Handling sheep with care
I wrote an article in the May 6th issue of Rural News about how when set-stocking ewes for lambing, they need spreading lightly - and topped up with cattle after the lambs have dropped.
ST Genetics distributes Genetics Australia (GA) semen in New Zealand and Macky 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 says.
“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 New Zealand 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 New Zealand 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 crossbreed. 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.”
Macky said she was pleased to see so many New Zealand farmers joining the Australian tour. While Jersey numbers are growing in most countries, they have been declining in New Zealand.
“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 wants to reverse a trend that has seen the breed in decline over the past two decades.
“The future for Jerseys in New Zealand 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,” Pirie says.
“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.
