Top Jersey Producers Talk Production
Each dairy farm has its own formula for profitable production. Differences in facilities, herd size, technology and management style mean no two farms operate exactly alike. To compare approaches, the Jersey Journal invited several Jersey breeders from across the country to answer a series of questions about their herds and production strategies.
All participate in REAP, the flagship performance program of the American Jersey Cattle Association (AJCA), and rank among the nation’s top herds for production. While herd sizes and management styles vary, these dairies share a common focus: maximizing the efficiency and profitability of the Jersey cow.
Roundtable Participants
Ben Chamberlain, Wyoming, N.Y. Chamberlain operates Hi-Land Farm with his wife, Emily, and his parents, Greg and Jodi, who received the AJCA Young Jersey Breeder (YJB) award in 1996. The farm has been in the family since 1888. The herd has an m.e. average of 22,785 lbs. milk, 1,246 lbs. fat and 837 lbs. protein. Among herds with 300-749 cows, they rank #2 for milk and protein and #5 for protein. Nationally, they rank #10 overall for fat. The milking herd ranks #24 for JPI with an average index of +79.
Ryan D. Clark, Tyrone, Pa. Clark operates Windy Lane Jerseys with his wife, Jennifer, their children — Leanne, Kylee, Claire and Connor — and three part-time employees. They farm 440 acres, double-cropping about 250 acres with wheat and forages, and raise their own replacements. The couple received the YJB award in 2014. Their herd has a lactation average of 23,130 lbs. milk, 1,224 lbs. fat and 956 lbs. protein, ranking third nationally for m.e. protein. Among herds with 150-299 cows, they rank first for protein, fourth for milk and second for fat.
Kevin G. Knapp, Larchwood, Iowa: A first-generation dairy producer, Knapp began with 10 Jersey cows in 1998. Today, he and his wife, Cari, operate Knapp-Time Jerseys with several part-time employees and their children, Nathan, Tara and Angie, who also have jobs off the farm, and Erica and Logan, who are still in school. Their lactation average of 23,383 lbs. milk, 1,232 lbs. fat and 891 lbs. protein ranks #10 for overall m.e. protein production. Among herds with 40-79 cows, they rank fourth for milk and fat and second for protein. Knapp-Time Jerseys has an average final score of 85.6% and includes 21 Excellent and 98 Very Good cows. Kevin and Cari earned the YJB award in 2011.
Donna Phillips, Newton, Wis. Phillips and her husband, Dan Stock, own and operate D&D Jerseys. She oversees milking, herd health and matings while he manages fieldwork and feeding. They get help from a couple of part-time employees and their daughters, Erica and Emalee. The couple received the YJB award in 2005. The herd average of 23,432 lbs. milk, 1,272 lbs. fat and 891 lbs. protein ranks #2 in the nation for components and #3 for milk. The milking herd has an average JPI of +75, which ranks among the top 40 in the country.
Brent Wickstrom, Hilmar, Calif. Wickstrom owns and operates Wickstrom Jersey Farms Inc. with his father, Mike, uncle, Scott, and cousin, Steve, and Pinnacle Dairy with his wife, Caitlin. The family also partners with the Nyman family in Red Top Jerseys, where Daniel Nascimento is the herd manager. All three herds rank among the top 10 large herds (750 or more cows) for actual and m.e. production. Red Top ranks among the top 10 herds for m.e. milk and protein overall. The milking herd at Wickstrom Jersey Farms ranks #8 nationally for genetic merit with an average JPI of +90. Brent received the YJB award in 2019, following in the footsteps of his father and uncle who earned the honor in 1988.
Roundtable Questions
Describe your facilities and herd size.
Chamberlain: We milk 900 cows in a Germania double-10 parlor and house them in modern, three-row barns.
Clark: We milk 285 cows in a double-10 parabone parlor and house them in freestall barns with sand and deep sawdust bedding.
Knapp: We are currently going through an expansion, growing the herd from 160 to 400 cows. We are transitioning from a tiestall facility to a robotic system with freestalls and mattresses bedded with sawdust and lime. We continue to milk 60 cows in the tie stall barn but will phase it out in the future.
