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VIJUST, much appreciated sire in Turkey
The
cooperation between Genes Diffusion and Safak Çevik, Director of Demsa Genetik,
goes back a long time. In 1996, large numbers of French heifers were imported in
Turkey. The Turkish breeders were very enthusiastic about the conformation and the
production of these dairy cows. When, in 1999, Demsa Genetik was founded, Safak
did not hesitate about importing semen of bulls from Gènes Diffusion, to the immense
satisfaction of Turkish breeders.
However, the regulations don’t always make things
easy. « The sanitary restrictions do complicate things a lot » explains Safak,
and adds: « Import semen has to comply with a long list of criteria » such
as:
- Milk index ≥ 1000
- Protein and fat percentages ≥ -5,0
- CD ≥ 80
- Type, udder, legs ≥ 0
- etc...
Growing Demand
Turkey
is a large country; one part of its territory is situated in Europe (3%), while
the largest part is in Asia. It is an agricultural country that is considered to
be self-supporting for
food, and where developments are going very fast.
Presently it is negotiating membership of the European Union. The population growth
is very high. « The young people need food that contains lots of protein »
according to Ali Kuralkan, dairyman in the province of Izmir.
Increased Production
With on average four dairy cows per farm, the national
Turkish production is at 10.5 million tons of milk per year. The province of Izmir
is one of the provinces with the highest milk production. This region has a vast
production potential and is responsible for
6% of the national production. These last 10 years,
Turkish dairy breeding has expanded enormously: New investments were realized to
create large dairy structures. As a result, the average milk production per operation
has grown by 32% between 2005 and 2008.
Yoghurt Country
Milk produced in Turkey is mainly destined for internal consumption. Farmers are
only paid for quantity of milk and fat content. That may seem surprising, in a country
where yoghurt was invented! « When selecting bulls, I pay attention to both protein
and fat percent » says Ali. « My objective is to produce high-quality milk ».
In addition to being a dairyman, Ali Kuralkan is a manufacturer in Istanbul. In
2004, this electronic engineer decided to start up a dairy operation at 500 km from
Istanbul, one hour by plane.
Profitable Bulls in a Harmonious Herd
In his herd of 100 milk cows, mainly of the Holstein breed, one also finds some
cows of the Simmental breed. « That is important for the harmony in the herd »
explains Ali. The cows produce on average 10,000 liter/year at 4.2% fat and 3.4%
protein. The breeder is very meticulous. He looks for animals with good conformation
and good health. « The heifer calves from French bulls such as Steward and Surplus
are very promising:
They
are big, vigorous and have a very complete type pattern » says Ali. VIJUST,
recently added to the catalogue of Demsa Genetik, is a bull which the breeder likes
very much: « It is a good-looking bull with outstanding health traits, low cell count,
good feet & legs and very high milk potential. I would say: a profitable bull ».
Savak Çevik’s favorite
When asked after this year’s favorite bull, Savak Çevik, sire analyst at Demsa,
doesn’t hesitate: « Of course VIJUST! » Unless the Turkish administration
messes things up, VIJUST will have many Turkish daughters next year.
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