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VikingNews UK 2018-02
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18 vikingnews | november 2018
procross
cows
superior in converting
feed
into milk les hansen, ph.d., dairy cattle genetics specialist from the university of minnesota, who has headed several research projects on the crossbreeding system
procross
, presented the results of a study about
feed
efficiency and stated that
procross
cows
are inherently able to convert
feed
more efficiently into milk solids compared to holstein
cows
. ? improved
feed
efficiency can be added to the list of ad- vantages of
procross
cows
over holstein
cows
,? professor hansen explained in lisbon, por- tugal, last summer. the study was the research project of ph.d. grad- uate student dr. brittany shon- ka-martin at the university of minnesota, he said. she compared 123 first-lactation
cows
(63 pro- cross and 60 holstein) and 80 second-lactation and third-lacta- tion
cows
(43
procross
and 37 holstein) for dry matter intake, body weight, height, body condi- tion score, milk volume, and fat plus protein production over a three-year period. all
cows
were fed the same tmr (total mixed ration) twice daily in tie-stalls.
feed
samples were collected twice weekly to determine dry matter content.
feed
intakes were recorded from days four to 150 of lactation. ?fat and protein production (kg) was no different for the two groups during the first lactation or during the second and later lactations. however, the
procross
cows
had higher percentages of fat and pro- tein in their milk than the hol- stein. for most milk markets, milk price is based mainly on the sol- ids in milk,? hansen said. the trial also demonstrated that
procross
cows
carried sig- nificantly more body condition but were no different to holstein
cows
in terms of body weight; ?the smaller frame sizes of the
procross
cows
combined with increased body condition en- hances fertility and health which are among the advantage of
procross
cows
over hol- stein,? he added. ?in an uncertain dairy economy where every penny counts, even the smallest increase in revenue or reduction in expenses can have a positive impact on farm profitabili- ty,? stéphane fitamant, managing director of
procross
, said. independent research into
feed
efficiency is vital and of high im- portance for the dairy industry.
feed
efficiency
cows
are sustaina- ble
cows
that reduce methane gas thanks to a more efficient body,
procross
cows
are environ- ment-friendly animals.
procross
conference the
procross
conference ?lower
feed
costs ? increase your profits? in portugal attracted farmers and journalists from spain, italy, france, the united kingdom, the netherlands, germany and sweden.
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