Why crossbreed?
Holstein World: Why have dairy producers become interested in using crossbreeding in their breeding programs? What are some of the advantages and/or disadvantages that may result?
Dr. Les Hansen: Why the interest? Because of the frustration with 1) the fertility of pure Holstein cows, 2) the calving difficulty of 1st calf Holstein heifers (stillbirth rates are too high, as well), 3) the health problems of pure Holstein cows, and 4) the extreme size of many pure Holstein cows.
Holstein has been the undisputed #1 breed of dairy cattle in the world; however, in hindsight, we have done some very foolish things in our selection programs. We became complacent and began selecting for “glamour” rather than function. Why on earth did we select for dairy character on top of milk production? Why have we continued to make the Holstein cow larger each year? The facts are in – a cow doesn’t need to be larger to be a top producer, and larger cows have more health problems, reduced fertility, and greater maintenance costs. Why did we ignored calving difficulty in selection programs until recently?
Why have we asked the cow to have an uphill run, which moves causes more of the cow’s weight to be carried by the rear legs? Why have we discriminated against potential bull mothers who milk like crazy but happen to be a tad thick? “Smaller and rounder” should become the goal rather than “taller and sharper”.
When we dispersed our home herd in 1976, we had a couple of cows making records of 25,000 lb with 1,000 lb of fat. Those cows weren’t super tall with an uphill run and ultra slim. They had meat on their bones, were rugged and tough, and still milked extremely well. That was the Registered Holstein cow that I grew up with, and many commercial dairy producers want more of that stamina and vigor back in the breed.
Sometimes, I fear one half of my Minnesota dairy producers with Registered Holsteins only breed them to provide show cattle for their kids. I thoroughly enjoy the showring, and it has been a huge part of my life; however, the showring should not determine the sort of cow milked by commercial dairy producers. The only reason for a pure breed to exist is to provide germplasm for the commercial sector.
If crossbreeding doesn’t become routine for commercial dairy production (although, I think it will), the topic clearly has been a wake-up call to some associated with the Holstein breed. However, my fear is that too many in leadership positions with the Holstein breed are in denial about the extreme displeasure of commercial dairy producers with the functionality of the 2007 version of the Holstein cow. Therefore, I believe there will be much more movement to crossbreeding among commercial dairy producers before many in leadership roles with Holsteins wake up and smell the coffee.