2024 marks the 150th anniversary of Coöperatieve Rundveeverbetering (CRV) in the Netherlands and Flanders, a milestone to be proud of. CRV therefore won’t let this anniversary year go unnoticed!
With effect from the December index run, CRV will use a new model for estimating the genomic breeding values, the “single-step method.” This new calculation method will result in an increase in the reliability of genomic breeding values for young bulls and female young animals by an average of 11 percent.
Steyn Bouma, inseminator at CRV, recently inseminated this financial year’s two millionth semen straw from a CRV bull, in the Netherlands/Flanders market. This insemination took place with semen from the bull Woody at the VOF Mulder farm in Nieuwolda, Groningen. Lammert Veenhuizen, managing director CRV Netherlands/Flanders, was present at the festive event to congratulate the Mulder family and in doing so, symbolically thank all Dutch and Flemish farmers for the trust they have placed in CRV’s genetics.
Grootendorst Farms, located in Maryhill, Ontario, Canada, is owned and operated by brothers Henk and Ary Grootendorst. They farm 1000 acres, and milk 600 cows 3 times a day in a double 16 herringbone parlor. The immaculately kept farm produces 11,800 kg milk, with 4.33% fat, and 3.38% protein.
As a strategic and technical farm consultant, almost every day Niels Achten speaks with dairy farmers in the Netherlands and Flanders about ways of optimising their farm management. Niels works at consultancy firm Liba and, along with his parents, operates a dairy with 280 cows. He can therefore directly link the numbers on paper to his own practical experience.
The efficiency with which cows convert feed into milk is largely responsible for the profitability of dairy farming around the world. With FeedExcel, CRV has developed a breeding strategy that helps farmers breed a herd that combines high milk production and feed efficiency with an above-average longevity and good health. Part of this strategy is the use of selected FeedExcel bulls. As from this index run, these bulls can be identified throughout the world by a FeedExcel logo on the CRV bull catalogs and websites.
After the index run of August 2023, CRV’s bull range has been further strengthened with several young bulls who prove that high feed efficiency is closely linked to high longevity, good health traits, and excellent functional type.
Following the index run in August 2023, CRV’s Fleckvieh portfolio has been further strengthened and broadened. Several, very good bulls, had to be withdrawn from the range because their breeding values are exceeded by those of the new generation of bulls. At the same time, the performance of the daughters of popular bulls confirms the breeding values of their sires. For farmers who want to breed for polledness, CRV has added a number of very interesting, young, heterozygous and homozygous polled bulls to the portfolio.
