2022

We LOVE our Jersey Girls!

I’ll be honest, the journey to being a Purebred Miniature Jersey farm was a rocky one.  When we started on this path, I wanted Jerseys.  Jerseys. Period.  Why?  Because they are the best.

The.

Best.

Hands down. 

OK, I know a lot of people would argue that, but bear with me.  First, Jerseys do not produce as much milk as a Holstein.  Holsteins are the number one producer of milk QUANTITY at nearly 9 gallons of milk a day.  NINE! In a family farm, what can you do with nine gallons a day?  OK, you can sell it.  If that is what you are looking for, then perhaps Holstein is the best for you.

Jerseys are the smallest major breed in the dairy world. A standard Jersey averages between 800 to 1200 lbs at maturity as opposed to the 1500 lbs of the average Holstein. Jerseys only produce about six gallons of milk a day, Jerseys are known for their personality – they are SWEET! – tolerate heat well, eat less than most dairy cows and produce milk with the highest levels of milk fat and protein.  That translates to amazing milk, cream, cheese and ice cream.

So why miniature Jerseys? Because they are miniature.  Being smaller they eat even less than the small amount consumed by Jerseys.  They are easier to handle, and they produce less milk a day than is manageable. And they still produce enough to sell, just not quite as much.

Our Journey.

When we started this endeavor, we were told, find a miniature Jersey.  Wherever you can.  When you find one, buy it.  Turns out, that was bad advice. 

We found a bull calf.  He was our first.  And we love him. Rocco is out of White Star Farm in Georgia. More on him on his info page. Then I stumbled across an ad on Craig’s List for two “miniature Jerseys” for only $2500, for the PAIR! AND, they were bred! Woo-Hoo! SCORE!

Weeeeeeell, not so much. Turned out, one was not at all manageable, the other was worn out.  Both were old and neither one was bred.  We ended up with a freezer full of old Jersey beef.

Fast forward, we bought another “miniature Jersey” heifer.  Except she turned out to not be a miniature – a big Mid at best. And when we did the BBR testing on her, she came back barely half Jersey. She had a beautiful bull calf with our Rocco. But the calf still only came back less than ¾ Jersey. Calf and mama moved on to a new farm.

Based on a recommendation, we bought our Bess. She is the sweetest thing ever.  Unfortunately, she is also just below 70% Jersey. But she makes a brilliant nurse cow – she just love babies.

Then we bought a “Miniature Jersey” from a place in Arkansas.  She was due to calve in August.  She calved in July – two weeks after we brought her home. Turns out, she is less Jersey than Bess.  We are not doing too well on the Purebred Jersey front.

What do we do?

We bought 4 embryos – 100% Jersey under 40”.  And some BBR 100 straws.  Then we bought a BBR 100 Jersey calf who is from small stature parents, but not miniature.  We are hoping she will be small and we can breed her to a stature-reducing bull. And here we go. 

We breed for size – under 40”

We want miniatures because they are more reasonable for a family farm. They eat less, require less space, and produce a more manageable amount of milk.

We breed for A2/A2

We don’t do it because it is the “In” thing.  We breed for A2/A2 because it is the heritage protein. 

There is a lot of talk about A2/A2 being a fad.  There is science suggesting that the majority of “lactose intolerant” individuals are actually A1 protein intolerant. What that means, in plain English, is that the majority of people who have trouble digesting dairy or have a mucus response, etc., to dairy are actually not reacting to lactose but to the A1 protein.  

We breed for hetero-polled

This is a conscious decision to avoid horned cattle while preserving the genetic corollaries of the polled gene.

We breed for breed purity

Jerseys possess qualities unique to the breed.  They also avoid genetic defects and diseases found in other cattle breeds. Crosses with other breeds diminish the beautiful traits of Jerseys. We proactively choose to honor and preserve those traits.

We do genomic testing

This testing allows us to know the genetic traits of our stock and to match sires and dams to improve the herd.

Along the way we have learned a few things.  What we have learned we are happy to share with you.  There is no reason to re-invent the wheel.  We’ve already learned that square wheels don’t turn.  Please, use our resources, ask us questions.  We do not know everything, but we have a lot of resources and have learned a lot from our own experiences.  If we don’t know the answer, we will tell you.  And we will ask our colleagues and share what we learn. This is about honoring the breed and creating the best herd possible and we invite you to join us.