Archive for April, 2009

Apr 21 2009

Irish Research Now Complete on Norwegian Red Breed for Crossing on Holsteins! Irish Farmers Crossing to Norwegian Red in Large Numbers!

Tedby Ted under Postings, Results of designed research trials

by Dr. Ted Burnside, Technical Advisor, Geno Global

The commercial dairy industry in the Republic of Ireland is dependent on annual calving of 100-150 cows per farm, and efficient milk solids production from grass. This industry has now accepted a fine research project carried out on 50 farms by Moorepark Research Centre on the Norwegian Red as a breed to cross over Holsteins, Holstein-Friesians and Jersey x Holstein crosses for commercial cheese production. The study has verified that the Norwegian Red crosses on Black-and-Whites are much more fertile, reduce mastitis problems and lameness, and last much longer than the purebred Holsteins. Farmers are now using Norwegian Red (NR) Elite proven sires in their across-the-herd AI breedings in very significant numbers in preference to Jersey sires, which started the crossing programs in Ireland, as well as across the board on their Holstein cows or Holstein-Friesians. They find the NR x HF cows are closer in size and yield to the Holstein-Friesians, than the Jersey x Holstein-Friesian crosses, bringing more at culling, that their bull calves are in demand for fattening, and that the cows have higher milk solids yield. No doubt some will opt to include the Jersey in a three-breed rotational cross, but it is also likely that many will settle on a two-breed rotation with NR and Holsteins used every other generation. Geno Global, the Norwegian AI Breeding firm trademarks this rotational cross the TWOPLUS cross!

Some farmers in Ontario and Western Canada and the USA are now expressing expanded interest in the Norwegian Red breed as a large trial in Canada reaches its third year. Over 450 NRxHO heifers are in milk, and they are actually milking within 70 kg at 305 days of their pure Holstein herdmates with 5-10 kg more fat and protein. Moreover the NRxHO crosses have substantially lower mastitis problems and breed back fast. Preliminary data indicate less than 1% death losses in the NRxHO during their first lactations, and this figure is now being compared to rather higher wastage rates for purebreds in the 60+ herds on the trial. Culling rates also look to be very low. Farmers are just beginning to realize that crossbred cows are trouble-free and they last longer with lower death and culling rates. One mid-western USA dairyman, who is also a veterinarian, tells me that since crossing his 850-cow herd to Norwegian Reds over the past six years, he is producing more heifers than he needs to maintain cow numbers, and has been able to expand his herd 10% per year over the past 3 years, and cull out problems cows at the same time. He and his brother have young family members interested in the business and are putting up new barns. Crossing to Norwegian Reds is a simple way to grow a dairy business without the capital outlay and health risks of buying in cows for herd expansion. With sexed semen now available from top proven NR sires, one can accelerate heifer production even faster!

Read more in April 18, 2009 Irish Farmer’s Journal article: “Norwegian Red crossbred – an Irish solution?”.

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Apr 13 2009

Norwegian Reds come out top in reproduction trials

by admin under Results of designed research trials

Livestock News | 9 April, 2009

Simon Wragg and Katie Lomas continue their report from the British Society of Animal Science’s (BSAS) annual conference.

The reproductive performance of Norwegian Red dairy cattle was significantly better than that of Holstein Friesians in a study carried out under commercial farm conditions in Northern Ireland.

Conrad Ferris from the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) said: “The focus on milk production traits has had a negative impact on fertility, health and longevity. Although these weaknesses are now being addressed there is considerable interest in Scandinavian breeds, as they have been using a multi-trait selection programme for some time.”

Selection criteria

Fertility traits account for 18 per cent of the selection criteria in the Norwegian Red dairy cow population in Norway and as a result the 60-day non-return rate to first AI was recently calculated at 72.5 per cent for this group.

A total of 221 maiden heifer Norwegian dairy cattle were imported onto 19 commercial dairy farms in Northern Ireland to establish how these cattle would perform outside of Norway, where farming systems differ greatly from those in the UK.

These were compared with an equal number of home-bred Holstein Friesians of similar age on each farm.

The study, carried out until the cows reached their sixth lactation, showed more Norwegian Red cattle completed each of the lactations when compared to the Holstein Friesians.

 

Longevity

“It’s interesting to look at the numbers of cows which disappeared off the study – 16.3 per cent of the Holstein Friesians were still alive at the end of lactation five compared to 27.2 per cent of the Norwegian Reds,” said Dr Ferris.

Of the cows culled during the study (excluding cows culled for diseases such as TB and brucellosis and due to farmers leaving the study) 28.5 per cent of the Holsteins were culled due to infertility compared to 11.8 per cent of Norwegian Reds.

 

Conception rates

Conception to first AI was significantly higher for the Norwegian cattle in lactations one, two and three with there being little difference between the breeds in later lactations.

In terms of production in lactations one and two, the Holstein Friesians did outperform the Norwegian Reds but there was little difference for the other lactations.

The Norwegian cattle had lower SCC for all lactations, which is reflective of the selection programme used for many years in their country of origin.

Although the study looked solely at ‘breed substitution’ Dr Ferris said there was scope for cross-breeding to counter fertility problems within Holstein breed genetics.

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