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An easier life with ProCROSS crossbred cows

Patrick Cock switched to the three-way rotation of VikingRed and Montbéliarde on his Holstein base in 2012 and 6-7 years later was milking 75% crossbred cows. Read about his journey to a more profitable herd.

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Patrick Cock from Ashburton in Devon made the switch to ProCROSS around 10 years ago, transitioning from three-times-a-day Holsteins at 12,000 litres, 3.88% fat and 3.17% protein to a more grazing oriented system.

He says he was tired of ‘pumping cows and the hospital pen’ and describes his realisation that he could crossbreed without having to have small Jersey crosses on a spring calving system as an ‘enlightening moment’. This enabled him to make best use of existing facilities.

“You can’t put one and a half cows in a cubicle,” he remarked. His only hesitation remained the loss of his pedigree status, while his 1,100 TB reactors almost put paid to any change.

ProCROSS cows

Improved reproductive performance and milk quality

He switched to the three-way rotation of VikingRed and Montbéliarde on his Holstein base in 2012 and 6-7 years later was milking 75% crossbred cows.

Calving in two defined spring and autumn blocks, today he’s seen a marked increase in reproductive performance including a lift in conception rate from roughly 30% to 43-45% and a 40-day reduction in calving index.

Veterinary inputs for fertility are now almost nul and the stillbirth rate has been halved, while lameness, mastitis and culling rates all declined. Milk quality had moved from 3.88% to 4.47% fat and 3.17% to 3.54% protein although volume had decreased on a lower input system to 8,300kg.

Now using all sexed dairy semen he was surprised to find results were comparable with conventional semen. “It may be due to the ProCROSS cow, and I am sure they do help, but it’s also the sexed semen technology,” he said.

Its use has enabled him to use more beef sires and he says: “We are just trying to create more livestock value and maybe supply surplus heifers.”

ProCROSS crossbred cows

Improving the value of livestock

Finished steers and cull cows have a higher value, with British Blues out of the crossbred cows selling particularly well.

“There’s around £150 extra value in a Monty than a Holstein steer,” he says. While finished Holstein cross steers were previously grading at P- and P+, those from crossbred dams are mostly O+ and some of the Montbéliardes grade R.

Also praising the Montbéliardes’ dairy qualities, he finds their flat lactation curve means they can still be giving 30 kg with high components in late lactation.

Heifers stay out through their first winter and calves are described as ‘slightly more robust’ and are reared outside. “That means no straw, no dung and we don’t really get respiratory problems,” he says.

 

Selecting the right bulls

Remarking on the diversity of bloodlines across the three breeds, he says: “If you select the right bulls you can have a super ProCROSS herd that is smaller, for example, if you want a grazing herd.

“Or if you want to house and milk three times a day, you can still do that with bigger cows. Most of us will probably go the middle way,” he said, adding that his gut feeling was to use the VikingRed as the first cross.

“The problems with the Holstein are size, legs and feet, and fertility and the VikingRed does most for those traits,” he says. Praising, in particular, the VikingReds’ hoof health index, he says: “It is based on real hoof health and I would say it’s very accurate.”

ProCROSS crossbred cows

“We are in a better place”

As a fairly early adopter of ProCROSS, he warned producers not to make the mistakes he’d made. He said these included not starting sooner, not crossing the entire herd at the outset, and being tempted by ‘me too Scandi offerings’.

Asked if his profits were higher with the ProCROSS, he said TB had completely distorted his costings. “But there is no doubt about it, I am sure we are in a better place because of the cow, and the herd is more pleasurable to work with,” he said.

 

Patrick’s advice to other farmers:

  • If you think it’s for you, start now
  • Cross all of your cows
  • Use VikingRed first
  • Montbeliardes are great cows
  • Look forward to a more pleasurable herd to work with
  • Don’t recreate the wheel, learn from the mistakes and experiences of others
  • You can breed whatever type of ProCROSS cow you desire
Learn more about ProCROSS
ProCROSS crossbred cows

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