Dairy goats with a good character that produce milk mainly from grass!
In the north of the Netherlands, Walte and Willeke Veldman live together with their family, since 2011, in the beautiful Frisian place Wijckel. On the farm are currently milk 750 dairy goats. In 2021, the company will switch from conventional to a organic farm system. The goats will absolutely be able to handle this. Animals with functional udders and strong legs that can easily handle a lot of fresh grass, that’s how you can describe the Saanen goats of Walte and Willeke.
Within the breeding program of Goat Improvement Company, the ability to achieve a high milk production from mainly roughage plays a major role. Walte and Willeke Veldman have also been selecting for this for years and the performance of their animals proves the success of this breeding strategy. The genetics of Walte and Willeke are therefore an absolute asset to the genetics selection of Goat Improvement Company.
An interesting aspect of Walte and Willeke’s breeding strategy is that the character of the goats is also an important selection criterion. Goats that are focused on people, are easy going and are calm in the milking parlor, these are goats that Walte and Willeke like to see.
Willeke Veldman about her breeding strategy:
“Goats must not only have the natural ability to easily give a lot of milk, but they must also really want to do it for the farmer. A good character is essential for a dairy goat ”