Jersey New Zealand president Julie Pirie attended the World Jersey Conference.
Australian Jersey genetics could soon be back on the agenda for New Zealand farmers.
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ST Genetics breeding consultant Jean Macky is sending a strong message to farmers in NZ – it’s time to look at Aussie Jerseys.
ST Genetics distributes Genetics Australia semen in NZ and Jean joined her GA colleagues and several Kiwi farmers on the recent World Jersey Conference tour in Australia.
“I love the capacious style of the Australian cow and I need to convince more New Zealanders about them,” she said.
“There is a misconception that cows are treated differently in Australia and there is a different style of farming, but in reality, it’s very similar.
“Generally, the NZ Jersey has become too small, in my opinion, and I think they lack a bit of the depth and strength of Australian Jerseys,” she said.
“They seem to be getting smaller and winters are very tough in NZ, but we can learn a lot from Australia.”
“A lot of farmers have gone into KiwiCross, but if they could see this modern style of Jersey cow, they probably wouldn’t have gone into the cross-breed.
“They wanted to get away from the smaller and bigger cows so they’ve created this mid-sized cow – but that’s what the Jersey is in Australia.”
ST Genetics breeding consultant Jean Macky and Genetics Australia export manager Rob Derksen at TLG Camperdown.
Jean said she was pleased to see so many NZ farmers joining the Australian tour.
While Jersey numbers are growing in most countries, they have been declining in NZ.
“Hopefully after this trip, demand will really grow because we’ve seen so many good cows and I will be trying to spread that word,” she said.
Jersey New Zealand president Julie Pirie also joined the tour to Australia and said she wanted to reverse a trend that has seen the breed in decline over the past two decades.
“The future for Jerseys in NZ should be bright; the issue is the mindset of farmers who need to understand that milking modern-day Jerseys is different to milking Jerseys from 20 years ago,” Julie said.
“We’ve got a stronger animal that can withstand a lot tougher conditions than 20 years ago.”
“Jersey cows are better able to withstand the effects of increased temperature, convert feed into milk far more efficiently than other breeds, and because they have a smaller frame, they are better for our soils and environment.
“It’s a matter of convincing farmers to move away from KiwiCross.”
Jersey Australia, Genetics Australia and Agri-Gene will have a site at Mystery Creek Field Days in June to promote the breed.
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