Outsert07 Eng

8/10/2019 Outsert07 Eng

1/8

Fall 2007

8/10/2019 Outsert07 Eng

2/8

The Jersey breed has long been the undisputed champion for production of highpercentages of butterfat and protein in a concentrated and nutritious packageNational breed averages for butterfat and protein percentages are 4.9% and 3.8%respectively. Having a breed that produces such a high level of fat and protein hasdefinite advantages, including:

1. Efficiency of production. Many Jersey breeders are finding that they can fill thesame amount of quota with Jerseys as they did with a similar number of Holsteins,but they can do so with less input cost. The higher fat and protein percentages large-ly make up for the lower milk volume, so quota can be maintained without addition ocows. However, these cows require less feed, less labour, and a smaller land base all high priced production costs!

Ferme Prs Verts in St-Gabriel de Rimouski, Qubec now milks 14 Jerseys in thei45 cow herd. They are relatively new to the Jersey breed, but after their first twoJersey purchases are sold on the profitability of milking Jerseys. Luc Deschnes oFerme Prs Verts notes that they Jerseys fill the quota at about the same level as theHolsteins, but require much less feed to do so.

In the same way, Paul Shulman of Embro, Ontario notes that his Jersey herd requirea significantly smaller land base than he would require if milking Holsteins. He estimates he requires significantly less land, as well as less labour and cost in harvestingand storing feed on farm, and lower purchased feed costs. These mean big savings

for this 90 head dairy herd in the heart of Ontario dairy country.2. No problems with SNF Ratios. With enforced ratios of Solids Non Fat to Fat

across Canada now in effect, it is prudent for dairy producers to ensure that they areproducing within the ratio caps set in their province, as non-fat solids produced abovethe ratio cap will not be paid for. While changes to feed composition and schedulecan help to a certain degree, there is no more immediate or effective way to bring you

herd SNF/F ratio down: Jerseys! Breed average SNF/F ratio for Jerseys is 1.97, comfortably below benchmarks set by any province in Canada. By adding cows to youherd which can regularly test in excess of 5% fat, this can make an immediate impacon your herd SNF, and ensure that you arent losing income to over production of protein and other solids. In fact, some provinces are financially rewarding producers thaare substantially below ratio targets - even more incentive to comply!

3. Milk price. With most provinces making the necessary changes to milk pricingto help reduce the over-supply of non-fat milk solids, the price for fat has risen abovethe price for protein. For Ontario in May 2007, the average price per hectolitre for

Jersey milk at breed average was $84.15, compared with $70.34 for the industry

average. It is worth noting that this $84 milk is sufficiently below SNF/F ratios in all 10

Canadian provinces, meaning no loss of revenue from milk.4. The benefits of a concentrated product. As Jerseys produce a more concen-

trated product with more fat and protein per litre of milk, there isnt the need to produce as high of volume of milk in litres. This can have its benefits. For one, on-farmbulk tanks for new or expanding operations may not have to be as large, saving equipment cost. Perhaps more important are the cost savings from transportation. Astransportation cost is charged per hectolitre, it makes sense to ship a product that ismore concentrated. Given that transportation costs will likely continue to rise toreflect the cost of fuel, this becomes an important consideration when examining youmonthly milk cheque.

Jerseys - The Component Queen!

On the cover:

Pictured on the cover is Jersey

Canadas new True-Type Model Cow.

Models are available from purchase

from Jersey Canada.

Jerseys require sig-

nificantly less land, as

well as less labour and

cost in harvesting and

storing feed on farm

- Paul Shulman

Embro, ON

The high component milk produced

by Canadian Jerseys is highly valued

for production of a variety of dairy

products, including some specialty

Jersey cheeses.

8/10/2019 Outsert07 Eng

3/8

One of the most common questions from producers interested in introducingJerseys to their herd is how well do they co-exist with larger breeds? Well, the ver-dict is in - no problem! Whether you have a tie-stall, free-stall, or loose housing oper-ation, Jerseys should thrive in any housing arrangement with cows of other breeds.

The Mueller family of Roswitha Holsteins and Jerseys of Steinbach, Manitoba

note that the Jerseys and Holsteins mix very well together, requiring no specialtreatment for the Jerseys in comparison to the Holsteins. In fact, Friedel Muellernotes that when we started with Jerseys, we thought that we should sort the heifersby size rather than by age, so the Jerseys wouldnt be bullied by the Holsteins.However, we quickly found out that the Jerseys were not only holding their own, butwere pushing around the younger Holstein heifers, and therefore we went back tosorting by age. The Muellers also note that the Jerseys are always the first into theparlour, and have been very easy to integrate into the operation. Future plans are toincrease the Jersey population to 50% of the milking herd, currently numbering 180head.