Phillips: We are currently milking about 84 cows in a double-4 herringbone parlor. Cows are housed in a freestall barn that has rubber floors, alley scrapers and stalls with very comfortable mats. We try to maximize cow comfort as much as possible.
Wickstrom: At Wickstrom Jersey Farm, the herd of 2,600 Jersey cows is housed in freestall barns and milked in a 60-stall rotary parlor. At Pinnacle Dairy, 1,250 Jersey cows are housed in freestall barns and milked in a double-16 parallel parlor. Cows at Red Top, a herd of 6,300 Jersey cows, are housed in freestall barns and milked in twin 72-stall rotary parlors.
How often are cows milked?
Chamberlain: We milk twice a day.
Clark: We milk twice a day.
Knapp: We have always milked twice a day in the tiestall barn and continue to do so today. Since January 5, 2026, cows in the robots at the new facility have averaged 3.5 milkings per day.
Phillips: Cows are milked twice a day. Ideally, we would like to milk three times, but labor conflicts have prevented us from doing so. Plus, I sometimes like to sleep.
Wickstrom: Fresh cows at all facilities are milked four times daily. High and medium groups are milked three times daily and low groups are milked twice a day.
What is the lactation breakdown of your herd? Has this changed in recent years?
Chamberlain: We strive for longevity. While first and second lactation cows are a big part of our herd, we find that by focusing on cow comfort, our third lactation and greater animals can be our most profitable. The recent increased values of replacement animals and beef cross calves have further compounded our effort to make our cows last longer.
Clark: Thirty-eight percent of the herd is first-lactation cows, while 22% are in their second lactation. Cows in their third lactation or greater represent 40% of the herd.
Knapp: More than 75% of the milking herd today is two-year-olds, as we bought open heifers and baby calves over the past two years with expansion in mind. This starkly differs from what we are used to, as our average historically has been over three lactations. Our oldest cow today is in her seventh lactation.
Phillips: Right now, we have a lot of first and second-lactation cows. The makeup of the herd changes periodically. Sometimes I sell several heifers and springers, so the makeup is older cows. At other times, I clean house somewhat and keep more of the springers. It depends on the herd and the market conditions.
Wickstrom: Usually, 32-35% of the herd is first-lactation heifers and 25% are in their second lactation. As beef-on-dairy has become a bigger part of our business, we have intentionally bred cows that can last longer and decreased the number of first-lactation cows in the milking string.
What are your production priorities and why?
Chamberlain: Our priorities change based on milk price and the value of individual components. Even with our older parlor, we have been able to regularly keep our somatic cell count (SCC) below 75,000. Our cooperative offers quality bonuses down to 100,000. If they were to offer an increased bonus for an even lower SCC, I am confident our team could achieve it. Given the current down cycle in milk, we aggressively chase any pricing advantage we can get.
Clark: Our priority is to ship high volumes of high-component milk with a low SCC. Our goal is to average 70 lbs. of milk per cow per day.
Knapp: Our focus has always been on energy-corrected milk (ECM). We sell to a cheese market, so maximizing solids has been a daily focus.
Phillips: I think I am like everyone else. My ideal dream cow milks a lot, has great components, and, of course, she is Excellent. The last few years we have focused on improving components, especially fat, while maintaining or increasing milk production. We have achieved that as we have been pushing a 6.0% fat test and a 4.0% protein test. Now we are starting to push for more milk while maintaining components. Of course, we still must have a high-functioning cow, so type traits must always be in the mix. We need a milkable udder, a body that can produce the milk, and feet and legs to move the cow comfortably to the bunk and parlor.
Wickstrom: Historically, we have bred for flow and components. Recently, though, we have put a larger focus on health traits and Cheese Merit Dollars without sacrificing production.
What three changes have you made in the past five years that have had the greatest impact on production?
