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Collaboration and top heifers are the key to VikingRed embryo success

Faster, stronger genetic progress is one of many reasons why VikingGenetics works with embryo transfer through the VikingEmbryo programme in the Nordic countries. Sunnagården is one of many donor herds that drive this success.

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In Sweden, there are five contract farms that receive high-level genomic-tested females from all over the country to care for them and handle embryo flushings. One of these farms is Sunnagården in Falköping, Västra Götaland, South Sweden.

Owned by Annika Strindgård and Christer Blom, Sunnagården used to be a dairy farm with 70 VikingRed cows until two years ago. However, soon after closing down the dairy, the opportunity to become an embryo donor station showed up.

Today, they are part of a great team that closely collaborates with VikingGenetics and Växa Sverige, one of VikingGenetics’ member cooperatives, in the VikingEmbryo programme. VikingGenetics finds heifers of interest from all over Sweden, Annika and Christer look after the heifers, and Växa carries out the inseminations, flushings, and delivery of the fresh embryos to local recipient herds. 

“Working with this gives me so much energy. We do this together as a big family to breed the next generation of dairy cows,” says Annika with a smile. “I joined this project because of my great passion for breeding,” she adds.

Sunnagården Sweden VikingRed Embryo

The best heifers in Sweden

Today, Sunnagården is home to 10 VikingRed heifers, all around 12 months old, with excellent genetic values, and ranked at the top of their sire groups. Some have been flushed once, some twice, and the best ones will be flushed up to four times. The goal is to have around 30 embryos per heifer, but the higher the breeding value, the more embryos she will produce.

The heifers are at Sunnagården for almost a year, so Annika and the calves get plenty of time to get to know each other. She starts to train the young heifers to go into the pens as soon as they arrive, where they will be flushed later. 

“They go to the pens, have some feed, and go back to the barn. The goal is to get them used to being there and to like to be there and no stress,” she explains. 

Annika believes that letting heifers live a natural life will result in healthier embryo production, so she allows the heifers to graze on the pasture every day during the summer. They are only brought indoors at night to protect them from the threat of wolves.

The day the flushing team comes is very exciting for Annika, so much so that she serves them coffee and a special, “lucky” bread and cooks lunch for them. At lunchtime, Växa’s technicians pick up the fresh embryos and distribute them to the local recipient herds. 

“All parts in this teamwork are equally important, and I am really proud to be a part of it,” ends Annika.

Annika’s hard work is one of many links in the cooperation chain that drives VikingGenetics’ innovative breeding programmes.

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