Sitting here in Guelph, Ontario enjoying an autumn day which becomes increasingly sunnier as the morning moves along it is great to be able to make use of "modern technology"!
Via live streaming video from Madison, Wisconsin we are able to stay right on top of results of the Rockin' US Central National Jersey Show at World Dairy Expo!!
Canadian-bred heifers swept the field in the heifer show on Tuesday and today Canuck girls are doing well with two of the first three milking female classes won by Canadian-bred cows originating in Nova Scotia and Quebec and the winning Futurity cow being by Giprat Belle's Jade and from a cow bred in Quebec! In the other class a Canadian-bred and born heifer who began life in Ontario was second!
The fun goes on and on! Thanks WDE for such great video work!
Lovin' it all!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Making It Happen All Across Canada!!
One of the innumerable blessings of being here at Jersey Canada HQs is that we have the golden opportunity to learn about countless projects that Jersey people undertake to inform the rest of the world about the Jersey cow! We appreciate the efforts everyone makes to raise the visibility of the breed in a positive way.
Here are a few good examples of what we've seen and head of late in the realm of Jersey promotion:
And we can't forget all those Jersey folks who show cows, support youth events, create, stage and man Jersey displays at agricultural events. On and on we could go about efforts to capitalize on Jersey strengths like growing production of Jersey dairy products and other Jersey-promoting efforts.
Bottom line is people are making it happen for the breed all across the land and we appreciate every single sincere effort! May the "making it happen" continue! Remember, we're cheering!
Here are a few good examples of what we've seen and head of late in the realm of Jersey promotion:
- Jersey Atlantic is "full speed ahead" in planning for the birth of a Jersey show at the Atlantic Dairy Championship Show in Truro, Nova Scotia in mid-October. National President Dean Sayles will serve as Judge. First Lady Lynda Sayles and their daughter Nancy will accompany Dean to the Maritimes. Organizers of this first-time event are very pleased by the initial response from Jersey owners in the region.
- The Barrett family of Oceanbrae Farm on Prince Edward Island mounted a Jersey and Milking Shorthorn display at the bustling Exposition Agricole et Festival Acadien in the Evangeline region of PEI in early September. They report good interest in the hand-out materials we supplied to them.
- On the other side of this vast land Jersey breeders in both the lower mainland Fraser Valley and the Interior/Okanagan Valley of British Columbia made herculean efforts to stage good Jersey shows at Chilliwack in the Fraser Valley and Armstrong in the Interior. The Armstrong Show is in its second year of revival. Decades ago the Jersey show at the IPE went into hibernation, a hibernation so deep it no longer existed! Then in 2008 the event was born again. With the help of some folks who made the long trip from the Fraser Valley with Jerseys the show increased by about 50% in size in 2009!
- This week Jersey Ontario is mounting a display at the always-heavily-attended Outdoor Farm Show near Woodstock, Ontario. The OFS is a perfect venue for sharing your story with a large agricultural audience. Earlier this year Jersey Ontario participated in the Ottawa Valley Farm Show with great results. Next Monday Jersey breeders in Eastern Ontario will cooperate with their Ayrshire neighbours to stage a consignment sale of both breeds at Winchester, Ontario.
- As noted elsewhere Jersey Quebec held their annual fall sale with overflowing success last Friday. Quebec has been a province where new Jersey shows have blossomed in a wide range of communities during this decade. In some cases the shows are first-time-ever at the local exhibition and in others they mark a revival of Jersey showing at the fair after years and years of dormancy! The list of events that Jersey Quebec is creating like Open Barn/Jersey Development Days and trade show displays is breath-taking!
- Jersey West is enjoying a period of re-structuring for growth and positive interaction with provincial Jersey associations in the region.
And we can't forget all those Jersey folks who show cows, support youth events, create, stage and man Jersey displays at agricultural events. On and on we could go about efforts to capitalize on Jersey strengths like growing production of Jersey dairy products and other Jersey-promoting efforts.
Bottom line is people are making it happen for the breed all across the land and we appreciate every single sincere effort! May the "making it happen" continue! Remember, we're cheering!
Jersey breed is bounding ahead in Europe!
Europe seems to be a very active spot for Jersey happenings of late! Last week we shared news of the first National Jersey Show in France in 23 years. Just days after that historic event an equally historic event took place in South Western England!
