Breeder Profiles

Home

Archives

September 2003

There are many reasons the business plan for a successful dairy operation can be redrawn, taking it in new or unexpected directions. The business environment changes. Family members complete school and come home, bringing different perspectives and fresh ideas. Sometimes one’s own interests evolve.

Then, sometimes, it’s all of the above. The case in point: Kutz Dairy of Jefferson, Wisconsin.

Ron and Pam Kutz and their three sons, FILL NAME, Aaron and Allen, are executing a deliberate expansion that will eventually grow their operation to 1,100 cows, all Registered Jerseys. It’s all because of protein pricing, the sons urging a closer look at Jersey advantages, and Ron Kutz re-discovering the rewards of the registered dairy cattle business. The herd, not previously on DHIA, is now enrolled on REAP. And instead of just budgeting for income from milk sales, they are taking the initial steps towards marketing top-end genetics.

It’s been two years since Kutz, a commercial Holstein producer, and his sons made a stop at the USJersey booth at World Dairy Expo, eventually talking to Executive Secretary Neal Smith about "trying out" Jerseys. A pen was filled in due course and the cows delivered the goods as advertised: top milk yield with high components, easy conception, and no calving difficulties.

Roughly 400 Registered Jerseys are now in production at Kutz Dairy, hitting a 60-lb. per cow average in July. "That’s 80% to 90% two-year-olds," notes Allen Kutz. Even when Jerseys "are a pain," as they are in the Holstein-sized milking parlor, they make dairying fun. "Twenty minutes before milking, these girls will be gathered near the gate," he enthuses. "You open up the gate, it’s a race. It’s the neatest thing.

"And they breed incredibly awesome," Allen exclaims. Just how awesome? According to their DairyComp statistics for the first six months of 2003, the Jersey pregnancy rate is 22%, compared to 14% for the Holsteins.

Initially, the Kutz Family thought that their expansion should go along the lines of a half-Holstein, half-Jersey design. Now they talk about "when we get to all Jerseys." And about flushing. "We’re going to do a lot of flushing."

The potential for large-scale embryo transfer is the happy outcome of stocking their Jersey herd with top genetics, plus Aaron’s expertise in ET work. "We’re in the process of finishing a new office and lab," Ron explains, adding that 120 cows are on a list of potential flush cows. "They have to be triple A cows on the test sheet, or they’re ABA cows. Our goal is protein," so a "brown Holstein" won’t do.

When asked about how he feels about the developments on the dairy, Ron Kutz appears somewhat bemused. "I used to have Registered Holsteins," he says. "I didn’t enjoy it. I gave up on them. I guess I thought I would never have registered cattle again, or care about registration papers or anything else."

There are several factors that seem to have helped rekindle his interest, among them the accessibility of information and support from the Jersey organizations.

The Kutzes were introduced to the Registered Jersey business—and REAP—through the backdoor of buying hundreds of Jerseys over the past 18 months. The detailed pedigree and performance information in Jersey Marketing Service catalogs were right up the alley for sons Aaron and Allen. "When those JMS catalogs come in the mail," says Allen, "we go through them, pick them out, and send Dad on his way" to see how many he could buy.

That helped sell the Kutz Family on REAP for their own operation. "I’m still trying to get used to everything that’s included in REAP and taking advantage of all that," says Ron. "As far as I’m concerned, it’s a Cadillac program."

Even more important, adds Allen, "Every question we’ve ever had, we’ve been able to get answered."

There’s no doubt that this family is planning a future in the Jersey business. It’s a future that they believe needs to include a greater array of health tests for marketing Registered Jerseys. As Ron Kutz views it, there is a responsibility to do everything necessary to help buyers manage the risks involved when they purchase cattle and move them into their own herds.

Their experience involved bovine viral diarrhea (BVD), which Ron says "is not something we’ve had before." Their quarantine protocol for incoming cattle includes an earnotch test for BVD. There have been some unhappy surprises. "It really sucks when a heifer that cost $1,800 comes back positive for BVD," Allen notes.

BVD "is going to hurt somebody with 50 cows," explains Ron, "but you bring a BVD-positive cow into 500 or 1,500 cows, just think of the exposure you have. In his mind, it should be a required test and one that is likely to add value to animals. "You’re willing to pay a little more if you have the confidence that there’s no Staph, no Myco, no BVD. If an animal came through with an earnotch, I’d pay $100 more for her than for one that wasn’t tested."

Are the Kutzes happy that they took a fork in the road marked Registered Jersey? The answer is yes, and not just because of the breed. "The Jersey staff are so good to work with and so sincere in wanting to help you," Ron Kutz says. Along the way, "I’ve talked to a lot of breeders. Everybody wants to help.

"That’s a great experience."