Of course, one of the most important times in the daily life of a dairy cow is thetime spent eating. Here again, Jerseys regularly show no competitive disadvantagewhen it comes to feeding time. Dick Friesen of Marksview Farms in Warman,Saskatchewan relates that when first introducing Jerseys to their existing Holsteinherd, we were concerned that the Jerseys might have a problem competing with theHolsteins for room at the feed bunk, but this hasnt been a problem whatsoever. TheJerseys are aggressive feeders in our free-stall barn, while being quiet and well tem-pered cows. While we are going to keep milking Holsteins, we would like to move toabout 50% Jerseys.

The Jerseys at Ferme Lmeric in Warwick, Quebec are milked with a robot sys-tem. Herd owner ric Lemay notes that he is very satisfied with the Jerseys sincetheir arrival. Their curious nature has allowed them to easily adapt to the robots, withthe Jerseys tending to go through the robot more often than the Holsteins. He also

comments that while they are quiet, docile cows, they are aggressive at the manger!They cohabitate very well with the Holsteins, and finds them an extremely mobilecow, with an impressive lack of feet and leg problems!

Introducing Jerseys to a tie-stall housing environment is likewise simple, and dueto the breeds smaller size, may help solve headaches facing many producers whohave cows that are much too large for their existing stalls . With older barns, it maybe quite expensive to renovate the barn to accommodate larger cows. It may be sim-pler and less expensive to look at a smaller breed such as the Jersey that still pro-duces a high return, but decreases the need for barn renovation.

At Ferme Andeline in St. Nazaire de Buckland, Quebec, Stephane Filion and DianeBlanger found that they had small stalls that were proving to be too small for

Holsteins. So, they tried Jerseys, and it has proved to be a good choice! They notethat they were able to avoid expensive renovations, while making our small stallsmore profitable!

Jerseys also excel in pasture-based production systems! According to Frank andBoni Datema of Valtallina Jerseys in Aldergrove, British Columbia, they have foundthat Jerseys are very efficient grazers, even on our marginal land! We try to have ourcattle on grass for at least six months of the year. The Jersey's smaller size meansthat they do less damage to our fields and their good feet and legs mean that theycan cover a lot of varied terrain easily. Provided that there is a good supply of waterand a few trees for shade, it has been our experience that the Jerseys are not both-ered by being out in temperatures well above 30 degrees Celsius.

Jerseys - The Right Fit!

The Jerseys are

quiet, docile cows,

but they are aggres-sive at the manger!

- ric Lemay

Warwick, QC

Adding Jerseys made

our small stalls more

profitable, and avoid-ed expensive renova-

tions!

- Stephane Filion

Nazaire-de Buckland, QC

Holsteins and Jerseys co-exist on a

wide variety of Canadian dairy farms

Whether tie-stall or free-stall - Jerseys

fit right in!

While Jerseys are noted for thei

docile nature, they are equally aggres

sive at the feedbunk! Jerseys have no

disadvantage to other breeds when i

comes to finding the feedbunk!

8/10/2019 Outsert07 Eng

4/8

JERSEYS EXCEL AT REPRODUCTIVE EFFICIENCY!

Maintaining a high level of reproductive efficiency is essential on any dairy farmas it minimizes time that cows arent in production, and likewise minimizes cost onsemen, insemination costs, animal health issues, and labour. In this vein, there aremany ways that Jerseys show advantages in reproductive efficiency.

At an average of 1.8 breedings per cow, the Jersey breed has the lowest valuefor this trait of the major dairy breeds in Canada. This means fewer days out of production, and less wasted semen and insemination costs. Recent figures from theCanadian Dairy Network note that the 56 day Non-Return Rate for Jersey cows is68%, 7% higher than industry average, giving credence to the fact that Jersey cowscatch to earlier breedings, and require fewer re-breedings.

Mario Leblanc of Ferme Fermar in Ste-Monique, Quebec notes that they maintainan average of 1.41 breedings per cow in their Jersey herd, which is significantly lowethan the 1.80 breedings per cow average in his local management group of primarilyHolstein herds. This means less days dry and lower breeding costs!