The founding meetings of the European Jersey Forum took place in Devon on September 8 and 9. First officers of this new Jersey organization include President Anders Levring of Denmark, Vice-Presidents Charles Reader of the UK and Andrea Trajani of Albania. Roger Trewhella of Jersey UK will serve as Secretary.
We salute this bold move to expand communication amongst growing Jersey associations across Europe. Two big Jersey events coming up soon in Europe are the second World Jersey Cheese Awards in Jersey on June 12 and 13, 2010 and the WJCB visits to Albania and Greece in early June just prior to the delivery of the Cheese Awards.
Bravo European Jersey leaders! May your new efforts be crowned with overwhelming success!
The Jersey breed is taking off everywhere!
The founding meetings of the European Jersey Forum took place in Devon on September 8 and 9. First officers of this new Jersey organization include President Anders Levring of Denmark, Vice-Presidents Charles Reader of the UK and Andrea Trajani of Albania. Roger Trewhella of Jersey UK will serve as Secretary.
We salute this bold move to expand communication amongst growing Jersey associations across Europe. Two big Jersey events coming up soon in Europe are the second World Jersey Cheese Awards in Jersey on June 12 and 13, 2010 and the WJCB visits to Albania and Greece in early June just prior to the delivery of the Cheese Awards.
Bravo European Jersey leaders! May your new efforts be crowned with overwhelming success!
The Jersey breed is taking off everywhere!
What is happening in the home of the Jersey breed?
Steve Le Feuvre is President of the Royal Jersey Agricultural and Horticultural Society (or as it is often known in Jersey "The RJA"). The Society's roles include serving as the breed association in the home of the breed. Recently Steve and his spouse Suzanne sent us some snippets from a just-released RJA newsletter.
Prior to 2008 no bovine semen from outside the Island was allowed into Jersey. This was in keeping with a centuries-old law of the local government. Since importation of semen from Jersey sires resident outside of the Island began in September 2008 over 7,700 units of semen from 54 bulls have been imported. Inseminations are now running at 75% using imported semen to 25% with Island semen. Since birth of the first calves by imported semen in June 2009 more than 150 calves by "outside" sires have been registered. There are approximately 4,000 milking age females in 25 to 28 herds in Jersey.
Recently The Ontario Dairy Farmer published an article about the birth of the first calves sired by imported semen. My, what a difference a year makes! Almost exactly one year to the day ago imported semen was used for the first time in Jersey! The best part of the whole story is that the story has only begun! The keen Jersey cattle breeders in Jersey have an abundance of exciting days ahead of them!
Prior to 2008 no bovine semen from outside the Island was allowed into Jersey. This was in keeping with a centuries-old law of the local government. Since importation of semen from Jersey sires resident outside of the Island began in September 2008 over 7,700 units of semen from 54 bulls have been imported. Inseminations are now running at 75% using imported semen to 25% with Island semen. Since birth of the first calves by imported semen in June 2009 more than 150 calves by "outside" sires have been registered. There are approximately 4,000 milking age females in 25 to 28 herds in Jersey.
Recently The Ontario Dairy Farmer published an article about the birth of the first calves sired by imported semen. My, what a difference a year makes! Almost exactly one year to the day ago imported semen was used for the first time in Jersey! The best part of the whole story is that the story has only begun! The keen Jersey cattle breeders in Jersey have an abundance of exciting days ahead of them!
Recharging Those Jersey Batteries!!
Moving fast has been known to take a lot of energy. But, moving fast and being around mentally agile people who have a zest for life can also be very enriching and actually renew energy levels! Late last week Dean Sayles, Jersey Canada President, Phyllis Harrington of our staff and I made a truly flying trip to Quebec.
In the 28 hours we were in this spectacular province we kicked things off with a supper meeting with Stephane Deslauriers. Stephane, is an employee of Holstein Quebec. Jersey Quebec has, since June 2009, been purchasing administrative services from Holstein Quebec. Stephane is "point man" for provision of these services to Jersey Quebec. We talked a good deal about the aims and goals and processes of the two Jersey and one Holstein associations. We enjoyed our time at supper so much that we were almost late for an evening meeting with Stephane Marceau, President of Jersey Quebec and Isabelle Roy and Marcel Choiniere, Quebec-resident directors of Jersey Canada!
