Productive lifespan and lifetime production of dual-purpose and dairy breeds in mixed herds under grassland-based systems (original) (raw)

Bieber, Anna; Hinrichs, Dirk; Moser, Florian N.; Maeschli, Ariane; Lora, Isabella; Cozzi, Giulio and Leiber, Florian (2025) Productive lifespan and lifetime production of dual-purpose and dairy breeds in mixed herds under grassland-based systems.Italian Journal of Animal Science, 24 (1), pp. 2684-2689.

Document available online at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1828051X.2025.2596845?src=#

Summary

Dairy cow longevity is a key trait combining multiple functional traits and is decisive for sustainability of dairy production. This study addresses the hypothesis that under low-input production conditions, dual-purpose breeds outperform dairy breeds in terms of longevity. Herdbook data of 1796 culled Swiss cows in 72 mixed dairy farms were used to compare two dual-purpose breeds (Original Braunvieh (OB) and Simmental (SI)) with three dairy breeds (Swiss Fleckvieh (SF), Brown Swiss (BS) and Holstein (HO)). Each selected mixed herd included at least one dual-purpose and one dairy breed managed under the same conditions. Breeds were compared for length of productive lifespan (LPL; days from first calving to culling), lifetime milk production (LTP; kg energy corrected milk) and average daily milk yield during LPL (DMY_LPL; kg energy corrected milk). OB cows lived significantly longer than HO (1946 ± 71 d vs. 1695 ± 55 d, p = 0.046), whereas SI cows did not (1683 ± 62 d, p = 0.999). Both dual-purpose breeds produced significantly less milk per day (OB: 17.8 ± 0.3 kg, SI: 18.0 ± 0.3 kg) than SF (19.1 ± 0.2 kg) and HO (19.7 ± 0.3 kg). However, OB cows compensated with greater longevity, resulting in the numerically highest LTP (35,584 ± 1315 kg), which did not statistically differ from the specialised dairy breeds. In conclusion, choosing a dual-purpose breed does not necessarily ensure longer productive lifespans: while OB showed a clear advantage, SI cows exhibited shorter productive lifespan, likely due to breed-specific production conditions.

EPrint Type:	Journal paper
Keywords:	EU-Gentore, Abacus, FiBL5008101, FiBL5008102, FiBL5008103, FiBL5008104, FiBL5008105, FiBL5008106, FiBL5008107, FiBL5008108, longevity, animal health, low input agriculture, alpine grasslands
Agrovoc keywords:	Englishlongevityhttp://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c\_4428Englishanimal healthhttp://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c\_431Englishlow input agriculturehttp://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c\_34370Englishalpine grasslandshttp://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c\_306
Subjects:	Animal husbandry > Production systems > Dairy cattle Animal husbandry > Breeding and genetics Animal husbandry > Health and welfare
Research affiliation:	European Union > Horizon 2020 > GenTORE Switzerland > FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture Switzerland > Animal > Animal breeding Switzerland > FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture Switzerland > Animal > Animal welfare & housing > Animal welfare Switzerland > FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture Switzerland > Animal > Cattle Switzerland > FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture Switzerland > Animal > Animal welfare & housing > Grassland-based livestock systems
Horizon Europe or H2020 Grant Agreement Number:	727213
DOI:	10.1080/1828051X.2025.2596845
Related Links:	https://www.fibl.org/en/themes/projectdatabase/projectitem/project/1326
Deposited By:	Bieber, Anna
ID Code:	56505
Deposited On:	17 Dec 2025 10:59
Last Modified:	17 Dec 2025 10:59
Document Language:	English
Status:	Published
Refereed:	Peer-reviewed and accepted

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