The average age at first service for Canadian Jerseys is 15.5 months, almost an

entire month less than the industry average. This amounts to one less month feeding an animal before it enters its productive life. With a 1999 study from Virginia Techestimating that each month in excess of 24 months at calving having a cost to the producer of $55 per animal, this is significant. For a 60 cow herd calving 30 heifers peyear, that equates to savings of $1650 per year for just shaving a month off of averagecalving age! Also, heifers bred at 14-17 months are at the most fertile months of theirlives, and should catch to the first breeding more often than heifers bred a few monthslater. Therefore, the earlier maturing Jersey heifer should help to get your herd producing earlier and returning profit from investment in their first two years of life!

JERSEYS DEFINE LONGEVITY!

Study after study in the North American dairy industry clearly shows that theJersey breed has a distinct advantage in length of productive life. For instance, aUSDA study recently showed American Jerseys as lasting 0.59 lactations longer thanHolsteins (2.87 lactations to 2.28). In a similar fashion, data from the Canadian DairyNetwork pegs Jerseys as having an average productive life of 3.61 years, notablyhigher than Holsteins at 3.08 years. The same difference is seen in age at culling, withJerseys at 6.22 years compared to 5.63 for Holsteins.

Why is this advantage in productive life important? It means that cows will havemore days in mature productive form, when a dairy cow is in the best condition toproduce return on the investment of raising or purchasing her. It also decreases theneed for replacement animals just to maintain herd numbers, allowing for flexibility to

grow herd size internally or have replacement animals available for sale.The Anderlini and Datema families of Valtallina Jerseys note that longevity has

always been one of our herd goals. Due to the high cost of raising or replacing cat-tle, the first year of production for most animals just pays for the animal. It is the additional years that bring the profit. We have found that we profit the most when we havea high percentage of animals that continue to produce at or above herd average forten or more lactations. This has not been hard to achieve with Jerseys. We simply

focus on developing animals with strong feet and legs and udders that will last ovetime. In fact, of the animals not sold for dairy purposes, very few of our cattle aresold or culled before five or more lactations. As a herd that has been in existence foover 50 years, this is a testament to the durability of the Jersey cow.

Jerseys - The Problem-Free Cow!

In fact, of the animals

not sold for dairy pur-

poses, very few of our

cattle are sold or

culled before five or

more lactations.

- Valtallina Jerseys,

Aldergrove, BC

We maintain an aver-

age of 1.41 breedings

per cow ,

- Mario Leblanc,

Ste-Monique, QC

These Jersey heifers will be ready to

breed more quickly than heifers of

other breeds, meaning less time

before you get return on your invest-

ment in raising your heifers!

A fine example of Jersey longevity is

Valtallina Marino Fancy EX-90-2E.

She has completed 9 lactations with

lifetime production in excess of

87,000 kgs of milk. Here she is pic-

tured this year at 13 years of age!

8/10/2019 Outsert07 Eng

5/8

BETTER WAYS TO SPEND TIME THAN PULLING CALVES!

A study from USDA in 2005 showed Jerseys in the United States to show almosta 20% superiority in the number of easy calvings (with very low incidence of very dif-

ficult calvings) than other, larger dairy breeds evaluated in the same study, regardlessof lactation. Likewise, figures from the Canadian Dairy Network in 2005 show first lac-tation Canadian Jerseys to have 96% unassisted or easy pull calvings, while cows insubsequent lactations have 99% unassisted or easy pull calvings. It is very easy to

see that calving Jerseys can involve a lot less labour time, and produce more healthycalves and healthy cows free of dystocia. With a 1994 study from the University ofGuelph estimating that a hard pull can cost approximately $150 more on average thanan easy pull, and with a surgery costing on average up to $535 more than an easy pull,the financial aspects of calving ease are easy to envision!

According to Adrian and Vreni Haeni of Lone Pine Jerseys, milking over 100 cowsin Didsbury, Alberta, they say that in our minds, Jerseys, fertility, and calving ease gotogether like three peas in a pod. Over the past few years, we have had a calf survivalrate of 98.5%, with the large majority being unassisted calvings. Calving ease and fer-tility are guaranteed on our farm, because we have Jerseys!

