Dairy cow breeds & milk production: the Jersey cow

Are you sure you know everything about dairy cattle and that your breed is the most suitable for your milking purpose? Get to know the main dairy cattle breeds better, thus improving your milking efficiency! 

The Holstein cow was the first topic we touched on during our journey across the main dairy breeds. Let’s now move to the next one: the Jersey cow.  This breed differs from the Holstein one for many reasons and Jersey cows have a particular advantage over “the Queen of the breeds”, can you guess what it is? Here is a hint: it is related to milk composition! 

 The Jersey cow at a glance 

Let’s get to know these cows better with the help of Martin Eistrup, our Global Farm Services Director, and our guide in exploring the dairy cattle world. In fact, in the video below you will find more insights into the origins, the anatomic features, and the milk yield of this breed. 

Did you guess the Jersey cow’s main feature? 

In this regard, the Jersey Cattle Society states: 

“Jersey milk is unique in many ways. As a product, it contains 18% more protein, 20% more calcium, and 25% more butterfat than ‘average’ milk. These components increase the nutritional value of the milk produced by a Jersey cow compared to many other dairy breeds.” 

Once again, we hope you found some interesting, helpful insights on Jersey cows in this Blog episode.  

The journey is not over yet: we still have to focus on other breeds and suggest the best liners to ensure your cows are healthy and your milking is successful: do not miss our next update! 

Sources:  

• milkrite | InterPuls internal material 
• Jersey Cattle Society