26 minute read
Keeping the Jersey Business Moving Forward
March 2020. The month life as we know it came to a screeching halt. New words were introduced—Social Distancing, Shelter at Home, Coronavirus.
It is a challenging time for individuals and businesses as this pandemic races towards its peak in the U.S. Millions of people are learning to carry on their daily lives in new ways. Others are getting back to the basics of how they were raised. But for dairy farmers across the country, they are doing what they do each and every day—tending to their animals, making a living for their families, all while continuing to provide a quality food source for the world’s population.
We know your essential business continues under nearly normal circumstances, while many others around you have had to adapt. That includes the working conditions of many of your service providers including the USJersey organizations.
In the past several weeks we have seen spring dairy shows cancelled. Spring sales are cancelled, postponed, or moved to an online venue. Dairy conferences have been cancelled for the health and safety of all involved. On a larger scale, schools have moved to a home school system with classes online. Sports on the high school and college levels have been delayed indefinitely. All major league sports have also been postponed until this pandemic is in a controlled state.
Daily life as we have become accustomed to has changed drastically.
On March 23, 2020, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine issued a “Stay at Home” order to the businesses and residences of the home state of the American Jersey Cattle Association and National All-Jersey Inc.
Due to this order, and many others like it across this great country, the USJersey office is now in a work-from-home strategy and providing only critical in-office services.
In a message to the membership, Executive Secretary Neal Smith presented the following statement to our customers about continuing their daily business with the USJersey organizations. “Our priority is the safety of our staff and being responsible neighbors, while also maintaining essential business functions for our customers.”
While staff may not be at the physical office location, all are equipped with items to help them work from home. Staff will be limited in some areas, but these resources are available to aid you with your business during this time: 1. If you have an urgent need, please email staff first then try to call. Email will be the most effective way to track and record necessary work. Staff will be as responsive as possible during this time period. 2. Registrations and transfers should be completed either through online registration (https:// infojersey.usjersey.com) or emailed to herdservices@usjersey.com. Electronic business will not halt, however mailings of all types will be delayed until further notice. 3. JerseyTag orders can be placed easily by emailing eartags@usjersey.com. Our staff will get the information to our provider. 4. If you have accounting needs, please utilize the online bill payment option through infoJersey or email (accounting@usjersey.com) when possible. While we do not anticipate disruptions in financial processes, please be patient as we work through this changing situation. 5. If you have genomic testing needs, please visit the Genomic Testing Center (https://infojersey. usjersey.com/gtc/) and order your test kits to be emailed directly to you. 6. Remember a staff directory with individual emails and direct lines is available at https:// www.usjersey.com/AJCA-NAJ-JMS/StaffDirectory. aspx Or please contact your area representative to help with anything you might need. Each has USJersey issued equipment and cell phones and is available to take your calls or emails.
We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work through these unprecedented times. Our goal is to still provide the best customer service possible to our members while also protecting the health and safety of our staff and their families.
Continuous Innovation Leads to Success
The world of commerce operates very differently today than it did even a decade ago. To be successful, businesses need to continually innovate, keep a pulse on consumer needs and operate in an environment of accountability. Opportunities abound for those with a spirit of entrepreneurship, including those in the dairy industry.
After developing a strong market for cheese, Marcoot Jersey Creamery of Greenville, Ill., has broadened its product line with a fresh whey product, Extreme Ice. The tasty blend of whey and frozen fruit is the go-to for post-training recovery by some of the world’s most elite athletes. Extreme Ice has also helped the creamery reach its goal of utilizing every drop of valuable milk made by its herd of Registered Jersey cows.
Creamer y president Amy Marcoot and her team capitalized on their relationship with major league baseball teams in St. Louis, Mo., and Arlington, Texas, to develop Extreme Ice, an idea they had begun tinkering with about four years ago. They worked with team chefs and nutritionists to fine-tune their prototype and became certified through the National Science Federation last fall, a move that earns credibility in the lucrative sports world.
Extreme Ice is also finding fans outside major league baseball, from Olympic-level athletes like Gia Lewis-Smallwood, the current U.S. record holder for women’s discus, to workaday Americans looking for a tasty way to get their daily allotment of protein.
