A2A2 Jersey Heifers & Jersey Cross Calves from Tillamook County, Oregon
Each spring, we make a trip to Tillamook County, Oregon to bring back a select group of Jersey and Jersey-cross calves from one of the best dairies we have worked with. These calves are healthy, well-started, and raised on rich Jersey milk, making them excellent choices for homesteads, family milk cows, and freezer beef projects. This page will provide information about how you can buy your own Jersey calf.
Most years we bring back:
- Registered or registerable A2A2 Jersey heifers
- Jersey beef-cross calves for raising beef (limited)
- A small number of Jersey bull calves (not always available)
We purchase additional calves beyond our own needs to help offset transportation costs and to make these calves available locally to other small farms and homesteads.
Jersey Heifer Calves
Most of the Jersey heifers are between 4 weeks old and still on the bottle up to approximately 3 months old and weaned. The dairy vaccinates calves when they are weaned. These little girls are:
- DNA tested to verify A2A2 beta casein status (available at pick up)
- Registerable Jerseys,
- Disbudded if horned,
- Raised on Jersey milk in mass feeding,
- Socialized with similarly aged calves in group calf housing.
These heifers are especially popular for family milk cows, homestead dairies, small breeding programs, and A2A2 milk production.
Jersey Beef-Cross Calves
We also occasionally bring back Jersey beef-cross calves that are reserved in advance and a 50% deposit paid the week of pickup (usually by Friday for a Saturday pickup). Depending on the year, the dairy has crossed Jerseys with breeds such as Angus, Speckled Park, and Charolais. They are not DNA tested, registered, or tagged. They have been fed colostrum and then started on Jersey milk.
These calves are under one week old and receive a full day of colostrum before transitioning onto Jersey milk. The dairy-cross calves tend to grow efficiently, finish well for beef, benefit from hybrid vigor, and have excellent feed efficiency and temperament. They make excellent freezer beef projects and beef breeders for with improved udder and milk production in your beef herd. (Our Jerseys and Jersey crosses raise chunky babies with milk to spare.)
Because of their younger age, these calves require more intensive early care and must be picked up along our route home on Satuday. We do not bring back any extras, only those that have been reserved and pre-sold. We do not generally recommend them for novice livestock owners and recommend pre-emptively treating for stress-induced scours.
Reserving a Calf
Because moving is stressful for young calves, we coordinate through reservations so calves can move into their permanent homes as quickly as possible after transport.
People on the calf reservation list receive:
- Calf availability notifications and updates,
- First choice of calves in order of the list,
- Trip updates.
People on the reservation list look for different attributes. Some prefer the youngest bottle calves as they are the least expensive and provide the longest time bottle feeding and bonding. Others want the oldest non-vaccinated calf as they don’t want extended commitment bottle feeding but want them prior to vaccination. Some want fully weaned calves as they do not require the bottle-feeding. If more than one person on the list has the same request for their calves, we fill the request in order of the reservation list.
To reserve one or more calves:
- No deposit is required,
- No obligation to purchase,
- Complete the brief questionaaire.
The calf reservations help us organize transportation and better match calves with buyers.
Pricing
Prices are based on the dairy’s pricing, the calf’s age at pickup, and transportation and associated costs. Jersey heifers are generally priced at a base rate for younger calves with an age-based increase for older calves. This weekly increase is based on the age of the calf at the time of pickup and increases each Monday. In prior years, most calves are in the 5-6 week age, though this varies.
| Calf Description | 2025 Prices | 2026 Prices | 2027 Prices |
| Jersey, 4 wk old | $1,000 | $1,250 | TBD |
| Jersey, 5 wk old | $1,050 | $1,325 | TBD |
| Jersey, 6 wk old | $1,100 | $1,400 | TBD |
| Jersey, 7 wk old | $1,150 | not available | TBD |
| Jersey, 8 wk old | not available | not available | TBD |
| Jersey, weaned & vaccinated ($ varies by age) | $1,250 | $1,675 | TBD |
| Beef cross, < 1 wk | $950 | $1,350 | TBD |
Beef-cross calves are usually priced at a flat rate because they are close in age – less than a week old.
Prices may vary year to year depending on dairy pricing. Prices of all calves are strongly impacted by beef prices, which have been increasing dramatically. As a result, the dairy is breeding back more to beef, has less Jersey availability, and all prices are increasing due to competitive beef market buyers.
