meta Avoid the hidden costs of beef on dairy | The Bullvine
Image
FacebookEmailTwitterRSS

Slide 7
Slide 7
Slide 7
Slide 8
Slide 8
Slide 8
Slide 5
Slide 5
Slide 5
Style_Bullvine
Style_Bullvine
Style_Bullvine
Slide 7
Slide 7
Slide 7
Slide 8
Slide 8
Slide 8
Slide 5
Slide 5
Slide 5
Overlays

Avoid the hidden costs of beef on dairy

Tuesday, October 27th, 2020

With a well-planned strategy, utilizing beef on dairy breeding leads to genetic progress, manageable heifer inventories and valuable crossbred calves. However, choosing the wrong beef sires can do more harm than good.

So, what should you consider when selecting beef sires for your dairy?

1. Genetics created for dairy cows: Focusing on sires that will provide high fertility and favorable calving traits is important. However, other economically relevant traits, like stillbirth and gestation length, cannot be overlooked. Beef on dairy bulls should also be homozygous black, polled and excel in growth, feed intake and carcass quality.

2. Proven performance: Just as dairy genetic evaluations are based on dairy sires mated to dairy cows, beef genetic evaluations are based on beef sires mated to beef cows. After years of beef on dairy use, it is becoming clear that data from beef on beef matings cannot accurately predict beef on dairy performance. Traditional selection for individual beef expected progeny differences (EPDs) is less effective than a balanced selection index that fully describes dairy profitability.

3. Beef supply chain marketability: The beef supply chain recognizes that not all black-hided animals are created equal. Without a clear strategy, dairy-beef crossbreds can grow and finish like a dairy animal, rather than a beef animal. When selecting only the top fertility or calving ease sires, the dairy will benefit; but the resulting calf may not excel in the beef supply chain. Complementing dairy cows with the right beef sires creates consistent calves that buyers can confidently buy and continue to market.

When beef genetics are designed for dairy cows, rather than chosen based on a few traits, it is much easier to avoid hidden costs.

Source: ABS Global

(T1, D1)

Tags

A.I. Industry animal welfare butter prices challenges China Cow Comfort cow health Dairy Cattle Dairy Cattle Marketing dairy cows dairy farmers Dairy Farming dairy farms Dairy Industry dairy producers dairy production efficiency farmers Feed Costs Feed Efficiency Genetic Evaluation System Genomics greenhouse gas emissions growth Health Herd Health innovation Management milk output milk prices Milk Production milk quality milk yield monitoring New Zealand nutrition production productivity Profitability resilience sustainability Technology United States USDA World Dairy Expo

Style_Bullvine
Style_Bullvine
Style_Bullvine
Slide 7
Slide 7
Slide 7
Slide 8
Slide 8
Slide 8
Slide 5
Slide 5
Slide 5
Slide 7
Slide 7
Slide 7
Slide 5
Slide 5
Slide 5
Slide 8
Slide 8
Slide 8
Overlays

Send this to a friend