US breeding programme added to CRV stronghold

CRV AmBreed is already New Zealand’s part of the world’s third-largest dairy genetics company, with sister organisations in Holland, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain and Brazil. The CRV powerhouse is set to breed more success, with a new breeding programme to commence in the United States.
The new arm of CRV, which will be based in Madison, Wisconsin, will commence operation in September. The US organisation will immediately begin genomically testing a substantial number of American bulls and contracting bull dams to create an American breeding programme to meet local and international dairy breeding needs.
Gerwin Kerkdijk, who will be the Managing Director of CRV USA, farmed in the South Island for a short time. He says that “American farmers are great entrepreneurs due to their drive and constant search for opportunities to improve their farm results. It feels good to start our business in this inspiring market.”
Parent company, CRV, has been breeding industry-changing sires in The Netherlands for 130 years with many CRV bulls featuring in the pedigrees of some of New Zealand’s most successful and profitable dairy cows. Across business units in Oceania, Latin America, Europe and now the USA, CRV has an annual turnover of €135 million (more than NZD300 million).

CRV AmBreed CEO, Jos Koopman, says that the expansion of CRV into the American market means even more choice for New Zealand farmers, particularly those advancing high-input systems, in years to come. “CRV AmBreed uses local knowledge and partnerships with kiwi farmers to deliver the products, methods and technologies that New Zealand farmers need to stay at the top of the global dairy industry,” Koopman says. “Also, there is a growing number of farms in the US adopting pasture-based farming – an area in which New Zealand excels. The new company in the US will make it possible to service these farms with bulls from the CRV AmBreed NZ breeding programme.”