James L. and Novalee Coats
James L. “Jimmie” and Novalee Coats are the recipients of the Distinguished Dairy Cattle Breeder Award. The Coats’ started dairying in 1975 in Texas County purchasing 176 acres and over time building a new milk barn and acquiring grade cattle. In the 1980s, they attended a DHIA meeting with speaker Dave Norman. This sparked an interest in registered cattle, and they started attending registered sales. In 1983, they purchased a Conductor heifer at the Missouri state sale. She later became the farm’s first excellent cow. This outstanding brood cow still has offspring in their herd today. The Coats’ then sold all their grade cattle and focused on their registered herd under the prefix, Ja-No-Co. These cows that have influenced the herd came from WeatherVu, Regancrest, Rich-Mor, and Toecky, all of them contributing excellent offspring in the herd and a legacy that continues today.
Ja-No-Co has been enrolled in Holstein DHIR, testing, classification and is a 100% Registered herd utilizing only 100% RHA Holstein sires in their AI program. Combining not only type, but production and genetic advancement, the Coats’ have received Holstein USA’s highest honors being awarded the Progressive Breeders Registry award for 8 years. In 2022, Jimmie and Novalee had a 100% homebred herd with a BAA of 106.2, Rolling herd of 27,176M, 1,130 pounds of fat and 861 pounds of protein. In fact, they have had 11 cows producing over 200,000 lbs. In addition to this honor, they received the Progressive Genetics Award for the 18th year with an average CTPI of 2,294. They also rank among the top in the state for their BAA score every year. Receiving these awards is a true testament of their ability to combine type, production and management in a total package. The Coats’ also received the 40-Year Holstein USA member award in 2022.
The farm has had a couple of cow families that have scored excellent, including two dam/daughter pairs; Dot and Deity, and Spanky and Sally. They have exhibited their cattle for many years at the Texas and Tri-County fairs. In 1983, they were honored as a Missouri State Fair Farm Family. One of their cows, Ja-No-Co Astro Sunnie, was used as a model for fiberglass cow exhibit used by the Wright County Farm Bureau for promoting the dairy industry and has made its appearance at the Governor’s Mansion and the Missouri State Fair.
Jimmie and Novalee have been heavily involved in the South-Central Holstein district since its inception. Jimmie has served as the first district President and Novalee was the secretary and treasurer for many years. The couple is also very involved in their local community and always supporting the youth of the district. Jimmie has also served on the Tri-County Fair Board and on the Texas County Extension Council for several years. He also helped revitalize the Young Farmers Association in Houston and Mountain Grove.