Studies highlight Jersey cow profitability

TWO new studies have found Jerseys have attributes that can make them Australia’s most profitable and sustainable cows.

The studies, by consultants Steve Little and Scott Barnett, show that Jerseys have higher fertility, higher production efficiency, and greater heat tolerance and longevity compared to other breeds, while modelling shows Jerseys have up to 14 per cent advantage over Holstein Friesians in the cost of producing milk kg/Ms and a better return on asset.

Jersey Australia engaged Dr Little of Capacity+ Ag Consulting to review evidence in published studies on the attributes of the Australian Jersey compared to other breeds.

Following Dr Little’s report, ‘Jersey - The Most Profitable and Sustainable cow?’, Jersey Australia engaged Mr Barnett of Scott Barnett & Associates to undertake desktop economic modelling of Jersey versus Holstein Friesians in Australian dairy production systems.

Jersey Australia CEO Glen Barrett said the independent studies back up what Jersey farmers have been claiming for years: that Jersey cows are more profitable and sustainable.

“We work on the principle that the Jersey cow is the most profitable cow in the dairy industry; this was an opportunity to gather hard evidence to support that,” Mr Barrett said.

“We needed the facts to back up the call and now we have them. All the evidence is backed by research that will stand up to any scrutiny.”

Mr Barrett said the studies’ findings would be used to publicise the breed and inform farmers of the benefits of transitioning to Jerseys.

“Our ambition is to have 25 per cent of Jerseys in the national dairy herd by 2030. It is achievable with the right strategies and these studies will help guide us to that goal.

“Farmers are looking for profitability and now we have the proof that Jerseys are the most profitable cow.”

Jerseys currently make up about 15 per cent of the national herd and that figure has been steadily rising over the past decade.

Jersey milk has higher concentrations of calcium, phosphorus and zinc but a lower concentration of potassium.
Dr Little found that Jerseys have demonstrated advantages in grazing systems, longevity, productive life, calving ease, fertility, heat tolerance and hybrid vigour contribution, are better suited to walking long distances for grazing and can adapt to different production systems.

They also potentially have a smaller environmental footprint.

“Several studies have suggested that the emission intensity of milk production is about 8-12% lower with a Jersey herd compared to a Holstein herd when the life cycle analysis approach was used to calculate GHG emissions,” Dr Little said.

“However, there may be little difference between the breeds in emission intensity of milk production, as Jerseys emit more methane per kg DM intake compared to Holsteins.”

The full reports can be found at jersey.com.au/jersey-most-profitable-cow-project.