Trevor’s PlaceIn History

from Australian Jersey Journal - May June 2020

The Raywyn Story

WORDS // RICK BAYNE

TREVOR’S PLACE IN HISTORY

Trevor Saunders has a special place in Jersey Australia’s history as the first president of the newly formed national organisation in 2008.

But his legacy goes much deeper than that, as does his contribution to the breed over the past 25 years.

Trevor, 62, has decided to retire from the Board of Jersey Australia but his love for Jerseys and the broader industry remains strong. Trevor and his wife Anthea Day will continue farming at Shady Creek near Warragul in Victoria’s Gippsland region.

“I’ve loved being on the Board and it’s been easy because it’s my passion and what I wanted to do,” Trevor said.

“But we’re running a big operation and want to concentrate on that. Anthea and I want to travel and there’s a myriad of things we want to do together, so I’m confident the time is right.”

Born and raised on a farm, Trevor came up through the ranks of share farming before he and Anthea invested in their current property in 2004.

His love of cows was a prime motivator, though it wasn’t always Jerseys.

“We had a Jersey herd when I was a little boy, but by the time I left home Dad had brought in cross-breds and Friesians,” he said.

“I didn’t start with Jersey cows but I became convinced in the 80s that Jerseys were more efficient and easier to work with. By 1990 I had enough Jerseys in the herd and registered them through genetic recovery and my involvement started from there.”

Trevor and Anthea now milk 1000 cows over two farms, including 650 on the home farm.

It’s a partnership in all ways. “Without Anthea, none of this would have happened,” Trevor said. “We milk alongside each other, she rears the calves and she’s my greatest support, like a lot of partners are. We work so well together as a team.”

Their main stud, Araluen Park, has had many successes over the years, though Trevor is typically modest.

“We’ve been very lucky; we’ve had three Great Southern winners and we’re currently milking seven former number one genomic heifers. We’re comfortable with what we’re doing and with our production. It’s a developing farm; we’ve grown fairly quickly over the past five years, effectively taking

it from a milking herd of 300-350 to over 1000 but there’s always room for improvement.”

They also have a smaller stud Stony Run Aus with an American partner.

The expansion reflects their confidence in the industry, and Trevor and Anthea plan to continue running the business and breeding good cows.

Trevor will remain senior vice president of the World Jersey Bureau

until the next conference in Australia, which is slated for 2021 but might be deferred due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and will continue on the genetics standing committee of DataGene.

“I love being involved with the standing committee; genetics is my thing and I hope to do that for as long as I’m allowed,” he said.

Trevor joined the Victorian branch of the former Jersey Breeders Society in 1995.

“The community I was living in had a couple of Jersey breeders and they talked me into going to a discussion group. I’ve always been a little outspoken!”

By that time, Trevor was convinced that because of their size, Jerseys

were significantly more effective and profitable.

As a Victorian delegate, Trevor set about driving the establishment of a national body.

“Plenty of people told me it would never happen but I believed it was needed,” he said.

“The states used to fight and it had stopped growing the breed. There were both Internal and external reasons for going national. We needed common policies across the board and we needed to have price structures and common aims and goals to grow the Jersey breed. There was no cohesion as it was.

“Externally, no-one knew who to talk to, but all of a sudden there was a national phone number for a national body with a national office. The industry suddenly became totally involved with us and we had all these partners in the dairy field.

“There were a few who grizzled about it but most accepted it. It just needed someone to bring a team together to do it.”

Trevor became the first Jersey Australia president in 2008 and held the role for five years through the establishment phase.

“It was very challenging and confronting at times, but I wouldn’t have changed it for the world,” he said. “We achieved what we needed to achieve in the first couple of years to get it going and we worked well with the first general manager Scott Joynson. I’ve got more out of it in terms of selfdevelopment than what I put in.”

After his term as president, Trevor was encouraged to continue on the Board.

“I never planned to stay on but I just kept getting pulled back,” he said. “There were still things to do and I was keen to get involved with industry and Agri-Bio.”

Apart from his central role in establishing Jersey Australia and ensuring it developed a strong asset base, Trevor is proud of his part in developing a national dairy genetics hub in the current office.

“I felt I could have some input into making that happen. That was not only good for Jersey Australia and Jersey cows and people but good for the entire Australian genetic industry. We’re all working together for genetics, which is an understated part of our dairy business.”

Trevor has no doubt the breed has improved. “There has been massive improvement in the Jersey cow from when I started my herd in the 1980s. What we’ve got now are super production cows with power, width and amazing udders. Their ability to produce now wasn’t considered possible back then.”

Trevor is confident Australian Jerseys are the best in the world.

“Anthea and I have been to every significant Jersey country except Canada and I can unequivocally say that what we have here are easily the best cows, especially considering the variation in systems that we have.

“In terms of their strength, capacity, udders, front-end and muzzles, there’s no doubt we have the best Jersey cows in the world. I’m quite happy to brag about that.”

Trevor is confident he’s leaving Jersey Australia in good hands.

“We have some fantastic people on the board and Glen is the ideal general manager. I’ve done my time and know I’m leaving it in immensely capable hands.

“I’m leaving on the very best of terms and I’m only a phone call away if they need, not that I think they will.

“I feel very privileged to have worked with a large number of passionate Jersey breeders who have been prepared to put Jerseys first and work with the wider dairy industry.”

LEADER OF THE PACK

Trevor Saunders might say that establishing Jersey Australia was a team effort, but every team has to have a leader. -

Jersey Australia president Chris MacKenzie says Trevor was firmly at the helm as the new nation-wide organisation was born.

“He and Peter Farrell did a lot of homework to get support from members to bring the states into one body with a single administration and establish Jersey Australia,” Chris said.

“He’ll say it was a team effort, but he was the team leader.”