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Following are my thoughts on the Jersey on the Island today.
Once again can I say congratulations and thankyou to all concerned with the staging of the World Jersey Conference on Jersey Island, indeed a great week.
I had not been to Jersey since February 1986, hence I was eager to see what the Home of the Breed was up to ! I guess I had a picture in my mind and I can say I was a little wrong. I probably expected a smaller & more refined cow than what I actually saw.
I wish to say that I went into every herd with a Positive attitude, wanting to find good. In each herd I did find good cows, I was impressed by the overall frames, especially the strength of top line and capacity however in all cases I would like more dairyness and with exception of one herd much stronger suspensory ligament and better teat placement.
All herds were very well fed hence production should be higher -- it must be genetics, take look at the Windsor herd in England, herd av of 6677 litres yet the top I saw on Jersey was 5100 litres, I was at Windsor the week following Jersey, their herd is by World renowned Sires from a predominantly Island base ,indeed I saw super cows by Lester Sambo [USA] from Island maternal lines !
I feel very much for the Island Breeders not being able to use the Worlds best Sires. But I admire what they have done with such a limited gene pool, it is incredible.
However I think back to my 1986 visit & I doubt the cows like Lynn's Dairy Lady, Munifordias Oxfordia 4, Stuart Firesprite & Itaska Fillpail Merydew are about, that dairyness is somewhat lost.
The improvement of the Jersey around the world is in the past 20 years is amazing. I believe this is due to pressure from other Breeds. In Australia many left the breed in the late 80's due to poor performance & ventured into Holsteins,that breed's use of leading widespread proven Sires from around the world took them to World leaders, however those that stayed with the breed made use of the Semen from top North American Sires & it was do or die, if those first progeny didn't perform then they too were on their way to Black & White, well they DID perform and with the continued use of the best genetics from around the world the Jersey is prospering.
The use of Outside bloodlines does not mean Crossbreeding or introducing a % of another Breed at all and indeed with personal like your Derick Frigot and James Godfrey it would be easy for Jersey Island to bring in a rule that any sire introduced must have a pedigree of 7 or 10 generations. We know there are many PURE Jersey bloodlines all tracing back to the Island that are varied & could offer so much. Indeed we down here found the initial introduction of North American was like hybrid within a breed, truly fantastic. Just look at what the introduction of the Highland Magic Duncan blood did for Canada through cows like Duncan Belle & her Sons, you know prior the 90's the Canadians criticised those USA bloodlines and now look ! I also look at the New Zealand Pure Jersey Breeders, they have not used any blood from outside and they have lost the type & production the they had 20 years ago, well with farming practices today they certainly shouldn't have lost production, so it must be genetics!
I have this to say, If Breeders on Jersey wish to use imported semen then let them and those that don't certainly don't have to. I truly admire the Senior Breeders for what they did in their time BUT would they have wanted to operate in their time like those 30 or 40 years before them, I doubt it, they used milking machines in their time of the 60's through to the 80's would they have liked to milk by hand like their fore fathers in the 20's & 30's it's the same kind of thing !!
I am sure if semen is allowed in you on Jersey will see renewed interest in the Breed, I know we would
certainly be interested in embryos, I left Australia on this trip hoping to find cows we could import embryos from. I found the cows but couldn't find the right Sires.
Remember all you are doing by importing semen is Bringing back what was already yours !!!!
Again I want to thank you for a great week and wish your breeders all the very best.
Yours faithfully
Brian Leslie
Victoria
Australia