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Becker sacrifices some milk production for positive traits Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Agri News staff writer
CRESCO, Iowa -- Jed Becker, a dairy farmer, discussed the trade-off of crossbreeding June 17 during a Northeast Iowa Graziers pasture walk at his Cresco farm.
Bringing different breeds' genetics into a Holstein herd can mean less milk production, but producers can make money from higher calf survival rates and shorter calving intervals, he said.
Becker, who is also president of the Northeast Iowa Community-Based Dairy Foundation, began crossbreeding in 2003 and has a three-way continuous cross breeding program with Holstein, Jersey and Swedish Red genetics.
In the last four years, milk production for his 33-cow herd dropped 2,000 pounds but the reproductive rate has doubled. The herd has a 19,000 pound rolling herd average, with 4.2 percent butterfat and 3.3 percent protein.
Pasture walk attendees saw the cows and the 12-acre field of orchard grass and alfalfa on which they're currently grazing. His cows are also fed corn silage, hay and a grain mix with vitamins and minerals.
The field is divided into three paddocks. As cows graze in one paddock, Becker moves the breakwire twice a day so the herd has access to new forage. In July, he'll move them to a different field. The cows can graze up to 180 days and overwinter in a tie-stall barn. Every five to six years, Becker plants corn on the field to discourage pests from establishing there.
Sire selection is most important to his artificial insemination crossbreeding program. He uses proven bulls and has increased his standards of udder cleft values.
He first picked Jerseys for crossbreeding because they are noted for calving ease and fertility. There's many good Jersey bulls from which to choose and they do a good job of converting dry matter into milk, he said. He incorporated Swedish Red genetics for hybrid vigor and because of the breed's high production rates for butterfat and protein.
"What I get paid for," he said.
The breed also has good productive and health traits, delivery ease and longevity, he said.
He's learned to only use tall Jersey bulls to keep his herd an even height and has incorporated a color-coated ear tag system that denotes the breed of each cow's last sire.
"I have to pay more attention to some of the minor traits, such as feet and legs and udder support. I have to pay more attention to type," he said.
A lot of crossbreeding research is coming out of eight or nine U.S. institutions, including the University of Minnesota, plus New Zealand and Australia, said Dale Thoreson, Iowa State University Extension livestock specialist. Studies are looking for breeding differences and hybrid vigor for key dairy traits. Their subjects include Montbeliarde, Normande, Brown Swiss, Jersey and Scandinavian Red.
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