barns with the tie-over cattle.
In addition, she used to help care for calves on their family farm. At one point, she was managing a few employees and caring for 200 calves on their farm while in high school. “I did chores before and after school,” said Gavenlock. Even though the family was milking 60 cows in their tie-stall barn, Gavenlock’s dad paired with a group of individuals and bought a dairy near West Union, hence the 200 calves. The farm has since grown. Raising calves was just a fraction of her memories from Minnesota farming. While in college, Gavenlock was given a scholarship opportunity to study the dairy industry in Australia or England for the Milking Shorthorn Society. She chose Australia and, once there, she worked with some farmers for a few weeks gathering information about the Illawarra Shorthorns, which she would then bring back to the Shorthorn Society.
PHOTO SUBMITTED Brad and Jessica Gavenlock are dressed in their show whites ready to parade cattle through the ring at the Sydney Royal Cattle Show in Sydney, Australia. The Gavenlocks run a dairy cattle boarding business in Tallygaroopna, Australia.
Her college educational trip to Australia is how she met her husband, Brad, who at the time and still today, was working with Agri-gene, a genetics company that distributes semen across Australia and the world. “When we first started seeing each other, we came up with our farm name,” Gavenlock said. “We combined my family’s Cherrywood name and his Bralock name to create Cherrylock Cattle Company.” Looking back to her youth, one of the aspects of growing up on a dairy PHOTO COURTESY OF BRADLEY CULLEN PHOTOGRAPHY
Windyways Galaxies Dawn 7 EX95 is a Jersey owned in partnership with the Gavenlocks’ friend, Frank Walsh. Dawn was two-time Grand Champion at International Dairy Week, Intermediate Champion at International Dairy Week, two-time Supreme Champion Sydney Royal, and two-time Grand Champion Gippsland Jersey Fair.
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and showing cattle in 4-H and FFA that Gavenlock was drawn to was prepping cattle for shows. She found clipping and fitting them was something she deeply enjoyed. While in Minnesota earlier this year, Gavenlock noticed a Dairy Star article hanging on the wall of her parents’ house. “It was a questionnaire the oldest six of us kids did,” Gavenlock said. “One of the questions was ‘What do you see yourself doing in the future?’ My answer was showing, clipping and fitting cattle.” Her answer to that question years ago is extremely similar to what she does today, which she is grateful for. The Gavenlocks run a dairy cattle boarding business in Tallygaroopna, Australia. “Our business isn’t typical for Australia,” Gavenlock said. “Not
Gavenlock page 2
5
A lifetime of trapping Pillager
17 Farming: the root of everything Starbuck
23 The spirit of farm villages Pierz
7
Sky blue waters Diane Leukam column
21 Country cooking Sauk Centre
27 Animals we love
10 Off the beaten path Freedhem
22 Catkins Nancy Leasman column