Spring Pickup Schedule
We do not know the exact pickup week until shortly before the trip. The dairy receives DNA testing results each Tuesday evening and determines calf availability on Wednesdays after reviewing the results and selecting the calves they intend to keep. Once the dairy confirms the number of calves available, I notify buyers whether the trip will occur that week or the following week. If there are not enough calves, the trip is postponed to the following week when there are more.
We aim to bring back approximately 12–16 calves.
Pickup day generally works like this:
- We load calves in Tillamook County Saturday morning, usually around 10:00 am. Calves are usually fed a larger than normal breakfast.
- We make planned stops along our route home and give delivery updates to those on the reservation list with any time changes.
- Most calves are transferred to their new owners Saturday evening in the Spokane and Coeur d’Alene areas. Montana buyers usually come the next day on Sunday.
We can coordinate additional meeting locations along the route, which has occurred every year we have done this, and may have the ability to change our route based on reserved calves to help minimize calf travel time. The calves are small – some buyers pick them up and carry them (usually not the weaned calves). We will help unload and guide the calf, but if they need to be lifted to be loaded, please bring the required manpower.
Jersey beef-cross calves MUST be picked up the Saturday they arrive and require a 50% deposit.
About the Dairy
Out of respect for the dairy’s privacy and time, we handle buyer communication directly.
Over the years we have purchased from many dairies, and this dairy has consistently provided the healthiest and best-started calves we have purchased. Their calves are raised on Jersey milk with excellent nutrition and careful management to promote healthy growth and strong development.
If you have questions about calf care, management, or the dairy itself, we are happy to answer your questions or reach out to the dairy directly when needed. We also provide a calf care guide here.
Registration Information
If purchasing a registerable Jersey heifer, we will need:
- Your preferred calf name,
- Mailing address,
- Registred owner name.
You may submit this information through an email or by completing the form on the website. We pass this information along to the dairy, who processes registrations in batches. Please allow approximately 60 days for registration paperwork.
Important:
Do not remove the calf’s permanent green ID button tag (left ear) if you plan to register her. That tag is necessary for registration verification. The white button tag (right ear) can be used as her bangs vaccine verification tag. The large tag with the number may be left or removed. See calf care guide for more information.
Health & Transportation
We do not offer a health or survival guarantee once calves leave our possession. There are simply too many variables outside our control after transport and transfer.
That said:
- We do not knowingly purchase or sell sick calves though we do not thoroughly inspect them for defects, injury, or illness;
- The dairy actively removes questionable calves from orders though they do not have a thorough veterinarian inspection, either;
- Buyers are welcome to inspect calves thoroughly at pickup and may bring a veternarian or skilled cattle person to assist with this.
Transport can be stressful for young calves, particularly very young beef-cross calves, and some may experience temporary stress scours (diarrhea) during transition. Some care for scours can be started before they show any signs. Our calf care guide provides some pointers, but contact a veternarian if you have additional questions or concerns.
Buyers should be prepared to provide:
- Appropriate shelter,
- Clean bedding,
- Proper nutrition,
- Transition support during the first several days.
Health Certificates & Brand Inspections
We obtain a group health certificate and brand inspection for transport. This health certificate is for transportation purposes only and is not a thorough health check-up or verification of health status. Because contagious illnesses can be spread from one area to another, states create regulations to help stop this spread and may require a veternarian to certify that they do not see evidence of communciable diseases. The veternarian attests:
“I certify that I have inspected the above animal(s) and, except as noted, have found it (them) to be free of signs of infectious, contagious, or communicable disese…. and to the best of my knowledge meets both state of destination and federal interstate movement regulations. No other warranty is made or implied.”
Veternarian Certification
Official Certificate of Veternarian Inspection
Some buyers may require individual paperwork issued in their own name. If needed, the dairy can arrange this prior to transport at the buyer’s expense. The cost of the health certificate in 2026 was $40. The brand inspection costs $35 + $3.75 per calf. Prices do not go up every year and are usually only a modest increase when it does happen.
Buyers are responsible for determining whether additional paperwork is needed and any state or local requirements. We will email out a copy of the group health certificate and brand inspection in our name for those who do not purchase one in their own name.
Join the Calf Reservation List
If you would like to reserve one or more calf, simply complete the short survey linked HERE.
The survey helps us
- Contact you with updates,
- Understand your calf preferences,
- Coordinate pickups efficiently.
There is no deposit and no purchase obligation to reserve a calf or calves.
We hope we can help connect you with these sweet little Jersey calves for your homestead or family farm.