A comparison of animal-related figures in milk and meat production and economic revenues from milk and animal sales of five dairy cattle breeds reared in Alps region

Figures & data

Figure 1. Population dynamics of milk recorded cows from January 2009 to December 2019.

Figure 2. Variation of milk yield (a) and intercalving period (b) from 2009 to 2019.

Figure 3. Variation of animal sales (a) and total return (b) from January 2009 to December 2019.

Table 1. Least square means of production traits for dairy cattle breeds.

Production traits	Brown Swiss	Holstein-Friesian	Simmental	Alpine Grey	Pinzgauer
Milk, kg per lactation	7180.3^b	8635.0^a	7109.8^b	5202.3^d	6354.0^c
Restocking rate, %	24^b	29^a	25^b	21^c	25^b
Days open, d	122.0^b	130.4^a	94.5^d	95.5^d	103.6^c
Intercalving period, d	413.0^a	413.4^a	384.5^c	383.5^c	390.6^b
Lactation length, d	329.8^b	336.0^a	310.1^c	302.0^d	311.1^c
Weight bull calf at auction, kg	66.0^d	59.2^e	72.0^a	68.6^b	67.1^c
Weight cow calf at auction, kg	58.4^cd	55.2^d	68.8^a	64.7^b	61.2^c
Weight cull cow at auction, kg	616.7^b	624.9^b	642.9^a	526.0^c	643.0^a

Different superscript letters within row indicate statistical significance (p < .05).

Table 2. Least square means of economic traits for dairy cattle breeds.

Economic traits	Brown Swiss	Holstein-Friesian	Simmental	Alpine Grey	Pinzgauer
Price bull calf, €/kg	1.86^e	2.19^d	5.03^a	3.94^b	2.95^c
Price cow calf, €/kg	1.37^e	1.67^d	4.07^a	3.08^b	2.22^c
Price cull cow, €/kg	1.05^d	1.00^e	1.32^a	1.27^b	1.20^c
Market value bull calf, €	126.22^d	130.57^d	363.22^a	273.39^b	201.40^c
Market value for cow calf, €	86.11^d	99.33^d	278.51^a	202.56^b	141.24^c
Market value for cull cows, €	653.86^c	632.89^d	841.11^a	655.59^c	767.21^b
Milk sales, €/cow	3724.35^b	4472.80^a	3682.25^b	2673.55^d	3280.12^c
Animal sales, €/cow	223.84^d	249.79^c	419.80^a	301.41^b	300.46^b
Total revenue, €/cow	3431.66^c	4118.14^a	3601.49^b	2826.29^d	3386.21^c

Different superscript letters within row indicate statistical significance (p < .05).

Table 3. Contrast estimates between different breeds with standard error (SE) and p value set at different significance level.

	Specialised breed vs. Dual purpose breed			SI vs. AG and PI			BS vs. SI			AG vs. PI
Trait	Estimate	SE	p Value	Estimate	SE	p Value	Estimate	SE	p Value	Estimate	SE	p Value
Production traits
Milk, kg	1685.61	21.86	***	1331.68	29.32	***	70.45	33.86	*	–1151.73	33.86	***
Restocking rate, %	3.27	0.26	***	2.52	0.35	***	–0.95	0.4	*	–3.64	0.4	***
Days open, d	28.27	0.47	***	–5.05	0.63	***	27.45	0.73	***	–8.09	0.73	***
Intercalving period, d	26.94	0.47	***	–2.55	0.63	***	28.45	0.73	***	–7.09	0.73	***
Lactation lenght, d	25.18	0.33	***	3.55	0.44	***	19.73	0.51	***	–9.09	0.51	***
Weight bull calf, kg	–6.63	0.17	***	4.20	0.23	***	–6.01	0.26	***	1.57	0.26	***
Weight cow calf, kg	–8.10	0.74	***	5.90	2.40	*	10.40	1.15	***	3.45	2.77	ns
Weight cull cow, kg	16.80	2.04	***	58.38	2.74	***	26.18	3.17	***	–117.01	3.17	***
Economic traits
Price bull calf, €/kg	–1.95	0.04	***	1.59	0.06	***	–3.17	0.07	***	0.99	0.07	***
Price for cow calf, €/kg	–1.60	0.07	***	1.42	0.09	***	–2.70	0.10	***	0.85	0.10	***
Price for cull cows, €/kg	–0.24	0.01	***	0.09	0.01	***	–0.27	0.01	***	0.07	0.01	***
Market value bull calf, €	–150.94	3.49	***	125.82	4.69	***	–237.00	5.41	***	72.00	5.41	***
Market value cow calf, €	–114.72	5.57	***	106.61	7.48	***	–192.40	8.63	***	61.32	8.63	***
Market value cull cow, €	–111.26	4.01	***	129.71	5.38	***	–187.25	6.21	***	–111.62	6.21	***
Milk revenue, €/cow	886.60	24.88	***	705.41	33.38	***	42.10	38.55	ns	–606.56	38.55	***
Animal revenue, €/cow	–103.75	2.3	***	118.86	3.08	***	–195.96	3.56	***	0.95	3.56	ns
Total turnover, €/cow	503.57	22.88	***	495.25	30.69	***	–169.83	35.44	***	–559.91	35.44	***

*p < .05.

**p < .01.

***p < .001.

ns: not significant; SI: Simmental; AG: Alpine Grey; PI: Pinzgauer.