JERSEY Australia has a new president, with Geoff Akers taking on the role at one of the most exciting times in the breed’s history.
Mr Akers replaces Jersey Australia’s first female president Lisa Broad who has resigned from the board for personal reasons but remains committed to the future of the breed.
The Tallygaroopna dairy farmer who runs the Loxleigh Jersey stud with his wife Natalie and family, was also recently elected to Greater Shepparton Council and is a former Dairy Australia chairman among many other leadership and governance roles in the dairy industry.
Mr Akers joined the Jersey Australia board in 2021 and says he’s excited about the breed’s potential and the role Jersey Australia can play in promoting it.
“We will continue to move the Jersey cow forward and look for strategic opportunities that arise for the organisation and for any opportunities to work with others in the registered herd sector,” he said.
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Jersey Australia will host the World Jersey Conference in April next year, which Mr Akers described as an exciting opportunity to show Australian Jerseys to the world.
“We already have registrations coming in and look forward to this being a major event in advancing our local breed," he said.
“The Australian Jersey cow stacks up very well compared to any other country, which is being shown in the positive stories we hear about the Australian cow from overseas.
“We’ve got a number of Australian Jersey bulls being used around the world and their daughters are making a very positive mark.”
Mr Akers also paid tribute to Mrs Broad.
“Lisa has shown exceptional leadership over the past three and a half years,” he said.
“She has brought many new strategic ideas to the organisation and put in place a number of governance principles to make sure the organisation is in a good place.
“Lisa was always on the look out for new opportunities and recently oversaw the successful revamping of the classification system, which has been well received.”
Mr Akers has been elected until the 2025 annual general meeting.
Tasmanian farmer Jane Sykes has been elected vice president.
Geoff and Natalie Akers have been farming at Tallygaroopna in northern Victoria since 1993 and currently milk about 770 Jerseys and 80 crossbreds.
They were among the first Jersey Australia Master Breeder inductees in 2023.
