Gown-O-Silk Ayrshires

New beginnings. The Gown-O-Silk Ayrshire herd was established in 2005 and  is slowly growing (due to getting mostly bull calves). Pictured above is Gown-O-Silk Only Ophelia one of only 5 heifers born in the herd since its beginning. Ophelia is a daughter of Palmyra Mill Bennett 65002995.

Milking time in our double 3 herring bone parlor.

Dusty Ayr Dela Cavee Rosamono, 100402153 , is Rebecca's show Ayrshire and came from her grandfather W. Earl VanTassel's herd. (Shown here as a heifer.)

  Above is another picture of Ophelia. Below is Gown-O-Silk Glasgow Aclaim 10057344224.

Pictured above  is Pumpkin . She was born on 10-26-2010. This sweet little grade is  our 5Th Ayrshire heifer calf born to us. She is sired by Brow-Ayr Pardner Northstar (100465354). We are looking forward to good things from this little girl and hope she will be as fine a milker as her high producing  and beautifully uddered dam, Sweet Potato.

 

Pictured  on the right is Gown-O-Silk Glasgow Aclaim 100573424. She was 1st place in her class as a yearling at the Douglas County Fair in 2009. Glasgow is sired by Palmyra Romeo Aclaim-ET (100323083). Her dam, MEG Martha May (100444461) was a daughter of Woodland View Jake-ET.

This page is dedicated in memory of W. Earl VanTassel, my father in-law and founder of the Dusty-Ayr Ayrshire herd. Earl began the Dusty-Ayr herd in the 1950s after having served his country in World War II as a tank driver with the US Marine Corps at Iwo Jima and other battles in the Pacific theater of war.  He has taught us much about perseverance and  fighting on against the odds. He has taught us all to never give up on your dreams  by his example. In the early 1980s he lost his farm and herd but he never gave up on his dream and was able to start again in the 90s when he purchased a new farm near Mountain Grove, Mo. With a few registered Ayrshires he purchased from Canada the Dusty-Ayr herd literally came back from the dust. Sadly he was  admitted to a Veteran's home due to failing health and once more had to say good by to his beloved farm and herd. Within six months of his admission to the home he passed away on Dec. 11th, 2010. I like to think of him now in those emerald green pastures of paradise milking those Ayrshires he loved so well.

"Don't Quit"

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,

When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,

When the funds are low, and debts are high,

And you want to smile but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you  down a bit-

Rest if you must but don't quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns

As everyone of us sometimes learns.

And many a person turns about

When they might have won had they stuck it out.

Don't give up  though the pace seems slow

You may succeed with another blow.

Often the straggler has given up

When he might have captured the victor's cup,

And he learned too late when night came down

How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out.

So stick to the fight when you are hardest hit-

It's when things seem worst that you must not quit!

     We found the words of "Don't Quit"  hand written on the back of a legal note pad among Earl's belongings. We don't know if he wrote it himself or copied it from some other place, but this prose exemplified his look at life and so we share it here as an encouragement to others and a tribute to him and his dreams.     

                                            

 

                                                                                  

                                                                  Ayrshire Breeders' Association