First up I should confess I have a fondness for Jersey cattle. My grandmother milked Jerseys in the Bay of Plenty a long time back, and the first cow I ever milked was Jersey, from a 100 cow stud at Omokoroa in the late 1970’s.
Earlier this week I was out getting some photos of a new property we are about to start marketing and on part of the block was a mob of yearling Jersey heifers. Rather than being skittish with a stranger in the paddock, they mobbed me, all looking for a neck rub or a nose pat. That’s what you often get from the “pet” calf among a bigger mob, but it was like all these heifers had been per calves!
This tells me how well cared for they have been from day one, and a real credit to the farming team who have raised them. Sure from time to time we read about an individual who has lost it and abused livestock – no excuses for that behaviour – but the overwhelming number of farmers and employees take great pride in their animals, as I found on this farm visit the other day.
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About Robert Dabb
