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Murray Jagger.
The perception needs to change of Jersey growth rates and finishing times, says Whangarei Heads dairy farmer Murray Jagger.
Jagger has a jersey-cross beef business at his Whangarei Heads dairy farm as a valuable sideline.
“They grow as well as any other animal, the cow has an efficiency in its smaller body size so it is able to be more efficient in what can be stocked.
“Its finishing time suits us because we can get our two and half year cattle away before Christmas so we are not carrying through a dry summer and we are not carrying through another winter.
“We generally quit one third prior to Christmas, another third straight after.
And the last lot go March-April. So we have a good flow in moving the stock on.”
Asked about problems with getting small-framed animal up to 300kg weight, Jagger says the first cut of cattle they send to the works about November at two and a half years old are 260 - 290kg. The last ones are 300 - 320kg.
But with a smaller animal you can carry more stock.
He says the industry needs to reinforce that the Jersey breed enhances the marbling effect. Another customer who buys the second cut of heifers mates them to Wagyu. He sees the advantage of the Jersey-cross in adding to the Wagyu programme.
One of New Zealand’s deepest breeder Jersey herds – known for its enduring connection through cattle with the UK’s longest reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II – will host its 75th anniversary celebration sale on-farm on April 22.
Northland farmer Murray Jagger says it's time to focus on alternative pastures that can deliver better milk and beef yield.
Breeding and genetics are a long-term game and it’s three years from the time we make the choice around which straw or bull to use, until we really know whether it’s been a smart decision. So, it’s understandable that most farmers are thinking ahead when it comes to their breeding.
A farmer group promoting Jersey cows says stock and semen sales indicate the breed is on the rise.
Improving the reproductive performance of a herd by getting more cows in-calf is a key way to cut farm emissions says Stephen Sing, Jersey Advantage member.
The country’s 4200 commercial fruit and vegetable growers will vote from May 14 on a new HortNZ levy.
Meat processor Alliance Group is asking farmer shareholders to inject more capital in order to remain a 100% co-operative.
A vet is calling for all animals to be vaccinated against a new strain of leptospirosis (lepto) discovered on New Zealand dairy farms in recent years.
Dairy
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