Profitability of different cattle breeds

The objective of this study was to compare the ratio between input and output (costs and returns) for Holstein, Jersey, and Simmental cattle in Switzerland. A reference situation was defined for comparison. Under a milk price system in which the value of protein is twice as high as the value of fat, and with a fat quota of 4000 kg, costs for feed, housing, labour, replacement and varia are higher than returns from milk, slaughter animals and calves. The differences were 5 Rp., 9,2 Rp., and 14,3 Rp. per kg milk for Holstein, Jersey, and Simmental, respectively. To reduce production costs some recommendations are given. The efficiency of different breeds strongly depends on the production environment. In a long term consideration, dairy breeds are advantageous in most situations.