Possible economic effects of crossbreeding of Norwegian Red and Holstein-Friesian

Abstract

This analysis exclusively evaluates the production profit and the expenses that come together with the production. Having a Holstein cow will lead to a total average yearly loss of € 396.57 compared to a NRF cow. If you have a crossbreed cow, an average yearly loss of € 6.18 compared to having a pure NRF cow can be expected. If we have a look at all the analyses, the NRF and crossbred cow score better than the Holstein in meat production of lactating cow and meat production of steers. If we compare the crossbreed to the NRF, we can see that the crossbred cow score better than the NRF on every point. This means, that if we only focus on the production profit, the crossbreed between NRF and Holstein is the most valuable cow. It will bring in € 245.08 more than the NRF and € 36.63 more than the Holstein per lactation. Due to the breeding history of Holstein they have developed reduced fertility and they are more susceptible to mastitis compared to the NRF. This leads to increased mastitis treatment costs and increased number of inseminations. This means higher expenses compared to the NRF. On the basis of this study, we can say that the NRF and the crossbreed will cause a better economic situation if we exclusively sum up the production profit and the expenses that come together with the production.