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15th World Simmental Fleckvieh Congress in 2004

Post-Congress Tour in kongres 2.qxd 09-07-03 11:48 Side 2

Simmental - a world breed in Denmark

The Simmental breed was introduced into pure Simmental breed but also includes the Denmark in the 1970's and since its intro- use of Simmental for cross-breeding in a duction the breed has undergone an incre- large number of dairy herds of all the beef dible development.Today Danish Simmental breeds. In Denmark Simmental has the lar- is in the fore-front of beef production in the gest number of inseminations. Danish agricultural sector. Genetics - semen, embryos and breeding Due to the climate almost all animals in Den- stock - have been exported from Denmark to mark are kept in stables during winter. The all parts of the world. This underlines the production of beef is therefore carried out high standard of the breeding work when under very intensive conditions. The Sim- viewed from an international perspective. In mentals have proved to be perfect for these the herd book 9,300 animals are registered,a conditions given their calm temper, amazing number which will grow in the years to co- growth and superb maternal qualities. me.

The first Simmentals were imported from The breeding work is headed by The Danish , and Switzerland. Genetic Simmental Society's executive committee renewal was brought in from Canada, USA, consisting of five regionally elected mem- Great Britain, Ireland and several other coun- bers. The society has more than 300 active tries. The first polled animals were born in members who are all very enthusiastic bree- the mid-eighties and now form a large part ders. of the population. Simmental truly is a world breed in Denmark The great success and progress of the breed where the breed has achieved a world re- in Denmark is undoubtedly a result of the cord in daily weight gain. The world's heavi- very effective and advanced breeding pro- est bull in The Guinness Book of Records is gramme in which the most recent methods also from Denmark - a Danish Simmental are in use. The success is not limited to the bull! kongres 2.qxd 09-07-03 11:49 Side 3

15th World Simmental Fleckvieh Congress in Denmark 2004

In 2004 during the most beautiful time of state runs a project protecting the unique the year - midsummer - the 15th World Sim- nature and landscape of the area.On the slo- mental Fleckvieh Congress takes place in ping hills you will find grazing herds of the Denmark. To participate in the congress will "Forest Breed", a breed based on genetics be an experience to remember for life. Den- from Simmental and several other breeds. mark is an ancient nation of culture and his- The menu of the evening is going to be a tory and is also the world's oldest monarchy. surprise - but we can guarantee you that it The history of the country stretches from Vi- will be a typical Danish meal! Back at the ho- kings to today's modern democratic society tel cheese and red wine will be served with a highly developed business life and a around midnight - another Danish tradition. globally leading agricultural sector. And - of course - the country is internationally recog- Søren Grunnet Chairmann of the Congress committee nized and respected for its Simmental bree- Wednesday, June 23 - Sim- ding work! mentals and Midsummer Eve After an early rise we leave and drive through the characteristic landscape of nor- Sunday, June 20 & Monday, thern to the performance test sta- June 21 - Welcome to Den- tion "Aalestrup". At the station the Danish mark & Welcome to Aarhus performance testing system will be explai- Arrival and accommodation in Aarhus, ned to the participants and a couple of Sim- where a Sub Meeting and a Council Meeting mental bulls will be graded by the Senior will be held. The partners of the congress Adviser for Beef Breeds in Denmark. participants can go on an excursion to "The Old Town" - a museum town in the heart of Lunch will be served at Rold Storkro after a Aarhus City, where many surprisingly beauti- brisk walk through the remarkable Rebild ful old and well preserved old buildings can Hills. be seen. In the afternoon we visit one of the most In the evening a reception marking the offi- outstanding Simmental herds in this part of cial opening of the congress will be held at the country,"Lykke Simmental" - a herd of in- Hiking track at Mols City Hall and is hosted by the city of Aarhus. ternational standards. We will meet the enti- The City Hall was designed by the world fa- re family under typical Danish conditions. mous Danish functionalistic architect, Arne In the evening we shall visit another superb Jakobsen. Simmental herd,"Vingegaard Simmental", well known far beyond the borders of Denmark. The herd resides in beautiful sur- Tuesday, June 22 - Meetings roundings at the old manor "Vingegaard", of and Mols which the history can be traced all the way During the Council Meeting and General back to the Middle Ages. Assembly the partners of the congress parti- cipants can go on a sailboat trip on the "Gu- Midsummer Eve - a very special evening in denaa" and visit the summer residence of Denmark. Throughout the country the Mid- Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, summer Eve is celebrated with bonfires, spe- the castle "Marselisborg". eches, dance and singing.The congress will have its very own Midsummer Eve party at In the evening the congress travels to the Vingegaard. From Vingegaard we drive to idyllic "Mountains of Mols" where the Danish Herning where we find our accommodation. HRH prince Joachim Patronage for the 15th World Simmental Fleckvieh Congress Photo: Mydtskov kongres 2.qxd 09-07-03 11:50 Side 4

