A continued interest in dairy-beef cross calves in the US
Interest in dairy-beef cross calves continues in the US and beyond for higher profits and more.
About 8 months ago in the US, the price of some newborn crossed calves reached more than US$1,000 each (€970), which is US$200-400 higher than normal. In addition, in a recent report on dairy-beef crossing published by several partners, Dr Sara Place of Colorado State University asserts with the dairy cow producing milk and also a calf to be raised for human consumption, associated emissions are spread out across more units of human food, a food production system potentially “with a lower carbon footprint”.
Calf research
With the popularity of crossbred calves comes new science. Black Angus-Holstein crossbred calves often suffer from pneumonia, and after they recover, there is a dampening of growth performance. To find out how serious this is, a team at Pennsylvania State University investigated and published their findings in a new study in the Journal of Dairy Science. It’s the first study to look at the long-term effects of pneumonia in beef-on-dairy cattle growth.
The researchers determined that any difference in growth rate is gone by the age of 8 months, and what’s more, that pneumonia observed in beef-on-dairy crosses only really compromises calf growth for about 3 weeks.
Respiratory pathogens
The team also determined that lung pathogens were not associated with growth performance. The researchers found that the crossbred calves they studied recovered from pneumonia without antibiotics. This is good news for the organic dairy industry and also for the need to reduce antimicrobial resistance in cattle.
“We think this is at least partially attributed to hybrid vigour — the phenomenon by which a progeny exhibits superiority over its parents in traits such as growth rate and productivity,” stated co-author Dr Melissa Cantor.
Calf care recommendations
Meanwhile, Olivia Genther-Schroeder, senior manager of Dairy Feed R&D, and Dr Tom Earleywine, director of Nutritional Services at US dairy firm Land O’Lakes, advise that good nutrition during early life is essential for maximising profits with crossbred calves.
“During the early life stage, muscle satellite cells – critical for muscle growth after birth – are still multiplying, and poor nutrition can alter the development process, potentially limiting muscle growth later on” they recently stated. “Additionally, the genes responsible for fat deposition – lipogenesis – are influenced by both the quality and timing of nutrition. Feeding calves with adequate, high-quality nutrition may help activate these genes, encouraging muscle growth and adipogenesis early, and supporting further muscle growth and marbling later in life.”
They advise feeding a minimum of 1.8 pounds (approximately 800 g) daily of a high-protein milk replacer, avoiding chilled calves through adequate bedding, calf jackets etc., and prevention and effective management of diseases like pneumonia and scour.
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