Why Jerseys are ‘the ideal addition to any dairy farm’
Leitrim breeder Avril Helen cites the high protein and butterfat contents of Jersey milk, as well as their efficiency and longevity
Avril Helen was just seven years old when she got her two first pedigree Jersey cows after “pestering” her parents to buy them.
She bought two more the following year with her communion money and has since built up her herd gradually.
Avril now milks a herd of 20 pedigree Jersey cows alongside 140 pedigree Holstein Friesians with her husband Graeme Taylor and fatherin-law John on their farm in Carrigallen, Co Leitrim.
“I spent my summer holidays as a child going to all the big agricultural shows in the UK, where there was always a good amount of Jersey stock,” she says.
“I loved the look of them — they were so different and quite a bit smaller than conventional dairy cows, so they instantly appealed to me.
“My father has always milked a herd of pedigree Holstein Friesians on our home farm just outside Clonakilty in Cork and didn’t have much interest in getting Jerseys but I pestered him and my mother until they gave in.
“Once he started milking them he realised how efficient they were and allowed me to get more.”
Over the years Avril’s father regularly held pedigree Holstein Friesian sales on the farm. It was through one of these sales that she first met her husband and ended up moving to Leitrim.
“Graeme came down and bought a calf from Dad at one of the sales, and the rest is history as they say — he got more than he bargained for and ended up with a wife.”
When Avril was moving to her husband’s home farm in south Leitrim, there was no way she was going to leave any of the Jerseys behind.
Today, the couple farm in partnership with Graeme’s father John.
“This time of year is one of my favourites on the farm, seeing new stock being born and getting all the cows back milking,” Avril says.
“We produce winter milk as well so we finished our autumn calving season in the end of November and have had a small amount of the Jerseys milking since and nearly half of the Holsteins.
“Spring is busy time for us, between getting the cows back milking and feeding the new calves. It’s a fulltime job but it’s a rewarding one.”
Avril uses sexed semen to breed her stock and uses beef bull semen to “clean up” so she has a mixture of pedigree Jerseys and beef crosses being born at the moment.
“Sexed semen generates mostly heifer calves and we have a good market for the surplus heifers we don’t keep as replacements,” she says.
“There is always someone on the lookout for good pedigree heifer calves.
“We also use beef bull semen, Angus and Belgian Blue mostly, and we sell those calves at the local mart and get good enough money for them.
“Jerseys can calve anything despite their smaller size and we rarely have any problems with them during calving season.”
Jersey cows produce a smaller milk yield than black-and-whites but they make up for it with their higher butterfat and protein constituents and are one of the most efficient dairy breeds at converting feed into high-quality milk, according to Avril.
“Our Jerseys are averaging 7,000L of milk a year and they usually produce a butterfat content of 4.4pc or higher and a protein content of around 3.8pc,” she says.
“Farmers are usually paid more for Jersey milk because of their higher constituents — we supply all our milk to Lakeland Dairies.”
Avril’s Jerseys are out on grass from early to mid-April; at this time of year and fed the same ration as the Holstein Friesians.
“They are very efficient at turning feed into quality milk, and they don’t require any special treatment,” she says.
“Jerseys are also great for longevity: I have two cows that are in their ninth lactation and showing no signs of decreasing yield or poor health.”
Despite their appealing qualities, the number of pure-bred Jersey stock in the country is small, says Avril, who has been the secretary of the Jersey Association of Ireland for the last five years.
“We registered 280 calves last year through the society from a total of 90 members,” she says. “Having said that, there is always a demand for pedigree Jersey stock and we get a lot of enquiries from people looking to add them to an existing herd or looking to start a new one.
“If someone is serious about getting good pedigree Jersey stock, they get in contact with the society and we can put them in touch with some of our members who have suitable stock.”
Jerseys work well when mixed with other breeds as well as on their own, according to Avril.
“When I was living in Cork we always kept them in with my father’s pedigree Holsteins but since I’ve moved to Leitrim we keep them separate and milk them separately,” she says.
“That’s just for handiness — we have a little cubicle area that’s ideal for the Jerseys so we bring them in and milk them first.
“They’re a great addition to any dairy herd and provide better constituents than other breeds. I wouldn’t be without them.”