Our Genetic Story and Strategy
Our genetic story is one of constant innovation as we strive to progressively work toward the betterment of our herd's genetics. We utilize modern genetic progressions in order to create a more efficient and productive herd.
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Vander Woude Dairy has been progressively working toward improving herd's genetics through the utilization of genomics since 2012. We started genomic testing of our herd with approximately 1,000 heifers under a year old and continuing with each heifer calf born since through samples acquired at birth. The genomic information was employed to make breeding decisions in our virgin heifers and, with the passage of time, we have developed a complete breeding strategy for our entire herd. After 18 years of focusing on growing our herd population from the 150 we started with, we now proudly milk 3,200 healthy and productive cows. We utilize our genomic-based breeding strategy to control our heifer population, rapidly increase herd genetics, and produce angus crosses for beef production. Beyond our breeding strategy, we are heavily invested in a commercial in-vitro fertilization (IVF) program with plans to further develop this aspect of our business.
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We began our IVF program in February of 2016 as one of the front-runners in the relatively new and ever-growing field of dairy assisted reproduction and genetics. With the majority of our herd being bred to beef semen, we recognize the necessity of being wise stewards of the remaining herd population and their genetics. The IVF program has provided us with opportunities to increase the output and genetics of our herd at a much quicker rate. Just recently, we began to calve out our first embryo calves and have seen a good return on genetic investment thus far. With our own aspiration building on-site, we hope to continue to grow our program and further engage our herds genetics. The road has not been without its struggles, but perseverance and strong business sense have helped us grow our herd's genetic value and has set us on the road to building a better and more advanced herd.
