About Us

Avonlea Genetics Inc. is a third generation purebred Jersey farm located in Brighton, Ontario.

 

Avonlea was founded in 1934 by Bill and Jack Featherstone - when the two brothers purchased 7 Jersey cows and 1 Jersey bull from B.H. Bull and Sons. Today, just under 50% of the herd can trace directly to two of the cows purchased that fateful day. Presently, Avonlea is run by Jim and Liz Livock (Bill's daughter) and Andrew and Jennifer Vander Meulen (Jim & Liz's daughter).

 

The past 76 years have seen many highlights for the Avonlea herd, including:

  • 2 National Grand Champions (1 Home Bred)

  • Countless All Canadian Nominations

  • Numerous Silver, Gold and Platinum Awards

  • Lifetime Production Awards

  • Canadian Hall of Fame Milk Awards

  • All Time Canadian Leaders for Milk, Fat and Protein

  • 2 Jersey Canada Master Breeder Awards (Bill Featherstone and Jim Livock)

 

Over the years, the Avonlea herd has always strived to breed long lasting, productive Jerseys, with an emphasis on functional type, while never losing sight of the single most important factor - COW FAMILY!!

 

The Avonlea herd is built on three main cow families - the Kitty's, the Robin's and the Ginger's. The Kitty and Robin families can trace back to Fairy Raleigh Zana - one of the original cows that was purchased in 1934. The Ginger family started in the early 1980's - with Jim's purchase of Spruce Avenue MA Gloria. GIGGLE is a member of this family. Members from all 3 of these families can be found on the pages of this website - they are all the pride and joy of the farm.

 

Recently, we have been able to add individuals to our herd that we feel will help us develop new cow families here at Avonlea. The addition of animals such as Drentex Blackstar Baby J (direct descendant of Brampton Basilua), Green Maple Furor Turvy (Direct descendant of Generator's Topsy), Paullyn Duaiseoir Virgina and Arethusa Comerica Dolce Vita (direct desc. of Huronia Centurion Veronica) have been made with the faith and belief that these cows can become the foundation of future great cow families at Avonlea.

 

We hope that you enjoy your visit to our website! If you have any questions or just want to talk Jerseys, please do not hesitate to contact us at any time!

 

Happy Viewing!!