We then spent four highly energizing hours meeting with this super-keen group of people in the board room of Holstein Quebec. Despite that fact that Thursday had almost become Friday by the time we left the Holstein Quebec offices we were awake and alert and pumped as we dispersed.
The beauty of this meeting was that it was never about "us" and "them" but always about "we" and how we keep the influence of the Jersey breed in Canada's dairy industry growing. Jersey organizations exist not for their own benefit but to bolster and support and improve and promote the Jersey cow! Idea after idea about either how we can do what we do better or how we branch out into new arenas of action flowed from everyone around the table. We have created a report of action points identified or topics meriting further discussion and it has already been circulated to meeting participants and the entire Jersey Canada Board.
Regular meetings between Jersey Canada and the four regional Jersey associations that work in Canada are part of our 2008 to 2010 Strategic Plan "Jersey Rising". This meeting fully proved the value of open and honest communication with the over-riding presence of only one agenda item-"How do we do a better job for the Jersey breed in Canada?"
And by the way these meetings are also great fun because we have so many brilliant Jersey people across Canada who are alive and alert and desire to see the Jersey breed prosper!
While it was a challenge to get to sleep in the early hours of Friday we somehow managed as more "good stuff" awaited us on Friday. We got going early and travelled into the "scenic rolling, verdant hills (and mountains)" of Quebec's spectacular Eastern Townships. Our temporary destination was the Guay family's Hillover Farm near Coaticook. There, 57 head of good Jerseys were being primed for the 10th Edition of Jersey Quebec's Elite Sale.
And what a sale! On a picture-perfect late summer's day a good crowd gathered for a very peppy Jersey sale. We only stayed for about a third of the sale before bogeying back to Montreal to catch a flight to Toronto. However, the overall sale was a roaring success by all measures. The 57 head averaged right at $2600 with four head over $5000 and five over $4500. 30 milking age females exceeded $3100 for average selling price. A nice group of over a dozen bred heifers averaged over $2700. Prices were appropriate and fair for quality on offer. Prices also reflected a need for milk in Quebec this autumn.
I set with a very busy Jean-Marc Pellerin, our National Extension Agent, for a while. Most every time a cow sold I had to ask J/M who the buyer was as their faces were unfamiliar to me. Virtually every time J/M's response was: "New people to the breed". From time to time he noted that the buyer of a lot was someone who had established a foundation Jersey herd in recent years and had now decided to build on that base with a select purchase or two.
Jersey Quebec did so well at staging and hosting this sale! Heading into another full weekend one was rather than exhausted, elated, energized and ready for more! In this world we must grab hold of positive energy wherever we find it!
In the 28 hours we were in this spectacular province we kicked things off with a supper meeting with Stephane Deslauriers. Stephane, is an employee of Holstein Quebec. Jersey Quebec has, since June 2009, been purchasing administrative services from Holstein Quebec. Stephane is "point man" for provision of these services to Jersey Quebec. We talked a good deal about the aims and goals and processes of the two Jersey and one Holstein associations. We enjoyed our time at supper so much that we were almost late for an evening meeting with Stephane Marceau, President of Jersey Quebec and Isabelle Roy and Marcel Choiniere, Quebec-resident directors of Jersey Canada!
We then spent four highly energizing hours meeting with this super-keen group of people in the board room of Holstein Quebec. Despite that fact that Thursday had almost become Friday by the time we left the Holstein Quebec offices we were awake and alert and pumped as we dispersed.
The beauty of this meeting was that it was never about "us" and "them" but always about "we" and how we keep the influence of the Jersey breed in Canada's dairy industry growing. Jersey organizations exist not for their own benefit but to bolster and support and improve and promote the Jersey cow! Idea after idea about either how we can do what we do better or how we branch out into new arenas of action flowed from everyone around the table. We have created a report of action points identified or topics meriting further discussion and it has already been circulated to meeting participants and the entire Jersey Canada Board.
Regular meetings between Jersey Canada and the four regional Jersey associations that work in Canada are part of our 2008 to 2010 Strategic Plan "Jersey Rising". This meeting fully proved the value of open and honest communication with the over-riding presence of only one agenda item-"How do we do a better job for the Jersey breed in Canada?"