Chamberlain: 1.) We started using the SCR (Allflex Livestock Intelligence) system on all our animals about four years ago. The activity monitoring has not only improved our breeding program but also given us advanced insight into cows that may be getting sick or having other issues. This has helped us manage cows not just on an individual level, but also to observe sweeping changes across the herd that may indicate feeding issues or weather-related stress. 2.) We upgraded our forage harvester to a larger model that allows us to harvest crops in a much timelier fashion. We bought our own combine instead of custom-hiring the work done, so we can harvest our own wheat and corn at the best times, not when it is convenient for the custom harvester. We also bought a large no-till grain drill and a larger corn planter. These pieces of equipment have allowed us to greatly improve forage quality. 3.) We adopted a new strategy for labor during harvest times. Rather than stretching planting and harvest seasons out, our crop crews told us they would rather work many extra hours for fewer days, then have “easy weeks” with extra personal time. So, for example, instead of stretching the alfalfa hay harvest out for two weeks, we push hard for four days. This has increased forage quality and improved morale among our employees. In turn, this has led to higher milk production and decreased feed costs.
Clark: 1.) Installing SenseHub (Allflex Livestock Intelligence) on the cows helped us decrease days in milk and increase breeding efficiency. 2.) We also started using high oleic soybeans. 3. And we adjusted genetic selection slightly to choose higher component bulls with functional type traits to breed longer-living cows.
Knapp: For me, the top three would be: 1.) balancing amino acids, 2.) focusing on sire selection (migrating toward higher-protein bulls), and 3.) increasing focus on calf-through-heifer health.
Phillips: I wouldn’t say we have adopted new things as much as we have adjusted or fine-tuned what we have been doing. 1.) Our nutritionist, who had been with us since the beginning, retired and we started working with a new one. This has been an adjustment. We had gotten used to one way of doing things, so are now pivoting. She is good, though, so it is worth the effort and we are getting comfortable with each other. 2.) We have also focused on improving components while maintaining or increasing production. 3.) And finally, we continue to pay attention to details. Small things, like the frequency of feed being pushed in, can make a big difference. It is those little details that add a pound here and a pound there. That adds up.
Wickstrom: 1.) We have installed sort gates with palpation rails to eliminate lock-up times. That has had a tremendous impact on production. 2.) With this, we also invested in SCR collars to maximize our ability to utilize the system and improve heat detection. 3.) We have incorporated a large percentage of our matings to beef bulls. We aim to use sexed Jersey bulls for the top 40% of the herd, which greatly improves the genetics and quality of the replacements that will come back into the milking herd. This also creates a new revenue stream from selling the beef cross calves.
What improvement would you like to adopt?
Chamberlain: We would like to upgrade our milking facility to allow us to milk three times a day.
Clark: We plan to add automatic ventilation controls so fans will turn on and off automatically.
Knapp: With the big learning curve we are going through right now, it is hard to say because we are so focused on learning the robots and technology that come with them. I would say applying the technology that is now at our fingertips will be our most promising way to maximize and advance production.
Phillips: We don’t have any big plans right now. The barn is getting a little older, so we are focusing on some maintenance and upkeep.
Wickstrom: We don’t currently have any big, exciting plans but continue to focus on cow comfort and maximizing the investments we have made to continue to drive production and, more importantly, feed efficiency.
Pick an area important to your farm — feed quality, cow comfort, herd health or genetics — and how do you manage it?
Chamberlain: Genetics. We focus strongly on genetics. We are a closed herd and proud of the genetic gains we’ve seen recently. Combining genomics, production records and appraisal scores, we breed the top 42% of our herd using Jersey semen; the rest are bred using beef semen. This has greatly improved the rate of genetic improvement.
Clark: Feed quality. We aim to harvest feed at the proper time for quality. We strive to get feed cut, packed and covered in less than 48 hours.
Knapp: Feed quality. As our industry consolidates and becomes ever more competitive, the one thing that is continually on our minds is, “How can we maximize the tons of highly digestible fiber grown on our acres?” We have always grown brown mid-rib corn silage, and now, with most companies announcing an exit from these hybrids, it becomes more challenging to procure the seed that fits our needs. I strongly feel that our ability to grow highly digestible fiber on the farm versus purchasing it will be a key to profitability.
