For more than a century, Jerseys and the people milking them have prospered in the United States.

Jerseys mature earlier, producing revenue from milk sales at an earlier age. Jersey milk is a premium quality product, demanded by the country's best cheesemakers.

According to the 1996 Raleigh DRPC DHI Yearly Herd Summary, the Jersey holds an edge in several economically important areas:

Efficient Reproduction

Shorter calving interval 13.9 months

Fewer average days open 141 days

Younger average age of first calf heifers 25 months

According to the 1989 Journal of Dairy Science 72:726-736, the Jersey holds the advantage in productive herd life:

Productive Herd Life

Jerseys 39.4 months

Holsteins 38.4 months

Jersey milk contains the most solids-not-fat (protein, lactose, vitamins and minerals) and milkfat when compared to milks produced by the other dairy cattle breeds. When consumed as fluid milk, Jersey milk has more body and a richer taste. This is due to the higher solids-not-fat, especially lactose, found in Jersey milk.

Jersey milk is more nutritious, containing 20 percent more protein and 15 percent more calcium than average milk. Independent consumer taste test panels have shown that consumers prefer Jersey milk over average milk.

Jersey milk is again the leader when used in manufacturing. When made into hard or soft cheese, Jersey milk yields 20 percent to 25 percent more cheese than average milk. When dried into powder, Jersey milk produces an extra pound of powder per hundred-weight of milk. When churned, Jersey milk produces 35 percent more butter than average milk. The extra yield from Jersey milk contributes to the efficiency of manufacturing plants.

Yield of product/100 pounds milk Jersey Average

Cheddar Cheese 12.30 lbs 10.06 lbs

Cottage Cheese 16.48 lbs 14.00 lbs

Mozzarella Cheese 11.58 lbs 9.69 lbs

The Jersey

The Jersey breed originated on the Island of Jersey, a small British island in the English Channel off the coast of France. The Jersey is one of the oldest dairy breeds, having been reported by authorities as being purebred for nearly six centuries.

The first Jerseys registered in the United States were imported in 1850, but other purebred Jerseys had been imported much earlier. Jerseys are an important part of the dairy industry in all 50 states, and are the most widely distributed dairy breed in the world.

The Jersey is widely recognized as the most efficient of the dairy breeds, producing more pounds of milk per pound of body weight than any other breed. Milk from the Jersey has a rich, smooth flavor, and contains higher percentages of protein, calcium and other important nutrients than does milk from other dairy breeds.

Jersey owners emphasize that a good Jersey cow should produce sixteen times her body weight in milk each year. The top Jersey produced over 38 times her body weight in one lactation. Her production was 36,380 pounds of milk containing 1,257 pounds of protein. This is equal to 16,921 quarts or 67,684 half-pint servings of milk; enough to supply the lunch requirements of a 500-student school cafeteria for nearly seven months!

Jerseys are adapted to a wide range of climatic and geographical conditions. Outstanding herds of Jerseys abound from Denmark to New Zealand, from Canada to South America, and from South Africa to Japan. They are good grazers and perform well on moderate pastures. They are more tolerant of heat than the larger breeds. They reach maturity the earliest of all dairy breeds and are especially noted for being efficient reproducers and for having long productive lives.

At birth Jersey heifer calves average about 55 pounds in weight. The ideal mature weight is about 900 pounds for females and 1,500 pounds for males.

The national headquarters of the American Jersey Cattle Association are at 6486 East Main Street, Reynoldsburg, OH 43068-2362. The American Jersey Cattle Association also publishes the official breed magazine, the Jersey Journal.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE AMERICAN JERSEY CATTLE ASSOCIATION

Organization: The American Jersey Cattle Association (AJCA) was organized in 1868, the oldest dairy breed association in the U.S. The AJCA has 3,000 members and provides services to over 6,000 Jersey dairy farmers each year. The membership elects as 12 person Board of Directors and President. In addition to the AJCA, there are two other Jersey organizations, National All-Jersey Inc. (NAJ) and its subsidiary, All-Jersey Sales Corporation (AJSC). NAJ is involved with milk marketing and AJSC with cattle marketing. These organizations have their own Boards of Directors. Policy, programs, and services for all three organizations are carried out by a 40 person paid staff under the direction of the Executive Secretary.

The main purpose of all three Jersey organizations is to help is members increase the profitability of Jersey cattle. Programs and services designed to do this include:

Registration. Approximately 55,000 Jerseys are registered annually. Since its beginning, the AJCA has registered over 4.5 million Jerseys.

Providing production, genetic, and conformation information. About 60,000

Jersey cows are enrolled in these programs.

Publication of a monthly magazine.

Funding Jersey related research. The AJCA has a research foundation with over $700,000. Interest from this foundation is used to fund research projects.

Assisting in the sampling of young Jersey sires.

Assisting Jersey owners in increasing the value of and demand for Jersey milk. Last year, efforts in milk marketing added over $25 million to the milk checks of Jersey dairy farmers.

Domestic and international marketing of cattle and embryos, both through private and public sales. In 1995, AJSC marketed over $5 million worth of cattle and embryos.

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I wish to thank the American Jersey Cattle Association for providing me with the information for this page. If you wish to learn more about the Jersey Cow, you can visit their web site American Jersey Cattle Association.

Cows

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