Bergs Säteri drives dairy innovation

Located in Mellerud, Västra Götaland, Bergs Säteri HB was awarded the VikingGenetics Herd of the Year 2025 in Sweden. The award was presented during Växa Days, the Dairy and Beef Industry Conference, in Umeå on 27 January 2026. The recognition is based on the farm’s long-term and successful breeding work and its active participation in Nordic breeding programs.

Bergs Säteri is owned and run by Eva Olsson and Ingemar Torstensson, together with Fredrik Torstensson and Ida Widin. The farm has just over 330 milking cows, consisting of VikingHolstein and VikingRed breeds, with an annual yield of 13,000 kg ECM (Energy Corrected Milk, adjusted to 4.2% fat, 3.4% protein). The owners place strong emphasis on breeding and recognize the importance of good-quality animals for success in milk production.

Milking is carried out using six DeLaval robots across two barns. The farm employs seven permanent staff members, supported by seasonal workers. This setup enables efficient daily operations and supports herd management for a large dairy herd.

Breeding work at Bergs Säteri is led by Ida Widin, who collaborates closely with Växa’s breeding advisor Peter Jönsson. Together, they develop breeding plans, select top bulls, and plan embryo flushing. Systematic genomic testing of all heifers ensures that every animal is placed in the production system where it can maximise its potential.

The Herd of the Year award highlights Bergs Säteri’s structured approach to breeding and its contribution to Swedish and Nordic dairy genetics.

Bergs Säteri HB receiving Herd of the Year 2025 in Sweden

At the forefront of breeding

Efficiency and planning play a central role in daily operations at Bergs Säteri. The use of robotic milking allows staff to focus more on animal care, breeding work, and herd management. Work routines are structured to support both production and herd health.

All heifers are genomically tested, and each animal’s future role is actively planned. Based on breeding values, animals are selected for insemination with X-Vik sexed semen, embryo transfer, or insemination with beef semen.

Each heifer’s next step is actively planned to ensure she is placed in the production system where she can maximize her potential. This systematic approach contributes to advances in production levels and secures high genetic progress.

Bergs Säteri operates both as a donor farm and as a recipient herd. The farm is used for embryo flushing in a group of heifers known as ‘embryo donors’. These heifers are carefully selected and purchased as some of the best breeding females in Sweden. Ida Widin ensures that the heifers are well cared for to achieve the best possible embryo production, allowing more offspring to be produced from each top female.

The farm also serves as a recipient herd, meaning it receives embryos from the best female animals in Sweden and implants them into females that are less suitable for breeding. The best offspring then enter the breeding programme again. Since May 2023, approximately 70 embryo calves have been born on the farm.

Bergs Säteri actively works with embryo transfer to increase breeding progress and introduce new cow families into the herd.

The breeding strategy includes the use of X-Vik sexed semen on animals with the highest breeding values. Heifers with moderate breeding values are used as embryo recipients, while animals with lower breeding values are inseminated with beef semen.

Bergs Säteri HB Herd of the Year 2025 in Sweden

Raising the herd’s potential

The Nordic Total Merit index (NTM) is the foundation of all breeding decisions at Bergs Säteri. Important traits include milk yield, health, udder quality, and cow size, with the goal of optimising performance in the robotic milking system.

The farm’s breeding work has produced clear results. In 2025, VikingGenetics purchased five bulls from Bergs Säteri — three VikingHolsteins (VH Kairo, VH Rhubarb, VH U-Star) and two VikingReds (VR Vasse, VR Emil). In addition, four heifers were contracted for embryo transfer programs, and one heifer was purchased for the VikingGenetics embryo program.

“This allows us to quickly raise the breeding level in the herd, which adds extra excitement to our daily work and opens up opportunities for new cow families and good genetics,” says Ida Widin.

A role model for Swedish milk production

Bergs Säteri HB is recognized as a farm that works purposefully and systematically with breeding. Through close collaboration with VikingGenetics, the farm acts as both a donor and recipient herd and plays an active role in Nordic breeding work.

The Herd of the Year Award reflects Bergs Säteri’s participation in genomic selection, embryo flushing, and embryo transfer programs. These activities make the farm an important contributor to the development of Nordic dairy genetics.

By combining structured breeding strategies with modern technology and skilled staff, Bergs Säteri demonstrates how targeted breeding work can support both herd performance and long-term genetic progress.

Farm Facts – Bergs Säteri HB

Owners: Eva Olsson, Ingemar Torstensson, Fredrik Torstensson, Ida Widin
Herd size: ~330 milking cows (VikingHolstein and VikingRed)
Annual yield: 13,000 kg ECM
Milking system: 6 DeLaval robots in two barns
Employees: 7 plus seasonal workers
Breeding strategy: Focus on NTM, milk yield, health traits, cow size, and udder quality; strategic use of sexed semen, embryos, and beef breeds
Breeder of: VH Kairo, VH Rhubarb, VH U-Star, VR Vasse, VR Emil

Vreta - Sweden’s Agricultural School of the Year

The future of dairy farming starts in the classroom — and in the barn. VikingGenetics is excited to announce Vreta Naturbruksgymnasium as Sweden’s Agricultural School of the Year.

Vreta is a leading agricultural school that has worked purposefully and strategically with breeding in the school’s herd for many years – and they are the first-ever recipient of this newly established award.

The award was presented by Hanna Driscoll, Product Manager for VikingHolstein at VikingGenetics, to Elin Andersson, Cia Candell and Andreas Vestlund from Vreta Naturbruksgymnasium.

By combining education with hands-on breeding expertise and strategic genetic planning, Vreta is helping shape how future dairy farmers work with Nordic genetics in practice.