WORLD JERSEY CATTLE BUREAU

by Russell Gammon (Canada)

 Managing Success…..and lovin’ it!

Jersey people in North America are awash in a world of thankfulness and excitement and celebration over all that has happened, is happening and will happen with the Jersey cow in this region!  So many events have been stimulated and accomplishments racked up that we could never in even our wildest of dreams anticipated or foresaw!!!  We’ve set goals, yes. However, things have happened that vastly exceed those goals!  

Immediate Past President of Jersey Canada Pierre Martin from Quebec liked to remind his Board of Directors that managing success presents a fresh and bracing range of challenges that are far removed from managing crises. Thus, both north and south of the Canada/US border Jersey leaders have been faced with the enviable and delightful task of acquiring and honing success management skills!  

Let’s provide you with a brief sampler of recent successes in Jersey growth and expansion across the massive length and breadth of North America: 

In the USA the AJCA recorded 79,500-plus registrations in 2007, the third best year ever in a history that will stretch to 140 years later this year! And….the fourth consecutive year with over 70,000 registrations! Meanwhile north of the border Jersey Canada recorded the highest total annual membership attained since 1968, v39 years earlier when there were 10 times as many dairy farms in Canada!  

Also in 2007 the AJCA’s Jersey Marketing Service recorded sales of live cattle and embryos at a record total of over $13,000,000!!! The previous record year was just over $10,000,000!! Meanwhile north of the border Jersey Canada has registered 510 new herd prefixes in the latest four full calendar years with 71 more new herd prefixes registered in the first quarter of 2008 to bring the four and a quarter year total to 581!  

In 2007 147 Jersey bulls received first summary proofs in the USA, this exceeds the American Jersey cattle Association goal of 140 per year! Meanwhile north of the border the lead company sampling young Jersey sires has entered a record number of young sires to “test matings” in both 2006 and 2007.  

The AJCA’s REAP performance and herd services program attracted activity from over 115,500 cows and over 780 herds in 2007-both all time high records!!! Meanwhile north of the border the number of DHI milk-recorded herds containing a Jersey presence has grown from 607 in 2001 to 1,004 in 2007! This represents a market share of 10% of all milk-recorded herds in Canada and also a 65% increase in six years!!!        

Jersey semen sales in the USA have attained new record levels for the past twelve years and show little or not signing of slowing!!! In 2007 over 1,600,000 units were sold in the domestic market with the addition of over 385,000 units processed for custom service! Meanwhile north of the border Jersey Canada created a new true-type model cow, a marketing/breed- educational DVD, an explanatory poster for our world class classification program and developed an on-line version of our 62 years young publication, the Canadian Jersey Breeder!  

In 2007 the AJCA’s milk marketing subsidiary celebrated a half century of adding value to milk that meets market demands by numerous Equity programs! Jersey Canada’s board released a new three year Strategic Plan entitled “Jersey Rising” which targets continued rapid breed growth!   

In both North American countries research has targeted the fact that Jersey productive life is more than one half lactation longer than the industry average!  

The Past is but Prologue!!

Great as all the delights of recent years have been we’re even more excited and “pumped” about the next era of Jersey expansion. One of our key acknowledgements about the Jersey breed these days is: GROWTH is the buzzword in the Jersey breed!  In North America we are addressing the following opportunities for continued breed growth: 

Publicity about and capitalizing upon the natural Jersey advantages in reproductive efficiency and productive life; making polled Jersey genetics more mainstream; exploring prospects for Jersey beef; expanding production and marketing of Jersey cheeses and other dairy products; expanding the number of Jersey embryos carried by other breeds; bringing animals from other breed heritages into the Jersey fold through continued generational use of Jersey semen; accelerating Jersey genetic progress through genomics testing; expanding use of sexed semen; mentoring programs for Jersey youth and new Jersey dairymen and continuing to supply new Jersey owners with the best possible genetic products!  

We suggest “holding onto your hats” as in those immortal words of the poet Browning it is time to “grow old along with me, the best is yet to be!”

Yes indeed the only better time to be involved with registered Jerseys than today will be the future!   In June and July 2009 the American Jersey Cattle Association will play host to the annual meetings of the World Bureau council with a highly varied and inspirational and educational program that includes locations and events in more than four states! This is a “not-to-be-missed” future Bureau event! 

Thanks to the Bureau and North American Jersey associations for the rich privilege of serving you as a regional Vice-President these past two terms, six years! Onward! Forward!  

Respectfully submitted, 

Russell G. Gammon