Aidan Deasy - VikingGoldenCross, Ireland

Aidan Deasy is milking 180 VikingGoldenCross cows in Ireland. “We wanted cows you don’t see - cows that are inseminated, calve and are dried off and you don’t need to see them in between.” To achieve this, he sought strong hooves, better fertility, improved teat placement and increased milking speeds – amongst a range of other traits. “They just do the business,” he says. “They all got in calf to the first insemination and it’s nice to see calving index coming forward. It’s a good indication of what’s hopefully to come.” The health and fertility of the herd have been transformed with veterinary and labour costs also cut. “The hoof trimmer now visits every two months as part of a structured routine,” he says. “He picks up every hoof and some may need a trim, but he says the VikingRed hooves are like steel!” This is reflected in lameness cases, which have been slashed from 64 cases in 2017 to just five cases in 2021. Mastitis cases have also gone down from 63 cases at the outset, in 2017, to five cases in 2021. With somatic cell count also in decline, antibiotic use has been slashed. Read the full story here: https://www.vikinggenetics.com/cases/... Follow us on Facebook:   / vikinggenetics   Follow us on Instagram:   / vikinggeneticsofficial