cows-red-380-18.html
VikingNews UK 01 2017
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19 march 2017 | vikingnews
flemming
and trine pedersen live in the childhood home of trine, and both her father and uncle still stop by to help in the barn. her uncle lars just turned 70 years old, he is with us in the kitchen talking about breeding and life; and rumor has it that he knows the pedigree of al- most all the 380
cows
in the
herd
. there have been red
cows
on this farm for four genera- tions, and this will not change. ?the challenges with the red
cows
have been the mammary, but this has improved a lot, and in this
herd
we have healthy and robust
cows
with good production, and we believe in them?,
flemming
explains. the ntm is their guide in breeding, and in order to max- imize the genetic progress, the genetically poorest third of the
cows
has been inseminated with beef the last few years. in the breeding strategy,
flemming
focuses on economy ? bottom line is on his mind all the time, and therefore ntm is important in the
herd
?s breeding work. as a main rule, only the best
cows
in the
herd
are inseminated with pure- bred semen to contribute to the next generation. clear strategy it is also important to
flemming
to know the price of rais- ing a heifer. no doubt, this is a high cost, and therefore
flemming
pedersen: ?i breed
cows
that can be left home alone? by lea foustad harbo, vikingdanmark
flemming
and trine pedersen use the ntm (nordic total merit) index as a guide in their breeding. they prefer healthy and productive
cows
on their farm in fjerritslev, denmark. the strategy is clear; no more than 5-7% heifers in sur- plus. in this way, it is possible to transfer liquidity. by selling the cross calves early, the money is tied up for a short period of time. the
herd
has continuously expanded, and
flemming
and trine have now almost reached the number of
cows
and females wanted. therefore, the share of beef breed se- men for the
cows
can be increased. this is a result of very good longevity in the
cows
and a minimum of loss for the rearing cattle. the production economy is no doubt the most impor- tant thing in the
herd
, but
flemming
also takes an interest in breeding. he does genomic tests on the animals, and he has had three flush contracts with vikinggenetics, so far. the
herd
is healthy and fit. the number of clinical mastitis has dropped significantly after the move to a new barn with sand in the cubicles last spring, and
flemming
has not had a visit from a hoof trimmer since 2006. this is now done by himself. ?i breed
cows
that can be left home alone. i prefer
cows
that can calve on their own no matter if the calf comes during the day or night?,
flemming
says.
flemming
and trine pedersen with trine?s uncle lars, who still helps out in the
herd
. farm visit in denmark
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