News

In the April 2022 index run, the ranking of black-and-white bulls in the Netherlands has a polled leader for the first time ever. In CRV’s red-and-white breeding programme, the polled gene is now so widely spread that several polled homozygotes have reached the top.

New Zealand’s producers have a wealth of experience when it comes to maximising grazing utilisation and turning grass into milk. Is there anything UK producers can learn from their Kiwi counterparts?

The April 2022 index run heralds good news for CRV's Fleckvieh bulls. Two of the top bulls from CRV’s portfolio were awarded their first rankings based on daughter data in this edition of the index run. The performance of their daughters confirms the genomic breeding values of their sires and even surpasses the expectations for certain traits. The top 100 of genomic tested bulls now includes a large cohort of CRV bulls, including two half-brothers with an outcross pedigree. Farmers who use robotic milking systems, and farmers seeking to breed polled cows are also spoilt for choice in CRV’s new offering.

The ambition of Jan Poppe of Poppe Holsteins is high milk production per cow. He applies a strict feeding strategy and considers a 500-day calving interval ideal. Persistent cows with a natural urge for high production are the best fit in this system. The international top bull Poppe Freestyle, bred by the Poppe family, is given plenty of opportunities to show his prowess on the farm.

They visit stock exchange listed dairy farms in China, grazing-based dairy farms in Chile and state-of-the-art farms in the Baltic States. The CRV area managers for the emerging markets serve a client base that extends practically all over the globe. They promote the message of health and efficiency to a huge variety of farms and different cultures. Let’s meet them.

Another influential cow produced by our breeding programme has added 100,000 kg of milk production to her achievements. The cow in question is the still very lively Weelder Esmonique 22 VG 88 (s. Planet) owned by the van de Kamp family in Putten. She is the grand dam of the breeding bulls Weelder Esperanto and Weelder Empire, both highly ranked and with semen available. These bulls have high scores for longevity, hoof health and other health traits. All of these are important factors that contribute to high production.