And the Celebrating Continues!

Okay, we recently told you the highly stimulating news about our 2007 membership total being at its highest level since 1968, 39 years earlier! We did not mention, in the latest posting, that our 2007 memberships were 28% above our 2001 membership level! That is more than a quarter higher in six years!

Today we have a related statistic to share with you! Through the able work of a regional Jersey promoter we were guided to a set of statistics that are totally indicative of where the Jersey breed is going in Canada! The statistics relate to the number of milk-recorded dairy herds in Canada that have a Jersey component! This may be one Jersey cow or it may be 100 cows. Anyhow, from 2001 to late 2007 the number of milk-recorded herds in Canada in which registered Jerseys are present grew from 607 to 1,004! This is an increase of 65% in six years! Aligned with this is the fact that the 1,004 herds with some Jerseys in them represent just a tiny smidge under 10% of all milk-recorded herds in Canada!

Talk about growth, talk about potential and opportunity, talk about energy and momentum! Yes, it is a changing world. With regard to dairy herds across Canada one noticable change has been that many more are now sporting a Jersey presence than was the case at the start of this decade!
We'll build on that!

Celebrating in JerseyCanadaland

In various ways Jersey Canada has been working to share some very good news from 2007 Awith the dairy world! Early in January 2008 we prepared a "wrap up" news release regarding the year we had had in 2007. And yes, we are well aware of the wisdom of the old adage about the dangers of believing your own news releases! During the process of creating the release this thought did come to mind: Can all this really be true!??

One aspect of the news we had to share was the fact that in 2007 our Jersey Canada memberships were at their highest level since 1968! Now, 1968 would be 39 years earlier!! We are quite convinced that livestock/breed associations that can lay claim to their highest membership in 39 years are pretty rare creatures in this era!

We're so thankful for even this one happening alone! This accomplishment has to say something significant about where the Jersey breed in Canada is going! This amazing level of activity is the result of years of hard work and dedication by Jersey owners across Canada. It is also a testament to the way today's Jersey cow fits the needs of today's industry!

When you stop and think about how many dairy farms there were in Canada in 1968 and how many there are today (there were about ten times as many back then!) this achievement becomes that much more amazing! We'll use what happened in 2007 as a stimulus to doing even more in 2008!