Phillips: Feed quality. Feed quality is extremely important. An old professor of mine used to say, “garbage in equals garbage out.” I must credit my husband for being exceptionally good at feeding. We work closely together, talking frequently about any change I see or that he sees in the total mixed ration. Everything gets sampled and tested. We also have a Koster moisture tester so we can closely monitor the feed for changes ourselves. Just a couple of points one way or the other can greatly affect intakes and, therefore, production. We feed microbials as well to ensure rumen health and a healthier cow.
Wickstrom: Genetics, feed quality and herd health. We implant about 1,500-2,000 in vitro fertilization embryos every year to continue to drive genetic improvement of the herd. But we also take feed quality and herd health seriously to let our animals’ genetics truly shine. We don’t want to invest in genetics and then hold them back by cutting corners.
What advantages do Jerseys have over other dairy breeds?
Chamberlain: The Jersey breed’s increased feed efficiency makes them more profitable. Their smaller size also helps with longevity: their bodies last longer because they don’t have as much stress carrying a larger frame and more weight around.
Clark: The Jersey cow has an advantage over other breeds in components and feed efficiency.
Knapp: My favorite question! Simply put, no other breed of cow is more efficient at converting feedstuffs into high solids milk. Yes, the recent beef market and value of beef-on-dairy calves pose a challenge for Jerseys to be competitive, but this too will moderate in time. I still remind myself that I’m a dairy producer first. I have always said, “Don’t try to change the Jersey cow, only strive to improve her.”
Phillips: One of the biggest assets of the Jersey cow is feed efficiency. She has an incredible ability to produce a high-quality product with much less input than other breeds. That not only affects the farmers’ bottom line but the environment as well.
Wickstrom: I believe Jerseys are elite feed-to-milk converters. We are consistently producing 90-95 lbs. of ECM with a 1.75-1.80 feed efficiency. Especially in our area of California, where we face land competition with permanent crops like almonds, we need to convert every pound of feed we produce into saleable milk.
Do you have a favorite cow that represents your goals for a profitable Jersey?
Chamberlain: Our oldest cow, Kimmie, Excellent-93%, is sired by a bull that we bred, raised and sent to stud. She has many daughters, and we have even more embryos for future use. Her story embodies our philosophy of genetic progress, longevity and use of technology to raise the best cattle possible.
Clark: My all-time favorite cow was Windy Lane Saturn Beth, VG-86%. She was the first Jersey to carry my prefix. She calved 10 times before her 12th birthday—seven times with a heifer—and lived long enough to see me have a farm of my own. We still have a lot of her blood in the herd today, as many descendants trace back to her.
Knapp: I can tell you that I always have a least favorite cow! There will always be one. As far as a favorite, that is hard. Any cow in the herd that excels in doing the little things right every day and does it without being noticed ranks right up there as my favorite. Each day, cows like these provide for our family today, and hopefully for the next generation that trusts their future to her as well.
Phillips: At any given time, there always seems to be at least one cow in the barn that is a favorite and spoiled. Dodan DES Valentino De-zy-ET, Excellent-91%, whom we call “Dewzy,” comes to mind today. She has probably a dozen descendants milking in the herd right now, several making at or near 30,000 lbs. milk, as did “Dewzy.” Another favorite foundation cow would be Dodan Poms Marvel Pitino {6}, Excellent-91%. These two come to mind because they were very well-rounded. I would have a hard time finding something to change about either of them.
Wickstrom: Dupat Fearless 15549-ET, an E-93% cow we bred. She has numerous sons in A.I. and females have sold well in sales across the country. We have around 60 offspring in the herd today. She is backed by three generations of dams with more than 100,000 lbs. milk lifetime. She displays an amazing combination of type and production and has a totally Herd Register pedigree. We are continuing to make embryos from her, striving to create “crossover” animals that almost every breeder can respect.