And by the way these meetings are also great fun because we have so many brilliant Jersey people across Canada who are alive and alert and desire to see the Jersey breed prosper!
While it was a challenge to get to sleep in the early hours of Friday we somehow managed as more "good stuff" awaited us on Friday. We got going early and travelled into the "scenic rolling, verdant hills (and mountains)" of Quebec's spectacular Eastern Townships. Our temporary destination was the Guay family's Hillover Farm near Coaticook. There, 57 head of good Jerseys were being primed for the 10th Edition of Jersey Quebec's Elite Sale.
And what a sale! On a picture-perfect late summer's day a good crowd gathered for a very peppy Jersey sale. We only stayed for about a third of the sale before bogeying back to Montreal to catch a flight to Toronto. However, the overall sale was a roaring success by all measures. The 57 head averaged right at $2600 with four head over $5000 and five over $4500. 30 milking age females exceeded $3100 for average selling price. A nice group of over a dozen bred heifers averaged over $2700. Prices were appropriate and fair for quality on offer. Prices also reflected a need for milk in Quebec this autumn.
I set with a very busy Jean-Marc Pellerin, our National Extension Agent, for a while. Most every time a cow sold I had to ask J/M who the buyer was as their faces were unfamiliar to me. Virtually every time J/M's response was: "New people to the breed". From time to time he noted that the buyer of a lot was someone who had established a foundation Jersey herd in recent years and had now decided to build on that base with a select purchase or two.
Jersey Quebec did so well at staging and hosting this sale! Heading into another full weekend one was rather than exhausted, elated, energized and ready for more! In this world we must grab hold of positive energy wherever we find it!
Monday, September 7, 2009
Breaking news from Jersey France
On Saturday just past we received a transatlantic phone call from Derrick Frigot of Jersey Island. Derrick was not home on The Island but instead in France. He and Anne Perchard and David Hambrook from Jersey were attending an historic Jersey show. According to our good friend Olivier Bulot, Manager of Jersey France, the organization were holding their first National Show in 23 years! Peter Larson, Manager of Jersey Denmark was there to serve as Judge.
And the reason for Derrick's call to us? Peter had just made a daughter of Canadian-bred sire Glenholme Counciller (Semex) Champion of the show!! Given the proximity of France and Denmark a good percentage of the cattle in France sport Danish genetics and the show featured a lot of Danish-sired cattle.
We'll have more details and photos once Derrick is home. Jersey Canada supported Jersey France by forwarding two prizes for successful exhibitors! Bravo Jersey France and Olivier and Peter and Derrick, Annie and David!
Here is a photo of the Grand Champion cow, sired by Counciller.
And the reason for Derrick's call to us? Peter had just made a daughter of Canadian-bred sire Glenholme Counciller (Semex) Champion of the show!! Given the proximity of France and Denmark a good percentage of the cattle in France sport Danish genetics and the show featured a lot of Danish-sired cattle.
We'll have more details and photos once Derrick is home. Jersey Canada supported Jersey France by forwarding two prizes for successful exhibitors! Bravo Jersey France and Olivier and Peter and Derrick, Annie and David!
Here is a photo of the Grand Champion cow, sired by Counciller.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Still soaring after two thirds of the year
Registry stats and numbers for Jersey Canada to the end of August have just been "crunched" and we like what we see!
Here's an exciting sampler:
Here's an exciting sampler:
- Registrations are UP 4.9% over 2008 year-to-date
- Electronic submission of registrations accounted for over 60% of registration activity in August. This is the third month in 2009 that electronic submissions have exceeded 60%. All since April. We are now at 56% for the year. Could hit a record 60% by year's end!
- Transfers are down 9% from last year. August however, was a very good month for transfer activity.
- Membership totals remain 10% ahead of the very high total in 2008. We are already 5.9% ahead of all of 2008 and 2008 was the best year since 1968! We are now at our highest membership total since 1967, 42 years ago! We creep ever closer to the exciting total of of 1,000 members!
More growth is on the way as we registered an even dozen of 12 new herd names in August. This boosted us to a total of 93 for the year to date. Looks like we'll easily surpass 100 new herd names regsitered for the fourth consecutive year in a row!
