| FEATURE | WORDS // RICK BAYNE
A Welcome Leap Into Jerseys
Bercar Jerseys has been one of the industry’s great success stories, with Bernie and Carol selling while at the top of their game with their herd ranked number two for BPI, HWI and TWI.
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At 17, Leo McGrath has joined the family operation working alongside his sister, 27-year-old Rachael, who now manages the farm with support from their father Eddie and uncle Andrew. Leo says that the move to Jerseys has been a profitable success. Previously the farm had cross-breds plus about 100 Holsteins and 100
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Our plan is to go full Jersey. I don’t think you could find a more efficient cow and they are better for our land because they don’t pug it up as much, especially this time of year.
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HE McGrath family’s plans to slowly transition to a Jersey herd took a sudden leap forward last October. When Bernie and Carol McManus’ Bercar jersey herd at Lockington in Victoria’s Goulburn Valley came on the market, the opportunity was too good to pass up for the Orford dairy farmers.
The 140 cows were just what the McGraths needed.
Jerseys. They have sold all but a few Holsteins and cross-breds and swapped in Jerseys, while keeping about 20 Brown Swiss. “Our plan is to go full Jersey,” Leo said. “I don’t think you could find a more efficient cow and they are better for our land because they don’t pug it up as much, especially this time of year.” The McManus cows will retain their Bercar name but as their progeny come into the herd, they will be named after the McGrath’s Wootanga Park Jerseys. “It was going to be a gradual, slowprocess but when the herd became available it went a bit quicker than we expected,” Leo said. The new cows arrived on October 1, 2020 and they struggled at the start. “Three days after they arrived, we had 350 mm of rain; they’ve probably never experienced anything like that,” Leo said. “We knew they were going to need a lactation to get used to the new environment and we planned for that.” A few died from a shipping fever disease but they were quickly on to it and with vets were able to treat the disease. There wasn’t much trouble getting them in calf and they’re starting to calve again now with no major problems. “They’re really great cows; they’re more of a production herd which was what we wanted,” Leo said. With the addition of the Bercar herd, the milk fat content went up to 5.3 kg/ Ms. “That pushed us into a higher band with our processors UDC which meant a boost to our income,” he added. This year has been a big one for Leo who left school to start his dairy career. “I did six weeks of Year 12 and then decided to stop. I worked on the farm over the holidays and then went back to school until the first lockdown. “I didn’t want to do Year 12 if it was going to be in and out of lockdown and working on the farm over the summer holidays made me realise this is what I really want to do.” Leo has defied his age and taken over the breeding program, choosing the bulls this year.
The Australian Jersey Journal – November-December 2021 // 8
