This is VDR Sandra 46 VG-87 (<Gigaliner). The beautifully complete two-year-old at VDR Holsteins is joined by dam Sandra 5 EX-90 (<Bandares), grandam Sandra 2 EX-92 (10,000 kg/22,000 lb fat & protein) and great-grandam Sandra 1 VG-88 (120,446 kg/265,578 lb milk).

It is likely that precisely this month she will pass the milestone of 10,000 kg/22,000 lb fat & protein. The ten-year-old VDR Sandra 2 EX-92 (<Malki) thus provides ultimate proof that she combines all of the qualities that her breeder Henk-Jan van de Riet finds essential for a good milking cow. Travel along to VDR Holsteins in the Netherlands and discover the intriguing Global Cow top-10 finalist Sandra 2, her splendid female descendants, and bestselling sons such as VDR Slash and Shakespeare.

JORDEN STEGINK, HAN HOPMAN

From various perspectives, VDR Holsteins is an appealing destination. First of all, there is the scenic route along stately trees and historic buildings, across the grounds of Weldam Castle. It is on these grounds with more than six centuries of history that Henk-Jan van de Riet made a start on his dream in 2004. ‘What job would I have chosen if I had not become a dairy farmer? I really have no idea.’ His wife Juliëtte, a spatial planning consultant by profession, cannot think of another option. ‘Henk-Jan lives for the farm and breeding. For example, nearly every evening, he scrolls on his cell phone for the one bull that he has not yet discovered… but of whom he is absolutely certain exists somewhere. Every mating that Henk-Jan concocts, is realized. In Henk-Jan’s breeding world, there are no obstacles.’

UNCOMPROMISING

Henk-Jan van de Riet follows entirely his own path as a breeder. ‘I grew up on a dairy farm not too far from here. My father worked exclusively with herd bulls, every one of them purchased at the market. After the daughters of the first Holstein bull blew me away with their high production, I wanted to know everything about the Holstein breed. For that reason, I devoured every bull catalogue that I could get my hands on. A short while later, I was about fourteen years old, my dad handed the reins to me. Subsequently, with my youthful and unlimited imagination, I developed my breeding ideas. Not that I immediately had my own personal True Type in mind. Breeding ideas develop over the course of years. However, there is one aspect, since my very first steps in breeding, from which I have never deviated. For every bull that I contemplate using, I want to see a picture. Nowadays there are a lot of bulls, which based on their own conformation, absolutely do not make me happy. For example, when I notice that the front hooves of a bull are facing outward, then I will definitely not use him.’

Van de Riet breeds completely uncompromisingly. And for one reason. ‘We want nothing other than good milking cows in the barn. By that I mean productive cows, without even the slightest problem, so that every day, we can enjoy going to the barn. That has, to our satisfaction, worked out very well.’

TRUE TYPE

Time for a tour, during which we are, of course, looking for VDR Sandra 2. After calving seven times and reaching lifetime production of 2,717 days 106,178 kg/230,4079 lb 5.36% 3.93%, the Dutch Cow of the Year 2024 still appears full of life and extremely productive. Van de Riet bred the pitch black Malki daughter out of an also still present and powerful Minos (<Mascol) daughter with 120,446 kg/265,578 lb milk and, just like daughter Sandra 2, 10,000 kg/22,000 lb fat & protein. Van de Riet started his successful family with a Roumare who was purchased as an embryo, who via an O-Man daughter traces back to the influential Etazon Hyde (HI 02/22), from Veneriete Holsteins.

Sandra 2 splendidly displays the personal True Type cow of her breeder. ‘A good dairy cow from my perspective produces lots of milk with high components, entirely problem-free. In addition, she needs to display outstanding feet & legs for easy movement to the feed bunk. I also require the necessary late maturity, so that during the first lactation she continues to develop production capacity and has the potential to become old.’ For Van de Riet, Sandra 2 has just one disadvantage. ‘In my eyes, she is so complete that I find it difficult to find sires for her that would be able to improve her as my personal True Type.’

Nevertheless, Van de Riet’s limitless imagination does not leave him hanging here. Of the eight daughters of Sandra 2 so far, first of all VDR Sandra 5 EX-90 (<Bandares) has been very successful. Displaying lots of capacity, splendidly uddered, and as an elite producer good for an average of nearly 10% fat & protein, she provided the young KI Samen bull VDR Supergrass (<Willem’s-Hoeve R Canum). Her similarly nice daughter VDR Sandra 20 VG-87 (<Martin) provided the popular VDR Styles (<Batenburg Ginstream) for KI Samen. VDR Steven Tyler, the highest gNVI sire from the Sandra family and tested by KI Kampen, descends directly from Sandra 5. From the same combination, with the milky German bull Gigaliner, descends VDR Sandra 46 VG-87. This both beautiful and above all, complete two-year-old, is the telling photo model for this report.

SIRE SOURCE

Out of another successful Sandra 2 daughter, the third lactation and component-rich VDR Sandra 7 VG-88 (<Barcley, 1270 47,534 kg/104,793 lb 5.49% 4.21%), Intermizoo is testing the pitch black Siemers Prada son VDR Stradella (4398 gPFT). ‘The background to this was a spontaneous visit by Wim de Boer from Veecom and a number of employees from Intermizoo. They were greatly impressed by our Sandras, and indicated that they would like to have bulls. After Prada son Stradella was born, they were eager to test him. Now they would like to flush the Gigaliner daughter Sandra.’

Van de Riet expects that in the coming years, more VDR sires will have an AI career. For example, prospective successors of the bestselling Sandra 2 sons VDR Slash (<Balu, 8,661 daughters) from KI Samen and VDR Shakespeare (<Ranger, 2,152 daughters) and Saul Hudson (<Barcley) from KI Kampen. A very popular bull dam is the milky VDR Sandra 34 (<Delta Amuse), bred out of the notably wide and big-capacity Sandra 10 VG-85 (Floris-Sandra 2). ‘CRV is planning to test the Delta Boreso son VDR Spike out of Sandra 34,’ explains Van de Riet, who also sees a lot of potential in the not yet fresh Sandra 48 (Parfect-Sandra 2). ‘Her first daughter, from seven pregnancies with Peak RUW Madtime, immediately tested 400 gNVI. High testing animals out of a Parfect dam with round frame qualities are rather uncommon.’

The VDR herd, thanks to the high-quality and complete Sandra family, is a popular source of sires. Nevertheless, Henk-Jan and Juliëtte van de Riet consider the breeding of AI sires to be secondary. ‘Our breeding strategy is entirely focussed on breeding good milking cows for our herd,’ comments Henk-Jan who displays yet another attractive Sandra 2 daughter from the combination with…. Comestar Leader. ‘Twenty years ago, this Canadian provided daughters with tremendous “spring of rib” and feet & legs with flat bones. Of course, he still does that. This nice, complete two-year-old provides wonderful proof.’ l

VDR HOLSTEINS IN THE NETHERLANDS

Henk-Jan van de Riet.

Owners: Henk-Jan and Juliëtte van de Riet Located in Markelo, province of Overijssel (eastern Netherlands) 90 milking cows, 56 head of young stock, and 10 young herd bulls Average production: 9,800 kg/21,605 lb 4.78% 3.72% Average conformation score: 83.2 (two-year-olds) 80 ha/198 acres cultivated: 41.5 ha grass, 12 ha corn, 10 ha grain, 5 ha faba beans, 1.5 ha fodder beets. Milking cow ration: TMR of grass silage, corn silage, fodder beets, faba beans, and barley Current sires: Peak RUW Madtime, Batenburg Ginstream, Siemers Prada, various VDR sires and Beef-on-Dairy