A week in the Netherlands, visiting outstanding dairy farms, celebrating the 75th anniversary of the “aAa” Breeding Guide (Weeks’ Analysis)

“aAa” was the first of what are called “mating services”, begun 25 years before the AI industry developed linear mating and indexed ranking to assist in semen sales.   It remains an independent program, without subsidy from the AI industry, Breed associations, or University extension.  “aAa” survives because it is totally based in the biology of physical traits gene transmission, and considers your cows will give half their genetics equally into each mating with any bull, thus matter in mating.

Travelling with three other USA, one New Zealand and twelve European analyzers, we visited six outstanding Dutch dairy farms  (Jersey, Fleckveih, and Holstein)  to practice the “aAa” techniques and provide extended training to newer analyzers.   I am now the second-longest tenure “aAa” approved analyzer.

How often does any product or service in modern agriculture last this long unless it has proven its value?     If you have not tried it yet, it is not too late to ask for a demonstration of what it can do and how easily you make it work.

K I Samen --  the highlight visit at the end of our week

K I Samen  is the second largest of four AI centers based in the Netherlands.   The Triple Hil Sires organization is their USA distributor.    Unique to “Samen” was their own commercial dairy farm, in which they tested all their bulls and maintained a few cow lines to produce AI sons.    In the Triple Hil Sires bull book you will find the Samen bulls  (Holstein, Red and White, Lineback and one Jersey)  available here.

To me, the highlight sires were VDS Slash  (aAa 153= Dairy, Smooth, Open)  who is a grandson of their famous  “Big Malki”  bull;   Mostwanted Red  (aAa 651= Style, Smooth, Dairy) who is complete outcross to American Red & White lines;  Plataan Florus  (aAa 156= Dairy, Smooth, Style)  their first proven “Slash” son.   All three of these living bulls are both A2A2 for “Beta Casein”  and BB for “Kappa Casein”, the best possible Casein combinations;  all three are  “plus”  for both butterfat % and protein %.    “Slash”  is perhaps their best choice for ease of calving on heifers.   KI Samen bulls  as a group  had some of the best rear legs and rumps we see in AI.