Wayne Kuhne keeps Jersey cattle on national stage
THE Kuhne name has been synonymous with the Jersey breed for more than 70 years and so it’s little wonder the younger generation continues to give back to their treasured tan brown cows.
Wayne Kuhne milks and breeds Jerseys at Koonwarra and has stepped up his involvement in the industry off-farm by becoming a director of Jersey Australia.
The governing body of registered Jerseys handles all registrations, major events and genetic management, helping farmers acquire the right cattle for their production and enabling breeders to attract premium returns by informing buyers of an animal’s bloodline.
Directors meet monthly at Bundoora to discuss marketing strategies, the classification of cows and Jersey Australia’s services.
Mr Kuhne is part of a generational change at Jersey Australia, where four directors are aged in their forties and some in their thirties.
“We’re just trying to move the breed forward through the promotion of the breed and genetic diversity, and through youth projects such as camps and mentoring programs, and scholarships to encourage young members to participate,” he said.
Mr Kuhne has been involved in the South Gippsland branch of Jersey Australia for many years, which backed by a solid volunteer base and holds such activities such as an on-farm challenge and farm walks.
The Kuhne family’s pride in Jerseys is widely known and on show in the office that sits to the side of their dairy.
There is an honour roll recording the family’s Jersey achievements dating back to 1949, along with framed photographs of Jerseys they have enjoyed over the years.
“Jerseys have superior feed efficiency – the kilogram of solids produced per body weight is far superior than Holstein cows,” Mr Kuhne said.
“You can run more Jerseys per hectare then you can Holsteins, and their calving ability and ease of fertility is the biggest upside.”
Jerseys have always been renowned for their high fat production and with milk processors now valuing fat more due to the public now appreciating its health benefits, Jerseys are certainly proving their worth, Mr Kuhne said.
Bushlea was started by Mr Kuhne’s grandfather Norm Kuhne in 1945.
Brad Lester
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Posted by Tayla Kershaw on Jul 30 2019. Filed under Rural News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