HERD HEALTH AND WORKABILITY

Having a herd of healthy cows ensures having a herd of productive cows! As well,a reduction in associated veterinary costs can have a definite impact on the bottomline of any size of dairy operation. Jerseys have repeatedly proven to be easy-keep-ing cows, with fewer acute and chronic health conditions, and therefore requiring

fewer veterinary input costs. For instance, a 2002 DRMS report from the United Statesshowed Jerseys to have a much lower rate of involuntary culling (24%) thanHolsteins (31%) in the same production environment. Another study from Floridadairies showed Jersey heifers to have less indicidences of dystocia, metritis, and still-births than Holstein heifers in the same production environment.

Ferme Fermar of Ste-Monique, Quebec is the only Jersey herd in their local man-agement group, but have the top results in the group for low veterinary costs. Theiraverage cost per cow is $80.56 per cow per year, compared to a group average of$206.03 per cow per year, a difference of $125.47! For an average 60 cow herd, thatwould equate to savings of over $7500 per year in reduced costs! Herd owner MarioLeblanc also notes that their female relief milker greatly appreciates the docile andquiet nature of the cattle, making them easy to handle. Mario say that we are verysatisfied with our decision to switch to Jerseys!

Alain and Janna Rmond of Grunthal, Manitoba switched to the Jersey breed afew years ago, and now milk approximately 80 cows in a free-stall herd. They havebeen particularly impressed with the breeds exceptionally strong feet and legs, withhard, black hooves that result in almost no hoof problems in the herd. Alain notesthat we have found the Jerseys to be tough, hardy cows. When they do get sick, theytend to also recover quickly.

At Ferme Apido, Pierre Bernard notes that he has no regrets in adding Jerseys totheir herd. In spite of the transition of moving the cows to free-stall housing, theJerseys have quickly adapted to their new environment. But the biggest advantagesof adding Jerseys to the herd in the eyes of the owners has been an absence of healthproblems, a high level of feet and leg strength, and ease of calving. Our only regretis not opting for Jerseys earlier, notes Pierre.

Our only regret is not

opting for Jerseysearlier,

- Pierre Bernard,

Laurierville, QC

We have had a calf

survival rate of 98.5%,

with the large majori-ty being unassisted

calvings

- Adrian Haeni,

Didsbury, AB

The extremely high rates of calving

ease that are normal in the Jersey

breed will mean more live heife

calves in your hutches, and fewe

problems with your fresh cows!

Jerseys are easy to handle for the

whole family, due to their quiet nature

and small size!

8/10/2019 Outsert07 Eng

6/8

One of the best ways to add Jerseys to an existing dairy herd is through the use of Jersey embryos. There aremany reasons why introducing Jerseys through embryo transfer might be advantageous to your herd:

Cost. Purchasing embryos from animals of high genetic merit is often less expensive than buying live animals othe same level of genetic merit. Many breeders have opted to purchase a few choice brood cows to flush multiple

times, and have formed the foundation of their herds from this beginning!

Higher Genetic Merit. If your goal is to build a herd of Jerseys with strong production and type traits, it will mostlikely be easier to source these genetics through embryos from high-calibre sires and dams than through purchase ofan average group of heifers. While this process may take a little longer to establish the herd, the quality of the herdwill most likely benefit from this investment of time, yielding cows from strong pedigrees with the will to produce andmake money for your operation.

Biosecurity. Implantation of Jersey embryos in some of the cows in your existing herd is markedly less likely totransmit communicable diseases such as Johnes, Leukosis, Neospora and others when compared to introducing liveanimals from numerous herds. This minimizes the chance that you may introduce diseases into your herd which may

limit production, increase veterinary costs, and limit your ability to merchandize breeding stock.

Calving Ease of Recipients. Implanting Jersey embryos into larger breed recipients in your existing herd shouldserve to improve calving ease, and decrease the number of post-partum disorders in your herd such as metritis anddystocia. In this way, production from these recipients will tend to be higher, especially in first lactation animals.

There are several producers new to the Jersey breed who are using Jersey embryos to a great extent. LucDeschnes of Ferme Prs Verts, St-Gabriel de Rimouski, Quebec notes that they use Jersey embryos in a large proportion of their Holstein heifers to avoid calving difficulties. This yields for Jerseys, as well as allows those Holsteinheifers to avoid dystocia problems, therefore making them more productive on average. Likewise, the Muellers ofRoswitha Farms in Steinbach, Manitoba comment that several of their first Jersey purchases have been made into

brood cows which they are flushing with good success. They then implant most of their Holstein heifers and oldercows with Jersey embryos. This has dual benefit of letting them grow their Jersey herd from within, but also ensuring that the Holstein half of their herd is more productive due to fewer problems in delivering a calf.

