Martin Dairy LLC, a Registered Jersey™ dairy farm located in Tillamook, Ore., will be one of eight U.S. operations featured as a Virtual Farm Tour at the 2012 World Dairy Expo. Other Virtual Farm Tours feature dairy businesses located in Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Arizona, Minnesota, Kansas, and Michigan. All presentations will be recorded and available for viewing on World Dairy Expo’s website after the show.
The program, which will be presented by Norman H. Martin, will start at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 3 in Mendota 1 meeting room in the Exhibition Hall at the Alliant Energy Center, Madison, Wis. The American Jersey Cattle Association is the program sponsor.
The storyline of Martin Dairy LLC winds its way from the Azores and Brazil to the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the date when Norm Martin’s grandfather arrived with his new wife on their way to the Holstein dairy he had already established near Oakland. Within two decades, the herd was moved south and increased to 300 cows, requiring 10 milkers. Norm grew up on the dairy as it modernized and continued to grow, into a management role in 1971, then complete ownership in 1975.
In 1995, Norm, his wife Gwen and their family moved to Tillamook to become producers for Tillamook County Creamery Association. In the beginning, the herd was set up to be 50% Holstein cows and 50% Jerseys. For almost four years, the herd was evenly split: “two separate pens of Jerseys, two pens of Holsteins, same milkers, same feed rations, everything exactly the same.” Norm determined that while gross sales were higher for the Holsteins, the net returns from the Jerseys were greater.
In early 1998, the decision was made to convert the herd to all-Jersey and it has increased to over 1,100 cows in milk. The 2011 lactation average was 18,331 pounds milk, averaging 5.0% fat and 3.7% protein, with 13 cows scored Excellent, 509 Very Good and 386 Desirable.
Genetic improvement is Norm’s lifelong passion, as demonstrated by the fact that he served 30 years on the All-West/Select Sires Board. For him, the conversion to Jerseys after 30 years of breeding Holsteins presented a steep learning curve, but using the services available from the American Jersey Cattle Association made it much easier to achieve his breeding goals.