12
—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 30,1971
Functional Efficiency and Crossbreeding Emphasized at Charolais Meeting
Functional efficiency--the
ability of a bull to sire high
performing offspring, cows that
will calve easily and regularly,
and cattle that finish with high
cutability and quality-will be the
keystone of beef production in the
future.
What’s more, with a predicted
continued upswing in
crossbreeding, top commercial
cattlemen will be selecting bulls
on their individual performance
merit, not by breed.
This was the* underlying
philosophy of a battery of
speakers at the Worldwide
Charolais Breed Improvement
Seminar in Dallas recently at the
Bth annual convention of the
International Federation of
Charolais Host for the con
vention was American-
International Charolais Assn, of
Houston, the breed’s registry in
this country
Further beneath those tones
were well-directed comments
that for Charolais to continue its
leadership role and the preferred
sire breed in crossbreeding, the
breed will have to continue -to
expand its performance
leadership in order to provide
commercial cowmen with clean,
high-performing bulls.
In attendance at Dallas, Texas,
were Charolais breeders from the
U.S., Canada, Mexico, France,
England,Australia, New
Zealand, Japan, Rhodesia,
Argentina, and other countries
It was Deßaca who emphasized
“functional efficiency” as such in
beef cattle “There is nothing
more rewarding than to see a calf
born alive, get up to suck and
grow and grow,” he declared
FARMERSVILLE
EQUIPMENT INC.
R. D. 2, Ephrata, Pa.
CHAS J. McCOMSEY
& SONS
Hickory Hill, Pa.
GRUMELLI
FARM SERVICE
Quarryville
‘The lowan called for breeders to
“rank cows and cull the infertile;
rank cows on reproduction; rank
calves on growth; and evaluate
sire on progeny tests to foster
“functional efficiency”.
His sentiments were echoed by
other speakers during the
seminar, including Dr. O.D.
Butler, chairman of Texas A and
M University’s animal science
department, who predicted
continued increases in popularity
of crossbreeding
“The Charolais breed has
provided bulls that have sired
steers with the desired traits (in
beef production) - gamability
and cutability,” he declared.
“Increasing popularity of the
breed, in my opinion has been due
almost entirely to the desirability
of crossbred steers sired by
Charolais bulls,” he continued.
“First, carcass shows all over the
country were dominated by the
crossbred Charolais steers, and
now the live steer shows are
frequently won by them.”
Butler warned, however, that
‘Charolais breeders must not
rest on their laurels. Top com
mercial cattlemen today are
selecting bulls on individual
merit, not just by breed. It is
essential, therefore to continue
genetic selection of the purebreds
that go into a cross.”
Arguing that crossbreeding
would not eliminate the purebred
or seedstock producer, Dr. Butler
pointed out that crossbreeding
may well increase the demand
for purebred cattle, as a large
percentage of purebreds is
necessary to support production
of hybrids
Dr Beßaca also pointed to the
N. G. HERSHEY
& SON
Manheim
ZOOK'S FARM
STORE
Honey Brook, Pa.
NISSLEY
FARM SERVICE
Washington Boro
Charolais breed, which, with
accumulating heterosis data,
finally legitimized crossbreeding
in the U.S. These successes at the
same time opened the doors to
American importation of full-
French Charolais and numerous
other “new” breeds from
Europe, including the Sim
mental, Limousin, Maine-Anjou
and others.
But, he said, “the shakedown of
these breeds will be ac
complished through performance
evaluation. The ‘dollar making
test’ will determine which breeds
stay and which will taste the salt
of the seas on their way back to
whence they came.”
Dr. T.M. Sutherland, genetics
specialist at Colorado State
University, pointed to the history
of genetic defects in beef cattle,
stating that all breeds-and all
species of living things-have
deleterious genes in their genetic
make-up.
Any bad gene, he said, is
present in only a few animals, but
NEMA Meeting Scheduled Nov.
Egg producers from allparts of
the Northeast will converge at
the Marriott Motor Hotel at
Newton, Mass., November 5 for
the annual meeting of the Nor
theast Egg Marketing
Association (NEMA).
NEMA Manager Ray 'Delano
reports mounting pre-meeting
registration Interest is strong in
both the business and social
programs There will be two
speakers nationally known in
agriculture
Jerry Faulkner, general
manager of United Egg
Producers (UEP), will cover the
topic, “NEMA’s Role in UEP,” at
the business meeting which will
begin at 1:30 p.m.
Sister M. Thomas More,
O.S.F , of Holy Family College,
Manitowoc, Wise., will be the
guest speaker at the evening
banquet. She will draw upon a
rich background of study and
activity with many farm groups
as she discusses “Cooperation or
Annihilation-It’s Our Choice.”
Serving as master of
ceremonies at the banquet will be
Hendrik Wentink of Pennfield
Corp., Lancaster.
An election to fill five vacan
cies on the NEMA board of
directors is scheduled and
members will hear area progress
reports from directors Milton
Stimpson of New York; Lionel
there are so many bad genes
possible that virtually all animals
in all breeds carry a few bad
genes. Trouble arises, he said,
when the two animals mated both
carry the same bad gene and then
there is a 25 per cent chance of
throwing a defective offspring.
The Coloradoan commended
the American-International
Charolais Assn , which hosted the
conference, for its very
enlightened and far-sighted
approach” in recognizing some
genetic problems within the
breed and in mounting a strong
educational program to aid
breeders in getting rid of the
problem as fast and as painlessly
as pssible.
For control of recessive genes,
Sutherland recommended the
same practices which controls
dwarfism and other defects in
other breeds.
For the commercial producer,
he said use of only clean bulls is
the only measure necessary.
But more_preventive measures
Grise of New England; David
London of New Jersey, and
Donald Horn of York County, Pa.
The officers and members of
NEMA have invited all interested
egg producers and members of
allied industry to join in any or all
of the activities November 5. The
Marriott is located at the junction
of Massachusetts Turnpike and
Route 128.
lIIAM H. MARTIN, INC.
must be taken by the seedstock
producer, 'he said, including
removal of all sires that are
proven carriers by reason of
having thrown defective calves,
and removal from the herd of all
known carrier females. Carrier
females, however, could be kept
in a separate herd for testing
young males. Culling, as quickly
as possible, depending on the
merits of the animals in all other
characteristics, all close
relatives of the known carriers
also will assist in genetic
cleanup.
“All animals will be carrying
some genetic junk in their
makeup, only we are never sure
just what it is,” he explained. “So
it is hardly sensible to go through
the herd ‘with a big stick’ to
throw out every animal that may
remotely be carrying a specfic
gene or genes.”
While changes are occuring in
production processes of the in
dustry, changes also are for
thcoming iq the .packing and
retailing segments, stated Dr. A.
M. Mullins, head of the animal
industries department of Idaho
University.
Fabrication and scientific
packaging, already on the scene
in some areas, in certain to have
influences on future production
needs, and will influence markets
for heavier weight cattle, he said.
Nunn's
BARN-DH
Use in any stable or animal
pen that has a tendency to
become slippery when wet.
• Cow Stables and Runways
• Hog Pens
• Sheep Stables
• Dog and Cat Kennels
• Chicken Houses
• Other damp areas
See your local dealer.
Try A
Classified