BRS News
People, cows, emotions
On June 9 and 10, 2023, the 2nd edition of the German Dairy Show took place. After a four-year break from Corona and a move to Alsfeld in Hesse, everyone was excited to see how the event, organised by the German Livestock Association, would be received by exhibitors and spectators. Already a glance at the catalog showed that the number of registered cows would almost exceed the set limit. A total of 267 show cows faced the judgment of the judges Thomas Hannen (Holstein, Red Cattle/Angler), Lambert Weinberg (Red Holstein, Jersey) and Peter Stückler (Simmental, Brown Swiss). Not least due to the venue being more in the centre of Germany, the response from the southern German breeds in particular was greater than at the premiere of the German Dairy Show 2019.
German Dairy Show 2023: The cards were reshuffled
Four years after the last National Show, you could count on one hand the number of cows that had already been in the ring at GDS in 2019. So the cards were reshuffled and the excitement on Saturday, 9 June 2023, was just as great!
The German total merit index RZG gets a make-over
Since April 2021 the RZG (relative total breeding index) is published in a new combination. The RZG includes the most important traits for the Holstein breed. In particular, the health breeding values (RZhealth and RZcalfhealth), which have been increasingly influencing bull selection on farms since their introduction in 2019, are now directly taken into account. In the past, the cows' health has been included in the RZG via secondary traits such as the RZS (somatic cell score), the RZR (daughter fertility) and the RZN (longevity).
Save the Date: German Dairy Show 2021
the German Dairy Show, which was held for the first time in Oldenburg in June 2019 as the successor event to the German Holstein Show, is breaking new grounds. The event will be moved further into the centre of Germany. The next German Dairy Show will take place on 9/10 June 2021 in Alsfeld. The breeds Holstein, Red Holstein, Fleckvieh, Brown Swiss, Red Cattle and Jersey will be represented again. The event is organized by the German Livestock Association (BRS).
“Call for papers”- International Cattle and Pig Conference
The Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) will host the International Cattle and Pig Conference – Agriculture and Science are Shaping the Future
from 22 to 24 September in Bonn. The aim of this conference is to deepen cooperation between cattle and pig farmers worldwide and to discuss the most recent scientific findings in this area. We are looking forward to an interesting conference covering a wide array of livestock science topics for scientists and practitioners:
- Animal breeding and genetics: what will cattle and pig breeding look like in the future?
- Robust breeds, animal genetic resources and gene banks
- Economy: how can the profitability of cattle and pig farming be improved?
- Animal husbandry: what needs do cattle and pigs have?
- Climate change: what are the effects and the impact of cattle and pigs on the environment and climate protection?
- Animal health: what are the opportunities of breeding for resistance?
- How do different factors affect sustainability and interdisciplinarity – for instance, caught between the conflicting priorities of animal welfare, resource efficiency and economy?
- How to achieve biodiversity, bioeconomy and sustainability in cattle and pig breeding
- Other topics
We would like to ask all those interested in giving a lecture or displaying a poster at the International Cattle and Pig Conference to submit a summary of their contributions here. The deadline for entries is April 13th, 2020.
International Congress on Cattle and Pigs - World Conference Center Bonn (Germany), 22 - 24 September 2020
Cattle are among the oldest farm animals due to their wide range of uses. Pigs are, in economic terms, one of the most important livestock species in many regions of the world. Farmers have developed a variety of breeds as well as very different approaches and husbandry systems under greatly varying conditions. In addition to securing food supplies, these animal breeders and keepers increasingly work towards meeting other social demands worldwide, such as the conservation of biological diversity and man-made landscape, animal welfare and climate change mitigation.
The German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture is the organizer of the International Congress on Cattle and Pigs – Farmers and Scientists Shape the Future – World Conference Center Bonn (Germany), 22 – 24 September 2020, where it will share information with the sector about the latest scientific findings on the breeding and minding of animals, and will provide a platform for the exchange of knowledge and for discussions on important topics for the future identified by academics and practitioners.
15th World Holstein Conference, General Assembly and Classifier Workshop has been postponed due to Coronvirus
Due to current developments relating to the new Coronavirus, it has been necessary to postpone the 15th World Holstein Conference, General Assembly and Classifier Workshop which was planned to take place on 22-28 March 2020 in Montreux, by one year to 21-27 March 2021.
RZ - Breeding values for better health
Since 1876 the German Holstein breeder associations are known for quality and innovation. The German relative breeding values are considered international standard. For the first time, German breeding organizations for the Holstein and Red Holstein cattle bring into use direct genomic health breeding values. According to these new relative genomic breeding values sires can be pointed out that inherit their resilience to their offspring. Animal health within the herd can be improved rapidly, effectively and accurately without missing performance. The German Federal Association of Cattle and Pigs (Bundesverband Rind und Schwein e.V.) informs about the new breeding values with new information flyers in different languages. You can download the flyers here.
International Congress for Cattle and Pigs in Bonn on 22.-24.09.2020
The DGfZ/GfT Lecture Conference and the International Congress for Cattle and Pigs will take place simultaneously in Bonn this September. This combination offers both speakers and participants the opportunity to learn about the latest developments in animal science and practice through a wide range of lectures. In addition to internationally renowned scientists from Germany and abroad, young scientists will present their current research results in the field of animal breeding and animal husbandry. The venue is the World Conference Center on United Nations Square in Bonn.
Further information will soon be available on the website of the German Society for Animal Production e.V. (DGfZ) or on the website of the German Livestock Association (BRS).
Cattle Breeds Brochures for Download
Germany has a broad spectrum of efficient cattle breeds. All forms of cattle farming (specialised dairy cattle farming, dual-purpose cattle farming as well as intensive and extensive beef cattle farming) can be successfully operated with German breeding cattle.
The German Livestock Association (BRS) has produced information brochures for the most important German cattle breeds:
- German Holstein
- German Simmental/Fleckvieh
- German Brown Swiss
- German Red Cattle/Angler
- Beef Cattle from Germany
The cattle breed brochures explain the particularities of each breed (breeding goals, genetic quality, breeding program, breeding value estimation for performance and health). Due to the great international demand for German breeding cattle, bovine semen and embryos, the cattle breed brochures are available in several language versions.