| FEATURE | WORDS // RICK BAYNE
Life Membership And Sale Record For Veteran Classifier The award was presented by former Jersey Australia president Chris MacKenzie who was the most recent life membership recipient.
Janine and Alan Carson
Chris described Alan as an astute and respected classifier and a forwardthinking board member. He said the name Cairnbrae Jerseys, established in 1947, resonated around the world. Success in the show ring included an International Dairy Week grand champion cow in 2019, number one BPI cows, and multiple cows classified to 94 points. They have also been prominent breeders of bulls for artificial insemination, with 24 entering the system highlighted by ELTON who sold more than 150,000 straws. “Alan is also as very encouraging person who takes strong interest in supporting young breeders,” Chris said. “The leadership Alan has shown in that way has been enormous.
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VER nearly 40 years Alan Carson has visited every Jersey herd in Australia in his role as a classifier. He’s also spent three terms on the Jersey Australia board and played a leading role in mentoring young breeders as they make their way in the dairy industry. Alan and his wife Janine have sold their Irrewillipe dairy farm and awardwinning Cairnbrae Jerseys and will move to Torquay at the end of November, but their long contribution to Jerseys won’t be forgotten. Alan’s contribution was formally recognised with a Jersey Australia life membership presented at the start of their on-farm second stage dispersal sale on October 13.
The sale averaged $5740 – a new dispersal record for a Jersey sale - with a top price of $28,000 for Lot 176 Cairnbrae Casino Estelle 4, from a total clearance of 192 lots. The earlier dispersal sale averaged $4560. “We’ve had lots of good reports from our previous sale and will watch them with great interest at their new homes,” Alan said. “They don’t happen in five minutes; it has taken us a lifetime to put them together.” Alan has been a classifier for Jersey Australia since 1983, including two periods as head classifier between 1999 and 2012 and 2016 to 2021. He has also been a Director on the Jersey Australia board since 2015.
The Australian Jersey Journal – November-December 2021 // 20
“What happens in an organisation often comes down to a few people, and Alan’s passion for cows and ensuring they are awarded justly through the classification system, has always shone through. “His success in recent years must seem like a dream come true with the achievements of their cows.” Alan said the life membership was a “tremendous honour”. “I’ve had a great time classifying cows and enjoyed every bit of it,” he said. Mr Carson is continuing as a classifier at this stage, although he’s uncertain for how long. “I don’t know how much longer I will do it. I’ve always been a firm believer that when you’re not milking cows you shouldn’t still be classifying but I’m still going at this stage.” Classifiers evaluate and compare cow body parts for their structure
