Purebred calves will all be a very consistent size, grow at very similar rates, and finish and be ready to slaughter at roughly the same time and at similar weights and carcass sizes. 35 Best Cattle Breeds for Milk Dairy Cattle, 47 Best Cattle Breeds for Meat Beef Cattle, Western States Beefmaster Breeders Association. If you buy something through one of those links, I receive a small commission. although most are red or dark red, colors range from dun, to roan, to paint, black, grey, mottled, white face, you name it. Uses. For commercial production, it is important to recognize that the premium is paid for uniformity. The breed has a lot to offer on all scores. Its disposition is one of its defining qualities. The Lasater Ranch is located on the Rocky Mountain plains, which is known for its high altitude, snow, extreme cold and meager grassland for foraging. What is the best food to feed a Labrador puppy? These tests indicated in the Kempfers case the majority of their beef was in the acceptable range. The Six Essentials are weight, conformation, milk production, fertility, hardiness and disposition. Breeds may perform differently in Georgia. Producers should carefully consider their individual needs and goals when choosing a breed of cattle to work with. The diversity of resources and management capabilities of any operation makes this question difficult to answer. Are Hedgehogs Nocturnal? The brothers sell on a grid, where meat quality definitely matters. These cattle have been developed by the Lasater Ranch then headquartered in Texas. These guidelines were the brainchild of Lasater, who recognized the importance of these inheritable traits. The present population reflects the traits from the Foundation Herd with its outstanding qualities. If a producer is only interested in marbling, I understand Brahmans are not going to grade like Angus. Brothers George and Henry Kempfer give Johnsons statement a strong Amen. These fifth-generation ranchers, from St. 859, The University of Georgia 2022 | All rights reserved. The breed standard does not specify a color. Beefmaster is a beef breed developed in America that improves beef quality and production efficiency when crossed with any other cattle breed for commercial beef production. They thrive in the mountains of Colombia and Venezuela, as well as Montana, Oregon, New Mexico, Kentucky, and Wisconsin. They were developed by Tom Lasater in south Texas, beginning in 1931. If your state or breed association doesnt have a feed-out program, you can still go it alone. The Beefmaster cattle breed were specifically designed and selected to create cattle with superior beef quality. Good marbling makes for a tender, succulent and very tasty cut of meat that holds its quality throughout the carcass. The breed standard calls for bulls to have a masculine appearance and cows feminine. George Kempfer says in his familys southern environment, they have to keep Brahman in the maternal lines. Ditto with Brahmans. It will become possible to genetically predict how the offspring of a given animal will perform in the feedlot, as well as carcass characteristics and maternal traits. While a mixed breed herd eliminates the herd management complexity of maintaining a true crossbreeding program, it also prevents you from having a consistent ratio of breed genetics in your cattle - genetic ratios are constantly in flux. Bill Pendergrass, executive vice president of Beefmaster Breeders United (BBU), says Texas A&M did a multiyear carcass study in the 1990s, and of the 300 head of Beefmaster-sired cattle, 72% graded Choice. However, its popularity has grown in part because of how easy this animal is to manage on several fronts. By the early 1930s, the ranch also incorporated Milking Shorthorn genetics, to augment milk production and carcass quality. This breed is the fastest growing breed and is calving on a large scale. No breed of cattle is perfect. There are some key differences between crossbreeding and raising a mixed breeding herd so it's important to take a moment to define them so that we are on the same page. On the other hand, you may select a breed that is relatively unavailable in your area in order to offer a unique alternative for other breeders. What is the best cow breed for beginners? The 1/4 bloods from I-40 down to about the Red River (close to US 82) and below there a 3/8 to 1/2 blood cow is needed. The cattle have a good dressing percentage and bone to meat ratio with little waste. They are fast-growing for beef cattle, with outstanding meat quality and marbling. Global Ag Media provides a knowledge sharing platform offering premium news, analysis and information resources for the global agriculture industry. Crossbreeding combines multiple breeds in very tightly controlled ratios. It is a multi-purpose breed but primarily used as a beef cattle breed. I don't recommend commercial beef producers try this route - this is best left