Bluegrass Jersey herd becomes
first among all dairy cattle to breed ten Excellent second-calved
daughters 10/09/2010
It is nineteen years since Barry and Jenny Daw set-up
their own dairy farming business with the Bluegrass herd
of pedigree Jerseys. The couple have become well-known
and highly respected throughout the dairy farming industry
for the quality of stock they breed, and this has been
confirmed by Bluegrass becoming the first herd, in any
breed, to have ten second-calving females Classified
as Excellent.
The Fourcrosses herd was established near Cannock on
land spanning the A5 to Shrewsbury. This is the route
of Watling Street which was built straight as a gun barrel
by the Romans to speed troop movement. However, nowadays
traffic thunders past, adding hours, literally, to farming
operations.
At the turn of the century Andrew and wife,
Helen, moved, with the dairy herd, to the tranquil parkland
setting of Kennels Farm, Tixall near Stafford. Cows and
family have blossomed, although their roots at Four Crosses
have been retained for son Matthew’s pedigree Limousin
herd, and it is still home for Mary.
Milk is sold to
Longley Farm for branded speciality Jersey product manufacture.
Yields of 6215 kg per cow complements milk quality at
5.69% butterfat and 3.85% protein for the 175 cow milking
herd. This leads to an impressive £1291 per cow
MOC.
Type has not been ignored and considerable success
has been achieved in the showrings of the West Midlands
this summer. Topping it all, Fourcrosses Centurion Pine,
jointly owned with S&S Murray, has won the Breed
Championship at The Royal Welsh. Showing is used as an
active means of adding value to sales of surplus heifers.
The family take their commitment to the Jersey breed
beyond their own herd. Mary raised funds for the Youth
Weekend in lieu of presents for her eightieth birthday,
and Isobel went on to win the trophy for Leading Member
at the weekend. Matthew has represented Staffordshire
YFC in National Stockjudging competitions and Andrew
joined the UKJ Board in August. All of which leaves Helen
to make sure everything is buzzing on the farm.
“All
round this is a family which is putting a lot into the
Jersey breed and it is a delight to see their Fourcrosses
herd recognised for its performance,” commented
Ian Macalpine, fellow Jersey breeder and Lily Hill Cup
judge.
|
