At the Canadian Milking Shorthorn Society Field Day and AGM in July, the CMSS presented long-time breeder and exhibitor Doug Wherry with the Distinguished Service Award. Doug is well-known in the breed for his commitment to supporting shows on both sides of the border, as well as being a student of pedigrees. Doug taught school for more than three decades before retiring in 2001.
While Doug has had a life-long interest in dairy cattle, he first became interested in Milking Shorthorns after judging Milking Shorthorn shows in Ontario and PEI in the early 1990s. This led him to purchase his first Shorthorn, Fieldcrest Cotton, in 1994. The next spring, Doug paid a visit to the Fieldcrest herd in Addison, Ontario, purchasing Fieldcrest Prime Jewel as a young calf. Jewel would go on to be named Reserve Junior Champion and second in her class at World Dairy Expo that fall. Doug later sold Jewel to GMC Farms in New Hampshire, who would eventually win Grand Champion honours at the RAWF in 1999. This sale began a friendship with the Clark family of GMC Farms, resulting in a number of Canadian-bred animals sourced by Doug and co-owned with GMC, including Cedar Creek Logic Skylight 17 EX-91-2E. Skylight, who was a Futurity winner at the Eastern States Exposition in 2010, was the foundation of a successful family owned with the Clarks, including GMC-WV Princeton Skyway EX-94-2E, a 2019 Futurity winner at the World Dairy Expo.
As Doug did not have his own farm to milk cows, he developed friendships and relationships with other breeders to care for his animals. As such, he was willing to sell cows in milk, often starting new cow families for new breeders. One of these herds was Lynmark Farms (Tim Shearer and Irene Vietinghoff), who at the time were relatively new to the Milking Shorthorn breed. They purchased the brood cow Fieldcrest Rubin Pearl (dam of Prime Jewel) from Doug, with Pearl going on to be classified EX-92-8E, winning Grand Championship honours at multiple Ontario shows and being a Six Star Brood Cow. Descendants of Pearl went to form the core of the Lynmark herd. Doug was also a frequent consignor to the CMSS National Sale, making quality animals available to largely new breeders.
In recent years, Doug has been an active member of the Society Show and Sale Committee, particularly in ensuring that the National Show in Lindsay was successful. Doug frequently volunteered as barn supervisor as well as liaison for the breed with the Lindsay Fair, ensuring accuracy of entries and the show catalogue. Doug served as a CMSS Director for a number of years and has also maintained a membership in the American Milking Shorthorn Society, acting as a connector between the two societies for a number of years.
According to Doug, “I have learned in the years of owning cattle that there are good animals in every breed. Secondly, friends such as Mike Sullivan, Tim Shearer, Irene Vietinghoff, Greg and Marcia Clark, Keith Van Camp and Murray Jackson can provide you with a tremendous amount of very useful knowledge and encouragement.” Doug continues to own Milking Shorthorns, Holsteins, and Saanen goats with a number of partners.
The Society periodically awards the Distinguished Service Award to those that have made a significant contribution to the Milking Shorthorn breed in Canada. Potential nominees can include current or former breeders or past or present CMSS staff members. Considerations for eligibility include lifetime contributions to the breed, service to the Society as a director, committee member, sale or show volunteer, and promoter of the breed to the larger dairy industry. Recipients of this award also receive an honourary lifetime membership to the Society.