Welcome

Welcome to Heartland Jerseys, owned by Jerry and Sue Spielman. As our name indicates, we are located in Seneca, Kansas, in "America's" Heartland." The farm is situated in the northeastern part of the state just a mile south of U.S. Highway 36, which follows the old Pony Express and Oregon Trails. The region's rolling hills and rich, fertile valleys are home to a large number of other dairies in the state as well.

The Spielmans: (front) Zach Phillips, Sue and Jerry Spielman with
Koree Stuke, (back) Misty Spielman and Travis and BranDee Stuke.

The dairy is operated by Jerry and Sue and four full-time managers, four full-time foreign interns and eight part-time students. The couple's daughter, BranDee, works on the dairy part-time milking cows and her son, Zach, lends a hand with calf feeding several times a week. The youngest member of the family, Granddaughter Koree, already shows an affinity for Jersey cows and will likely be lending her hand with chores soon.

Heartland Jerseys Inc. is a fully Registered Jersey dairy that was established in 1988 with the purchase of two bred heifers. Since then, the herd has grown, down-sized twice and currently is 300 cows and 325 replacement heifers. Milk is currently sold to Dairy Farmers of America.

Jersey reproductive efficiency has allowed Heartland Jerseys to host two production sales in just three years: the first in 2005 and the second in 2008. The Heartland Premier Production Sale auctioned 95 lots for an average $2,818.95 and was the ninth high-averaging sale for 2005.

The Spielman family poses with the high seller of the Heartland Premier Production Sale II,
Heartland Artist Salina, and AJCA-NAJ Area Representative Ron Mosser and JMS
Manager Dan Bauer, who represent the buyer, River Falley Farm.

The Heartland Premier Production Sale II sold 98 lots for an average $2,840.82. Heartland Artist Salina was the high seller of the event, selling for $19,500 to River Valley Farm in Tremont, Illinois. She was the breed's seventh high-selling individual for 2008.

Heartland Jerseys is enrolled on the American Jersey Cattle Association's (AJCA) REAP program and contributes to Project Equity. The dairy uses JerseyTags as its method of permanent identification and JerseyMate to select service sires for heifers and cows. Heartland Jerseys was an early adopter of genotyping technology and has genotyped 16 members of the herd to date. CLICK HERE to see genomic evaluations for some of these individuals.

The rolling herd average for 2009 stands at 20,621 lbs. milk, 966 lbs. fat and 764 lbs. protein. This year, 44 members of the herd completed Hall of Fame records for actual cheese production 150% of the previous year's breed average.

Heartland Jerseys is ranked #40 in the country for Jersey Performance Index (JPI) with an average JPI of +51 on 339 cows (1/10). Twenty-one cows in the herd rank on the list of the Top 1 1/2% Cows for JPI. Eight others with the Heartland prefix rank on the list as well.

David Brandau of Wilton, WI, is the genetic coordinator for the herd and can be reached at dbrandau@centurytel.net.

Milking cows are divided into five groups: a group transition cows, two groups of high producing cows three-years-old and older; a group of two-year-olds; and a group of low producing cows nearing dry-off. Each day, the milking cows consume 91 lbs. of a total mixed ration, which consists of corn silage, alfalfa hay, ground corn, whole cottonseed, sweet bran, molasses and a protein/mineral supplement.

Cow comfort at Heartland Jerseys is boosted by sand bedding and plenty of fans.	A young member of the herd greets the photographer on sale day.

The milking herd is housed in four free-stall barns and milked in a double-seven herringbone parlor. The first barn, built in 1980, was designed for Holsteins, which we milked at the time. The barn and parlor were then converted for Jerseys in 1988. As cow numbers increased, additional barns were constructed in 1995, 2000, 2003, 2005 and 2008. Two of the barns were constructed one side at a time, in "baby steps" so to speak, to reduce financial burdens. The barns are bedded with sand and equipped with fans, sprinklers and curtains - all thermostatically-controlled for cow comfort.

Heartland Jerseys also has a hospital barn that includes a hoof-trimming table and a hydraulic chute for treating and working with cattle and a machine shed for housing feed equipment and feed commodities.

All replacement heifers and bulls are housed and cared for at the farm or facilities within a mile of the farm. Breeding-age bulls from cows in the top 30-40% of the herd are available for sale.

Dinner for a group of heifers at Heartland Jerseys
means lots of hay and corn silage and a dash of ground corn.

Top females are enrolled in the Heartland donor dam program. All recovered embryos are transplanted in below average cows here on the farm.

Heartland Jerseys is also active in service to agriculture organizations. In the summer of 2008, Jerry was elected AJCA Director from the Ninth District. He also sits on the organization's finance and breed improvement committees.

Visitors or inquiries are always welcome. Thank you for visiting our website and we hope you return soon!