The cover of the new 2018/19 Jersey Directory, being delivered to homes and businesses from this month, celebrates one of our Island’s greatest ambassadors, the iconic Jersey cow, and highlights how technology is changing the face of farming.
Over the years, the Jersey Directory cover has aimed to focus on parts of Island life where JT is helping to make a positive difference. She may not know it but the star of this year’s cover, Roseland Roy Boy Tulip, who was born in October 2017 at Cowley Farm in St Saviour, is a living example of the latest smart farming practices.
Tulip has an electronic tag on her ear which connects to a computer via a radio link, providing the farmer with rich information in real-time about her behaviour, location and wellbeing. For example, a monitor beside each milking unit in the parlour can identify Tulip and every other cow in the herd, and based on her age and other statistics, the computer will know exactly how many litres of milk she should produce and how much food she needs to support that. This technology also allows Jersey Dairy, which sells its products globally, to evidence the origins of the Island’s famous export.
Devices communicating automatically with other devices (called the Internet of Things, or IoT) is expected to play an even greater role, not just in agriculture but in all our lives. This is why JT is helping Digital Jersey to build a state-of-the-art research centre to encourage more IoT business start-ups, foster technological education for local students and encourage off-island organisations to use Jersey as a testbed.
For Becky Houzé of Lodge Farm in St Saviour, science and technology is visibly improving productivity, efficiency and animal welfare. “I have the cows’ whole life history at my fingertips, and I can be completely confident that the data is accurate and reliable,” she said. “This wouldn’t be possible without JT’s full-fibre broadband and 4G networks and it’s definitely a real-life example of their investment paying dividends.”
Tamara O’Brien, JT’s Head of Brand, Marketing and Distribution, said: “Each year, we aim to choose a cover for our Jersey Directory that captures how technology is having a positive effect on the lives of Islanders in some form or other. We have had very positive feedback from farms in Jersey, where our full-fibre network is already helping Becky and others to automate processes that previously took a lot of time and energy to deliver and record. So, this felt like the ideal cover for this year.”