Environmental Sensitivity of Milk Production in Extensive Environments: A Comparison of Simmental, Brown Swiss, and Tyrol Grey Using Random Regression Models

A total of 25,160 milk test-day records from 2,516 cows in first lactation of 3 dairy cattle breeds [Simmental (n = 1,900), Brown Swiss (n = 444), and Tyrol Grey (n = 172)] in Kosovo were analyzed using nested repeatability and random regression test-day models with varying (co)variance structures. The different models were compared based on likelihood-based criteria. The best model was a second-order random regression model, with heterogeneous cow variance per breed and heterogeneous residual variance per lactation month and breed, which was used for further analysis. The highest milk production was found in Brown Swiss, followed by Simmental and Tyrol Grey. Substantial breed differences were found for the trajectories of cow and residual variances by month of lactation, with the highest variances found for Brown Swiss, followed by Simmental and Tyrol Grey. High cow and residual variances indicated a high degree of environmental sensitivity on the macro- and microenvironmental levels, respectively. Thus, these results indicate increased environmental sensitivity for breeds with higher genetic potential for milk production. These results support the conclusion that dairy cattle production under the current environmental conditions of Kosovo should be based on a breed with moderate production that is robust to the diet offered (e.g., Tyrol Grey).