Thursday, June 24 - The Dinner, relaxation and accommodation at National Show the beautifully situated Hotel Kolding Fjord. Shuttle buses will take us to The National Show in Herning, the largest and finest show in all of Northern Europe, which opens offici- Saturday, June 26 - The ally on this day. More than 20 different bre- Kings' Jelling and Legoland eds will be exhibited at this show.Simmental Today will be a day filled with culture. In the will be represented by more than 100 ani- morning we visit "The Kings' Jelling" and the mals at a special elite show. Throughout the church of Jelling, which is on the cultural in- day you can watch the judging of the ani- heritance preservatic list of the UN. Here you mals and visit the stables where you will will learn about the arrival of Christianity in The Old Town meet the enthusiastic Danish Simmental Denmark more than a thousand years ago. breeders. Partners of the congress partici- pants who would like another experience In the afternoon we move into the present than The National Show can on their own vi- day by visiting Legoland. This amazing amu- sit some of the exquisite art museums of sement park is based on the world famous Herning. Legotoys. The evening will be at your own disposal. In the evening a special Simmentaler Cham- pionship will take place - the awards will a- mong others be the Awards of Honour do- Sunday, June 27 - following nated by the various countries participating the path of the fairytale wri- in the congress. On this evening you will di- ter Hans Christian Andersen ne in the informal company of Danish bree- The fairytale writer Hans Christian Andersen ders and experience typical Danish "hygge", is known by every child throughout the which means "cosiness". Dinner is proudly world. On the island of we visit his hosted by the Danish Simmental Society. childhood home and the H. C. Andersen mu- seum in Odense. On the small island, Taasinge, the old rennaisance castle Valde-

Legoland Friday, June 25 - The Tidal mar Castle is situated. Near the castle we will Area and Ribe, the oldest board an armada of old Danish sail ships and town of go on a trip in the wonderful surroundings The day will begin with a guided tour of Ri- of the archipelago of southern Funen. be,the oldest town of Scandinavia.In this be- autiful, historical town environment you will In the afternoon we will visit another Sim- learn all about Vikings, see the more than mental herd, "Toftegaard Simmental". This is 1.000 year old cathedral and many other an excellent herd which is an agrigultural sights. niche production - characteristically for beef breed production in Denmark. Besides In the afternoon we will drive to the Tidal Simmental cattle the herd owner also produ- Area to experience the spectacular nature of ces Christmas trees. Strawberries and cream this area. is the special Danish touch of the day.Dinner will be served at the glorious castle "Hved- We will also visit and holm". Late in the evening we bid the fairy- have our lunch at The Schackenborg Castle tale island of Funen goodbye and drive Inn, both owned by His Royal across the 20 kilometer long Great Belt Brid- Prince Joachim of Denmark, who is also the ge to Sealand, where we will be accommod- patron of the 15th World Simmental Fleck- ated. The Jelling Stone vieh Congress in Denmark 2004. kongres 2.qxd 09-07-03 11:51 Side 5

Monday, June 28 - Roskilde In the morning we visit the Cathedral of Ros- kilde, where the Danish kings of the past are buried.We shall also visit The Viking ship mu- seum, a working museum.

