Working to reap benefits of crossbreeding to produce an easy-care, low input herd

摘要

Traditional breeds including the Dairy Shorthorn and Jersey have been crossed onto a high-indexing Holstein herd to produce an animal most able to exploit grazed grass. Admittedly overall yields are less but higher constituent values help secure a similar price per litre while hybrid vigour helps herd health and longevity, reducing input costs from feeding to labour to vets bills. The dramatic change in breeding policy for the herd at Wall under Heywood, near Church Stretton, came about after Garethspent a year in Australia, during which time he was impressed with the crossbred dairy herds he worked with. Now, at peak, he milks 280 cows after calving in a tight six-week period starting at the end of January. Surplus stock is sold after numbers reach 250. In 2009, 320 are due to calve.