DAIRY BREEDING CROSSROADS
By James Hill, Executive Officer, ARDB, Australia
Article courtesy of the Red Cow Magazine.

A major shift in dairy cattle breeding is taking place in the dairy herds of California. Fifty large scale herds representing approximately 45000 cows are now fully committed to crossbreeding programs. There are approximately another 100 herds throughout the United States also totally embracing the crossbreeding concept.

During March I accompanied Alastair Dowie , editor of the “Australian Dairyfarmer” magazine, to California, to inspect the crossbreeding being used in the United States Dairy Industry. This visit was made possible by the Swedish Genetics company, Svensk Avel, Karen Moroney’s “Ausred” Company and Creative Genetics in California, owned by Mike Osmundson and Associates.

We visited nine herds ranging in size from 500 to 1300 cows. These herds were situated close to the regional centre of Oakdale, approximately 200 K East of San Francisco. All of these herds were crossbreeding 100% of their stock. The production systems varied from full confinement in free stall barns, to full grazing with no housing. The base herds were predominantly Holstein, with two Jersey based. Some of the herds were included in Dr. Les Hansen’s crossbreeding trials, conducted through the University of Minnesota.

The herds were all originally high production herds with averages from 12500 to 13000 kilograms of milk per cow. The objective most herd owners aimed to achieve through crossbreeding was to lift the performance of their herd in traits such as fertility, calving ease, calf mortality and vigour, milk components, mastitis resistance, feet , legs and general mobility. By improving these traits the herds were showing increased longevity and substantially reduced culling rates. All herds reported culling rate reductions of at least 15% between the original Holstein herds and the crossbreds. The average cull rate in Californian herds is 35%, however the herds visited reported cull rates on their crossbreds between 10% and 20%.

Calving intervals were significantly reduced in all herds visited. The original herds had calving intervals between 420 and 440 days compared to the crossbred with 365 to 405 days. This leads to a huge saving in replacement heifer costs and may also provide an additional income stream from the sale of surplus stock. There is a growing demand for crossbred females in the United States.

Farmers operating grazing systems made the observation that the crossbreds seemed to handle the system more effectively and maintained body condition better than the straight Holsteins. There was a general feeling that the crossbreds were more efficient feed converters. One farmer, who also ran a heifer rearing enterprise, reported a 15 cents per day per animal reduction in feed costs, on crossbred over Holstein.

The breeds being used in the crossbreeding programs include Holstein Friesian, Jersey, Montbeliarde, Brown Swiss, Normandie and Scandinavian Reds including Swedish, Danish and Norwegian. All herd owners stated that they would only use the top ranked bulls from each breed.
At least a three-way cross, in rotation, was being used in all cases. Some herd owners were using a four-way cross:-
Holstein Friesian X Jersey X Swedish X Danish
Holstein Friesian X Montbeliarde X Swedish X Danish
Holstein Friesian X Jersey X Brown Swiss X Swedish

The most popular three-way cross currently being used is:-
Holstein Friesian X Montbeliarde X Scandinavian

The Montbeliarde has been used extensively on Holstein Friesian herds as the first cross. This cross provides a stronger constitution with very good udders while maintaining high levels of production and improved components. Scandinavian breeds were then used over the Holstein Friesian X Montbeliarde. The Swedish Red is emerging as the favoured breed. Introduction of the Swedish Red into the crossbreeding program, lifts component yields of the base Holstein herd by 7%. In addition, they are substantially reducing somatic cell counts as well as improving fertility and calving ease.

Other factors of improvement identified with crossbreds, include improved calf survival and vigour. Most farmers stated they no longer had to tube feed newborn calves to ensure they received the first feed of colostrum. The crossbred calves are on their feet and suckling within a few minutes of birth. This vigour appears to be extending into the later life of the animals with improved mobility and grazing ability.

All of the farmers indicated they would continue to use their chosen breeds in rotation. Depending on individual herd and cow assessment, some modification in breeds and order of rotation, may be necessary. At this stage all herd owners indicated they would maintain some influence of their original herds in their breeding program.

The Californian farmers are all aiming to maintain high levels of hybrid vigour within their herds. This can only be achieved by employing at least a three way cross. This process of breeding is returning significant financial benefits to their enterprises, with savings in the breeding and health traits of the animals. This of course leads to lowered veterinary costs and far less need for antibiotics and heat synchronising drugs. All this is achieved along with an improvement in productive capacity.

I believe this trend towards crossbreeding will create increased worldwide demand for “Red Genetics”. The challenge for our seedstock producers, may even be, to supply sufficient high quality genetics to satisfy this demand. Perhaps the overriding message is, that there is opportunity for genetic improvement, as well as hybrid vigour benefits from crossbreeding, if the top genetics from each breed are used.

 

Photo courtesy Sheri Martin, Genetics Australia