Thursday, 29 November 2018 09:06

Switching to Jerseys lowers footprint

Written by 
Laura and Zach Mounsey. Laura and Zach Mounsey.

Sharemilkers Laura and Zach Mounsey are doing their bit to rebuild New Zealand’s Jersey herd.

The Mounseys sharemilk a mostly Jersey herd in Otorohanga; with other young farmers Michael and Claire Newson and James Courtman they are involved in launching Jersey Profit to connect with the wider farming public. 

Jersey Profit is expected to appeal to commercial farmers for its focus on economic indices, milk and meat payment equity and relevant research and promotion. It has secured funding from pioneer Jersey farmers and will be launched early next year.

Laura comes from a drystock background in Hawkes Bay and graduated from Massey University. She has worked at Fonterra as an accountant and is now an agribusiness manager with Rabobank. She is also studying for a chartered accountancy qualification. 

Zach was raised on an Otorohanga dairy farm and studied at Waikato University. After graduating he worked in finance and economics with Fonterra and DairyNZ.

Zach says their Jersey herd was originally a once-a-day herd in Taranaki. They have been breeding for OAD and A2 qualities for six years, eyeing A2 supply premiums and ease of management over summer. 

“There is no escaping that livestock farming is under the microscope on environmental footprint,” says Zach. 

The NZ composite herd is roughly 11 parts Holstein Friesian and five parts Jersey with some minor breeds also included, he says.

“A shift to a national composite herd of 11 parts Jersey and five parts HF would reduce the environmental footprint per unit of food produced by about 5%. This is a material shift. Any new initiative to get a 5% reduction in carbon emissions would get scientists highly excited ”

About 2% of the reduction would come from producing more milksolds per unit of feed, another 2% from reducing sustainable herd replacement rates, and 1% from more concentrated milk requiring less cartage, evaporating and farm effluent capacity.

Zach says more smaller cows in NZ pastures would overall increase cow numbers but with a smaller footprint 

Mounseys are also part of a three-year trial with Geenlea Premier Meats to measure the growth rates of Angus/Jersey beef calves from birth to finished product. Traditionally, in breeding calves for finishing, Jersey farmers have lagged behind Friesian farmers. 

More like this

Celebrating dairy farmers this International Women's Day

Siobhan O’Malley is a dairy farmer, innovator, businesswoman and community volunteer, an example of the thousands of Kiwi dairy farming women throughout New Zealand who multi-task every day to contribute positively to their communities.

Driving change within Fonterra fleet

Today is International Women’s Day, and this year Fonterra wants to shine a light on the women who defy stereotypes and prosper in traditionally male-dominated fields. Erin Wootten, a tanker operator out of the Fonterra Reparoa Site, is doing just that.

Unique dairy farms open their gates

A dairy farm working to increase endangered skink numbers and a boutique farm selling milk in recycled bottles will open their gates to the public this Sunday.

Featured

Govt urged to reduce ETS units

The Climate Change Commission wants the new Government to reduce NZ Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction volumes as son as possible.

Dairy sheep, goat woes mount

Dairy sheep and goat farmers are being told to reduce milk supply as processors face a slump in global demand for their products.

Alliance's Pure South cuts win gold

Meat co-operative Alliance Group has bagged four gold medals at the Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards, achieving top honours for every cut entered.

Dairy demand on the rise

There is increasing evidence that dairy demand is on the upswing, according to Rabobank senior agricultural analyst Emma Higgins.

Fert use tumbles as prices spike

Fertiliser use in New Zealand over the 18 months is about 25% down from what it consistently was for the previous decade or more, says Ravensdown chief operating officer Mike Whitty.

National

Waikato dryer sold

An independent milk spray dryer in Hamilton, destined for liquidation, has been bought by a South Auckland goat milk processor.

Machinery & Products

Samasz sets its sights high

Since its arrival in New Zealand, Polish mower manufacturer Samasz, currently celebrating 40 years in business, has carved a niche…

Trojan keeps on going

The DR200 Trojan farm two-wheeler motorcycle was introduced over 28 years ago, when the engineering team at Suzuki New Zealand…

Still going strong!

The saying goes ‘if it ain’t broke -don’t fix it’, so it’s no surprise to see an old favourite in…

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

'A complete dog

OPINION: It's not just a rural banking inquiry that farmers want. Freshwater farm plans are another major headache for farmers.

Action, not words

OPINION: The new Government may be farmer friendly, but it's not love, rather action that farmers want.

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter