ProCROSS is the best proven crossbreeding program used in high-yielding herds in the US, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Portugal and other countries. By now, the combination of VikingRed, Coopex Montbéliarde and VikingHolstein has been proven to be the most profitable cross. The three breeds combine and compensate for their strong and weak points. On top of that, you get the benefits of heterosis.
With ProCROSS you can achieve greater profitability and optimize your dairy herd in a number of ways. Where do these improvements come from?
First of all, you are able to reduce feed costs, since ProCROSS cows have a much better ability to convert feed into milk.
Due to improved fertility, health and survivability, ProCROSS cows have longer productive life with the same level of daily production, and so you improve the lifetime production of your herd. Another important benefit is higher calf and cull value – which means extra profit.
Moreover, ProCROSS is an easy to manage system; you can maintain the correct rotation of breeds using colored ear tags. Inbreeding is no longer an issue.
Overall, trouble-free, healthy and efficient ProCROSS cows give you less stress as herd owner and higher job satisfaction for you and your employees.
Our ProCROSS cows stay in the herd for three to five lactations, compared to an average of two lactations for our Holsteins.
Tom Koolhaas & Wes Bylsma, ,
TriCross Dairy, USA, Herd of 5,000 cows
ProCROSS cows have major strengths: Fertility, Health, Cull Value, Efficiency, Longevity & Profitability.
These advantages are the conclusion of an important scientific study lead by Professor Les Hansen from the University of Minnesota. The results have been published in the Journal of Dairy Science in July 2019. This study is the world’s longest running study comparing crossbred dairy cows with purebred Holstein.
Increased Daily Profit +9%
The three-breed cross of VikingHolstein, VikingRed and Coopex Montbéliarde produces daily profits which are on average 9% greater than those from pure Holstein. The financial advantage comes from a wide range of factors including greater lifetime production, better fertility, fewer health treatments, higher calf and cull values, and improved rates of survival.
Better Feed Efficiency +8%
ProCROSS cows have a more stable body weight during lactation. Their metabolic system is more stable than that of the Holstein cow. The Holstein starts lactation with too much body condition and needs energy to convert her bodyfat into milk. At the end of lactation the Holstein is too frail. ProCROSS cows can focus on producing milk from the feed they eat. Their feed efficiency is much better.
Improved Fertility: +10% points in conception rate
The number of inseminations that you need per cow will be much lower. ProCROSS cows have proven to be more fertile. Fertility is one of the strengths from the VikingRed as well as the Coopex Montbéliarde breed that are used in ProCROSS. This means that you need less semen and fewer inseminations to get your cows pregnant. More importantly, you will cull fewer cows because of fertility problems. You need less young stock.
Lower Health Treatment Costs -26%
The ProCROSS cow is a much stronger cow than the pure Holstein. The Coopex Montbéliarde breed offers a lot of strength and excellent feet and legs; VikingRed are really healthy cows, just like the Montbéliarde. This makes the ProCROSS cow a much stronger cow. An extra benefit is heterosis: it is proven that heterosis has a positive influence on most health traits. Veterinarian costs drop by 26% in the second and third lactations.
Better Cull Value +14%
In the 10-year study made by the University of Minnesota in the USA, ProCROSS crossbreed cows produced 14% more cull value compared to their Holstein herd mates.
Higher Lifetime Profit +33%
The ProCROSS cow does improve in every lactation and produces more easily than Holsteins. ProCROSS cows will stay one full lactation longer in the herd. This results in lower numbers of young stock. When looking at lifetime production, the ProCROSS cow is the kind of cow you want!
More days in the herd +147
One of the most important conclusions made by the University of Minnesota study is that ProCROSS cows stay 147 more days in the herd than their Holstein herd mates. Longevity is a good indicator of profitability for commercial dairy farms. An extra 147 days in the herd also means 147 more days of production.
ProCROSS is the combination of three unrelated, productive and very competitive breeds, all with efficient breed improvement programmes. Here you can see the strengths for each of the three breeds that are brought into ProCROSS.
