Cow power!
There are various ways to boost the power of your farm. If you literally want to increase the rate at which work is done you can invest in more powerful machinery, vehicles or equipment. In a figurative sense, you might need to optimise certain processes or performances by implementing technology or training your employees. K.I. Samen has a simple message: add the power of practical cows and build a problem-free herd that achieves high production with ease.
Practical cows (more hp) are balanced
A balanced build is what makes a practical cow HP. This is the key to long-lasting and highly productive
cows. To create balanced cows, K.I. Samen’s breeding programme carefully considers the three main
reasons for culling. Poor fertility, claw health (legs) and udder health are the most important factors
that determine whether a cow is kept in the herd or not. K.I. Samen breeds cows that avoid these
issues, supported by the proven aAa method. It is evident that many cows need the aAa code with
the digits 1, 5 and 6 in random order to bring balance.
Power up your farm with practical cows!
Although there is a limited number of bulls with the code group 156, they are essential to contribute
variation to the population and breed balanced cows. The range of bulls at K.I. Samen offers a
diversity of aAa codes. We are happy to help you power up your farm with more practical cows.
‘Practical cows on your farm help you build a problem-free herd that achieves
high production with ease’
How can K.I. Samen help you?
K.I. Samen takes the cow as the starting point and provides suitable advice on mating that ensures
diversity. This does not imply using bulls with the highest index scores. Breeding is not a sum of
breeding values! What it is are bulls with a proven record in practice and that improve the next
generation: in other words, more practical cows in your herd! So that together we can create a
problem-free, healthy herd of cows with great longevity and high lifetime production.
Analysis shows little variation
Starting a few years ago, K.I. Samen has analysed the frequency of particular aAa codes annually. In
2022, with a share of 80%, the 234 code group was by far the most common of the eight different
code groups. In 2023, accounting for 80%, code group 234 once again scored extremely high in the
population. To illustrate this, the data is displayed in both a bar chart and a pie chart. This reveals the
clear, but also worrying, direction the population is taking.
Pie chart 1:
Number of bulls per aAa code
Bar chart 1:
Number of bulls per aAa code
Pie chart 2:
Number of bulls coded this year, classified according to the first digit of the aAa code.
Bar chart 2:
Number of bulls coded this year, classified according to the first digit of the aAa code.
Genomic breeding wants more of the same
In the battle of numbers associated with the index run, bulls with aAa code 234 are rewarded with a
high index rating. These three digits once again dominate the charts, which raises the question of
when the problems caused by this one-sided breeding strategy will become so widespread that they
start to negatively affect herd management. Against this background of rapid breeding with its lack
of diversity, it is often easy to forget that bulls with rounder codes need time to prove themselves
and really make a difference in terms of efficiency and enjoyment at work. Farmers who follow this
pattern of fast breeding will ultimately have to make other choices based on a better, and therefore
healthier, build.
‘Bulls with rounder codes really make a difference in terms of efficiency and enjoyment at work’
K.I. Samen
A commonly heard objection from critics is the lack of good 156 bulls in comparison to 234 bulls.
However, as only 27 bulls with 156 were registered this year compared with 1132 bulls in the 234
group, that is stating the obvious.
Explanation aAa-codes
For more explanation of the meaning of the aAa-codes, klik hier.
