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VikingNews Global 1-2019
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clear
breeding
strategy, the key to managing market fluctuations nina
and hannu
hokkanen have adapted to the lower milk prices. they don?t use external labour anymore and have minimised machinery and other investments. their efforts in the breeding plan have been the secret behind their high-yielding herd?s daily life. vikingholstein farm in finland nina and hannu hokkanen t he hokkanens are the sole car- ers of the farm. four years ago, nina, 45, worked as a paedia- trician, but the fall in milk prices led to a career change. ?our employees were leaving at that time, so the tim- ing for nina?s full-time employment at the farm was just right,? hannu says. hannu, 50, has been a member of dairy company advisory boards for 20 years and became a member in the valio supervisory board in april 2018. breeding specialist helena korkee has worked with the hokkanen family for many years. previously, hannu was more involved in breeding plan- ning, but now nina has taken over the responsibility. ?helena does the plan- ning, but with some input from me. all in all, improving the milk solids, health, and udder conformation are clear goals for us,? says nina. the herd has been involved in the genvik project for a long time. ?genomic testing of females is a great tool. we?ve been able to achieve rapid genomic progress with it,? says nina. as evidence of this achievement, nina shows print outs of genetic pro- gress in the herd. by mikko säynäjärvi, faba 18 vikingnews | may 2019
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