Episode 02 (Season 03) - Switching Breeds - Are Jersey Cows the Solution?

The number of Jersey cows across the world is growing; more dairy farmers are switching from traditional breeds to Jerseys. As larger cows require more space and management costs increase, the smaller yet high-performance Jerseys provide a sustainable alternative.

But how can switching breeds be beneficial for your dairy business? And what makes Jersey the ideal breed for this purpose?

To learn more and get tips on making the transition go smoothly, we invited two Jersey cow experts to share their experience and knowledge on how to breed healthy and profitable Jersey cows.

Guests:
Peter Larson, Senior Breeding Manager for VikingJersey at VikingGenetics 
Lauge Jakobsen, Herd Manager at Gram & Nybøl Estates

Host:
Tomás De La Rosa

Transcript

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The number of Jersey cows across the world is growing. More dairy farmers are switching from traditional breeds to Jerseys. As larger cows require more space and management costs increase, the smaller yet high performance Jerseys provide a sustainable alternative. But how can switching breeds be beneficial for your dairy business? And what makes Jersey the ideal breed for this purpose? To learn more and get tips on making the transition go smoothly, we invited two Jersey cow experts to share their experience and knowledge on how to breed healthy and profitable Jersey cows. Peter Larson, Senior Breeding Manager for VikingJersey at VikingGenetics and Lauge Jakobsen, Herd Manager at Gram and Nybøl estates in Denmark. This is the BreedCast produced by VikingGenetics. I'm your host, Tomás De La Rosa. Hello and welcome. Peter and Lauge. Thanks for joining us today. Thank you. Thank you very much. Jersey has been one of Denmark's characteristic breeds, a symbol of cattle breeding in Denmark for over 125 years. However, it wasn't until recently Jersey saw an explosion in popularity across the world. Why is that, Peter? Well, to start with, the Jerseys were actually quite popular because from the start, the Jerseys were bred for - because of their high butterfat percentages in the milk and Jerseys were actually world leaders in producing butterfat. So they became very, very popular. But then when protein was introduced in milk pricing, the dairy companies started to pay for protein. Jerseys were far behind other breeds, and that meant that they were - for a number of years, since the eighties- not as popular any longer. Lately, we have gotten new research showing that Jerseys are on track and they are more efficient than the bigger cows. So lately we have regained the popularity. And what is it that makes the Jersey cow a profitable alternative to more traditional, larger breeds, Lauge? First of all, it's a smaller cow. That means the intake of dry matter is lower. But comparing to the Holstein, for instance, then more milk comes out of the intake of dry matter. That's one of the reasons. The biggest reasons as I see it. And then we also have our experience from research and also from the data we collect in farms that the Jerseys are healthier, a little longer living. So, all those cost related traits are to the benefit for the Jerseys. Beyond them being more efficient cows, what are the advantages of working with a smaller breed like Jersey? It's easier to handle because it's smaller. It is not that strong, but also it's a very curious cow if you want it to go somewhere or for instance, if you have a robot system, it will go in there automatically because it wants to see what's going on there. And with the restrictions, environmental restrictions and others that the farmers produce under, then we see that the size matters because you can have more Jerseys, no matter if it's the space inside the barn or if it's outside. It requires less land, requires less space in the barn. And what I see in Gram and Nybøl Estate is that we have a lot of fields where the cows go for grazing every day. And some days they have to walk one, two kilometers. And I can see the Jersey cows they can really manage that. Peter, one of the things that you mentioned at the start about the way contracts have evolved, milk contracts. In many countries, these contracts are moving away from yield and starting to focus more on milk quality and solids. What makes the Jersey breed the right choice for farmers experiencing this? When focusing on milk solids, there's a clear advantage for the Jersey breed because they traditionally are producing milk with higher solids. Currently, the VikingJerseys have a fat percentage of approximately 6% and the protein percent of 4.3 and that is sky high compared to other breeds. So you can produce the milk solids with less water, and that's beneficial both for the cow and for the dairy producer. In what environment and production systems do Jerseys perform best? In all. No, maybe not in all, but depending on conditions. But in nearly all. If, for instance, you're paid for milk volume and in certain parts of the world there are dairy companies only paying for volume. And if the milk goes for drinking milk, then Jersey will not be the ideal breed, but they fit well in all conditions. Lauge, how are they performing in Gram and Nybøl’s production system? They are performing really well because we have three farms where we are milking cows. And on one of the farms we have only Jersey cows, and then now we are producing all the food we need, all the concentrate. We are producing all our own land. And I can see the Jersey cows they can really get the benefit out of it. Thank you. And for those of you who want a deeper dive into the VikingJersey breed, we have a dedicated episode in which Peter tells us everything about growing up on a Jersey farm and his life experiences with the breed, which I recommend you listen to. We've heard about what makes Jersey cows profitable and a great alternative to the larger breeds. Now