2 CRV gloBal Fleckvieh catalogue 2011 | 2012

WorldWide loCal solutions

CRV is one of the leading cattle improvement companies

in the world with offices and barns in the netherlands,

belgium, australia, new Zealand, Germany, luxembourg,

south africa, brazil, the usa and the Czech Republic.

in order to meet the different wishes and needs of all

customers worldwide, CRV operates close to the clients,

based on knowledge of the local demands.

CRV offers farmers the most diverse package of

breeding and management products and services. For

every breeding goal CRV can deliver matching genetics.

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our customers run their farms under many different farm conditions. they need the right herd enabling them to manage their farm under those conditions in their own way. so one size does not fit all and that is why at CRV breeders can choose from a wide portfolio of breeds as well as a wide choice of bulls within each breed. this freedom of choice is unequalled in the world of cattle improvement. Fleckvieh is one of the worlds’ main breeds that is being applied by a large group of farmers who use its unique qualities to build and maintain a profitable and healthy herd. at CRV we are proud to offer our customers a wide range of Fleckvieh bulls from our Fleckvieh programme in Germany and Czech Republic, which is in total size and quality amongst the largest and best in the world.

the Fleckvieh Breed: Strong $ dairy!

the Fleckvieh breed is one of Europe’s oldest breeds and, with its total population numbering approximately 41 million, it is the second largest breed in the world. it was developed to be highly productive on mostly grass-based diets and to produce higher amounts of fat and protein for cheese making. Fleckvieh cows are being bred throughout the whole world today. the most important Fleckvieh populations are in Germany, austria and the Czech Republic. CRV’s Fleckvieh breeding programme uses all these populations to ensure that it sources the best available bulls.

PoPulation Bavaria (germany) • total cows 1.19 million• Cows in milk recording 77%• Herd book cows 676,900• Herd book farms 17,350• age of calving 29.2 Months• Calving interval 392 daysMilk yield of the herdbook cows 20107,186 kg of milk with 4.14% fat and 3.49 % protein

PoPulation czech rePuBlic• total cows 190,000• Cows in milk recording 90%• Herd book cows 139,000• Herd book farms 650• age of calving 28.3 months• Calving interval 398 daysMilk yield of the herdbook cows 20106,521kg of milk with 3.98 % fat and 3.45% protein

Fleckvieh Breed characteriSticS

Fleckvieh cows are healthy, hardy and very adaptable to different geographical and climatic conditions. Easy calving, good fertility and a long productive life are, besides the high performance potential for milk and beef, the basis for efficient production. Very good conformation of udders and feet and legs together with the medium body size of animals is ideal with respect to longevity and feed efficiency.

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no other breed combines both milk and beef traits in such a strong way as Fleckvieh.

there are approximately 2,000 young Fleckvieh sires sampled every year worldwide. With this vast genetic pool to select from, and with high selection intensity, optimal yearly genetic gains can be realised.the Fleckvieh-simmental breed has proved very successful in crossbreeding as well, especially in milk solids, fertility, somatic cell counts, meat quality and vitality of the calfs.

Bavarian and czech Breeding Programme

the results of performance and genetic evaluation are prerequisites for a modern, tightly organised Fleckvieh breeding programme.the goal of this programme is to raise the genetic level in the entire population and therefore to ensure the economic success of the farmers who use the Fleckvieh breed in their herd.the cows with the best breeding value results are usually pre-selected as potential bull dams once they’ve completed their first lactation. in the final selection the type and linear traits are being judged in particular.

Breeding goal oF crvthe aim is to improve protein yield and animal fitness and health, while at the same time maintaining meat performance and increasing lifetime performance. the objective is a high functional longevity with an average lifetime performance of 30,000 kg of milk.

in short the breeding targets:• Milk yield per lactation 6,500-7,500 kg• Milk components 4.2% fat and 3.7% prot.• increase in milk production 1,000kg from first to second to third lactation• lifetime milk production 30,000kg • Daily gain of fattening bulls >1,300g• adult weight of cows 650-850kg• stature 140-150 cm• strong udders with good texture and correct teat placement• strong feet & legs

Structure oF gzW and Sic indexeSthe breeding goal in bavaria and the Czech Republic are defined by the economical total merit indexes GZW and siC. the milk, meat and fitness traits are well-balanced. all individual traits are weighted according to their economic importance on a farm basis.

the weight of the main traits in GZW and siC is almost the same:

table:

Production health BeeF

40 % 43 % 17 %

in the weight for production, protein plays an important role (>32 %). other crucial traits are fertility and somatic cell count (both around 8 %). longevity (13.4 % in GZW), and conformation traits udders & feet and legs (19 % in siC).

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Czech and German breeding values do not have the same base. at this moment all traits cannot be directly converted, but the breeding and herbook organisations in Czech Republic, Germany and austria are working together to realize one breeding value estimation for Fleckvieh in 2 or 3 years in these countries.

until then, we will present the local breeding values, so the bulls are ranked and can be compared in their own population.However, the evaluation system in Germany and Czech Republic is very similar and a lot of traits are expressed at the same standard deviation of 12 points.

the figure below shows the range of proofs in 5 different countries.the values and ranges maybe look different to what you are used to, but the figure makes it clear that the various countries use different values for the same standard deviation.so 1 standard deviation is expressed in 4 points in the netherlands, 1 point in the usa, 5 points in Canada and as mentioned above, 12 points in Germany and the Czech Republic.

as you can see from the distribution of the indexes, 95 % of the bulls in Germany and Czech Republic have breeding values between 76 and 124.this means that bulls with a proof over 124 represent the top 2.5 % of the breed for that trait.

88 92 96 100 104 108

95%

DISTRIBUTION OF INDEXES

66%

112 THE NETHERLANDS-3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 USA-15 -10 -5 0 5 10 15 CANADA64 76 88 100 112 124 136 GERMANY/CZECH REPUBLIC

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croSSBreeding

Fleckvieh is ideally suited for crossbreeding with dairy and beef breeds as it maximizes the heterosis effects.

croSSBreeding With dairy BreedSFleckvieh can score particularly well as a breeding partner in regions or countries with a high proportion of dedicated dairy breeds. Many dairy producers are fighting health problems in their herds and recognise that, given falling returns from milk, a supplementary income is required to keep their operations profitable. the experience gathered over several years from operations with rotational or upgrading crossbreeding programmes have resulted in advantages, in particular due to:• reduced mastitis and somatic cells counts• increased protein content in milk• more body reserves, substance and muscling in dairy cows• improved fattening traits of calves (including higher returns for culled cows)• healthy cows with a good longevity

croSSBreeding With troPical BreedSDue to their milk abundance Fleckvieh cows are well known and desired for crossbreeding programmes resulting in high-value weaned calves. Crossbreeding Fleckvieh with indigenous breeds has proven to be a success in many subtropical countries. it combines the advantages of Fleckvieh with the heat tolerance and disease resistance of local breeds. the advantages are:• docile temperament and well-balanced herd behavior• high milk performance of suckler cows• good maternal traits• high daily gain of calves in conjunction with good meat quality• pigmentations are particularly desirable around the eyes

Fleckvieh StrengthS• strong $ dairy, • Good milkability, • strong feet & legs • Healthy udders with low

somatic cell count • strong and functional type