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USJersey needs to be a bit more honest
Prior to this year, we really haven't dealt with the Jersey Association much. Never had a reason to. Back this spring I took out a lifetime membership (now I regret it). I did so instead of yearly dues, and I also wanted to place my prefix (JW-Aghamora) in front of the animal's names. So in order to have a prefix with USJersey I had to join of sorts.
Well this past fall we decided to send a heifer to the auction, I was going to send this heifer to the auction barn, however I was pursuaded to send her to a Jersey sale. Now prior to sending her there, they had led us to beleive they cared for them while there, etc. The impression we had, would be that they keep them clean etc etc. Actually they had told us they were tied in, or something similar (individual pens). Well this was not the case when we went to the sale.
So where does the honesty part come in? It seems that the Jersey Association is trying to drum up buisness, and they know by pushing more sales, pushing as many through a sale, yields more money/buisness in the long run. Down in Texas there is a large cheese buisness going in, and some farms are going to be around 20,000 head of Jerseys. So they are buying and buying and buying. The Jersey association knows the importance of those large farms, they realise they wont be classified however there will be evaluators there. People seeing what certain bulls are doing etc. Many farms who do not classify have companies such as Genex/CRI, Select Sires come in to evaluate them. It is done free of charge, however to Select and Genex they know this will actually yield them more money (bull gets a better proof, yields more semen sold). So UsJersey pushes as much as they can through a sale, so those large dairies can gather them up, so in turn means more buisness.
The dishonesty continues with their ads, and the one comparison they ran in September's Jersey Journal. In Hoards they were advertising the Ohio State Jersey Sale. They say "ADD 192 DAYS OF PRODUCTIVE LIFE", at the top of their ad. That is the biggest line of bull, and is false advertising. The only breed that will add more longevity to your herd, would be Swiss. They are the exception, with many herds with 15-16yr old swiss still milking, with udders that are still at or above the hocks. Jerseys at 15-16yrs, would likely have an udder dragging or close to it. Same goes with holsteins (some do last, but gravity prevails). Once again, the Jersey association pushing Jerseys.
Recently we classified a Jersey "Amber". She scored VG86, but what really ticked me off behind this classifying was the classifier. First off we were setup for a 7AM classification. Well 7AM came and went, 8AM came and went. Finally at 9AM she calls, with excuses. I am thinking wth? Is this how the Jersey Assocation is? First the dishonesty with the sale, advertisements, now the classifier? Well she finally showed at 10, I wasn't here, I was setting up the plows. She found Amber, was the only cow out back. Now I have classified with the swiss and holsteins. With the holsteins 3 times, swiss once. The holstein classifiers have been on time, in fact early a couple times. The swiss classifier was right on time as well.
So what happened on Tuesday? She went to classify at the other farm locally, she started there at 5AM. The schedule showed for that farm to start at 8am, after us. She claimed her cell phone didn't work, but what is wrong with the hotel room phone? I mean come on, atleast give it an effort! The holstein association would likely have contacted me. Not sure about the swiss, but the Holstein association has been really good as far as getting back to me, etc etc.
Now while talking to this classifier on the phone, I was asking about the breakdowns. For example with the Swiss and Holsteins, there are the 5 majors. You have VVVVV EEEEE, or a combination or other scores. With the Jersey there are not majors, so you cant even tell with a pedigree if the Jersey's dam classified excellent with the udder, or VG or other. She said "it takes the confusion out of it". It takes the confusion out of it? It is MORE confusing, because you really can't tell what your getting. When you look at a sire, you do not have the FLC or even Frame composite. They list the udder composite. However the problem with Jerseys, would be the rump and the F&L. Many of the Jerseys I have seen either have high tailheads, pins, or bad F&L. Many of the bulls in AI have sicle for a trait, or high pins. They need to include majors, so you can get a better idea of what to improve. If you have all these little numbers where you need a decipher code to see what it is, it doesn't help.
As I mentioned earlier about the Jersey Journal. In there they were comparing jerseys and holsteins. They were saying Jerseys make more money than holsteins. That is the biggest line of BS I have seen, related to the breeds. Let me explain why.
Let me compare a holstien calf and jersey calf of ours. I will call them Jersey A and Holstein A. Both are fed the same amount, however one eats more than the other. Jersey A eats more. Each day we give that Jersey 2 flakes of hay, she eats it all, give her 4lbs of grain a day, she eats it all. Actually she eats the 2lbs before we leave the calf barn. She finishes her flake of hay before noon, actually I have been down there at 11am (gave her the flake about 6:20am). Now if you take a loook into the holstein A's pen, she has hay left, and hasn't finished her grain. Water is usually gone, but the hay isn't. Now if you were to fast foward things, and say these were both being sold at a sale. One is a Jersey sale, the other is a holstein sale. Lets say both are potential 6th generation VG. The holstein would sell (pending sire stack) for 3-4k. The jersey would sell (unbred yearling) for about 1700 or so. Lets round it up to 2000. The same amount of feed, same amount of time, etc etc. You end up with 1-2k more in your pocket with the holstein.
I saw a Jersey at the VT Jersey sale that was a potential 5th gen excellent go for 2k or so. If that was a holstein, it would have brough 8k+. Actually if the sire stack is good, a 5th gen ex holstein could bring 15k+. The highest selling Jersey at that sale was 12,600. If the same type of holstein from a well known farm sold at a holstein sale, it would have been double if not triple. Molly Brook is the Budjon or reagencrest of the holsein world. That 12,600 Jersey had man brothers in AI, and sisters scored VG. Remember, you put the same amount of time and feed into either.
So making more money off of Jerseys? That is BS. Figure an average Jersey giving 12-13,000 in a lacataton is like a holstein giving 20k or so. If they both had the same protein and BF, your holstein would likely make more. The Jersey we have milking atm eats as much as a holstein, yet produces up to 40lbs less than one of the holsteins we have.
To sum it all up. I am not anti-Jersey. I would like to see the Jersey Assocation become more honest. Better classifying (need to add Majors). They also need better sales, and more honest sales. Not sales with heifers with dingleberrys, or even a heifer with some sort of nerve damage. They also need to treat each animal the same, not one is better than the other. The holstein auctions I have been to, each animal is treated the same when it comes in, it only changes when the price gets higher. They also need to stop false advertising Jerseys as being long lasting, more profitable cows. That is a blatant lie.
Jeff
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"Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death" Patrick Henry, March 23rd, 1775
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