Hello DFI readers! We’re back online now after a server issue took the blog down last week. My apologies if you tried to visit but couldn’t, and thanks to the readers who let me know it was happening.
I’m back at work too after the flu virus knocked me out for the count after last week’s InCalf Reproduction Symposium (my poor blog and I seem to have been targeted simultaneously!). I’d like to give a welcome to those who have joined us as a result of the Symposium – we hope you’ll stick around and throw in your two bits.
Resources for people (and animals!) interested in crossbreeding. photo by Fort Worth Library // CC BY
As a continuation of our cross-breeding series, this is a quick post for farmers who want to know more about the topic. After you’ve got your head around the basic information here and here, I’ve put together a bit of further reading you can do to improve your knowledge.
(I’ll keep adding to the list as more suggestions roll in.)
Video interviews
- This 2-3 minute interview with Dr. Michael Pyman is worth watching (full disclosure: my team made this!). He’s an Australian researcher who focuses on cross-breeding: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-s1BuX94nY
Case studies
- This case study for a family farm starting a 3-way cross was presented at the Australian Dairy Conference in 2008.
Other blogs
- The Dairy Crossbred Blog (http://www.dairyxbred.com/) contains a lot of useful information by farmers from around the world. Although not Australian-specific, a number of Australian dairy farmers participate in the discussion forums. It’s also completely independent.
- This is a commercial company’s blog on crossbreeding, so it has a very strong focus on Norwegian Reds. However, it also has some decent diagrams and information, so I think it’s worth a look if you keep this in mind. http://www.dairycrossbreeding.com/
What have I missed? If you’re already crossbreeding, what helped you when you first started to do it? Let us know in the comments below, or shoot me an email at contact@dairyfertility.com.au.
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