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VikingNews Global 2-2019
16 / 28
herd of the year finland solid confidence in vikinggenetics is paying off
hannu
paananen?s and
mia
ikäheimo?s kaunisto
farm
in keitele was selected as the 2019 vikinggenetics herd of the year in finland. t his is the first time vikinggenetics has chosen the vikinggenetics herd of the year in finland. criteria for the title include good genetics and a focus on the future. managed by
hannu
paananen and
mia
ikäheimo, kaunisto
farm
is an expanding, evolving
farm
with high index females, embryo transfers and flushes. they also sell animals for the vikinggenetics breeding programme. our vikingholstein bull vh lol is from kaunisto
farm
.
mia
and
hannu
say this is the busiest years of their lives. on the day of the interview, an excavator is working behind the barn. the day before, the second sileage cut was harvested. ?milk production is our thing, and we want to invest in it, of course, but without forgetting to spend quality time with our two children,? says
mia
. kaunisto
farm
passed to
hannu
from his parents 23 years ago.
mia
previously worked as a seminologist and transferred embryos. when it comes to dividing the labour, the couple work on the principle that they should both be able to do everything, although they do play to their individual strengths. due to her background in artificial insemination (ai),
mia
tends to manage heat monitoring, fertility issues and breeding. she inseminates the heifers and cows and they have their own semen tank in use at the
farm
.
hannu
takes care of forestry work and most of the heavy machinery work and feeding. a third employee comes every other week and mainly concentrates on barn work. three cornerstones of business
mia
and
hannu
see three things as key to their dairy business. investments need to be carefully considered. the low price of milk encourages keeping a close eye on costs. for example, by johanna aro, breeding specialist
hannu
paananen,
mia
ikäheimo and their two children. 16 vikingnews | november 2019
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