In the afternoon it is time for yet another herd visit, namely the excellent Simmental herd of Jens Vilhelm Hansen, where coffee and various Danish cakes and pastries will be served.

The evening is at your own disposal, and Tivoli in will be a perfect place to visit. The chapel of Christian IV, in

Tuesday, June 29 - Wonder- ful Copenhagen and Castle The day will start with a guided tour of Co- penhagen. On the tour we will see the Danish parliament building, Christiansborg, The Round Tower, Castle (the home of the Danish queen Margrethe II) and of course The Little Mermaid.

In the afternoon you will have the opportu- nity to get to know wonderful Copenhagen on your own. Strolling through the streets of Copenhagen is a must! Wreck at the Viking ship museum The 15th World Simmental Fleckvieh Con- gress 2004 ends this evening with a Gala Dinner at the ancient, medieval castle "Kron- borg" - the castle where Shakespearés "Hamlet" took place! From Kronborg you can see directly across the Sound to Sweden, where the post congress tour takes place.

Join the 15th World Simmental Fleckvieh Congress in Denmark 2004 - an experience of "cows and culture"!

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Welcome to Sweden Simmental in Sweden

In 1974-75 the first Simmentals - approxima- Due to the use of performance testing, beef tely 800 heads - were imported to Sweden recording and AI-programmes, the breeding from Switzerland, and in the late 1970’s an material of the purebred population is con- additional number of animals were impor- stantly improving. Cross-breeding with Sim- ted from Austria. The most recent import of mental is very popular in Sweden where the new genetics in form of polled breeding number of commercial cross-breeding cows stock, embryos and semen came from Cana- is approx. 160,000. da. Polled Simmentals are very popular in There are 2,500 registered females in the Sweden, and almost half of the Swedish Sim- Swedish Simmental herdbook, and The Swe- mental population today is polled. dish Simmental Association has 135 mem- bers who are active breeders. Hällinge

World Simmental-Fleckviehs post-congress tour 2004 in Sweden.

Wednesday June 30 2004 Friday July 2 Departure from Copenhagen to Sweden. Vi- Visit in the " Glass district", a part of Sweden sit at Frihult Simmental farm, Blentarp. Gui- famous for its design and sculpturing of ded tour and lunch at Östarp. Visit at Häg- glass. Barbeque and visit at Hällinge Sim- genäs Simmental Farm. Dinner at Fotevikens mental farm,Vetlanda. "Viking village". Accomodation: Star Hotel, Lund Saturday July 3 Eriksbergs game park Transfer to airports - Copenhagen for further Thursday July 1 travel home, or Stockholm for those who Visit at Åbuen Simmental Farm, Hästveda. wish to continue their journey in Scandi- Lunch at Vannaröds Castle.Visit at Eriksbergs navia on their own. game park. Dinner at Ronneby Brunn. kongres 2.qxd 09-07-03 11:52 Side 7

The Glass district 226 Kejsaren. Throughout the years Häg- We will visit Kosta Boda the oldest still func- genäs has had great success in cattle exhibi- tioning glass-manufactory in Sweden. It was tions. founded in 1742 and is a valuable part of our Swedish cultural heritage.The glass is produ- ced by the same methods as were used 250 Åbuen Simmental years ago.We will see glass-blowers creating Owners: Marianne Holmén and Christer amazing work, of arts all by hand. Svensson. About 100 females of which 25 are crossbre- ed. The production of breeding stock, male Frihult Simmental calves are also bred for slaughter. The cow Owners: Madelaine and Bertil Rohlin. line at Åbuen Simmental have their origins Frihult Simmental About 90 females from Switzerland. A well designed breeding A relatively young livestock farm, founded in process has given the herd great success at the middle of the 1990s by the purchase of the Swedish bull testing station. two smaller farms.The herd is mainly of gen- The last six years, the breeding material has uine Swedish descent but the breeding ma- been renewed by importing embryos. In terial has later on been renewed by the 1998 the ET bull 2062 Charlie was born, off- import of embryos, introducing English spring from the Canadian bull FS Mr blood into the Frihult herd by the bull Well- 345C. Charlie is at the top of the Swedish house Dictator.The herd has good exhibition breeding charts both regarding growth and merits. Frihult is situated in an area of great easiness of calving. Charlie has made a great natural beauty. impact on the herd.

