A Jersey Christmas

VIROQUA, Wis. — What is better than receiving two front teeth for Christmas? How about a Jersey calf. One lucky recipient will receive just that through Dairy Star’s 2026 Great Christmas Giveaway.

Peterson Jerseys of Viroqua is sponsoring this year’s prize for the December drawing. Peterson Jerseys is operated by fourth-generation dairy farmer Alana Peterson, who milks 48 cows in a flat-12 parlor at the family farm.

PJF Lewis Nyome was born Sept. 5 and is backed by a pedigree that could be beneficial for both the bulk tank and the show ring.

“I hope whoever wins her can have fun with it and enjoy her and do what their goals are,” Peterson said. “If people want a more production animal, or a show animal, both of those genetic profiles are within this calf. Hopefully she can compete at least at local or state levels for them if that’s what they want to pursue.”

Peterson said Nyome’s dam, PJF-Fierce-Noreen, was one of the tallest cows she’s ever had in her herd and hopes that the increased size can add to the versatility of Nyome.

“With those genetics, I thought this calf would make for a nice show project for someone else,” Peterson said. “She has the growth genes in there, and her mom was junior champion at the Iowa County Fair and Vernon County Fair and competed at Expo as a calf. As a yearling, she went to the Wisconsin Spring Spectacular and the protein show and did well as a heifer and then won grand champion at county fair as a milking yearling.”

Nyome is sired by Sunny Lea Valuble Lewis-P, a bull from Peterson’s neighbor, Patrick Sullivan. The traits Peterson focused on for this pairing were milk production and components.

“Patrick’s bulls have produced some great cows for my herd,” Peterson said. “His traits are really high in milk production and have produced some really low somatic cell counts.”

Jerseys have been part of the Peterson farm since Alana’s great-grandfather settled in the Driftless Area.

“I’ve always heard that people pick their cows by their personality and who they get along with, and Jerseys are who I get along with,” Peterson said. “Their attitude is great; they’re more component driven, and their smaller stature works well for me if anything goes wrong.”

At Peterson Jerseys, there is a focus on grazing and having cows on pasture when weather allows. Jerseys have worked well in that situation, and lighter cows seem to be a benefit in the hilly region of western Wisconsin, Peterson said.

“Their efficiency in turning feed into milk is tremendous, and they’re pretty easy keepers,” she said. “They’re a little more disease resistant and don’t have the joint issues that some of the bigger breeds do.”

Those traits help make the Jersey breed one near to Peterson’s heart. The experiences she has had showing these animals, though, is what she hopes the recipient of this year’s calf can also learn from.

“Showing is a lot of hard work; it’s a lot of dedication because you can’t just show up and do it,” Peterson said. “You’re not going to get the results you want if you don’t put the work in. You have to fully commit to it and show up every single day and take care of that animal. You wash them, feed them, and depending on which direction you want to take them, there are different strategies for raising them. There’s a lot of learning that can happen.”

Peterson also recognizes this is an opportunity for someone to add a different breed to their herd. She said this calf can potentially add a new perspective on cattle and cow genetics.

“There are different paths you can go to try to get the type of animal you want,” Peterson said. “This animal might be my cup of tea, but someone else has a different view. People can learn differently and see what they’re actually looking for when they’re trying to breed or move their herd forward.”

Helping others achieve their goals in dairy is a way that Peterson hopes she can continue to give back.

“We had another kid that showed one of our Jerseys last year,” Peterson said

The calf earned junior champion laurels at the county fair, which was meaningful for not just the young person.

“It’s fun to see other people have success with your calves and your genetics, whether it is in the show ring, or if she’s a consistent contributor in the bulk tank for another herd,” Peterson said.