Looking at long term growth we have now registered a stunning 779 new herd names since January 2004! Looks like we'll also exceed 800 before the end of 2009!
Embryos sales and transfers continue to be a bright light! 2009 has already seen a record number of embryos transferred for any year in the history of the association! We are already 115% ahead of all of 2008 with four months to go!
Much of the current rising success that the Jersey breed in Canada is experiencing can be attributed to our National Extension Program. This program was established in 2006.
Since then the following accomplisments have been made reached via the program and the hard and smart work of National Extension Agent Jean-Marc Pellerin:
In 2009 to date:
From 2006 to August 2009 the following levels of activtiy have been achieved:
Looking at long term growth we have now registered a stunning 779 new herd names since January 2004! Looks like we'll also exceed 800 before the end of 2009!
Embryos sales and transfers continue to be a bright light! 2009 has already seen a record number of embryos transferred for any year in the history of the association! We are already 115% ahead of all of 2008 with four months to go!
Much of the current rising success that the Jersey breed in Canada is experiencing can be attributed to our National Extension Program. This program was established in 2006.
Since then the following accomplisments have been made reached via the program and the hard and smart work of National Extension Agent Jean-Marc Pellerin:
In 2009 to date:
- 253 herd visits
- 10% of all transfers processed this year
- Just under 3% of all registrations
- 42% of all new herd prefix registrations
- 32 new memberships
From 2006 to August 2009 the following levels of activtiy have been achieved:
- Just under 1,400 herd visits
- 205 new members
- Over 275 new herd prefixes (45% of all new herd prefixes registered in this time period
- Over 800 registrations
- Over 930 transfers
Isn't this awesome?
We use this as a springboard for further growth and progress! Let's see what the final quarter of this rockin' Jersey year brings!
Youthful exuberance
News streams into this office from so many sources. We love that! Recently Angela Masters, Editor of the Atlantic Holstein News and a Nova Scotia resident sent us some photos and a story about adventures that her two young sons have had with Jerseys.
Angela and her husband Brian are the justifiably proud parents of Riley and Linden. Now, Angela has a Jersey heritage in that she showed Jersey calves from the Twin Maples herd of the late Preston Murray and Belle Murray during her 4-H days.
Riley and Linden are thrilled to own their own brown cow Eloc Emblem Kookies, a July 2008 daughter of young sire Hollylane Jade's Emblem. At the tender age of 13 months, Kookies has already made two visits to the famed grounds of the "State Fair" at Middle Musquodoboit, Nova Scotia that we've been writing about lately.
She made a good start in 2008 with two leadsmen as you'll see shortly. This year older brother Riley took control and guided the heifer to a first in class placing and the Honourable Mention Junior Champion placing in the protein breeds show.
There is very little if anything that is more inspiring than to see young people expressing an interest in the breed. We have so many new and young faces showing up at Jersey events today. It is a whole new world! Enjoy the photos of Riley and his bro Linden supplied by their mother Angela!
Angela and her husband Brian are the justifiably proud parents of Riley and Linden. Now, Angela has a Jersey heritage in that she showed Jersey calves from the Twin Maples herd of the late Preston Murray and Belle Murray during her 4-H days.
Riley and Linden are thrilled to own their own brown cow Eloc Emblem Kookies, a July 2008 daughter of young sire Hollylane Jade's Emblem. At the tender age of 13 months, Kookies has already made two visits to the famed grounds of the "State Fair" at Middle Musquodoboit, Nova Scotia that we've been writing about lately.
She made a good start in 2008 with two leadsmen as you'll see shortly. This year older brother Riley took control and guided the heifer to a first in class placing and the Honourable Mention Junior Champion placing in the protein breeds show.
There is very little if anything that is more inspiring than to see young people expressing an interest in the breed. We have so many new and young faces showing up at Jersey events today. It is a whole new world! Enjoy the photos of Riley and his bro Linden supplied by their mother Angela!
Mother Angela says it is a case of older brother Riley saying "you push, I'll pull" to brother Linden when they unveiled Kookies in a wet ring in 2008. Yup, looks like a clear case of "push me, pull me" for Kookies to us!
"Eyes on the Judge"
"That's my girl"....Riley & Kookie growing up fast!
It's a small world after all!
