Organic and super-efficient with ProCROSS

Törlan Lantbruk is a unique dairy farm which started using ProCROSS in 2013. At that time, Bengt Svensson and Ulf Person were facing problems with their Holstein cows, especially connected with lameness and general vitality.

They wanted to keep a reduced nucleus of Holstein cows for pure breeding purposes but launched the ProCROSS concept on the other part of the herd to increase their profitability.

It’s a change which had profound effects, including allowing them to turn organic in 2017.

Törlan is well known in Sweden and is, in fact, the breeder of the well-known VikingHolstein bull by the same name. The farm continues to produce excellent bulls for the VikingGenetics Holstein breeding programme and on the list of the 20 best NTM heifers in Sweden, four were born and bred at Törlan Lantbruk.

The herd was designated the most productive organic herd in the Halland area (western Sweden) in 2019. Performance results include 647kg more milk and +0.1% higher fat from the ProCROSS than from the farm’s Holstein cows. The farmers also noticed a one-month shorter calving interval for the ProCROSS when compared with the Holstein.

Production and fertility are synonymous with profitability for a dairy farmer, and that is precisely what ProCROSS offers today.

For Montbéliarde bulls from Coopex the farmers used Ilanne, Marley, Lelabel, Gonesse and Macoulange; and from the VikingReds they picked VR Lister, VR Ture, VR Loke and VR Vilperi as part of the three-way rotation with the VikingHolstein.

Törlan Lantbruk, Sweden:

• 280 cows (75% ProCROSS/25% VikingHolstein)
• Owned by Bengt Svensson and Ulf Person
• Performance: 11.760 kg ECM, 4,2% fat / 3,4% prot
• System: Organic
• Age at first calving: 24 months
• Calving interval: 12.2 months