Two ladies with cowsby Laura Rodley

Toni Ann Jacque, owner of Lazy Willow Swiss from Sunderland, MA, placed fourth in the 2019 Open Northeast National Brown Swiss Show in the Dam and Daughter Class with her Brown Swiss Hills Valley Total Kabooya and her calf Lazy Willow C Kayleigh at the 2019 Big E in West Springfield, MA.

As she also placed first in the junior division with her junior two-year-old cow Hill Valley Total Kabooya, Jacque was also named Honorable Mention senior and grand champion.

So far, she has two Brown Swiss under her Lazy Willow label.

As Mill Valley Jerseys, Jacque and her family own 12 Jerseys with calves bred to be born from October through to March of next year. “My family and I own Mill Valley Jerseys, continuing on our family tradition in the Jersey breed. We keep our milk cows in the herd at Mapleline Farm (in Hadley) and the cows contribute to the daily milk production on the farm. At my home, my family and I take care of seven heifers that we bring to our local shows. Our home in Sunderland is for our heifers only, where we raise them and eventually breed them to give birth at Mapleline,” said Jacque.

Mill Valley Jerseys was originally her great-grandfather’s farm, once owned by Charlie and Laurie Jacque, in Amherst, MA. They had built a local legacy of Jersey cattle, including showing, raising a highly productive herd and marketing farm-bred bulls.

“My family and I bought Jerseys 11 years ago and since then we have been honored to carry out what my great-grandparents started,” said Jacque.

She started buying Brown Swiss three years ago to start her own herd. “My mom’s close friend that I refer to as Aunt Kelly had sparked my interest in the breed and assisted me in purchasing my first Brown Swiss heifer, Hills Valley Total Kabooya. As our Jerseys represent my father’s side of the family and their farm, I utilized the family farm name from great-grandparents on my mother’s side. Their Lazy Willow Farm was on Bay Road in Amherst. From Kabooya I have my first bred-and-owned heifer which I am thrilled to grow and develop myself. I am very proud to be carrying both prefixes with me as I represent both dairy farms my parents grew up on and carrying out the legacy my family had started years ago.”

Jacque just returned from working the show string at 2019 World Dairy Expo in Madison, WI, for friends Rick, Shannon and Justin Allyn, owners of Allyndale Holsteins of Canaan, CT.