Danish Breeding Increases Cattle Productivity

Denmark is at the forefront regarding optimizing production at all steps of the value chain and when it comes to cattle breeding, the Danish company, VikingGenetics, is a suitable example of efficiency, sustainability, and animal welfare. VikingGenetics is a specialist in offering breeding solutions where high milk production and animal health are in focus. The company’s breeding goal has made a substantial positive impact on the dairy business. 

High level of productivity

One of the strongholds of the Danish food cluster is the high level of productivity, also in the milk industry. The journey has been extraordinary; 50 years ago, a Danish cow produced 15 litres per day and today, the production per day and per cow is more than double, 38 litres.

There is no doubt that Danish cows are among the most productive ones in the world; the global average yield per cow and per year is 2.200 litres while a Danish cow of the Holstein breed averages 10.300 litres per year. This successful development is due to the high level of specialization in optimal breeding solutions from Danish dairy farmers and companies, such as VikingGenetics, where efficiency and animal welfare plays a significant role.

the global average yield per cow and per year is 2.200 liters while a Danish cow of the Holstein breed averages 10.300 liters per year

Using genetics to achieve a more sustainable production

Increasing productivity of cattle breeding also gives a high sustainable impact. If a farm can raise production volume while keeping the same cattle stock, then it has contributed to production with a lower environmental impact; and therefore, succeed in an efficient production basis.

The breeding solutions of VikingGenetics score high when their productivity is measured. The Nordic Total Merit (NTM) index is a unique index that combines different genetic traits that are heritable when matching bulls and cows such as milk production, health, and conformation. VikingGenetics uses the index to offer genetics from bulls that can increase production and health the most. For every ten extra units that a cow scores on the NTM-index, an additional 100 EUR are made in annual revenue. Some score 40+, meaning that they belong to the best 2.5 percent of all cows.

Companies like VikingGenetics are one of the reasons why Denmark can continuously be on top when it comes to innovation and a sustainable consumption pattern which is one of the United Nation Sustainable Development Goals. When choosing breeding solutions from VikingGenetics, farmers can thus obtain a safer and maximized production.