—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 12,1977
22
Progress
UNIVERSITY PARK -
Beef cattle breeders have
come a long way in im
porving their animals during
the past 40 years, according
to Lowell L. Wilson,
professor of animal science
at Penn State. Even, into the
1930’5, Dr. Wilson noted,
steers tended to be late
maturmg, slow-growing and
difficult to feed efficiently
for market
Then cattle breeders
turned to more intensive
management systems,
combined with unproved
breeding methods developed
through research, he pointed
out Attention was given in
particular to certain
economically important
characteristics of beef cattle
- growth rate, carcass
meatiness, carcass
eatability, structural
soundness, fertility, and
milk production.
Studies at Penn State
determined the relative
influence of inheritance on
each of these charac
teristics. Next, methods of
selection to bring about
maximum improvement
were developed, Wilson
commented.
Over time, beef cattle
breeders gave increased
attention to selecting
replacements for growth
rate and carcass muscling,
both highly inherited
Farmer Share of
Dollar Drops
The farmer’s share of the
dollar spent in retail food
stores dropped to 38% cents
in August, compared with 39
cents in July and slightly
over 39 cents in August last
year, reports the U.S.
Department of Agriculture.
The cost for assembling,
transporting, and
distributing an average of
market basket of food in
creased nearly one per cent
from July to August. Most of
the increase was for beef,
pork, poultry, and oilseed
products. In contrast,
marketing spreads
decreased sharply for eggs.
The farm-retail spread in
August averaged 3.7 per cent
above a year earlier.
made in beef cattle
characteristics. Fertility, on
the other hand, was not
emphasized in selecting
breeding stock since fertility
is not highly heritable.
Cooperating with
researchers at other in
stitutions, the Penn Staters
have developed reasons and
techniques for recording
performance on individual
animals while they are
maturing. Records are kept
on weaning weight, yearling
weight, structural sound
ness, and - in some cases -
ultrasonic estimates of fat
cover and loin-eye area.
Highly heritable
characteristics, such as
yearling weight, must be
obtained accurately to use m
selection programs. Ten
years ago, less than five per
cent of all purebred beef
cattle breeders collected
such information. Now, said
Wilson, all purebred beef
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formance and most have
progeny tests programs. In
addition, about 100 bull test
stations in the U.S. collect
performance records.
“Performance records in
individual calves
automatically become
progeny records on sires and
dams. Progeny testing is
positive proof of a bull’s or
cow’s genetic abibty,” he
stated.
Penn State studies in
dicate that Angus-Holstem
crossbred cows can produce
calves averaging 80 pounds
more at eight months of age
than most other purebred or
crossbred cows. However,
nutrition and management
must be relatively good for
cows producing high yields
of milk to have acceptable
fertility.
“Success with
crossbreeding programs still
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breeding
relies on selection of herd
replacements with the
genetic ability for high levels
of growth rate, structural
soundness, and carcass
meatiness. Fortunately,
crossbreeding has the
greatest effect on calving
per cent, one criteria of
reporductive performance,”
Dr. Wilson affirmed.
He indicated the English
beef cattle breeds - Angus,
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Hereford, and Shorthorn -
continue their popularity in
most commercial herds.
However, other breeds such
as Charolais, Chianina,
Limousin, Maine-Anjou, and
Simmental, are used to
infuse highly desirable
growth rate and other
characteristics into
crossbred cattle.
Experiments at Penn
State have shown that
carcass conformation is not
necessarily related to the
proportion of edible meat.
Another factor, marbling
score - an estimate of the
uni-spreader
amount 6! fat in the lean
meat - is not as accurate in
predicting eating pleasure
from different types of beef
as once thought.
Practically all cattle from
beef breeding projects' at
Penn State are evaluated for
traits reflecting consumer
satisfaction. One important
aspect is the taste panel, in
which eight trained people
evaluate differences in
juiciness, tenderness, and
flavor. These measurements
aid in breeding or producing
cattle with high ac
ceptability.