These breeds complement each other as the Holstein cow has been acknowledged as the dominant dairy breed for over 30 years due to her high milk production, while the Norwegian Red excels in calf viability, female fertility and disease resistance. This alternative source of genetics will couple high milk and solids production with exceptional calf viability, female fertility and disease resistance, enhancing your profit.
Often, attempts at crossbreeding dairy cattle have failed because there was no plan for the steps beyond the F1 cow. The TWOPLUS™ system does not end with the F1, but continues to balance between the breed that excels at increasing revenues and the breed that excels at decreasing costs in future generations.
TWOPLUS™ is a rotational crossbreeding system, whereby the Holstein and the NRF breeds are used alternately to produce the next generation. Thus, F1 heifers from NRF sires should be mated to purebred Holstein bulls; their progeny to NRF; the progeny of those to Holstein; and so on. With such a system, the level of hybrid vigor will be two-thirds of the F1, and the cross will become more and more uniform over time.
Crossbreeding programs must be designed to fit the species. In dairy cattle, the reproductive rate is low, and crossbred females must be used to produce the next generation of crossbreds. Therefore the most logical crossbreeding system in dairy cattle is rotational crossing.
The figure below shows the rotational crossbreeding process alternating between a NRF sire and a Holstein sire.
