composition
herd life
ant performing like dog
cattle on
switch
trait was changed in each
The results indicated that BW, milk yield, and nutrient
density differences between the 2 breeds had the
greatest effect upon carbon footprint and water use
per unit of cheese yield (Figures 2 and 3). As previously
discussed, this underlines the importance of both
The analysis was extended beyond the initial Jersey
versus Holstein comparison to elucidate the extent to
which specific performance characteristics are primarily
responsible for the difference between these 2
breed populations. Figures 2 and 3 show the effect of
switching a single characteristic between the Jersey and
Holstein populations, independent of all other characteristics.
Given the genetic and phenotypic correlations
between performance characteristics, the results are not
meant to reflect real-life situations, or to act as specific
management recommendations; however, they demonstrate
the magnitude of each characteristic’s effect upon
environmental impact within the current study. When
characteristics were ranked according to their effect
upon various resources used or environmental impacts,
the rankings were similar, regardless of the resource or
impact analyzed. In the interests of brevity, and in acknowledgment
of their current status as environmental
issues of concern, only carbon footprint and water use
per unit of cheese yield are therefore provided.