Curds and Whey Marcoot Jersey Creamery was established 10 years ago as a means of bringing Amy and her sister, Beth, into the Jersey dairy operated by their parents, John and Linda. The Marcoots started with cheese, developing markets locally and then across the Midwest. Their product line ranges from fresh cheese like curds and Mozzarella to cave-aged Tomme and Gouda. The creamery is an All-Jersey producer and markets products using the Queen of Quality label. Extreme Ice was developed to better utilize fresh whey, a byproduct of cheesemaking.
But, with plans to double the milking string by 2017 and incorporate a pair of robotic milkers, the Marcoots knew they would have to make changes, so began researching how other cheesemakers used their whey.
“Since neither of those applied to us, we needed to create something we could market ourselves, so began to experiment,” continued Amy. “Our first version of the product was a healthy Italian ice of sorts that we called Whey Ice. It was a mix of fresh whey and shaved frozen fruit in an 8 oz. container.”
“He thought it could be very valuable to the players if it had more protein and was especially excited about the cold, frozen feature. Another request was to make the John and Linda Marcoot, center, and their daughters, Amy, left, and Beth, operate Marcoot Jersey Creamery, an All-Jersey distributor, in Greenville, Ill.
container small, so players would consume the product in a sitting, without waste.” “I thought to myself: that’s an easy fix. I called our product-creating guru, Audie, on the way home and by the time I pulled into the drive, she was well on her way to reworking the prototype.”
With a few more tweaks and a product rename, Extreme Ice made its debut as a 5 oz. container of frozen fresh whey and crushed fruit. It is now available in strawberry, strawberry-banana, and mango flavors.
Though dairy has long been known for its protein, especially among athletes, this product takes nutrient-dense a step further. It packs 20 grams of easily digestible protein with fastacting carbs into a remarkably small container. Another bonus, it is a clean fuel, with no added sugars, artificial sweeteners, thickening agents, preservatives or other additives.
Though professional athletes were early adopters, demand among other audiences soon followed. Extreme Ice is also on the menu for college athletes and nursing home residents and is available to consumers in stores across Missouri. Expanding these markets is the next step for Marcoot Jersey Creamery, an effort that requires as much trial and error as product feature development.
“Two of our biggest marketing challenges: how do we efficiently make a frozen product available at distance and where do we position it in the grocery store?” noted Amy. “If we locate it in the ice cream isle, people looking for healthy foods won’t find. If we put it in the health food isle, impulse ice cream shoppers won’t find it.”
“Finding the niche will just take time.”
Cows Came First Long before they made cheese, the Marcoots were milking cows. Their story begins six generations before Amy and previous old-world spelling and established Marcoot Jersey Farm.
Today the herd is 110 milking cows. They are fed a primarily grass-based diet and milked with a pair of Lely robots. Milk flows 30 feet in a pipeline from barn to creamery, where it is pasteurized and used to produce cheese and whey products.
Generally, Amy runs creamery business and sales. John and Beth manage the cows while Linda handles product quality control and food safety. Audie Wall, who has been with the team from the onset, heads manufacturing. The Marcoots also employ a staff of 18 other people to operate the dairy herd and creamery.
“Though many assume it was Beth’s and my idea to switch to robots, it was actually Dad’s,” commented Amy. “I initially balked because I figured it would be taking a job away from someone. That has not been the case, however. We need as many people to care for the cows today. They are just managed differently.
Facilities are set up to enhance consumer learning about dairying. Regular, scheduled tours are offered Monday through Saturday from April 1 through December 31. The tour includes a guided look of the milking parlor, calf barn and creamery and a sampling of several artisan cheeses.
For other visitors, a viewing window in the creamery allows them to watch as cheese is made and a “field to fork” video provides information about the farm. Private tours are also offered to groups of 10 or more, structured to meet the group’s specific needs.
