£15,000 extra profit
By utilizing three breeds in a crossbreeding programme, you can expect more than £15,000 extra profit per year in a 240-cow herd.
A study by Dairy Australia has compared the performance of two-breed and three-breed crossbred herds on pasture-based farms and concluded that compared to the two-way cross, the Holstein/Jersey/Red cross showed:
- better fertility
- higher lifespan
- higher level of milk solids
That extra profit is from improvements in production of milk solids and fertility traits alone:
- £11,400 from higher fat and protein content per kg of milk
- £4,235 from fertility related traits
Total financial benefits are expected to be even higher when various direct and indirect cost reductions are accounted for, e.g. lower vet costs, lower culling rates, less work per cow and other.
The estimation of extra profit of £15,635 in financial benefits under UK conditions is based on:
- The ADHB data milk price calculator with the average of three different manufacturing contracts
- The Australian pasture-based crossbreeding study, where three-way crossbreds including Reds had higher milk solids and better fertility than two-way crosses between Holstein and Jersey
Key findings of Australian pasture-based crossbreeding study
|
Parameter |
Two-way cross (Jersey/Holstein) |
Three-way cross (Holstein/Jersey/Red) |
|
Production |
||
|
Milk (litres) |
6,010 |
5,950 |
|
Fat % |
4.24 |
4.37 |
|
Protein % |
3.41 |
3.54 |
|
Fat (kg) |
252 |
257 |
|
Protein (kg) |
204 |
210 |
|
Total fat & protein (kg) |
456 |
467 |
|
Fertility |
||
|
Conception rate (1st service) |
47% |
51% |
|
Pregnant by week 6 |
63% |
71% |
