SimHerd Crossbred

The newest addition to our SimHerd universe is the SimHerd Crossbred program. SimHerd Crossbred can calculate the economy of different systematic crossbreeding strategies and breed combinations. This gives the farmer a unique basis for decision-making to choose the right crossbreeding strategy for his or her specific herd. SimHerd Crossbred is developed by Aarhus University in close collaboration with SEGES and VikingDanmark.

SimHerd Crossbred has been condensed into a more accessible app version – CrossFlex. It is now available in a demo version, where the consequences of different crossbreeding strategies are displayed using a few key figures. This provides a quick overview of how it could look in the herd. If a more in-depth calculation is desired, it can be done using the full SimHerd Crossbred model.

How does SimHerd Crossbred work?

SimHerd Crossbred is an extended version of SimHerd Expert. It has the same functions as SimHerd Expert, but in addition it takes breed effects and heterosis into account. It can simulate crossbreeding in a rotational or terminal system with up to 3 breeds at a time. In addition, the model can also be used to simulate effects of changing from one breed to another.

We have made a couple of article based on SimHerd Crossbred calculations showing that crossbreeding increases herd profit when the milk price is high or average and crossbreeding can reduce methane emissions.