Cross breeding with beef cattle breeds to increase the value of surplus youngstock
The price of dairy calves is very low or even null. The innovation propose to increase the value of calves by inseminate dairy cows with semen from beef bulls breed to produce calves for meat production. The main interest in this innovation is the increasing of incomes generated by the meat potential production of the calves. Indeed the selling price of cross-bred calf would be sold till 200€ higher than dairy calf, with more meat production with higher growth rate, higher carcass weight and better feed efficiency. The environmental impact is also lower in GWP due to dairy-based system with calves fattening. An attention will be paid on the cow fertility and on the bull choice (easy calving).
The innovation consists to inseminate sexed semen on primiparous and high productive cows for the renewing of the herd. And the rest of the herd will be inseminated with sexed or no meat oriented semen (depending of the price of semen and the success of the insemination) to produce meat calves. The genetic investment will be made on dairy insemination and not on cross-breeding.
At the end, the choice to cross-breed or not will be discussed with adviser and vet to identify the opportunity (valorisation of cross-breed calves), choice the best cows for renewing and select the good semen (cost) according the farmer objectives.
Resilience for Dairy
Completed | 2021-2024
- Main funding source
- Horizon Europe (EU Research and Innovation Programme)
- Geographical location
- Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Spain, Slovenia, Netherlands, Northern Ireland