“The Jeltjes rarely disappoint. They may not have the ultimate refinement, but they are true working cows with lots of strength and capacity in the front end and rib, broad rumps, strong legs, and functional udders,” Arjen explains when describing the cow family. “As heifers, they easily produce forty liters with strong components.” Foundation cow Jeltje 97 herself is still actively producing. She received 85 points for overall conformation, including 87 points for feet and legs and an 8 for locomotion. In four lactations she has already produced 58,169 kg of milk with 4.77% fat and 3.85% protein. Jeltje 97 is the granddam of both Delta Stormer and Delta Caliber. Caliber’s dam is milked at the CRV test farm of Hans Boschloo and, in her second lactation, is projected to produce 11,382 kg of milk with 4.78% fat and 3.61% protein.
Delta Caliber breeds hardworking cows of the right caliber
Cows like Gastelsveer Jeltje 97, bred by the Van Merriënboer family from Oud Gastel (The Netherlands), demonstrate the strength of an open breeding program. The Ranger daughter was once the heifer with the highest NVI-score in the Netherlands, was purchased by CRV, and housed with Arjen Vernooij in Schalwijk (The Netherlands). There, the Jeltje family quickly developed into one of the largest cow families at Hedra Holsteins.
The Jeltjes
Functional like the Jeltjes
The description ‘working cows’, used by Arjen Vernooij for the Jeltjes, also fits the daughters of Delta Caliber. This InSire bull transmits cows of the right caliber: medium stature with extra width in the front end, firmly attached and solid udders, and correctly aligned legs with powerful locomotion. Caliber daughters calve easily (calving ease breeding value 105), although he is best suited for cows with sloping rumps. Caliber’s production proof reaches nearly 1,300 kg of milk with +0.18% fat and +0.08% protein. Combined with a longevity score of 861 days, his daughters are expected to achieve nearly 1,300 kg of additional lifetime fat and protein production. His daughters are also late maturing (109) and highly persistent producers (107). Partly because of this, they convert feed efficiently into milk (feed efficiency breeding value 105) and show low susceptibility to ketosis (breeding value 107). Caliber also improves hoof health and scores positively for udder health and fertility as well.
