Karen Wright talks to a dairy farmer from Kendal who has reverted to conventional production methods

A PROGRESSIVE dairy producer keen to make sure he has the right cattle for his system is firmly committed to his crossbred dairy cows.

“We did have a pure Holstein herd 14 years ago, and they did a great job,”

said Kendal farmer Richard Park.

“But we decided to change to an organic system, which we did successfully for ten years, and in this time, we went for a breed of cattle more suited to a foragebased ration.”

Over-supply and a fall in demand for organic milk encouraged Richard to revert to conventional production methods, but by then he had seen the benefit of crossbred cattle, so continued the herd breeding programme. He now has 170 crossbred cows on the 341- acre farm at Sizergh.

“We started by crossing the Swedish Red onto our Holstein cows and went from there.

“Now we’re following a three-way cross programme using the Norwegian Red, Fleckvieh or Montbelliarde, and the Holstein. All these breeds contribute to a cow that produces good-quality milk with yields, on our system, on a par with the Holstein, robust characteristics and great fertility.”

Particularly pleased with the health and fertility figures, Richard’s records show that the herd’s calving interval is 367 days with 87 days to conception and 1.7 services per conception.

Last year, after the 12- week service period, six per cent of the cows were culled not in calf. Average somatic cell count is 150,000cells/ml.

“The Holstein still has a place in my system, but I value the extra strength and the improved health and fertility traits that the other breeds bring, as well as the increased calf value,” said Richard.

Although he aims to get as much milk from forage – ideally half of the 7,500kg average yield – he doesn’t count on a long grazing season.

“We now block-calve within 12 weeks in the autumn and usually turn the cows out at the beginning of April until October. High rainfall means we can’t extend it much more, so we rely on good-quality grass clover silage and wholecrop wheat when the cows are housed.

“We’re still suffering a bit from the 2012 summer, but both forage quality and milk from forage are heading in the right direction.”

Convinced that the threeway cross suits his system, Richard also knows, firsthand, that these crossbreds are not confined to his type of system or the conditions in the south Lakes.

“I’ve been lucky enough to see these crossbred animals on farms around the world, including high input units in Israel and California, where they do equally well. They can bring plenty of advantages to all systems.”

One area that can’t be ignored on any system is the value of the crossbred bull calf. According to crossbred specialists Geno UK, many other producers around the country are reporting strong prices for their dairy crossbred calves.

The Argus:
Richard Park's herd

Wes Bluhm said: “We have plenty of cases of Fleckvieh three- to four-week-old bull calves making £300 a head, up to six times more than pure Holstein bull calves.

“And Norwegian Red cross bull calves are typically selling for about £100 a head compared with about £50 for Holstein bull calves.

“Carcase quality and shorter finishing times are typical reasons why these crossbred calves are attracting better prices than blackand white-bred calves. And we also have to remember the value of the dairy cross female calves as a replacement in the dairy herd.”

Reflecting these advantages in the milk price, Geno UK says that the additional calf value can add as much as 1.66ppl to a dairy herd averaging 7,500kg.

While Richard Parker is reaping the benefits of his crossbred cattle, he does flag up the importance of careful sire selection, noting that there are variations within these breeds in much the same way as that seen within the Holstein breed.

He said: “I would advise producers to select the best sires available from whichever breeds they have decided best suit their system.”

Looking ahead, Richard will be selecting sires with a bit more milk and to maintain the many good characteristics that crossbreeding have brought to his herd.

Meanwhile, visitors and locals can enjoy viewing the herd at Lower Sizergh Farm or when they visit the tearoom and farm shop.

They can also sample the unique Kendal Crumbly and Kendal Creamy cheeses made from Lower Sizergh cows.