In addition to cheeses and Extreme Ice, customers can purchase a variety of other “Environments like this [COVID-19] are not new to the farming community, which has been forced to pivot quickly in the face of disasters many times over the years. We will come through this because we always have.” Amy Marcoot
Beth, in 1840, when the “Markuts” sailed from Switzerland to New Orleans, traveled up the Mississippi River by steam ship to southern Illinois, and settled in Greenville. They changed the family name to the
Marcoot Jersey Creamery (continued from page 19) goods at the on-farm store, including grassfed Jersey beef, hand-dipped ice cream and other local products. The farm store and online sales comprise about 10% of overall creamery sales. Food service accounts for about 60% of sales and retail stores comprise the balance.
Long Term Commitment “In the aftermath of the coronavirus, life looks different for all of us and we are finding new ways to conduct business,” Amy remarked. “But environments like this are not new to the farming community, which has been forced to pivot quickly in the face of disasters many times over the years. We will come through this because we always have.”
“When I walk the hallway of our creamery and see photos of seven generations of my family, I am proud to honor a tradition that was established by my family more than 150 years ago. Though our business looks differently than it did in 1840, we continue to be caretakers for a herd of Registered Jersey cows.”
Marcoot Jersey Creamery started its business making artisan cheeses like this beautiful, delicious, cave-aged Alpine, then developed Extreme Ice to utilize fresh whey, a byproduct of cheesemaking. The Marcoots also make several varieties of fresh and farmstead cheeses at the creamery in Greenville, Ill.
For more information on Queen of Quality visit: www.queenofquality.com
Avon Road Jersey Farm
D.L. Strandberg and Sons
P.O. Box 185 Alma Center, WI 54611 Judd: 715/964-8135 Email: shoal@triwest.net Member of Dairyland Jersey Sires, Inc. 315 355th Ave., Frederic, WI 54837 owenswlsd@yahoo.com F O wens
arms, Inc.
Wilfred & Linda 715/653-2663
Roger & Kim 715/653-2566 Walter & Joyce 715/653-2637
Steinhauers Jerseys Karl Steinhauer
715/489-3112 • 715/489-3696 (barn) hounddogkarl@yahoo.com P.O. Box 259, 205 Railroad Ave. Mattoon, Wisconsin 54450-0268
At its regular meeting March 14, 2020, the AJCA Board of Directors authorized updates to Jersey Performance Index TM , adding new traits to the index and adjusting weights for previously included traits. The revised JPI 2020 will be implemented with the April 2020 genetic evaluations. Some rescaling and re-ranking is to be expected as the number of components has been increased, Jersey health traits have been added and new economic weights and standard deviations have been applied.
JPI predicts the efficiency of production by expressing lifetime production of fat and protein per unit of feed consumed. Traits and their weights in JPI 2020 , with changes from the previous version noted in parentheses, are 27% PTA protein (-3%); 19% PTA fat (+4%); -3% Milk Density* (-5%); 19.4% Functional Trait Index (subsets are Jersey Udder Index TM , Feet and Legs and Body); 14.5% Fertility (includes 9% Daughter Pregnancy Rate (+2%), 3.5% Cow Conception Rate (+1.5%) and 2% Heifer Conception Rate); 8% Survival (subsets includes 5% Productive Life (-1%) and 3% Livability (-1%)); 4.5% Somatic Cell Score (-1.5%); and six new Jersey Health Traits at 4.6% (Milk Fever 1.0%; Displaced Abomasum 1.0%; Ketosis 0.4%; Mastitis 1.9%; Metritis 0.2% and Retained Placenta 0.1.%). (Fig. 1)
*Milk Density is calculated by subtracting the sum of PTA Protein and PTA Fat divided by .09 from PTA Milk.
New Jersey Health Traits The April genetic evaluations will mark the release of six health traits that will help alleviate costly health conditions impacting Jerseys. The traits will help build resistance against displaced abomasum, milk fever, ketosis, mastitis, metritis and retained placenta.
PTAs for each of the health traits will be the predicted daughter difference for resistance above or below the Jersey breed average. The larger the positive values, the more favorable the genetic resistance to the disorder. The genetic evaluations can help identify individuals that transmit costly difference and help manage their use in breeding programs.