I'd like to focus on what farmers should look out for when switching breeds. Peter, what are some situations in which a farmer should consider switching breeds? Well, it is the condition that you produce under. It can be both the external conditions like the milk pricing, like the price of land. So, you need to consider under what external conditions you work. But then also the internal conditions. Like I mentioned earlier about the space in the barn, in the milking parlor, grazing like Lauge mentioned before. So there are also some internal that you have to look at. Do the smaller breed fit into what I can offer to the cow? And that's what you have been considering when you swapped to Jerseys. What conditions did you have on the farm? And also you should look at transport cost. I think some people forget that because you have the manure you have to drive away. But you have also all the roughage you are producing around. Do you have a long distance to transport. Then definitely you have an advantage in Jersey cows. Lauge, can you tell us a little about what does the process of switching breeds look like? We bought an empty farm. We had two farms with black and white Holstein, and then we had an empty farm. And then we decided, okay, now we go for Jersey cows. First of all, all the barns, they were originally built for Jersey cows, but also the amount of hectares we have around because we are organic, we have to put all the cows for grazing. Then it was a very easy decision to go for Jersey cows. And later on we have figured out also that the milk from Jersey cows, if you mix it with the black and white, it's very tasty. And the dairy facilities, they also like it because they have the higher fat and they can use it for a lot of products they are producing there. And everything we are producing is selling in shops in Denmark. So it's very important that we have the right quality and taste also. But depending again on conditions, normally I recommend all out, all in. If you have made a decision to change from Holstein to Jerseys, it's much quicker, much easier to sell all your Holsteins and then buy in the Jerseys. And in your case, if you want to have more Jerseys at Gram and Nybøl, how will you do that? All in, all out, more to say because the Jersey cow is a little cow that means if you mix that with the group of Holstein cows, then the Jersey cows will look like losers. But when there are only Jersey cows, then it would be only winners. Yeah. And sexed semen is that part of your strategy? Absolutely. We use more or less 95 to 100% sexed semen with our Jersey cows. So, we have a lot of heifers in the future so we can replace our Holstein cows. And Peter, what about crossbreeding with Jersey? What benefits could farmers get from cross-breeding? The benefit of cross-breeding is, of course, that you make use of this heterosis effect- that you get a little extra then. Two and two is not four, it might be five or something similar, but you will get- if you run a GoldenCross concept... GoldenCross is this crossbreeding concept where you use the Jerseys, the Holstein and the Reds. You get cows that are a little bigger, You'll get cows that have a little higher production. But you will also get cows that lose a little bit of efficiency compared to the Jerseys. But this with having the extra - the heterosis effect, that's the main thing in the crossbreeding. And what are some common pitfalls of switching breeds? Are there any common mistakes that farmers should look out for when switching breeds? Oh yeah, there could be a few. There are definitely - not only a few, but let’s say that the small calf. When they are born, they are small, they are tiny. That means you have to be really good to take care of them because if you see one is sick, you have only one chance and it's now. So what is really important is that your colostrum has a perfect quality and the calf get it within six hours after it's been born. Then I would say it's not so difficult to take care of the Jersey new calves. Not at all. And also you have to feed them a little bit different than the black and white. The food has to be a little bit more concentrated because it has a smaller stomach, of course. Yeah. So you need to consider before making the switch, what is it that I am going to get by doing this switch so that you do not have these pitfalls. So dig deeper into what's special about the new breed as Lauge mentioned with the newborn calves and also with the milk fever and more concentrated feed for the Jerseys. There are some things you need to dig deeper into before making the switch, but then you can also be sure of having success by doing the switch. Over the last few years, emissions and feed efficiency, they've become a considerable part of the discussion involving dairy cows, and that's something that you mentioned at the start, Peter talking about feed efficiency and how Jersey cows can benefit farmers in that aspect. Can you expand a little more on these climate benefits? Well, we have seen during the later years when running projects, especially at the Danish Cattle Research Center, but also now directly in VikingGenetics, we've seen over later years that we can benefit from developing breeding values so that we have a breeding tool to make the cows more efficient. We have seen that in our CFIT project where we focus on feed efficiency and individual feed intake, where we use the 3D cameras. We've seen it in the later project that we've started together with Arla and others, where we measure methane and CO2 from the cows. It will also end up in breeding values and making cows more efficient. And those results show that Jerseys produce a little less climate gases or greenhouse gases per kg of product produced. It also shows that Jerseys eat a little less per kg produced. So those are the results from research and from the data we get on daily basis now. Do you see something in your herd, Lauge?

