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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CRV GLOBAL FLECKVIEH CATALOGUE 2011 | 2012
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 days Milk yield of the herdbook cows 2010 7,186 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 days Milk yield of the herdbook cows 2010 6,521kg 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. CRV GLOBAL FLECKVIEH CATALOGUE 2011 | 2012
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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 CRV The 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 650-850kg • Adult weight of cows • Stature 140-150 cm • Strong udders with good texture and correct teat placement • Strong feet & legs Structure of GZW and SIC indexes The 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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CRV GLOBAL FLECKVIEH CATALOGUE 2011 | 2012
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. DISTRIBUTION OF INDEXES 95% 66%
88 -3 -15 64
92 -2 -10 76
96 -1 -5 88
100 0 0 100
104 1 5 112
108 2 10 124
112 3 15 136
THE NETHERLANDS USA CANADA GERMANY/CZECH REPUBLIC
CRV GLOBAL FLECKVIEH CATALOGUE 2011 | 2012
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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 breeds Fleckvieh 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 breeds Due 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
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CRV GLOBAL FLECKVIEH CATALOGUE 2011 | 2012