MAIN BREEDS AND THE SUPPLYING PARTNERS

The Montbeliarde originated in the mountains of eastern France, and was officially registered as a pure breed in 1888. The tough climate of the mountains have shaped the Montbelirde as a very hardy cow, able to cope with the coldest and hottest weather conditions, and with an excellent adaptation to all sorts of rearing systems. For centuries Montbeliarde breeders have also been cheese makers, and therefore always paid special attention to milk solids and udder health.

Montbeliarde Selection Program
Future A.I. sire selected long before their birth, when the bull dams are themselves selected and mated with chosen sires. Each year, over 360 bull calves enter the testing station. Almost half of them will be eliminated before progeny testing according to their results in growth, feed conversion, morphology, male fertility, quality of frozen semen, and updated breeding values of their parents. Montbeliarde breeding values are published 3 times a year, with a change of index base once a year.

Willem Postma (1500 cow dairy, Modesto, CA)
"I started 4 years ago crossing with Monbeliarde genetics on my 1500 Holstein cow herd. Today these " Monty" crosses are milking in my barn, I can tell you that my vet costs have lowered a lot, and the crosses don't need as much feed as the pure Holsteins to grow the same way. The "Monty" crosses might start a little slower than pure Holsteins but they get pregnant a lot quicker and persistency is amazing. I didn't see any change in their size and stature compared to the Holstein and their locomotion and overall health really simplify my management. Production is also impressive, as we thought that the Montbeliarde genetics were lower than U.S. genetics, but it's not the case. Differences in milk price and feed cost make them produce less in Europe, but here we are seeing that they work very well in our conditions."

Dansire International is an independent organization owned by the Danish A.I Center. Dansire and is a significant exporter of semen and embryos from all Danish dairy and beef breeds. We have access to 450 new progeny tested bulls every year providing us with an excellent pool of cattle genetics.

The total merit index has been the cornerstone of Danish cattle breeding for more than 20 years. Over the past 12 years health traits have been incorporated in the index. The total merit index is based on a comprehensive milk recording system with information on just about everything and covering 90% of all Danish dairy cows.

The Danish approach to cattle breeding considers:

*Production
*Functional Traits
*Health Traits

For the international breeder who wishes to invest in the future it has become increasingly important to balance production with traits like:

*Longevity
*Calving Ease
*Fertility
*Mastitis Resistance

The total merit index has proven itself a reliable tool in the selection of the best bulls and for improving the breeds!Healthy Cows - Join the Future with Us!

CHOOSE QUALITY BULLS

There is nothing magical about crossbreeding you simply get what you pay for. To get good results, you have to use the best bulls of the best breeds. All our Swedish Red bulls meets the high standards set by our efficient genetic improvement program - you know exactly what you get!

Crossbreeding is a quick fix to many herd problems; Swedish Red is proved to meet all the important criteria for successful crossbreeding. High production, good fertility, and a breed-ing program focused on health traits are some of the reasons.

High Production Swedish cows are the highest ranking producers of milk in Europe. The yield of SRB cows is only 3 per cent below Holstein cows in annual fat and protein production. In the Interbull Red Group (Ayrshire) ranking, the SRB breed is number one.

Adapts Easily The SRB is a robust cow that performs well under varied production conditions- indoors, in the chilly Scandinavian climate, as well as grazing all year round in hot and dry areas such as Australia and South Africa.

Fertility Breeding values for daughter fertility were introduced in Sweden as early as 1972, and have been used for selection ever since. We have managed to maintain high female fertility values through all these years, in spite of a substantial production increase. Healthy, Profitable Cows!

The SRB cows show good disease resistance, with low somatic cell counts. The average cell count for all recorded SRB cow is as much as 20 percent lower than the average for Holstein. The SRB cows also show a lower incidence of clinical mastitis.

Easy Calving SRB cows are well known for their easy calving. Not only are the SRB calves born easily, virgin heifers also calve easily and get back in calf in due time.

The Profitable Choice Use Swedish Red on your Holsteins! You will get easy calving and robust, fertile, high yielding, profitable cows with a good resistance to disease, cows that stay healthy and just keep on producing, year after year.