Down in South Gippsland, it’s certainly dairy farming country.
In most places, local governments have done their best to help us understand the requirements of social distancing. Down here, they have created an original method for describing social distancing measurement. As we drove into the little town of Agnes on the South Gippsland Highway, we were greeted with this sign.
The Jersey is a British breed of small dairy cattle from Jersey, in the British Channel Islands. It has been exported to many countries of the world. Jerseys occur in all shades of brown, from light tan to almost black. They are frequently fawn in colour and have beautiful big brown eyes. They are very gentle cows and it is easy to fall in love with them. All purebred Jerseys have a lighter band around their muzzles, a dark switch (long hair on the end of the tail), and black hooves.
They are a favourite cow of many dairy farmers. Thye range in weight from 400 to 500 kilograms. Because they are small animals, properties can be stocked more densely with Jersey cattle than other breeds. While Holstein cattle give abundant quantities of milk, Jerseys have much higher levels of butter fat.
By accident, I found another interesting measure of social distance. In Australia, we use the metric measurement system so we maintain 1.5 metres of distance between people. In the USA it’s 6 feet. Only three countries – the U.S., Liberia and Myanmar – still (mostly or officially) stick to the old imperial system, which uses distances, weight, height or area measurements that can ultimately be traced back to body parts or everyday items. (I have say sorry to my American friends – that really doesn’t put you in very esteemed company).
This is a perfect opening for one of my favourite puns