As I mentioned it before: 13:22

the transport cost Yeah. So there is a lot of things there. But is it exclusively the transport costs or are you looking at the climate benefits of Jerseys from a different perspective? No, we are looking at it. Because we have to see ourselves as a consumer because we have a product to sell. So we definitely have to look at the climate. What effect does our cows have on it? But you are also related to the supermarket chain, Rema 1000. Yes. And that means that you're under direct influence of a supermarket that takes all your products. Yeah. Lauge, being partly owned by a supermarket chain, what parameters does Gram and Nybløl look at? We have to see ourselves as a customer. That means what products would we like to drink or to eat. That means how it has been produced. That means we look at the climate, we look also at the farms. When people come by as a visitor, do we show something that people like to see? That means how are the animals behaving? Which conditions do they have? All those small parameters. And then also we have to make products which are tasty because if they don't like our products, we cannot sell them. And that's why we have more and more Jersey cows also, because the milk is more tasty, because the fat is a bit higher. And what happens if customers are not satisfied with the quality of the product? Then I have to look for another job more or less to say, because we are really depending on the customer. And all farmers have to see themselves in that way in the future. I have no doubt about that, because we are so depending on selling our products. But you have a brand, Gram Slot, and Rema 1000 has a brand. Yeah. So if you make a mistake or if some of the consumers are not pleased with what you produce, then it'll affect you directly. Yeah, it takes a long time to build a brand, but you can destroy it immediately. So we are very careful about what we are doing. If you want to learn more about emissions and other regulations, farmers have to navigate through, we have an episode of the BreedCast on the subject featuring Walter Liebregts, our Dutch cattle breeder, which I encourage you to listen to. And our listeners out there can also have a more profitable, feed efficient dairy herd with world class Nordic genetics. To discover what VikingGenetics breeding bulls are available, please visit VikingGenetics.com and browse our Holstein, Red and Jersey bulls selection. We've spoken about what dairy farmers should look out for when switching breeds and why Jersey is an excellent option for farmers looking to purebred or crossbreed alike. Now I'd like to take a look at dairy farming tomorrow and the role Jerseys have to play in it. Peter, when looking at the future, what are some trends dairy farmers should be on the lookout for? Firstly, definitely feed efficiency. Feed efficiency is a new trait and it's a trait with a very, very high value for the dairy farmers. So I think most will prioritize that from now on. Then next will be emissions. Not all are able to measure emissions per cow on an individual basis, but it will come shortly and then we are looking at traits like longevity, lifetime production and a trait - that it's not actually a trait - workability, how are the cows to work with. How is their temper? Do they have good mammary? Something that relates to the daily work with the cows. What trends are you on the look out for in Gram and Nybøl? Peter has more or less mentioned most of it because climate is really important to us also. Because the consumer, they will look at that in future. But also what he said about feed efficiency is really, really important because it's where the money is also for the farmer. Because our biggest cost on the farm is the food. That's also special in your case that you produce all the feed yourself. You don't buy in any, don't you? Not we don't buy any concentrate at all. We produce everything. It's oat, it's beans. Lupines, some rape and we only buy minerals, compared to whatever they need, but the rest we produce ourselves. Yeah, that is also why I mentioned transport costs. Because it's really important. What about soya? Soya? We stopped using that last year and when we did that, I could not see the Jersey cows went down in the yield. That means that the feed efficiency is really, really good. But I saw among the Holstein cows that they dropped one liter of milk. But the Jersey cows they continued producing. Jersey cows have been called the cows of the future for some time now. But from a genetic progress perspective, what does the ideal future of Jersey cows look like to you, Peter? The ideal Jersey cow is a Jersey cow that's efficient. Less emissions, long living, high lifetime production. And then something else that I see in the future coming is that they are all polled- no horns any longer, that they will all be A2A2 so that the protein fraction in the milk will change a little. They will all be free of defects and lethals so that the farmer does not need to consider all these pitfalls that he could be challenged with. All the bulls that we breed for him, they will be bulls that are ideal type, and much easier to make the choice. Lauge, what breeding traits do you look at in Gram and Nybøl? Of course, yield is important. We cannot deny that. But looking at the feed efficiency also is very important. But also we look at how does the cow perform? That means how often do we have a vet coming? The legs they are really good. The udder is very good. That means for the guys who are milking, it's very easy to work with. And in general, a healthy cow is what we are looking for. Long lasting cow.

