New England Meeting 2019

Meeting

A roll call by Steve Holmes, membership chair for the organization, revealed Jersey enthusiasts from eight states traveled to attend this year’s meeting.

Included in the guest list was the reigning National Jersey Queen Abby Shaw of Oxford, Mass. She reported that she has been working with the New England Dairy Promotion Board and its sister organization, the New England Dairy Council, to promote the dairy industry and Jersey breed through social media. Shaw has also been involved with the Fuel Up to Play 60 program launched with the National Football League and written articles for Country Folks and other publications.

NAJ President John Kokoski talked about activities of the Jersey milk marketing program. Efforts to voice Jersey concerns to elected officials included the Jersey Constituent Day on Capitol Hill in late February. Three NAJ board members, five AJCA board members and three staff members of the national Jersey organizations participated in the two-day event in Washington D.C.

Kokoski reported that New England was the locale for National All-Jersey’s third 101 Value-Added Workshop. Twenty-one dairy producers attended the event in Brattleboro, Vt., in early April. They gained insight on processing their own product from local Jersey dairies, including Mapleline Farm, operated by the Kokoski family in Hadley, Mass. Other processor visits included Echo Farm Pudding of Hinsdale, N.H., and Grafton Village Cheese of Grafton, Vt.

Kokoski also encouraged Jersey breeders to watch and promote the Jersey nutrition webinars produced by NAJ and now available on the AJCA YouTube channel. The four-part video series (milking cow, transition cow, heifer and calf nutrition) can be found at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt3UAy-Ca1Cjm4769W2fVOg.

AJCA-NAJ Executive Secretary Smith spoke about opportunities to capitalize on A2 beta casein milk. To date, no one has taken a lead to promote A2 milk and the A2 Milk Company, which holds the patent, is willing to collaborate with its promotion. The effort may be bolstered from the results of the Purdue University study funded by the A2 Milk Company and NAJ, available soon.

Smith also talked about the new rules for registration of bulls. Effective November 1, the minimum requirements for bulls will be Generation Count 4 with Breed Base Representation (BBR) reported as 100, increasing from current requirements of Generation Count 3 and BBR 87. The bull and both parents must still be genotyped.

AJCA-NAJ Area Representative Brenda Snow spoke about local efforts for Jersey promotion.
Members were invited to attend the New England summer picnic at Billings Farm, Woodstock, Vt., on July 21. The farm is building a new calf facility and hopes to be able to showcase tours for the event.

Moira Poitras, Brimfield, Mass., president of the NEJBA, gave a report on the Eastern States Exposition, noting 110 head went through the ring in 2018. This year’s event will be held on September 18 at the fairgrounds in West Springfield, Mass. Callum McKinven of Quebec will judge the Jersey show. Three showmanship classes are being offered.

Poitras also talked about the Massachusetts Blue Ribbon Calf Sale. In all, 71 lots sold for an average of $1,326.41. The 21 Jerseys sold for an average of $1,035.00. The sale in late March was the 16th event of the series to raise money for the Massachusetts 4-H dairy program.

Officers were elected as follows: Moira Poitras, president; Jason Johnson, Northwood, N.H., vice president; Darlene Pyle, Shoreham, Vt., secretary; and Jerry Emerich, Mooers, N.Y., treasurer.