Norwegian Red
A Norwegian Red cow, daughter of NRF-sire 10579 Eggtroen
|
|
| Other names | Norsk rødt fe (bokmål) Norsk raudt fe (nynorsk) NRF (acronym) |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Norway |
| Distribution | More than 20 countries including USA, Italy, UK, Be-Ne-Lux, and Poland |
| Use | Dual Purpose Dairy/Beef |
| Traits | |
| Weight |
|
| Height |
|
| Coat | Red and white, black and white; |
| Horn status | Polled and horned; |
|
|
Norwegian Red (Norwegian: Norsk rødt fe) is a breed of dairy cattle developed in Norway since 1935. Since the 1970s, breeders strongly emphasized functional and production traits resulting in excellent production combined with world-leading performance in health and fertility traits. Norwegian Red cows can have either a red and white or black coat and have a high proportion of genetically polled animals.
Norwegian Red (NRF) is a dairy breed that has been selected for a broad breeding objective, with increasing emphasis on functional traits like health and fertility. Norwegian Red was in 1935 through crosses of dairy breeds with several Scandinavian breeds, including the Norwegian Red-and-White, Red Trondheim and the Red Polled Østland. By the mid 1970s it became the dominant breed in its native country, comprising 98% of the cattle population. Semen is frequently also exported to North America for crossbreeding with Holstein cattle in the U.S. dairy industry. Geno Breeding and A.I. Association, a cooperative organization owned by Norwegian dairy farmers, is the breeding organization for the Norwegian Red.
Owners of Norwegian Red cattle in Norway participate in a comprehensive registry system called the Norwegian Dairy Herd Recording System. Norwegian farmers have been recording data in the comprehensive recording system over the last 50 years. This system collects all of the information about each cow in Figure 1.
Production in the best herds exceeds 10,000 kilograms (22,000 lb), with the top cows milking more than 16,000 kilograms (35,000 lb). Growth traits are also included in the index, and young sires for progeny testing have a growth rate of approximately 1.4 kg/day. Fully-grown cows and bulls have a live weight of up to 600 kilograms (1,300 lb) and 1,300 kilograms (2,900 lb) respectively.
Norwegian Red cows have an average height of 137 centimetres (4.49 ft) at the point of withers. The average height for bulls varies greatly, but the average is around 145 centimetres (4.76 ft) tall at the point of withers.
Fertility was first included in the Norwegian Red breeding program in 1971. The Norwegian Red is likely the most fertile breed of dairy cattle in the world due to the selection of breeding and genetics for increase fertility for more than 40 years.
Calving ease has been included in the selection program since 1978. The Norwegian Red is characterized as a breed with a low frequency of calving difficulties. Less than 2% of the calvings are reported as having major calving difficulties. Stillbirths are also included in the index, and less than 3% of Norwegian Red calves are stillborn.
...
Wikipedia