—Lancaster Farmim
44
A Closer Look At Crossbreeding
Beef cattle breeding herds
A and B are similar in type,
size, and management. Yet,
at weaning time herd A
produces 23 percent more
pounds of calf per cow ex
posed to breeding.
The difference is that a
well-planned system of
crossbreeding is used in herd
A, while herd B produces
straightbreds of a single
breed.
The herds are fictitious,
but the potential advantage
of crossbreeding is real, as
indicated by long-term
studies at the U.S. Meat
Animal Research Center,
Clay Center, Neb., in
cooperation with the
Nebraska Agricultural
Experiment Station, Lin
coln.
Crossbreeding can take
advantage of heterosis or
hybrid vigor, the response in
an animal from the cross of
parents carrying many
unlike genes. The studies
were initiated at Fort
Robinson, Neb,, in 1957 to
determine the influence of
Wa
Mi
C
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Ph - 367-1195
Rheems
John J. Hess, 11, Inc.
Ph 4424632
Paradise
West Willow Farmers Assn., Inc.
■VWWnH! [i
Saturday. July 13. 1974
heterosis on economic traits
in beef cattle over four
generations of systematic
crossbreeding.
Overall, the effects of
heterosis significantly
reduced the age when heifers
reached puberty, reduced
the interval from calving to
first estrus, and advanced
the average date of con
ception. Additional heterosis
effects included these in
creases: in first-service
conception rate, number of
conceptions per service,
pregnancy rate, percentage
calf crop and weight of calf
weaned per cow exposed to
bulls in the breeding herd.
The first phase of the study
compared straightbred
Hereford, Angus, and
Shorthorn claves with all
possible crosses involving
the three breeds. The effects
of heterosis—the difference
between averages of parent
straightbreds and
crossbreds—included a three
percent increase in per
centage of calves weaned
and a 19.4 pound boost in
John B. Kurtz
Ph: 354-9251
R.D.3, Ephrata
Ira B. Landis
Ph: 665-3248
Box 276, Manheim RD3
Ph: 464-3431
West Willow
average weaning weight of
calves at 200 days. An even
more meaningful effect,
reflecting the combined
responses in reporduction,
survival, and growth rate in
crossbreds, is the average of
28.8 pounds or 8.5 percent, in
average weaning weight per
cow in the breeding herd.
The crossbred steers
gained 2.9 percent more than
straightbred steers in the
feedlot and produced
trimmed-boneless beef that
netted $B.Bl, or 4.2 percent,
more per head over feed
costs. Differences in feed
efficiency and carcass
composition were small.
Heifers from the first
phase of the study were
retained by geneticists
Larry V. Cundiff, Keith E.
Gregory, and Robert M.
Koch for the second part of
the study. Phase II involved
570 matings of straightbred
cows and 687 matings of
crossbred cows over six
breeding seasons. Ap
proximately half of the
females were managed for
calving as 2-year-olds and
half as 3-year-olds.
Researchers determined
the infulence of heterosis as
the difference between
reciprocal crossbred
females when both were
mated to bulls of a third
Yorkshire Hog
Show and Sale
The Pennsylvania
Yorkshire Coop Association
Inc., will be sponsoring a
show and sale at the Lebanon
Area Fairgrounds on
Thursday, August 1 and
Friday, August 2nd.
An educational program
will be under the direction of
Dr. Dean Snyder of the Eli
Lolly Company with Richard
TRY A
CLASSIFIED
breed. For example, females
sired by Hereford bulls out of
Angus cows and the
reciprocal cross, females
sired by Angus bulls out of
Hereford cows, were com
pared with straightbred
Hereford and Angus females
when all were mated to the
same Shorthorn bulls.
In Phase 11, an increase of
50.8 pounds, or 14.8 percent,
in weight of calves at
weaning per cow exposed to
breeding was attributed to
the effects of heterosis. The
calf crop weaned in Phase II
was 6.4 percent more for
crossbred than for
straightbred cows because of
higher pregnancy rates and
first-service conception
rates in the crossbreds.
Crossbred cows, also
produced significantly more
milk than straightbreds, as
reflected in 4.3 percent
heavier calf weights.
The cumulative influence
in heterosis is the sum of
individual heterosis in Phase
I and maternal heterosis in
Phase 11. The 8.5 percent
advantage in weight of calf
weaned per cow exposed to
breeding in Phase I plus the
14.8 percent advantage in
Phase II combined to yield a
cumulative advantage for
crossbreds of more than 23
Sholley serving as judge for
the show.
For a sale catalog write to
president Clair Flinchbaugh
RDI, Felton, Pa., 17322.
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percent, or almost 79 pounds, sequent calving seasons as
in the study. the cows advanced in age.
Differences in Management for first
management significantly calving as 2-year-olds
influenced heterosis effects therefore has the potential
in the first calf crop. Under advantage of adding one calf
management for first to the cow’s lifetime
calving as 3-year-olds, the production,
effects on percentages of The third phase of the
calves alive at birth and at 2 experiment is comparing
weeks were significantly three systems of
greater than under crossbreeding for corn
management for first mercial beef production,
calving as 2-year-olds, along with lines of the
Differences between the two Hereford, Angus, and
groups were small in sub- Shorthorn breeds.
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733-2283
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786-7351