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The word on the bovine-grapevine is the Jersey cow is having a ‘moo-ment’ across Canada, with the breed at its most popular there for over half a century.
Jersey cows are having a ‘field’ day in Canada, with more of the island breed integrating into herds there since the 1960s.
The statistics come from ‘Jersey Canada’ - an agricultural association in Canada for owners of Jersey cattle who have welcomed the news that the much-loved breed are enjoying such popularity. Across the country, the association champions the breed, which they say is "versatile and responsive and thus is well able to keep up with changing times and requirements."
According to their latest figures, farmers registered 11,811 Jersey cows with the association last year – the highest number of the breed in Canada since the last boom in 1963.
Pictured: The latest figures from Jersey Canada show the breed is having a 'moo-ment' overseas (Jersey Canada Annual Report 2018).
The island breed of cow is exported all over the globe due to their world-famous reputation for producing calcium-rich and creamy milk. One project funded by Jersey Overseas Aid (JOA) has seen bull semen samples shipped to Rwanda in order to strengthen the economy.
In the association’s Annual Report, General Manager of Jersey Canada Kathryn Roxburgh, said: “The expansion of the Jersey breed in Canada appears to largely be a result of dairy producers incorporating Jersey into their already established herds.”
The association also attributed the increase to the rise in embryo sales. According to their website, Jersey Canada says: “Jersey Canada has seen a dramatic increase in the number of new members of the association, with substantial increases in the percentage of Canadian dairy herds having at least some Jerseys.
“Membership is at the highest levels since the late 1960's, and registration numbers are also trending upward. This is no doubt due in part to a sizeable increase in the number of Jerseys in embryo collection and transfer programs.”
Pictured: The breed are world-famous for their uniquely creamy and rich milk.
Records show that one in every seven dairy herds in Canada now include Jersey cows, with the most registrations having come from the region of Ontario which has over 5,000 registrations of the breed.
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