to specialized cattle breeders because it takes many generations to create a stable mix of traits after the initial crossbreeding period, and since replacement bulls and heifers must all come from within the same herd after the initial crossbreeding episode, it requires extremely complex herd management to avoid the pitfalls of inbreeding. Functional types and their best uses U.S. cattle can be categorized into six primary func - tional types based on their genetic classi!cation and levels of functional traits. They make raising good calves look easy. The purebred operation requires more time, record keeping and initial input. In the early 1990's, a Texas cattleman began pursuing the idea of importing Bonsmara cattle into the United States. A premium pasture mix that consists of Barenbrugs best grazing tall fescues, orchardgrass, perennial ryegrass, and Alice white clover. Time and again Beefmasters have proven themselves a great crossbreeding partner with black-hided and Continental cattle both in the yard and on the rail. Unlike a terminal cross, in a mixed breed program the crossbred heifers are rebred, their offspring are also added to the herd, and so on, so that the overall herd genetics in a mixed breed herd display a huge variety of genetic traits in an ever-changing mishmash of breed ratios. Cows only calve once a year and should have 12 to 14-month inter-calving cycle. Most Cattle produce milk but not all of them are used in the dairy Cattle capacity for their milk. Drought master cattle have become rare now days. Beefmaster cattle are the first American composite breed (combination of three or more breeds). The breed has a lot to offer on all scores. Productivity will suffer, however, if coat color is a primary selection trait. Beefmasters are a composite breed made up of roughly one-half Bos Taurus (Hereford and Shorthorn) and one-half Bos Indicus (Nelore from Brasil, Gir Guzerat from India). It is hard to maintain the purity of this breed. Brangus Pros: Continue to gain weight in hot period of year. For example, a cross between a commercial Angus cow and a Beefmaster bull would combine high levels of marbling from the Angus with high efficiency and growth of the Beefmaster. Beefmaster ranks fifth in the U.S. in terms of membership and is the largest of the American breeds. Wanting to track performance, the Kempfer brothers tagged steers and sent them to a feedlot in the Texas panhandle. One of the best examples is the Beefmaster Breed, developed in the 1930's using a mix of approximately 25% Hereford, 25% Shorthorn and 50% Brahman cattle in order to create a hardy heat and cold tolerant breed capable of thriving in the harsh South Texas climate. In an F1 Brahman/Angus cross, there is a 60-pound increase in live weight over a straight Brahman or straight Angus calf. UFs Johnson agrees. The cattle are heat, drought and insect resistant. Our intramuscular fat (IMF) has increased dramatically, reports the Temple, Texas, breeder. To summarize, the Beefmaster female excels in all maternal traits. Straightbred Angus steers were introduced in the postweaning portion of the study. Herefords can't tolerate extreme temperatures, so they aren't ideal for dairy farms. Here are some of the potential disadvantages of the Beefmaster breed:SizeWhile. Heat and humidity are detrimental to most production traits. The key advantage of a crossbreeding program is that it allows you to combine genetic advantages from multiple beef cattle breeds that have dramatically different environmental adaptations and traits. Unfortunately, one of the more influential factors on breed selection is coat color. The breed will jump-start your cattle and give your next calf crop a performance boost. Less known about them. Excellent for beef grazing systems along with dairy heifers and dry cows. George and I flew out there and retagged them. Other such composite breeds have been successful for short term results, but the retained heterosis produced through crossbreeding with Beefmasters is strong and will generate long term benefits. Traits used in the final selection process should not be affected by the type of operation (commercial or purebred). Location. There is no additional cost to you. Calf/cow skin leather products such as shoes, car seats, fine leather coats, gloves, handbags, belts, furniture, rugs, etc. Copyright 1997-2016 All Rights Reserved. Wagyu is the Fastest Growing Beef Breed in America. Beefmasters also enjoy a rapidly growing international footprint, with established associations in nine countries worldwide. Work toward calving 30 to 60 days prior to the best forage season in your area. Calves are born small but grow rapidly. Times are changing. Santa gertrudis cattle have a lot of benefits and very few disadvantages. The two fundamental categories of beef cattle operations are purebred and commercial. Beefmaster is a breed developed in the early 1930s from Herefords, Shorthorns and Brahman. Florida researchers did a classic project to illustrate this effect. You get all the convenience traits in the female along with a crossbred, high performing calf with excellent carcass traits. Their research points to the heterosis gains showing an extra calf when weaning weights produce 50-75 extra kilograms per calf born. One way, such as in the Beefmaster and the Black Simmental examples above, requires many generations of rebreeding after the right ratio of genetics is introduced to the herd. Other breeds fit certain specialty markets. View or Share Your Media in the Gallery Today! More meat per cow on avrg. They have medium to large ears, an extended dewlap and a moderate hump. Lasater succeeded admirably, with the Beefmaster earning USDA recognition in 1954. Since there are more than 70 recognized cattle breeds, it is impossible to compare them all at once. 1996 May;74(5):955-64. doi: 10.2527/1996.745955x. A HIGH PERCENTAGE. Johnson and fellow UF researcher Mauricio Elzo reached these conclusions after feeding out and harvesting 1,367 head of Brahman, Angus and Brahman/Angus crosses from 1989 to 2009. The MARC study, however, did provide useful information about relative differences among many of the European and Brahman cattle. Spend some time at the local sale barn, and youll figure out pretty quickly that a little ear is seen as a good reason to knock down the price for a feeder steer. Beefmasters are perhaps the least known, yet most effective heterosis delivery system in the beef industry, being a stabilized composite that is 50% Brahman, 25% Hereford and 25% Shorthorn. Live Oak BBA Carcass Ultrasound Scan Day @ Landair, Beeville, TX, April 20, 2023 In the Netherlands, it was developed in the region of the three rivers from which it gets its name. They excel post-weaning as well, with faster weight gains, excellent feed conversion and carcass yields around 64%. Cloud, Fla., have been retaining ownership on their familys Brahman-sired steers since 1993. The Weigh to Decide on Livestock Scales, Controlling Horn Flies for Successful Cattle Reproduction and Disease Management, Weighing the Benefits of Rice Lake Weighing Systems, Applications Now Open for Ten $1,500 CME Beef Industry Scholarship, NCBA Responds to Treasury Decision to Withdraw Section 2704 Valuation Regulation, Cattlemen Very Pleased That Tax-Reform Blueprint Includes Death Tax Repeal, Will Fight to Maintain Existing Positive Provisions in Tax Code, Texas Rancher to Congress on Death Tax: Just Get Rid of the Son of a Bitch. BBU is on it, Pendergrass says. Image Credit:Darryl Darwent, Flickr, CC BY 2.0. I wouldnt say the quality grades were much different. Whether you raise livestock for beef or dairy, the Beefmaster belongs on your shortlist. What is best breed to cross with Beefmaster? They cut cows and heifers for fertility problems, udder quality, calving ease and disposition. Cons: calves less aggressive at birthing. The purebred operation requires more time, record keeping and initial input. Another huge advantage of a terminal crossbreeding program is that the first cross (the initial 50/50 mixed calf) displays hybrid vigor, which is a significant boost in their performance (faster growth rates, higher fertility, etc) compared to purebred or regular mixed-breed calves. The Beefmaster is a great range cattle breed that can handle adverse environments and climates. The breeding program leading to their establishment was started by Ed C. Lasater in 1908, when he purchased Brahman bulls to use on his commercial herd of Hereford and . Never turn your back on a bull be cautious of them at all times. Under the direction of coordinator Darrell Busby, cattle are fed at cooperating feedlots, and individual feedlot and carcass data are collected and shared with the consignor, all for $10 a head. Scotch Highland As one of the hardiest breeds, they survive in poor conditions where other cattle perish. Have You Captured the Perfect Cattlemen Moment? resources. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. What is the best bull to cross with Angus cows? As producers continue to pay . If your program has been designed to provide limited winter feeding, the calving season should be in the spring and the breed should be moderate in both growth and milk production. Youre responsible for the trucking, which Busby says typically runs $30 to $60 a head, depending on the distance and weight of the cattle. Hereford cattle breed have a lot of advantages and the most common advantage is its long life span and good calving ability. , reports the Temple, Texas, breeder once a year and should have 12 to inter-calving... Retaining ownership on their familys Brahman-sired steers since 1993 high performing calf with excellent carcass traits these were... And on the rail the traits from the Foundation Herd with its outstanding qualities the also! 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