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VikingNews UK 03 2016
7 / 24
in 2007, researchers at the university of
minnesota
started a crossbreeding study analyzing data of the crossbred and purebred
cows
on eight dairy farms in the united states of america (usa). these dairy producers were disappoint- ed with the health, fertility, and surviv- al of their pure
holstein
cows
. the combination of vikingred, montbeliarde and
holstein
had proved to be a profitable cross and the univer- sity of
minnesota
studied the concept. short after this, the system procross came to life and the circle
holstein
- vikingred-montbeliarde is powering stable, productive and healthy herds. the first conclusive results from the university state that the three breeds combine and compensate very well their strong and weak points making the perfect balance. ?the procross three-breed rotational crossbreeding program will create a very stable herd procross ? the only proven cross breeding concept in the world to be able to define an efficient strategy for your herd requires not only inspiration but also thinking out of the box. opening your mind can mean success in your breeding plan when you transform possibilities into economic success. by veronica löfgren, communicator vikinggenetics results: the university of
minnesota
published scientific conclusions in january 2016 about the suc- cess of crossbreeding on eight high-performing dairy herds, where 2,265
cows
(montbeliarde x
holstein
, vikingred x
holstein
and pure
holstein
cows
), finished their first lactation. results show that crossbred groups are superior in cow fertility, less stillbirth rates and healthier calves, better survival to second lactation and smaller sized
cows
. table 1: technical scores.
holstein
montbeliarde x
holstein
vikingred x
holstein
number of
cows
1134 548 583 age at calving (months) 23.9 23.8 23.7 milk (kg) milk (lb) 10,790 23,787 10,954 24,150 10,537 23,230 fat and protein (kg) fat and protein (lb) 741 1,633 760 1,675 749 1,651 stillbirth (%) 9 4 5 first service conception rate (%) 38 43 47 survival to 2nd calving (%) 80 84 83 source: university of
minnesota
and procross official web page. heterosis: is the opposite of inbreeding. when genes are mixed with different breeds, the offspring gets a bonus on top of the parental average. for fertility and health traits, it is approx. 8-10% bonus and for production, the effect of heterosis is approx. 4-5%. because, over generations,
cows
will have the blended characteristics of the
holstein
, montbeliarde, and vikingred breeds,? the university of
minnesota
af- firms as a part of its recent conclusions in the beginning of 2016. ?the reason why it works is that you include
holstein
that has high-level production and good udders with vi- kingred, bringing health traits, fertility, easy-calving and longevity. then you have montbeliarde which gives high protein production. they are three very different breeds that fit very well to- gether?, hielke wiersma, export man- ager for procross, states. always use the best bulls the scientific report by the university of
minnesota
states that crossbreeding gives heterosis and solves inbreeding prob- lems, they recomment to always use the right breeds, follow the plan and use the best bulls within these breeds. 7 september 2016 | vikingnews
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