Extraordinarily diverse

BEAVER CROSSING, Neb. — At many dairy farms one or two breeds can be found. However, at JJC Jerseys all the major dairy breeds — Ayrshire, Brown Swiss, Guernsey, Jersey, Holstein, Milking Shorthorn and Red & White — can be found along with Dutch Belted cattle and dairy goats.

JJC Jerseys is owned by Jason and Jodi Cast. With the help of their six kids — Garrett, Grant, Ben, Alex, Olivia and Henry — they milk around 210 cows in a double-9 parallel parlor and raise their own youngstock.

“When we first got into all the breeds, we had five kids and my husband thought … if we get each one of them their own breed, it will eliminate some of the (problems) that go on when they show,” Jodi Cast said.

All the children help, between schooling and work, and each has their own chores. 

 Garrett takes care of the feeding, Olivia cares for the calves, Ben milks the cows and goats and Grant helps to milk cows. Alex will help with milking or feeding depending on who is available.

“They all kind of pitch in and go where they are needed most,” Cast said.

While each of the kids started with their own breed of cattle, they have subsequently added other breeds into their show strings.

Before other breeds were brought to the farm, the Cast family milked Jerseys. One practice that has never changed is their focus on genetics.

“(Jason) always tries to find what a cow’s weakness is and breed her to a bull that will hopefully correct that in the calf,” Cast said. “He has pretty good success.”

To keep their herd moving forward genetically, they use A.I.

“All of the quadruplets, (Grant, Ben, Alex and Olivia), know how to A.I.,” Cast said. “Ben and Olivia do a pretty good job.”

When making matings, the goal is to get a solid cow. Cast said however they do like having some of the show-type qualities because they enjoy competing.

“This is our life and how we earn money, so we need them to produce,” Cast said. “We have to find the balance.”

The benefit of milking mostly Jerseys is high production and high components, Cast said. Another positive of the Jerseys is their ability to handle heat. The Cast family’s cattle are housed in two smaller freestall barns.

“We have a hoop shed that has sand free stalls and a freestall barn with mats,” Cast said. “Each group has their own dirt lot so they can get out and walk when the weather is nice. It gives their legs and feet a break from the concrete.”

When the Casts remodeled their milking parlor more than a decade ago, they designed it for the smaller-sized Jerseys.

“They made it so the brisket (bar) was pushed in so it would be shorter,” Cast said. “Over the years the cows have changed so much. (Some) are too tall that they have to slump.”

The main problem arises when the Holsteins and Brown Swiss cattle are milked. Upon entering the parlor, they stand sideways and take up 2-3 stalls.

Though the family sees ways their facilities could be better, they do not have any plans of remodeling since what they have works well enough for their size operation.

“We don’t have any aspirations to milk thousands (of cows),” Cast said. “That’s not the goal, just enough to sustain who wants to come back and do the dairying.”