The traits and their weightings are listed below. • Milk Fever or Hypocalcemia: (1.0%) Typically results after calving due to low total blood calcium levels. • Displaced abomasum: (1.0%) Enlargement of the abomasum with fluid and/or gas that caused its movement to the left or right of the abdominal cavity; the twisting blocks the digestive process and usually requires veterinary intervention. • Ketosis: (0.4%) Build-up of ketone bodies that typically occurs due to negative energy balance in early lactation. • Mastitis: (1.9%) Infectious disease that causes inflammation of the mammary gland; one of the most common and costly diseases of dairy cattle. • Metritis: (0.2%) Infection of the endometrium (lining of the uterus) after calving. • Retained placenta: (0.1%) Retention of fetal membranes more than 24 hours after calving.
Improving Jersey’s Sustainability In 2017, CFP Milk (now Milk Density) and a significant penalty on body size through Body Weight Composite was added and applied the key principles of Jersey sustainability identified by researchers Jude Capper and Roger Cady in their 2012 study. Lower total body mass of the Jersey reduces maintenance costs per animal and the great nutrient density of Jersey milk dilutes maintenance resource requirements. Going forward, they concluded that the three primary drivers of dairy cow sustainability are production, milk nutrient density, and body size. Jerseys need to increase milk yield, maintain—or better improve—component levels, and maintain body size. This focus was retained for 2020, as well as focusing on the Lifetime Efficiency of the Jersey cow.
Learn more about the Jersey Performance Index 2020 update at Green Book Online (http://greenbook.usjersey.com).
Fig. 1. Weights for components included in 2020 update of Jersey Performance Index TM (JPI TM ).
Fig. 2. Weights for main categories included in 2020 update of Jersey Performance Index TM (JPI TM ).
Jersey Breeders Come Together to Plan All American
O’Gold Sale through JerseyBid.com. Females. It was recommended to catalog 75 live females, and offer no more than four embryo packages. Females must be recorded with a minimum Generation Count 4 and also have a Breed Base Representation (BBR) of 100. Animals should be parentage qualified. Heifers under six months of age will have the option of being sold by virtual video format.
Males. Two or three highr a n k i n g g e n o m i c - t e s t e d young bulls will be offered for syndication, based on marketability. They must have a minimum Generation Count 5 with a BBR of 100 to be sold. If available, a bull that meets the same requirements as females will be offered in the live sale as a non-syndicated bull.
No animal may have a declared carrier of Limber Legs (LL) or Rectovaginal Constriction (RVC) in its three-generation pedigree. Declared carriers of BLAD, DUMPS, SMA, SDM or Holstein haplotype 1, 3, 4 or 5 by genotype test will not be accepted. Bulls selling must also be designated free of Jersey Haplotype 1. Health testing: Beginning with the 2020 North American International Livestock Exposition, all animals entering the grounds will be required to be tested for BVD-PI. T h e c o m m i t t e e r e c o m m e n d e d anaplasmosis testing be dropped. Animals eight-months-old and under do not need A midst the pandemic of Coronavirus, dedicated Jersey breeders gathered via conference lines and in person on Saturday, March 14, 2020, in Columbus, Ohio, to plan the 68 th edition of The All American Jersey Shows and Sales—the three days of All Jerseys, All the Time scheduled for November 7, 8, and 9, 2020, in Louisville, Ky.
Combined, the 2019 All American shows were the largest exhibition of Jerseys in the world. Total animals through the ring were 386 in the open show and National Jersey Jug Futurity, plus 215 head exhibited by 138 youth in the junior show. The Pot O’Gold Sale again offered a strong group of 35 productionbred heifers with an average of $2,190 followed by the highly successful All American Sale of 64 lots averaging $6,110.66.
For ty-three committee members engaged in discussion at the Embassy Suites ColumbusAirport or through conference lines to the meeting rooms. Committee recommendations were presented at the general session called to order by General Chair, Mark Gardner, Dayton, Pa., then forwarded to the AJCA Board of Directors for action.
Executive Committee Unaudited financial statements for 2019 showed a net loss of ($7,595) before unrealized gain on investments. The 2020 budget was approved, based on revenues of $142,975 and expenses of $142,950. Sponsorship fees approved for 2020 were implemented: show class sponsorships, $250; banner-trophy sponsorships, $250; and other trophy sponsorships, $150.
