redcowsrule33
Well-known member
It's true many of the Fleckviehs are poor calving ease high birthweight buggers. For those reasons not too many have found a place in my herd. But if you are careful in selection I think they can have a place that is far less remote than the Belgian Blues or other double-muscled breeds (which they are not).
I had the opportunity to see what the Germans are doing with dual-purpose and beef Fleckvieh in person and was impressed. The selection process for beef traits is behind as the government studs culled low milk bulls until the last few decades so a lot was lost genetically. But they are making strides in having more polled bloodlines and improving CE and CEM. What impressed me even more was the disposition of these guys and the ability to hold flesh while milking. It is possible to have a good milking animal without sacrificing maintenance energy and udder quality. While the dairy Fleckvieh lines have far more milk than what we need as beef producers the beef lines may not.
Not all country's Fleckvieh programs have the same focus. I only speak of what I have experience with.
Just remember the progress was made through crossbreeding in the US. Such progress takes longer when you can't add another breed to get to where you want to go. Would I want a herd of fullbloods in their present state? No, because they don't fit my environmental requirements. Could they be used to make some improvements with my current purebreds? On a case-by-case basis, sure.
The dairy lines have the potential to endanger the Holstein based on productivity in the milkline and rail, but that's a whole 'nother string.
Like most Continental breeds they have value in a crossbreeding system here in the US. They still excel in the environment and husbandry practices they were developed for over hundreds of years (not in the US). In a well-designed crossbreeding system, the boys I saw shouldn't result in hard calvings and would correct the poor-doing narrow chested sucked up funnel butts that so many cry and whine about on this board.
P.S. Bold Future
http://herdbook.simmental.org/simmapp/s ... br=1205585
I had the opportunity to see what the Germans are doing with dual-purpose and beef Fleckvieh in person and was impressed. The selection process for beef traits is behind as the government studs culled low milk bulls until the last few decades so a lot was lost genetically. But they are making strides in having more polled bloodlines and improving CE and CEM. What impressed me even more was the disposition of these guys and the ability to hold flesh while milking. It is possible to have a good milking animal without sacrificing maintenance energy and udder quality. While the dairy Fleckvieh lines have far more milk than what we need as beef producers the beef lines may not.
Not all country's Fleckvieh programs have the same focus. I only speak of what I have experience with.
Just remember the progress was made through crossbreeding in the US. Such progress takes longer when you can't add another breed to get to where you want to go. Would I want a herd of fullbloods in their present state? No, because they don't fit my environmental requirements. Could they be used to make some improvements with my current purebreds? On a case-by-case basis, sure.
The dairy lines have the potential to endanger the Holstein based on productivity in the milkline and rail, but that's a whole 'nother string.
Like most Continental breeds they have value in a crossbreeding system here in the US. They still excel in the environment and husbandry practices they were developed for over hundreds of years (not in the US). In a well-designed crossbreeding system, the boys I saw shouldn't result in hard calvings and would correct the poor-doing narrow chested sucked up funnel butts that so many cry and whine about on this board.
P.S. Bold Future
http://herdbook.simmental.org/simmapp/s ... br=1205585
