CRV is one of the leading herd improvement companies in the world. Thanks to this CRV has access to a huge number of data allowing to select and use best bulls material. Today Dutch genetics is needed in more than 65 countries worldwide. Last week LLC European Agricultural Agency — the exclusive distributor in Belarus —met Tom van der Meulen a new sales director in the CIS countries. He has answered several questions asked by AGRONEWS portal.
— Tom, you have visited Belarus for the first time. What impression do you have now about our country and local livestock production?
— Belarus does not differ from other former Soviet Union Republics. Soviet buildings, infrastructure and all the rest is as in Russia and Ukraine. Pretty often you come across with bureaucracy (so-called "Belarusian business") which you can't find now in the Netherlands. I have observed a similar situation in Turkey while was travelling there.
On Dutch farms there are in average 200 cows while your farms contain much more heads of cattle. And if buildings are old, then you will definitely see dirty cows. There is also a big difference in sizes of animals: one cow is very small, another is much bigger. When on a farm there are more than 700 cows you need absolutely different herd management.
— What opportunities for CRV on Belarusian market do you see?
— There are always different ways to go, it just depends on your purposes. If a cattle breeder or a farmer sets an exact goal he wants to reach, we will help to do it by means of CRV genetics. In the catalogue of our company there are many bulls to choose from. Just use such scheme: set the object and CRV will provide a suitable bull.
— In 2017 in Belarus it was received 5000 kg per cow for the first time. How can CRV material increase Belarusian productivity more?
— It is rather easy to raise milk yield to 8000 kg, but it will be not only dependant on CRV company. The bull is just a component of your success, it is also important how you feed your animals and mange the herd. I always give such a comparison: imagine that you live in the end of a bumpy road. "Ferrari" will seem you the fastest car, but it will never bring you home. In this case it is better to buy an old but reliable "Land Rover". If cows in your herd give 4000 kg of milk a year and at the same time are held in old buildings and don’t eat nutritious food, you should not spend money for good bull sperm.
— Belarusian cows suffer a lot from limb diseases. Whether it is possible to solve this problem with the help of genetics?
— In our catalogue in the description of each bull you can see all his indicators by which you can decide whether this exact bull is the solution for your problem. By the means of genetics it is possible to solve not only limb problems, but also prevent such diseases as ketosis, mastitis and mycobacteriosis.
— Sunny Boy which had produced nearly two million doses of sperm in the 1990s was the best-known bull of CRV company. Whether there are same outstanding animals now?
— Yes, Sunny Boy was a double millionaire, but he had "retired" at the age of 15. Today the most productive bulls are Finder and Danno. But as bulls at the age of 6-7 years are considered "pensioners", we can expect from them outstanding indexes, but not in such amount, as from Sunny Boy. Sperm production is one of parameters on which our company emphasizes. Also quality and quantity of forage, health care are also important and necessary for cow to produce enough milk.
For example, a cow lives on average two lactation periods in America. Before the first labor a cow demands financial investments and does not make profit. With the first lactation money comes and at the end of the second you practically earn nothing but also lose nothing. After the second lactation you start to make some profit: the cow is more productive and demands lower investments. In general in America the attitude to cow is as to "a milking robot", but there is nothing bad about that.
Time and quality of life are the top priority for CRV. On average a Dutch cow lives about 3-4 lactations, and sometimes even more. For example, a famous cow with a nickname Big Boukje 192 had produced more than 200 000 kg of milk by the age of 18 and is considered the most productive cow in the Netherlands.
— What except sperm material helps CRV to have a leading position on the world market today?
—Annually we sell sperm material for 100 million euro, 40 million euro for insemination equipment and 40 million more for software which helps farmers manage their herd efficiently. Especially it is useful for farms with more than 700 animals. Information management is a key factor to success. Our CEO Roald van Noort is sure that in the next five years exactly software will become a key factor in farm management: "iCloud Farming" will develop. We expect that software sales will exceed sperm sales.