Recognition levels for the event are: • Underwriters, $10,000 and over; • Primary Sponsors, $5,000 to $9,999; • Chairman’s Circle, $1,000 to $4,999; • Sustainers, $500 to $999; • Patrons, $250 to $499; and • Friends of the All American, contributions to $249.
Sale Committee The All American Jersey Sale is scheduled for Sunday, November 8, at 4:30 p.m. The pre-sale social will begin at 3:30 p.m., with pre-sale ceremonies at 4:00 p.m. Pre-bidding would be allowed before both the All American Jersey Sale and Pot Members of the 2020 Executive Committee are (from left) Mark Gardner, General Chair; Michael Hurst, Associate General Chair; Aaron Horst, Sale Chair; Joel Albright, Associate Sale Chair; John Lemmermen, Open Show Chair; Christine Sheesley Rozler, Open Show Associate Chair; Tyler Boyd, Futurity Chair; Lynda Lehr, Junior Activities Chair; Brittany Core, Associate Junior Activities Chair; and Jonathan Merriam, past General Chair.
The Sale Committee meeting, chaired by Aaron Horst (front right), included Joel Albright, associate chair; Eddie Kirchdoerfer, Donna Phillips, John Kokoski, Bradley Taylor, and Michael Hurst. Herby Lutz participated via the conference line.
Participants in the Open Show Committee meeting were Delaine Smith, David Blankenship, John Boer, chair John Lemmermen, Tom Sawyer, Alta Mae Core and associate chair Christine Sheesley Rozler. On the conference line were David Jordan, Ted DeMent, Joey Pendleton and Amanda Stiles Lutz.
Members of the Jersey Jug Futurity Committee in attendance were Tyler Boyd, chair; Karen Bohnert, Corrina Aldrich, Joyce Owens and Sarah Boer. Participating through the conference line were Gail Black, Lauren Black Venegas, Rachel White Conner, Garry Hansen, Amy Krahn and Sally Pozzi, associate chair.
The Junior Activities Committee included (front row) Skylar Buell, Anneke Boer, Lynda Lehr, chair; Brittany Core, associate chair; Wanda Emerich and Jacob Leum; and (back row) Cal Graber, Walter Owens, and Kelly Moss. On the conference line were Josh Gordon, Gracie Krahn, Regina Pozzi and Renee McCauley.
to be tested for Bovine Leukosis, but will be announced as not being tested. Animals over eight months of age will still have the option of selling with the announcment of a positive test. Clarification was made on the shipping fever vaccination requirement, recommending an internasal injection.
Sale commissions will be at the following rates: females and non-syndicated males, 20% for the first $10,000, then 15% on the amount from $10,001 to $30,000 and 10% on amounts over 30,001; and syndicated males at 33-1/3% for the first $50,000 and 15% at $50,001 and over.
It was recommended to sell 30-35 heifers in the Pot O’Gold Sale, Saturday, November 7. The sale will move this year to the same location as the All American Jersey Sale in the West Hall. The sale will start no sooner than 4:00 p.m. (or 20 minutes after the junior show ends) on Saturday. Commission will be 25%, with 17% set aside for the production contest awards. Females must be a minimum Generation Count 4 with a BBR of 100 to be eligible for the sale, with all heifers genotyped and having official genomic evaluations by sale date.
Open Show The All American Jersey Show is scheduled for Monday, November 9, with heifers showing at 7:30 a.m., followed by cow classes beginning at 11:30 a.m.
The committee recommended a $5 increase to the entry fee. This goes handin-hand with last year’s $5 increase with the money coming back to help fund the All American Jersey Show. Entry fees will
APRIL 2020 now be aligned with the other breeds at $35 for the open show.
It was recommended to continue to recognize the highest genomic JPI animal in each class with the animals competing against each other in a junior champion genomic JPI class and a senior champion genomic JPI class.
The committee reviewed the best bred and owned rule and recommends updating the wording to read: when (1) the names of the Breeder and Recorded Owner are identical on the registration certificate, or (2) the recorded Owner is a member of the Breeder’s immediate family and herd unit, and has use of the Breeder’s prefix number. If a non-family member partner is added, breeder eligibility is null and void. This will be a lead out class only if necessary. A $25 fee will be enforced for AJCA staff to tattoo or re-tag an entry to meet AJCA identification requirements. National Jersey Jug Futurity “Roaring 20s” will be the theme for the 2020 show on Sunday, November 8, beginning at 1:30 p.m. following the selection of the Junior Show Supreme Champions at 12:00 noon.
