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As from April, milking robot data will play a greater role in calculating breeding values. From April, the Animal Evaluation Unit of Cooperation CRV will use these data to estimate the breeding value milking speed and to calculate a new trait: udder balance. Even more breeding value news: from now on CRV will adjust the base annually.

The 2020-2021 financial year presented a new cow who produced 100,000 kg of milk in Flanders in record time. It took Loli van het Zomerbloemhof just 1,933 days to smash the magic barrier of 100,000 kg of milk. This Goli daughter owned by Dries Lahousse and Veerle Lagache from Elverdinge started lactating in 2015. ‘She immediately progressed to 48 litres a day, and was the first heifer we have ever had to dry off with more than 40 litres of milk,’ says Dries Lahousse. ‘So, not only is she a super milk cow, she is also extremely persistent.’

Genomic analysis of female Holstein is used for Precision Breeding. Female genomic testing is the next step in breeding efficient and profitable herds. Genomic breeding values haver higher reliabilities then pedigree indexes. HerdOptimizer Go helps farmers to rank animals and to formulate the best possible breeding goal. With data of the genetic potential of the herd farmers are able to make educated decisions on their breeding strategy (sexed, conventional, beef or embryo) to ensure they only breed with the best existing genetics.

They are almost all older than ten years, have each produced more than 100,000 kg of milk – and some of them even 10,000 kg of fat and protein – and together account for a staggering 1.8 million kg of milk! This exceptional performance inspired CRV to make a video of these sixteen absolute champions in milk production owned by dairy farmers Jos, Ingrid and Ben Knoef in Geesteren. Eleven of these animals have a CRV pedigree or originate from CRV's breeding programme.

The Semen Processing Center and the International Logistics Center in Deventer, the Netherlands play a crucial role in the production process of CRV. Every year, 4 million straws are filled, inspected, registered, frozen and dispatched to dairy and beef farmers worldwide. After processing all straws are stored here for a quarantine period of at least 30 days.

Apina Nadja has fulfilled her potential. One of the most influential cows in CRV’s breeding programme has high breeding values for health, fertility and longevity. And she also passes these traits on to her countless offspring. Apina Nadja has never caused any problems for owners Wim and Theo Bleser. She has now put the crown on her illustrious career by realising lifetime production of 100,000kg of milk.