Innovative Breeding News

Highlights on innovative breeding in December 2023

How feed efficiency boosts dairy profits

Not all cows are born equal: Some are better at converting feed into meat and milk; others are less efficient and use too much feed for maintenance. Ultimately, two cows with the same milk and solids production can have surprisingly different feed intakes.

The targeted use of the correct genetics can help breed more feed-efficient cows. Dairy farmers can do just that by using the Saved Feed Index.

Cows sired by a bull with a high performance in the Saved Feed Index use feed more efficiently. This results in more efficient milk and meat production with less input and diminished environmental impact.

Research shows that more feed-efficient cows consume approx. 860 kg less of dry matter than their less efficient counterparts. In a herd of 100 cows that’s a saving of 86 tonnes per year, greatly boosting farm profitability and sustainability.

Learn more about the Saved Feed Index: Achieve higher feed efficiency in your herd ( vikinggenetics.com )

VH Crown daughter - the #1 cow in Spain

Earlier in December, we also celebrated the success of one of our customers in Spain - the Agosto Darriba Holstein herd - as one of their VH Crown daughters was named the #1 cow in Spain according to the ICO rankings.

SAT Agosto Darriba Crown Selma is a fantastic cow, averaging 11.423 kg of milk rich in components, 501 kg fat and 427 kg protein. In her last milk recording, the milk solids percentages were 4.70% fat and 3.50% protein.

Selma has a very gentle temperament and received outstanding classifications with an 85 for udders, 84 for feet and legs, and 88 for frame.

VH Crown has over 9,000 daughters in his proofs, of which 3,900 have been classified, making him a very reliable and top-performing bull.

Many congratulations to the Agosto Darriba team!

See VH Crown’s full profile: VH Crown - DNK 259980 - VikingHolstein ( vikinggenetics.com )

Happy holidays from VikingGenetics

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year on behalf of everyone at VikingGenetics!

We hope you have had a wonderful holiday with friends and family and are looking forward to the new year. Here’s to a prosperous 2024 full of success and healthy cows.

Our New Year’s resolution is to continue being there for farmers worldwide, like always. We – and our network of distributors worldwide – are here to help.

Click below to watch a season’s greetings video from our CEO Louise Helmer and CSO Henrik Soussi .