CRV’s Fleckvieh team is celebrating: a birthday, a new breeding value and (once again) a stronger portfolio

This month, CRV’s Fleckvieh team is celebrating Haribo’s birthday. One of the figureheads of the Fleckvieh breeding programme will be ten years old this month. Despite his age, he remains active in the mating stall every week, and with more than 14,000 offspring in his breeding value, Haribo remains popular with livestock farmers who milk his daughters.

Virginia (Villeroy x Hubraum) is one of the bulls ready to follow in Haribo’s footsteps. He is the highest rated daughter-tested bull in CRV’s range and the excellent performances of his daughters increased his GZW by another 3 points, to 137. Among other things, Virginia improved his production breeding value, which now scores +945 kg of milk, +34 kg of fat and +34 kg of protein. The complete maiden heifer bull improved his beef index by 4 points, to 115 and with 115 udder and 115 legs, he is also a winner for functional conformation.

The sons of Minor - Majo and Mond - confirmed their added value to Fleckvieh breeding, with more daughter information. Majo (Minor x Zepter) scores 133 GZW and combines good milk production with +0.15% fat and +0.03% protein. He is an all-round dual-purpose Fleckvieh bull and excels on udder (115) and udder health (118).

Mond (Minor x Zepter), as a component bull, achieves a step higher than his three-quarter brother, with +0.18% fat and +0.07% protein. He also has a strong score for health traits, such as daughter fertility (118) and udder health (125). Mond also improves feet and legs (106) and udders (122) and his score is now 129 GZW.

With the December index run, the calculation centre in Austria introduced the new breeding value hoof health for Fleckvieh bulls from Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic. The breeding value hoof health is based on the registrations of vets and professional hoof trimmers of more than 600,0000 cows at 11,000 farms. The new breeding value hoof health is a composite breeding value of the breeding values for various foot problems, such as Mortellaro’s disease, white line lesions and sole ulcers.

The breeding value hoof health is expressed as a relative breeding value with an average of 100. The higher a bull’s breeding value, the fewer foot problems in the daughters.

From now on, hoof health is one of the building blocks for CRV Health. Bulls with a high breeding value for hoof health can be identified in publications by the hoof health pictogram next to the bull’s photo. Bulls in CRV’s Fleckvieh range with a good score for hoof health include the daughter-tested bulls Haribo and Hollister and the InSire bulls Moher Pp and Warlock.

From the large number of young InSire bulls that received genomic breeding values this index run, CRV selected eight interesting sires that will strength the portfolio further still.

With 143 GZW, Huron (Habanero x Vollendet) is the highest newcomer. He has a very complete inheritance pattern with a milk index of 128 and a beef index of 120 and good conformation (including 112 udder). Daughters of Huron will calve easily (110 maternal calving ease) and have healthy udders (112 udder health).

Homeboy (Hashtag x Rolls) is also a true dual-purpose bull, with a beef index of 119 and a milk index of 127 with 1,311 kg of milk. He is a winner for udder health (117) and increases the milking speed (112). Homeboy is suitable for use on Fleckvieh maiden heifers and scores 141 GZW.

The new InSire bull Mockl (v. Mabuso, 137 GZW) is a grandson of birthday boy Haribo and has a milk index of 127 with a nicely established production breeding value of +676 kg of milk with +0.21% fat and +0.09% protein. Mockl is also a winner for udder health, with a breeding value of 120 and he improves both udders (114) and feet and legs (113).

Virginia son Verl is a top-quality bull for conformation with 111 frame, 112 feet and legs and 109 udder. He also guarantees high lifetime production with +1,143 kg of milk (milk index 126) and a breeding value lifespan of 113. Verl scores 136 GZW.

CRV is able to meet the growing demand for genetically polled Fleckvieh bulls with four new high InSire bulls, such as Iberia PS (IQ PS x Mysterium Pp) with 137 GZW. He too is a true dual-purpose Fleckvieh bull with 119 milk index, but also 126 beef index. Iberia breeds robust Fleckvieh cows, as evidenced by his breeding values of 114 frame and 114 muscularity. He is also a very suitable bull for livestock farmers who milk using robots.

Iberia’s half-brother Inzell PP (IQ PS X Herzpochen) will significantly progress fitness traits. He scores +6% CRV Health with (among other things) 109 maternal calving ease, 113 daughter fertility and 115 udder health. He has a GZW of 135, a milk index of 120, improves the udders (120) and increases the milking speed (115).

Moher PS (Mercedes Pp x Panda) has a lot to offer Fleckvieh breeding when it comes to foot health. He scores 107 for this new breeding value. Moher Pp also has a balanced production breeding value with +798 kg of milk with +0.21% fat and +0.07% protein, resulting in a milk index of 130. The Mercedes son is a top-quality udder sire (120) and scores 131 GZW.

Kilos of fat and protein, beef, longevity, conformation and polledness. The very interesting new InSire bull Van PP (Vikings PP x Mercedes Pp) has it all. He shows a very complete inheritance pattern with 123 milk index, 115 beef index, 117 longevity, 116 frame, 115 udder and 113 feet and legs, resulting in 130 GZW. Will this new winner soon succeed Haribo as the figurehead of CRV’s breeding programme?