| FEATURE |
Member Ideas Sought To Promote The Breed T
HE Jersey promotions and marketing committee has expanded but Chair Jane Sykes wants every member to do their bit to advance the breed. The sub-committee has welcomed new members Hayley Boyd and Daniel Bacon, expanding on the previous Board-based representation, and Jane is encouraging all members to come up with ideas. Jane said the addition of Hayley and Daniel gave the sub-committee broader representation. “The expanded sub-committee provides exciting opportunities,” she said. “We all have ideas and it’s good that we have a broader range of skills and ideas within the sub-committee. “I’m in Tassie and my farming experience is different to someone in the tropics or northern New South Wales, Gippsland or northern Victoria, so it’s good to have that broader representation to talk to the membership and know what our local industries need to promote the Jersey cow. “If we can prove the Jersey is the most profitable cow in each of our locations and come up with ideas to promote and market the cow, that will be beneficial for everyone.”
In addition to the sub-committee, Jane wants all members to think of ways to promote the breed. “The sub-committee is here on behalf of the members and if members have any ideas, pass it on,” she said. “There are plenty of opportunities we won’t think of; if you’ve got an idea, don’t be afraid to pass it on through the sub-committee. The opportunities are endless for people to put forward suggestions to promote and market the breed.” The addition of non-board members mirrors the genetics committee which has likewise expanded. Hayley was previously on the Board and promotions sub-committee while Daniel is a new member. “It’s really exciting to have new members in the system,” Jane said. “As an organisation, we need to get younger people involved and coming through the ranks. There are only so many positions on the Board but there is a lot of work to go around.
events and presentations and competitions such as the on-farm challenge, and oversight of the Jersey Journal and social media, including the popular Facebook page. A priority at the moment is developing an award comparable to the Holstein-Friesian master breeder and continuing to push 5-Star Jersey. The committee is also doing work on Jersey beef. “It’s an ideal year for it because it’s a lucrative market,” Jane said. “We have set an ambitious target of Jerseys achieving 25 per cent of the Australian dairy herd by 2030 and my opinion is that the only way to do that is to create opportunities to on-sell bobby calves. From an animal welfare and social licensing point of view, I think we need to look at the next step. At the moment there isn’t a dairy beef market in Australia but if we expect our bred to grow, we have to provide opportunities for people to make money.
“Everybody has to start somewhere; in time the new committee members might want to go on to the Board.”
“If there is value in extra heifers or bulls, that will encourage more people into the system, but at the moment, there’s not much market for Jersey bull calves.”
The committee’s role is to promote and market the breed. This encompasses organising International Dairy Week, Jersey Australia awards, updating marketing plans, running
Jane believes the sub-committee has a good product to sell. “We believe we have the most profitable type of cow you can get and we have to promote those benefits such as fertility rate,
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