Norwegian Red

A Norwegian Red cow, daughter of NRF-sire 10579 Eggtroen

Norwegian Red (Norwegian: Norsk rødt fe) is a breed of dairy cattle developed in Norway. Often shortened to simply NRF, it has a red and white or black coat.^[1] Norwegian Reds are noted for their hardiness and the richness of their milk.

Purpose and history

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. NRF–Norwegian Red was developed in the 1960s through crosses of dairy breeds with several Scandinavian breeds, including the Norwegian Red-and-White, Red Trondheim and the Red Polled Østland.^[2] By the mid 1970s it became the dominant breed in its native country, comprising 98% of the cattle population.^[1] 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.^[3]

Characteristics

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 have a live weight of up to 600 kilograms (1,300 lb).

Health traits have been included in the net merit index since 1978. Currently mastitis and other diseases (in particular ketosis) are included in the breeding programme. Although these are low heritability traits, progeny testing based on a high number of daughters provides a selection index with high accuracy. Progeny testing for mastitis is currently based on approximately 300 daughters.

Norwegian Red cow with black and white coat. Daughter of NRF-sire 10624 Ruud

Norwegian Red used for dairy crossbreeding in Ireland

Norwegian Reds may be either polled or horned. Currently 50% of the calves in Norway are born polled (genetically without horns). Systematic selection of polled sons after polled elite sires during recent years have increased the frequency of polled animals. It is expected that Norwegian Red (NRF) breed will become a polled breed within the next 20-25 years.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Ekarius, Carol (2008). Storey's Illustrated Breed Guide to Sheep, Goats, Cattle and Pigs. Storey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-60342-036-5. 
2. ^ "Norwegian Red". Oklahoma State University Dept. of Animal Science. http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/cattle/norwegianred/index.htm. 
3. ^ "Geno, Breeding and AI Association, Norway". http://www.genoglobal.no/. 

External links

• Performance and Profitability of F1 Norwegian Red X Holstein Cattle As Compared with Pure Holsteins on Commercial Dairy Farms, USDA Agricultural Research Service