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This dairy
was not supposed to be in Texas. Nor was it supposed to be stocked with Jerseys.
But a chance
meeting with a dairy realtor in the late '80s brought me to this dairy
in Chandler, with its unregistered Jersey herd, and the rest is history.
The cows were
enrolled in Genetic Recovery. The herd doubled in size in 1991 after the
Bain Dispersal. And, Federal Order Multiple Component Pricing began January 1, 2000. Jerseys are our future.
While
we know our cows and enjoy working with them in the barn, they are not pampered. They are housed in a free stall
set-up and fed a total mixed ration. We depend
upon the very best AI sires and use young sires, which account for
around 15 percent of herd matings.
With
the most recent genetic evaluation in August 2008, three of the cows we milk are ranked
among the breed's top 50 for JPI. This group includes the breed's #2 cow for JPI,
Richies Jace Stardust M2699, a daughter of the former #1 cow, Richies
Lemvig Star M1096, who held the top spot for seven consecutive genetic
evaluations from February 2005 through August 2006.
Richies Jace TBone A364, a "Jace" son out of "Lemvig Star," is ranked #1
for JPI among Active A.I. Jersey sires with an index of +280.
The
herd has a
2007 AJCA lactation average of 18,696M, 906F and 676P on 672 lactations.
We
are milking several cows that made Hall of Fame and Honor Roll records and
are ranked on the National Class Leader List.
Herd
members include maternal descendants of Greenridge FW Chief
Althea-ET, Long Distance Lester Babe-ET, Molly Brook Fascinator Flower and Sunny Day Yankee Becky,
just to name a few.
If
you find something here that interests you--whether it's a cow to flush, a
daughter of one of the top JPI cows, or maybe a bull or two--drop
us a line or give us a call.
We invite you to
come visit Texas and stop in at Hilltop Jersey Farm. We'd like nothing better than to
talk about how great it is to milk Jerseys!
Thanks
for visiting us online and come back again soon!
Nico
and Erna de Boer and Family
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