Procedures for handling Jersey Jug payments and/or owner requests for late payments were reviewed. The committee endorsed last year’s decision to allow owners that miss the December 31 deadline to submit nominations from January 1 to March 1 at $15 per entry. All other payments not received by the published deadlines will be refused and the animal(s) will be disqualified.
The committee adopted the wording voted on in the open show committee for the best bred and owned rule to keep consistent across the shows.
The Winner will compete for Intermediate Champion and earn first-place points for Premier Breeder and Premier Exhibitor.
(continued to page 35) The Reserve Winner qualifies for the Intermediate Champion class and will be credited with second-place points for Premier Breeder and Premier Exhibitor. However, the Reserve Winner is eligible to be shown in her class in the open show. If shown, points for Premier Breeder and Premier Exhibitor will be determined by her placing in the open show and she will not be eligible for Intermediate Champion unless she places first or second in the class. Cows placing third through sixth in the Futurity that do not show in the open show will be credited with the appropriate points for Premier Breeder and Premier Exhibitor. In all cases, Premier Exhibitor points are awarded to the Recorded Owner for the Futurity, even if ownership changes before the open show.
There are 265 two-year-olds eligible to make the final payment for the 2020 Futurity. Payment is due in the AJCA office not later than September 20. A total of 719 animals were nominated for the 2022 Futurity.
Junior Show & Activities The All American Junior Jersey Show will be held on Saturday, November 7, beginning with the cow classes at 7:30 a.m. The eligibility and ownership rules were discussed and approved for the junior show: Rule 1, Exhibitors. Exhibitors must be no younger than nine (9) and no older than 20 years of age as of January 1, 2020. U.S. residents must be members (junior or lifetime) of the American Jersey Cattle Association.
Rule 2, Entries. Animals are eligible when recorded by the American Jersey Cattle Association in the Herd Register or with Generation Count 4 or greater, or by Jersey Canada with registry status of 93.75% and greater.
The exhibitor must be listed as Recorded
Owner on the registration certificate, either (1) as the sole owner or (2) by his/her name in joint ownership. If the joint ownership includes more than one person meeting the eligibility requirements of Rule 1 (above), one of them must be declared as the exhibitor during check-in.
Animals must be registered and/or transferred to meet one of the above ownership requirements on or before August 1, 2020. The date of registration and/or transfer is the Date Recorded printed on the registration certificate. Rule 3, Participation. Entries must be shown by the exhibitor, except by prior written approval from NAILE. Alternate leadspersons must (1) be associated with the Herd Unit and also eligible to show by age (Rule 1), or (2) if not, be the same age or younger than the exhibitor of the animal being shown. Requests for alternate leadsperson must be submitted for approval by the NAILE dairy show superintendent on forms provided by the AJCA not later than 12:00 noon the day before the show.
No more than two (2) animals may be shown by one exhibitor in any one class. The exhibitor must lead the first entry and the second entry must be led by an NAILE approved alternate leadsperson.
Adults are not allowed to show in any case.
Rule 4, Breeder Status. In order to qualify for Premier Breeder points and Best Bred and Owned awards, the exhibitor declared at check-in must have his/her name recorded as a Breeder on the animal’s registration certificate. These awards will be made only to the individual exhibitor in the case of partnership animals.
Entry forms for Premier Junior Breeder and Premier Junior Exhibitor will be distributed at check-in. Submit forms not later than 6:00 p.m. on the day prior to the show to the Jersey show superintendent. The committee endorsed that staff look at the possibility of including juniorshown cows in the National Jersey Jug Futurity be included in breeder points for the Junior Show.
The committee recommended actively pursuing fundraising options for the National Jersey Queen contest in 2020 to grow the fund. The committee endorsed that any female Junior or active Lifetime member between the ages of 16 and 22 as of January 1 of the contest year is eligible for the National Jersey Queen Contest.
