For Jakob Petersen, breeding is
about optimizing production. He was looking to modernize the farm he took over
from his father and this mindset lead him to breed a new bull for the VikingHolstein
breeding programme. VH Mario P is the first bull bought from Petersen's
farm.
"The only thing I demand is
that we have animals with good feet and legs, udder conformation that fits the
robots and that the animals also have good longevity".
When cattle breeders in the future hear
the name Super Mario, they will not be referring to the Italian-inspired
character from a Nintendo game. Instead they will think of a bull from Denmark.
Jakob Petersen is the breeder of one of the latest top bulls: VH Mario P, a
genomic bull with gNTM +29.
This is the first time that Petersen has
sold a bull to the VikingHolstein programme. "It's my first time, so it
feels nice. This is very good”, says Jakob. His main focus is on the daily
operations and milk production, so this outstanding result from one of his
bulls came as a surprise. "The only thing I demand is
that we have animals with good feet and legs, udder conformation
that fits the robots and that the animals also have good longevity",
Petersen says. VH Mario P ticks all the boxes related
to production. The production index is 119, the Fat % index 120 and Protein % 111. The health traits are also top level with General
health and Longevity leading these traits. (Breeding values from October 2020)
Focus on optimization Jakob Petersen grew up on the farm that
he took over from his father. He has run the farm since the start of this year.
He is now implementing the genomic test of females and using
professional insemination, which has increased the pregnancy rate. In 2015, a new barn was built, and the
farm was expanded. However, under the management of the young farmer, the
focus is now on the individual performance of the cows and not in the
increasing number of animals.
"The farm has reached a high
production level, and the focus is now in optimization", says the
37-year-old dairy farmer. The farm has now signed four VikingEmbryo flushing
contracts with VikingGenetics. Facts:
Number of Cows: 405
Production: 12,548 kg ECM
Fat: 3.90%
Protein: 3.56%
The latest news
Improve fertility and production with
crossbreeding
