Genetics has a key role to play in enabling farmers to breed more efficient cows and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Many farmers think they have to wait for emerging solutions like methane vaccines and inhibitors, nitrification inhibitors, low emissions feed, animal devices and manure management to advance before they can reduce their GHG footprint. This is simply not the case! Watch this short video to find out more.

Pressure from government, industry, processing companies and the general public is mounting for dairy farmers to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. But how can dairy farmers do this, and remain profitable in an economic climate where margins are continually squeezed?

Jersey Advantage has submitted a second time in response to the Government’s 94-page response to He Waka Eke Noa. The submission focused on setting the price of emissions, the farm-level levy, carbon sequestration, revenue recycling, set up and operational costs and reporting.

The Climate Change Commission was formed in November 2019 to set the country’s climate targets which were legislated under the Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Act.

In February 2019 the Commission released its draft advice paper to the government with recommendations on how New Zealand, including the dairy sector, could reduce its emissions.

You can read the submission that Jersey Advantage has made on behalf of its members, here.

When the air temperature reaches 21ºC and humidity reaches 70% production in Friesian animals can reduce by 10-15g of milksolids per 1ºC rise in max temperature. In contrast, Jersey’s can tolerate heat of up to 25ºC without production loss. Watch our video to find out more.

Over 50% of farmers now use once-a-day (OAD) or variable milking intervals for at least part of the season.

This can help to reduce costs and improve animal health and reproduction. But are all genetics created equal when it comes to their efficiency under a OAD or variable milking system?

Watch the video to find out more and hear from farmers with first hand experience.

Want to get the jump on genetic gain? Using recorded jersey bulls for your yearling matings is an easy way of getting more high quality, high BW replacements without extending AB.

Progeny resulting from a heifer mating to a high BW jersey bull will be of comparable BW to progeny resulting from a herd mating to an AB sire.

And you'll get the added benefits of easier calvings, lower pregnancy energy requirements and a shorter calving to first service interval.

What's not to like!? Check out our website for more information.

Seasonal farming is a race against time. Cows have a short window to calve, recover, and cycle. But are all cows created equal when it comes to their calving to first service interval? And why is it so important? Watch our video to find out more.

In our sample of 77 herds, Jersey and Jersey X herds required a 5% lower replacement rate than Friesian herds. This was due to longer cow life expectancy through reduced feet and leg problems, fewer collapsed udders, and less calving damage; as well as lower empty rates.

Watch the video to find out more about the lower replacement rates required by Jersey herds.

What's the true cost of a surplus calf?

Ensure you're taking all the factors into account when comparing the returns on your surplus calves. Things such as the pregnancy energy requirements and the fertility impacts of large calves come with a cost. Watch our video to find out more.

Have you ever considered the cost of a pregnancy when making your mating decisions? It’s easy to focus on the tangible costs like what you get paid at the other end for a surplus calf but that’s only half the story.

Our team has collated the costs associated with calves of high and low birth weights and the results might surprise you.

Last season the average Jersey herd supplying Fonterra made a $0.70/kgMS margin over their Holstein Friesian counterparts.

The margin is a combination of higher milk price, lower replacement costs and more milk solids per unit of feed, less the lower meat returns and additional per cow costs.

A new environmental index rewards the Jersey breed’s feed conversion efficiency.

We talked to LIC Environment & Welfare Manager Tony Fransen about the new HoofPrint® index - a 10-point ranking system developed to help farmers make more informed decisions about the environmental efficiency of the milk they produce.