To say it simple: 20:07

producing good milk. Not a lot of cost for the veterinarian. You mentioned earlier that you use approximately 95% sexed semen, and the usage of Jersey sexed semen has been exponentially growing over the last few years. It's even higher in Jersey than in many other breeds. Why is that? The first thing is because when we get bulls, it's not easy to get rid of them. But we do it mainly because we want to increase our Jersey herd. And what we will do in the future when we stop growing, let's see about that. But I think we can export some of the heifers. I'm quite sure that would be the way. Anything to add on that, Peter? Yeah, well, the Jersey breed has never been a dual-purpose breed. It has always been a dairy breed. So we have never focused on meat production. So as Lauge mentioned, the bull calves are worthless and that's why Jerseys have been the drivers in use of sexed semen. I think that the breeding strategy will be like you do, Lauge. It'll be sexed semen. Jersey semen will be sexed all of it and then the rest will be beef. And I also think it will be sexed beef in near future even. And the true advantages of sexed semen is that you can decide which cow you want to have a heifer from. Yeah. So the better cows will be inseminated with sexed Jersey semen and the poorer cows with beef. Yeah. Yeah. To wrap up the discussion, what are some of the steps farmers could take towards more future friendly farming? Peter? Well, focus on the type of cow of the future, and that means that you will have less input per kg of output, less emission per kg of output, less work, less trouble per kg of output. So focus on less input and then less input per kg of output or per the effect that you go for. And if I can add, then maybe also in the future start to focus on water, the use of water, it might not be critical here. Now when we are recording this podcast, it's very dry and we experienced that a few years ago. But in other parts of the world, water is a limited resource, so that might be the next breeding value that we develop. The water intake or the water use. Lauge, anything to add at the end? We cannot decide ourselves if we want to be here in the future. It's the population around us, it's the customers who decide. That's why climate is really important. So the most climate friendly cow will for sure be here in the future. The rest they will disappear. Thanks for joining us on the BreedCast today. We've looked at the Jersey breed and why it's a profitable alternative to more traditional large breeds. We also discussed how it could play a key role in helping farmers switch breeds. If you want to learn more about VikingGenetics, our dairy and beef breeds, get tips and tricks for breeding and management and much more, please visit our website; VikingGenetics.com. Huge thanks to Peter Larson and Lauge Jakobsen for sharing their insights. A shout out to all of you out there listening. If you have an idea for a topic in the world of cattle breeding you would like us to focus on, please visit BreedCast.com or message us on Facebook, on the VikingGenetics Facebook page. I'm your host, Tomás De La Rosa. Please join me for the next episode where we will hear from Chris McCullough, an international multi-award-winning agri journalist. You've been listening to the BreedCast, innovative breeding in your ears.