Case study: phenotypic and economic effect of crossbreeding in a Swedish red and white dairy cattle herd

Abstract: Profitable dairy production is always strived for. In recent years, dairy production in developed countries struggle with genetic problems like increasing inbreeding, reduced fertility and at the same time increasing market demands for competitiveness. This affects the profitability in dairy production and therefore it is of interest to investigate possible solutions for these problems. Crossbreeding or pure-breeding is two suggested solutions. Many studies have compared crossbreeding effects for Holstein Friesian cattle but from a Swedish perspective the second largest breed Swedish Red dairy cattle, is of interest as well. Traits investigated were, kg milk, kg fat, kg protein, cow survival, somatic cell count, conception rate, height at withers and live weight. By using information from literature and interviews two different crossbreeding schemes were created for a Swedish Red dairy cattle herd. For these two schemes three-breed rotational crossbreeding was the basis. The first included the breeds Swedish Red dairy cattle, Holstein Friesian and Montbéliarde (named ProCross) and the second the breeds Swedish Red dairy cattle, Jersey and Montbéliarde (named SJM cross). Simulations of 30 years of crossbreeding or pure-breeding were then done so that the phenotypic and economic effect for the Swedish Red dairy cattle breed could be compared. The results give an estimate of the combined total merit for the breeds used in ProCross and SJM. However, other traits not included in this study might affect the result differently. From an SRB perspective pure-breeding is competitive to these two tested crossbreeding schemes. With current market prices, the SJM cross gave the best profit of the two crossbreed scenarios. It is suggested that combining SJM crosses with a purebred nucleus might increase the overall herd profit even more. To verify this and find the most profitable combination more studies on different breed and herd group combinations are needed.