Häggenäs Simmental Hällinge Simmental Owners: Eva and Leif Carlsson Owners: Katarina and Hans Bodén

About 50 females About 50 females Häggenäs Simmental A well merited herd where many of the cow This farm has been active since 1974 when lines have their origins from Austria. Häg- the first Simmental import to Sweden took genäs was the first Simmental herd in place. During the 1980s the herd was rene- Sweden to import polled simmental from wed through e.g. English blood, the bull Canada. One of those imports, the bull Ritz- Hockenhull Noah and during the 1990s lund Pol Accel 32B, has made an great im- through polled ET imports from Canada.The pact on the herd. Numerous male calves legendary bull Harkaway Enforcer 164 has from Häggenäs have been sent to the Swe- also had an effekt on the herd. Hällinge has dish bull testing station and many of them many exhibition merits. The farm is beauti- have been selected for the Swedish insemi- fully situated in the southswedish highland. nation programme. The most famous bull is

Åbuen Simmental

Amber by Göran Wärff. Photo: Rolf Hörlin Hällinge Simmental kongres 2.qxd 09-07-03 11:53 Side 8

General information about Denmark General information about Sweden

The kingdom of Denmark consists of a southern part in Sweden is situated on the Scandinavian peninsula betwe- Northern Europe, a northern part - i.e. , the worl- en the neighbouring countries and . d's largest island (in North America), and the Faroes, a Sweden is a rather long country stretching its 2500 km group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean. from the latitude of 55o all the way past the northern Polar Circle which together with the Gulf Stream provides a Denmark is a constitutional monarchy - the world’s oldest great variety in both nature and climate. In the north you - in which Queen Margrethe II has been since will find snow covered mountains bathed in the special 1972. Nordic light and as you travel south, the scenery changes into a flat agricultural landscape where beautiful beaches Denmark consists of the peninsula Jutland - with the also can be found. Sweden has a very long coastline with a national border to Germany in the south - and about 500 large number of archipelagos consisting of thousands of islands of which approx. 100 are inhabited. Being situated islands. in latitudes as northern as Denmatk would not normally indicate good agricultural conditions, but owing to a Sweden became an independent unified state in the 10th branch of the Gulf Stream the opposite is the case. century. Sweden in its present form was formed in 1523 Essentially, Denmark can boast very favourable agricultu- when Gustav Vasa became king and Sweden regained ral conditions and about 64% of Denmark's total area is independence after a 200 year union with Denmark and under cultivation. Agricultural production is concentrated Norway. Sweden is still a monarchy in which Carl XVI on dairy products, beef and pork. However, a number of Gustav is head of state. crops such as grain, in particular wheat, sugar, farm seeds and potatoes (potato flour) also play an important part.To In the beginning of the century agriculture was the main a very large extent Danish agriculture depends on exports occupation of the Swedes but over the years the industry - in 2001 no less than 66% of the aggregate agricultural has more or less taken over. The production of milk and production volume was exported. cheese is very important as the Swedes are big consumers of these products. In 2000 one of the worlds longest brid- Geographic details ges, "Öresundsbron", was taken into use connecting Size 43.000 km2 Sweden with Denmark.

Population App. 5 million Geographic details Size 450.000 km2 Capital Copenhagen Population App. 9 million Practical information E-mail: [email protected] Capital Stockholm

Congress Practical secretariat Kongreskompagniet, Heidi Klixbüll information E-mail: [email protected] Stadevej 3, DK-8220 Brabrand Tlf. + 45 86 29 69 60, Fax +45 86 29 69 80

Danish Simmental Society Swedish Simmental Society Langdyssevej 2 Brunnsgatan 22 DK-6950 Ringkøbing SE-26831 Svalöv Visit our homepage www.simmentaldenmark.dk Visit our homepage www.simmental.se