For generations the breed has been working to reduce calving interval length. The quicker a cow becomes pregnant again, the better the economics. There is a global consensus on this point. But is this breeding goal still practical? In times of ever increasing production? In times where the high-risk time around calving is viewed as the main determinant on a cows economic viability? In times where calves are decreasing in value and replacements are being procured with sexed semen? We found a breeder who has a different definition for what the ideal calving interval should be. His theses, which are now also supported by science, seem to be convincing. A meeting with Gerd Karch in Germany.