# Presentation: 688324

## Implications of Crossbreeding on Dairy Cattle Improvement

**Paul VanRaden and Ashley Sanders**
**Animal Improvement Programs Laboratory**
**Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Beltsville, MD**
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**Notes:**
TITLE SLIDE

## Crossbreeding Theory Holstein  Brown Swiss Protein Yield

**Crossbreeding Theory**** Holstein ******** Brown Swiss Protein Yield**

**Notes:**
Recombination effect was positive in this study.
Effects shown are weighted average of reciprocal cross types; possible maternal effects are ignored. 

## Crossbreeding Research

**Document current levels of crossbreeding in the US from DHI data.**
**3500 parent-identified crossbreds cows born in 1997.**
**600,000 sire-identified Holsteins.**
**35,000 sire-identified Jerseys.**
**Determine if crossbreeding makes sense in dairy cattle.**
**If yes, advise breeders on possible selection and mating systems across breeds.**

## Crossbred and Purebred Data

**Yield and SCS data**
**572**** herds each with at least 5 crossbred cows.**
**10,442**** F1 crossbred cows born since 1990.**
**140,421**** purebred herdmates (80% were Holstein).**
**Productive life data**
**41,131**** crossbred cows born since 1960.**
**726,344**** purebred herdmates.**
**Other traits**
**Body size breed means and heterosis from literature.**
**Udder, feet and legs, calving ease, etc. values were 0. **

**Notes:**
Because XB’s are not routinely evaluated, pedigree reported less often/completely 
May leads to under-count of XB’s
Started with 12,565 XB in ~3,300 herds 
Restricting data to herds with >= 5 XB cows retained more than 80% of XB’s but reduced herds by more than 80% greatly reducing computing time.

## Breed Differences & Heterosis for Economic Merit  

| Breed |  | Net Merit ($) | Cheese Merit ($) | Fluid Merit ($) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Ayrshire | -510 |  | -469 |  -728 |
| Brown Swiss | -355 |  | -256 |  -808 |
| Guernsey | -761 |  | -692 | -1117 |
| Jersey | -305 |  | -186 |  -865 |
| M. Shorthorn | -892 |  | -862 | -1073 |
| Holstein | — |  | — | — |
| Heterosis | $197 |  | $207 | $163 |

## Merit of F1 Holstein Crossbreds

| Second Breed |  | Net 
Merit ($) | Cheese
Merit ($) | Fluid
Merit ($) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Ayrshire |  -58 |  |  -27 | -201 |
| Brown Swiss |   18 |  |   79 | -241 |
| Guernsey | -184 |  | -138 | -395 |
| Jersey |   44 |  |  113 | -269 |
| M. Shorthorn | -249 |  | -223 | -373 |

**Compared to 2000 genetic base for Holstein**

## Mates for Holstein Cows

|  | Brown Swiss |  | Jersey |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Top US Sire | Ransom |  | Fan Club |
| NM$ (breed scale) |   $519 |  |   $467 |
| Breed Difference (from HOL) | - $178 |  | - $153 |
| Heterosis (NM$) |   + $197 |  | + $197 |
| Adjusted NM$ (HOL scale) |   $538 |  |    $511 |
| NM$ Rank (HOL scale) |  28 |  |  40 |
| CM$ Rank (HOL scale) |  13 |  |  12 |

**Notes:**
Cheese Merit Calculations:
			Ransom	Fan CLub
CM$ (breed)	 533		 509
breed difference	-128		 -94
heterosis		+207		+207
adjusted CM$	$612		$622

## Separate or Combined Breed Evaluations

**Separate data sets reduce bias in evaluations within breeds, but some information is lost:**
**Crossbred cows evaluated inaccurately or not at all**
**“****Conversion formulas” to compare cows across breeds**
**New Zealand, Australia, and the Netherlands include crossbreds and account for heterosis in evaluations.**
**USDA-DHIA evaluations exclude crossbred cows unless identified as part of a “grading-up” program.**

## Sires with Many Crossbred Daughters

| 
Sire name | Sire
breed | Purebred
daughters | Dam
breed | Crossbred
daughters |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| J  Pete Rose | BS | 2079 | HO | 90 |
| M-B-S Berretta | JE | 16,474 | HO | 74 |
| I Quiet Revolution | MS | 301 | HO | 21 |
| LL Bell Hilton | HO | 28,989 | GU | 18 |
| V JS Bell Boss | HO | 22,998 | AY | 15 |
| 
Only 113 sires had > 10 crossbred daughters. |  |  |  |  |

## Conclusions

**Conclusions**

## Conclusions

**Currently**** < 0.5%**** of DHI cows are crossbred.**
**Heterosis was about ****4%**** for yield traits, ****< 1%**** (unfavorable) for SCS, and ****1%**** for PL.**
**Profit from Jersey ******** Holstein and Brown Swiss ******** Holstein crosses was higher than from Holsteins when compared at PTA = 0.**
**Fewer extreme PTA bulls are found in minor breeds.**
**Matings with high additive merit and low inbreeding make sense.**

## Slide 12

## Complete Outcross Pedigree!

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**MGGS: Tong = Mars Tony x Chief x Astronaut**
**MGGD = Chairman x Valiant x Elevation**
**Future daughter inbreeding = 5.6%**
**Average for active AI Holsteins = 4.9%**
**Inbreeding when mated to Jerseys = 0.0%**