South East Dairy Stock Travel Log: Volume I

We are constantly working hard at SEDS, taking time to carefully research and explore the finest dairy farm and heifers in Europe. By pushing to expand our network, we can ensure that only the healthiest and most productive dairy heifers are introduced to your farm.

Colm has just returned from Germany where he spent a week examining and acquiring the stock available among Germany and Denmark’s finest herds. In just six days, Colm travelled to three countries, appraised heifers from a lot of different farms, grouped the heifers to suit each customer specification and delivered on trucks.

It was a busy week – read on below for a breakdown of the full trip, including an insight into the quality heifers now available at South-East Dairy Stock and for some travel tips for Germany and beyond.

 Sunday:

Time to pack up, take the duty-free orders from family and friends and hit the road. Colm had to jump on a late flight out so there was just enough time to grab a meal, check in at the hotel and prepare for the busy week ahead.

Hamburg is a wonderful place to visit if you are considering a German city break. It really is a quintessential German city, with great architecture and great food. We recommend the Bratwurst stalls on Moenckebergstr and Jungfernstieg for a real taste of Germany. The world’s largest model train track is in Hamburg and needs to be seen to be believed, measuring 1,367.21 km (about the distance from Florida to New York City) in length! It also includes a working airport, with planes that take off!

 Monday:

After a brief stop in Hamburg, Colm hit the road in the early hours, first heading for North-west Germany in search of in-calf heifers - Located just outside of Schwerin, known for its neo-Renaissance palace with ornate rooms and elaborate gardens. A beautiful, gothic town for those who want to travel off the beaten path.

Colm then set off East, landing just outside of Stenda to select Fresian heifer reared calves. Settling in for the night after a long day’s driving.

 Tuesday:

Another early morning put Colm on the road to the Danish border to select in-calf, red and white heifers in the North Germany region, near Schafflund at the Danish border, for a special order.

Schafflund is a municipality in the district of Schleswig-Flensburg, unfortunately Colm and the team would not recommend planning any holiday trips here. It is a town for business with little in the form of sightseeing.

Wednesday:

After several days searching Germany for the best heifers on the market, it was time for Colm to move further afield. Winding up in Muxall, North Germany and crossing into Denmark to Skaebaek to select extremely high yielding Danish Holstein heifers - Colm was really impressed with the quality of Holstein Heifer on display in Skaebaek. Danish Holsteins provide one of the highest dairy yields among all breeds and make an excellent addition to any dairy farm.

Skaebaek is a wonderful place to start a Danish adventure – with plenty of fun and activities for kids and adults alike. The fresh Danish air is one of the hidden gems of Skaebaek though, you will leave feeling more refreshed than ever.

Thursday:

Despite an already hectic week, Thursday was a really busy day! Beginning with sorting heifers at the assembly point to complete the paperwork in Timmel, a small town along the German-Dutch border. With 34 in-calf heifers and 15 reared fresian heifer calves for 5 clients in total, Colm and the team had their hands full.

With all heifers counted and sorted, by Thursday afternoon, it was time to select maiden heifers for immediate insemination at the Dutch border, in a German town called Bad Bentheim. There is nothing bad about this quaint German town though, an excellent destination for a sleepy gothic weekend getaway.

The cattle truck made it onto the boat by Thursday night, crossing from Holland to Killingholme in England. From there the truck journeyed on to Scotland to cross by ferry into Northern Ireland where the premium selection of in-calf heifers and friesian heifer calves were delivered to 5 happy farms.

 
Friday:

The time had arrived for Colm to pack up and head home after a highly productive, enjoyable, and busy week in Europe. Not only did he manage to find an outstanding crop of heifers to provide to some very happy customers, Colm also secured enough additional heifers to fill four more trucks!

Colm plans to return to Germany next week to begin loading and transporting the next four transports of Europe’s finest dairy heifers.

He did forget the Duty-Free orders, but you cannot win them all we suppose.