As you can imagine a great deal of our interaction with Jersey owners and industry partners and suppliers relates to people who live in Canada. However, many days we have the privilege of working with and assisting folks who are from other countries, "foreign lands", if you will. Here is a sampler of international people who we've communicated with on Jersey topics during the early part of this week-and it is only Wednesday morning!
From Jersey Island - Suzanne Le Feuvre; Rob Perchard; Derrick Frigot
From the USA - Erick Metzger, Paula England, Sally Stine and Dan Bauer at the AJCA; Bill Maness in Tennessee; Melissa Hart in Michigan-Melissa is a very active farm press writer who works with Holstein International; Dairy Agenda Today and has her own neat blog at http://knolltopfarmwife.blogspot.com. She and her farming family have a Holstein herd and in the latter part of 2008 added two milking Jerseys to the mix! Everyone gets smart sooner or later! :)
From Wales in the UK: Ffiona Jones reported that her sons had become local TV stars while showing their daughters of Canadian sires Bridon Jamaica and Pine Haven Senior. They had had to contend with competition from a descendant of Canadian-born supercow Huronia Centurion Veronica, Ex-97%.
Wikus Van der Merwe from Jersey South Africa sent us a photo of a great young cow that he had seen and photographed in recent days.
Raewyne Collins from one of the New Zealand Jersey groups forwarded a question about the pedigree of a bull - who happened to be from the USA so we sent that on to the AJCA.
Richard Brown from New South Wales in Australia forwarded news about his new role with a local Jersey group. He also commented on the pioneering work that he and his family had done in bringing semen from Canadian Jersey bulls Brampton Sixth Generation and later Meadow Lawn Bright Spot to Aussie. This provoked reflection about the influential Brampton herd at Brampton, Ontario. And we also mused about the Meadow Lawn herd at Markham, Ontario where Bright Spot was born and Wendybrook Farm in Quebec's Eastern Townships where the bull was bred. Then we wandered (on an internal mind trip) over to Prince Edward Island where Edison Mutch had bred a number of the females in the direct line between Bright Spot in his River North herd.
Yes, much of our energy and time is directed to helping Canadian dairy folks with a focus on domestic breed growth. We also have the privilege of working with a bevy of enthusiastic and capable Jersey/dairy people all over the globe-and that is icing on the cake!
From Jersey Island - Suzanne Le Feuvre; Rob Perchard; Derrick Frigot
From the USA - Erick Metzger, Paula England, Sally Stine and Dan Bauer at the AJCA; Bill Maness in Tennessee; Melissa Hart in Michigan-Melissa is a very active farm press writer who works with Holstein International; Dairy Agenda Today and has her own neat blog at http://knolltopfarmwife.blogspot.com. She and her farming family have a Holstein herd and in the latter part of 2008 added two milking Jerseys to the mix! Everyone gets smart sooner or later! :)
From Wales in the UK: Ffiona Jones reported that her sons had become local TV stars while showing their daughters of Canadian sires Bridon Jamaica and Pine Haven Senior. They had had to contend with competition from a descendant of Canadian-born supercow Huronia Centurion Veronica, Ex-97%.
Wikus Van der Merwe from Jersey South Africa sent us a photo of a great young cow that he had seen and photographed in recent days.
Raewyne Collins from one of the New Zealand Jersey groups forwarded a question about the pedigree of a bull - who happened to be from the USA so we sent that on to the AJCA.
Richard Brown from New South Wales in Australia forwarded news about his new role with a local Jersey group. He also commented on the pioneering work that he and his family had done in bringing semen from Canadian Jersey bulls Brampton Sixth Generation and later Meadow Lawn Bright Spot to Aussie. This provoked reflection about the influential Brampton herd at Brampton, Ontario. And we also mused about the Meadow Lawn herd at Markham, Ontario where Bright Spot was born and Wendybrook Farm in Quebec's Eastern Townships where the bull was bred. Then we wandered (on an internal mind trip) over to Prince Edward Island where Edison Mutch had bred a number of the females in the direct line between Bright Spot in his River North herd.
Yes, much of our energy and time is directed to helping Canadian dairy folks with a focus on domestic breed growth. We also have the privilege of working with a bevy of enthusiastic and capable Jersey/dairy people all over the globe-and that is icing on the cake!
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