At Jersey du Fjord in Ville de La Baie, Quebec, Pierre Girard and Alain and Richard Bdard have chosen to buildtheir Jersey herd almost entirely from embryos collected from a few top brood cows. In this way, they hope to builda strong, balanced herd of top quality individ-uals by sourcing some of the top genetics inthe breed, and then implanting the embyrosin an ample supply of other breed recipients.

If you are interesting in sourcing Jerseyembryos, Jersey Canada and Jersey Ontariomaintain a list nation-wide list of availableJersey embryos to meet all needs. To viewthe list, please visit the Jersey Ontario web-site at:

www.jerseyontario.com

Adding Jerseys Through Embryo Transfer!

8/10/2019 Outsert07 Eng

7/8

If you would like additional information on the Jersey breed, on where to source Jersey genetics, or how to register or transfer Jerseys that you may already have, talk to us! We can help in a variety of ways!

Would you like to know more?

Jersey Canada DVD. We have a free promotional DVD available, featuring commentary from

many dairy producers who have opted to add Jerseys to their herd. The DVD is available in

both English and French, so just phone, fax, or email us today to request your copy!

Field Services. If you are interested in a visit to answer any questions you may have, feel free

to contact us. We have field service representatives that can meet with you and provideanswers on anything Jersey-related. Field service representatives visit breeders all across

Canada, so contact us to get on the list! Call us at (519) 821-1020!

Jersey Canada Website. Be sure to check out our website at www.jerseycanada.com. Herewe have a great deal of additional information on the breed, access to our online registry

database, information on recent Jersey news, upcoming events, online editions of the

Canadian Jersey Breeder Magazine, and much more! Log on today!Canadian Jersey Breeder Magazine. To keep in touch with everything going on in the Jersey

breed in Canada and around the world, be sure to get a subscription to the Canadian Jersey

Breeder, our magazine printed six times per year. Membership to Jersey Canada includes a

subscription to the Breeder, and both print and online subscriptions are available for non-

members. For rates and subscription forms, please consult the Breeder page on our website

8/10/2019 Outsert07 Eng

8/8

Lencrest Parading BelleVG-87-2yr # 3 LPI +2605 (May 07)

3-10 proj. 9881M 479F 4.9% 342P 3.5% BCA: 312-278-285

2-2 305d. 8157M 362F 4.4% 310P 3.8% BCA: 329-266-330

Full sister to Lencrest Blackstone at Semex

Son by Iatola sold to SemexDaughter by Senior sells in the Royal Sale of Stars in November!

Her dam: Piedmont Declo Belle EX-94 #2 LPI +3100 (May 07)

5-3 305d. 11,238M 548F 4.9% 433P 3.9% BCA: 347-311-352

Declo Belle has six sons in AI.

Herd Classification: 14 EX 24 VG 10 GP Cattle and Embryos always available!

Gary and Maureen Bowers1530 Chemin May, Coaticook, QC J1A 2S4

Tel: (819) 849-3196 Cell: (819) 820-4029

Fax: (819) 849-4799 lencrest@abacom.com

www.jerseycanada.com/lencrest

AVONLEA GENETICS - YOUR EMBRYO SOURCE!Here at Avonlea, we always have a large quantity of grade A embyros from deep pedigreed cows available!

Our philosophy of balanced breeding with matings to the top bulls in the breed has resulted in embryo sales to 10 countries.

AVONLEA JADE KANDY EX-90

4-1 305d. 8130M 402F 4.94% 320P 3.94%BCA: 263-236-274

Son in Semex Young Sire ProgramBacked by 10 Generations of VG or EX dams

AVONLEA RAIN KORA EX-93

4-8 290d. 7693M 405F 5.26% 276P 3.59%

BCA: 243-234-230

All Canadian Senior Three Year Old 2005

Backed by 10 Generations of VG or EX dams

AVONLEA PERIMITER KARIN EX-90-2E

3-11 305d. 8577M 402F 4.82% 326P 3.94%

BCA: 269-236-269

Backed by 9 Generations of VG or EX dams

AVONLEA GENETICS INC.1925 County Rd 26, Brighton, ON K0K 1H0

Ph: (613) 475-2627 Fax: (613) 475-2623

avonlea@on.aibn.com | www.cyr-designs.com/avonleaJim & Liz Livock | Andrew & Jennifer, Taylor and Will Vander Meulen