A Maysville area farmer whose life has been spent in the dairy business was honored July 9 at the National Milking Shorthorn Convention held in Kelso, Wash.

Don Crawley was named “2010 Citizen of the Year” by the Association, which recognizes “people who have made a significant lifetime contribution to the promotion, improvement and expansion of the Milking Shorthorn Breed.”

Tim and Nikki Crawley and their dauaghters, Jessica and Brittany were in Washington where Tim accepted the award for his father. Crawley and his wife Jewel received the news when their granddaughters called their grandparents from Washington.

Crawley was nominated for the award by his sons, Tim Crawley of Gravette and Dennis Crawley of Springfield, MO.

The following includes excerpts detailing Don’s life as a youth and through his years in developing the Crawley Milking Shorthorn legacy where today the farm has a herd of more than 300 milking cows.

Don Crawley was born on the family farm near Gravette, Arkansas, on August 10, 1025. As a young boy he was always expected to do his share of the farm work. He and his older brother Max would milk 10-15 cows by hand every morning before walking the mile and a half to the one room school they would attend through the eighth grade. They attended high school at Southwest City, Missouri, which was actually closer to the farm than Gravette.

During high school Don was active in sports but his father William Clifford (W.C.) always insisted that farm chores came first before playing sports and other activities.

World War II was at its height in mid-1943 and Don would become part of a combat air crew as a Tail Gunner on a B-17 Flying Fortress in the 8th Air Force, 447th Bomb Group stationed in England. He completed and survived 35 combat bombing missions against Nazi Germany. After the war, Don would return to the family farm and never leave again.

In 1948, Don and his father began a long partnership as W.C. Crawley & Son, Valley View Farm when they bought their first registered Milking Shorthorns (a bred heifer and a bull calf) from WP Ranch near Owasso, Oklahoma.

In the years following that initial purchase the herd grew as more females were added. In the early 1950’s Don adopted programs like DHIA, artificial insemination and herd classification that would improve the genetics and value of his cows. A Grade A milking barn was constructed in 1952 to take advantage of high fluid milk prices.

Within a month after the barn was completed, milk prices plummeted.

Don wouldn’t be paid the hundredweight price he received on his first Grade A milk check again for another 20 years.

In the summer of 1955 Don’s sister, Muriel, who was working in Tulsa, Oklahoma, introduced him to a friend of hers, Jewel Swart.

The 90 mile drive to Tulsa was mostly on dirt and gravel roads at the time. To see Jewel, Don would leave after morning milking, have a neighbor milk the cows for him in the evening and then return later the same evening. This arrangement did not last very long before they decided to just get married in early October, 1055. They would soon have three sons, Russell Don (1956), Dennis Dean (1957) and Timothy Lee (1960).

Most great registered cattle herds are known for a strong cow family. Valley View Farm was always known for the “Jewel” cow family. Most people have mistakenly assumed that the cow family was named for Don’s wife, Jewel. It wasn’t. The cow,Valley View Jewel, was born in 1954 and was the daughter of the original bred heifer purchased in 1948. “Old Jewel” would receive Don’s first Bronze W.J. Hardy Awardand would be classified Excellent. What made her special was that her good genetics for type and production were passed down to her daughters and their descendants. The “Jewel” family received numerous awards. One of “Old Jewel’s” daughters, Valley View Jewel Jo, was one of the Milking Shorthorn breed’s greatest cows in the 1960’s. She was classified as Excellent and as a junior four-year-old produced 23,410 pounds of milk and 867 pounds fat in 365 days which was within 100 pounds of a breed milk record and did set a breed fat record.

By 1960 the Crawley farm was no longer diversified like it once was. All income for both Don’s and W.C.’s families came from the dairy operation which was fairly unusual in the 1960’s, especially in the Milking Shorthorn breed.

Since most of Don’s best cows were in the “Jewel” family they received most of the early services from the Australian Ilawarra bulls. From these matings were produced many great “Jewels” but the greatest was Valley View Jewel Anne 2nd. She was a granddaughter of “Jewel Jo”. She lived to be 15 years old and would produce 210,000 pounds of milk lifetime to become one of the breed’s first Gold W.J. Hardy Award cows. She was also classified Excellent 4E.

In the 1980’s Don and sons Dennis and Tim purchased several high producing grade black and white Holsteins which were bred to the best Milking Shorthorn bulls available. A granddaughter from these black and white cows had a 50:50 chance of being red and white.

This source of new genetics gave Valley View Farm a “jump start” in the mid 1980’s by producing cows with good type and lots of milk. The best Valley View cow descended from black and white Holsteins was Valley View Megan’s Joy. She was classified Excellent with her highest record over 30,000 pounds milk, 1,000 pounds fat and1,000 pounds protein.

Valley View cows won numerous national honors including Kingsdale Lucy 5th 2E59 who was All American and World Dairy Expo Grand Champion.

Don Crawley was always very involved in the American Milking Shorthorn Society activities, serving two terms on the Board of Directors from 1964-1970 and another two terms from 1982-1988. He was elected president during his last board term. He also served on many committees over the years. He decided to disperse his Valley View herd o Milking Shorthorns in 1989. At the time he sold the cows he had received 22 Progressive Breeder Awards (more than any other breeder), 24 Bronze W.H. Hardy Awards (more than any other breeder), 4 Silver W.J.

Hardy Awards and 2 Gold W.J. Hardy Awards.

Throughout Don’s life he has been very active in his local community. He was always active in the Church of Christ, serving as a Bible Class teacher and was an Elder for many years. He also served many years on the Benton County Fair and Arkansas State Fair Boards of Directors. Over the years he helped many local kids start 4-H or FFA dairy projects with a Milking Shorthorn heifer. He often transported them and their heifers to show at state and even national shows.

Today the farm has more than 300 milking cows and is more diversified than it once was with the addition of a 20,000 breeding hen operation that produces hatching eggs. Russell and Tim and their families live and work on the farm. The 450 owned and 250 rented acres produce most of the forage consumed by the milking herd and replacement heifers. Don is now 84 years old but is still involved. Almost every day he spends some time on the tractor baling or mowing hay. Don and Jewel have been married 55 years this October and most of all enjoy spending time with their children and grandchildren.

News, Pages 6 on 07/21/2010