Liisa and Petri Rojo have been milk producers for 20 years at the Lamminranta farm in Siilinjärvi, Finland. They have 120 VikingHolstein and their production average is 13,150 kg ECM.
The numbers behind the success of this Finnish farm speak for themselves. Besides an average milk production that any family dairy farm would love to have, the average calving rate is just over three calvings and the lifetime production of the cows averages almost 39,000 kg ECM.
The farm has had five cows with more than 100,000 kg ECM produced over their lifetime – three of whom are still in production.
With the production contract system they have, the importance of milk composition has increased when choosing bulls.
“Our breeding goals have been milk production and good udders. The other goals come on the side; we don't breed for show cows."
To help with the work, they have a barn worker and in addition, their son Arttu takes care of the machines on the farm alongside the work on his own farm. The herd is now a pure Holstein herd, because the Ayrshire cows left the herd when the Rojos switched to automatic milking in 2005.
"At the same time as our barn was completed, a farm here in the village ceased its production. They had bought purebred Frisian cows in the 1970s and bred them. We bought good heifer calves from there," says Petri Rojo.
