COMPOSITES SIMPLIFY REPRODUCTIVE MANAGEMENT
What ’ s the big deal with composite bulls ? And why should I use them ?
Two good questions , says Dr . Bob Weaber , a geneticist and head of Kansas State University ’ s Eastern Kansas Research and Extension Centers . For answers , he says look at the cowherd .
That ’ s where composite bulls help commercial cow-calf producers realize the benefits of heterosis without the headaches of a traditional crossbreeding program . “ They ( the bulls ) come with the crossbreeding system already built in ,” he says , using Lim-Flex as an example . Lim-Flex composites can have 25 % - 75 % Limousin genetics with the remainder being Registered Angus or Registered Red Angus .
“ We get our biggest boost in performance due to heterosis in lowly heritable traits like cow longevity and fertility ,” he says . Given today ’ s cost in developing replacement heifers , cow longevity is more important now than ever before .
Composite bulls also provide breed complementarity — that ’ s when the breed combination possess complementary traits like Limousin and Angus do .
Coupled with heterosis , it adds even more to a commercial herd ’ s economic potential . “ So , producers can expect a 13 to 15 percent improvement in weaning weight per cow exposed using a Lim-Flex breeding program , for example ,” he says .
Real World Results
Shane Whiting and his two sons run around 1,000 commercial cows in northeast Utah near Roosevelt — all Lim-Flex , bulls and cows alike .
“ Docility and calving ease are the two number-one things for a commercial rancher ,” he says . “ And the docility of the Lim-Flex is really great . But calving ease is top of the line . She has to be able to produce a calf without a lot of problems .”
They have a 60-day breeding and calving season . “ And our conception rate with Lim-Flex cattle has run 95-96 percent consecutively for up to 20 years now .”
He also appreciates that his cows have a moderate frame size , yet milk well . “ We have better longevity , and we have a better bag ,” he says . “ These hold up .”
Whiting has carcass data on thousands of head beginning in 2014 . That year , his Lim-Flex calves came down the rail grading 94 percent Choice and Prime . “ Now we ’ re at 97 percent .”
Data from the Meat Animal Research Center , Clay Center , Nebraska , helps explain why Whiting ’ s Lim-Flex cows perform well on a diet largely of grass and grass hay . “ There was no statistical difference in feed efficiency yet lower intake . That ’ s likely tied to the expected lower mature weights on these females ,” Weaber says . Citing other research , Weaber points out that Limousin females had the lowest mature cow weight among 10 breeds , with weights corrected for breed effect and contrasted to Angus .
Hitting Home Runs in the Southeast
Will Hargett owns a sale barn in Ayden , North Carolina , in the eastern part of the state . “ We handle quite a few cattle that are in less than load lots ,” he says , with cow herds ranging from 20 to around 100 head .
A number of years ago , he marketed some Lim-Flex calves to a producer who backgrounded and finished them . “ About a year later , he called me back and said , ‘ We ’ ve been in the business for three generations and that last set of calves we bought out of your barn really showed us something .’”
Hargett did a little research and decided he would help place Lim-Flex bulls with area cow-calf producers . “ We ’ ve had a great experience with Lim-Flex bulls in recent years with what I would consider to be fairly average commercial cows , and just get outstanding calves coming off these cows ,” he says . “ And we ’ ve had a lot of good response from the people buying these calves .”
Several of his customers retain their heifers . To that end , he says the Lim-Flex genetics are busting some age-old myths . Bred back to Lim-Flex bulls , “ They ’ re not throwing anything with bad temperament issues . They ’ re easy to handle , they ’ re good milkers , they ’ re good mothers and are producing fantastic calves .”
Drought Insurance
“ We ’ ve been tested pretty hard as far as weather the last handful of years ,” says Shane Anderson . “ Mostly drought and feeding a lot of poor-quality roughages . And they ( his Lim-Flex cows ) seem to be holding up .”
Anderson , a cow-calf producer from Towner , North Dakota , says that over the years he ’ s used Lim-Flex genetics , he sees more consistency in the conformation and disposition of the cattle . “ I ’ ve had a lot of confidence in the Lim-Flex females as far as calving ease and the vigor of the calves when they get up and get going . They ’ re really a herd that doesn ’ t require a lot of attention in the spring . And that ’ s a big seller for me .”
He ’ ll come back with Lim-Flex bulls on his replacement heifers . “ I ’ m happy with the selection I ’ m finding in the Lim- Flex breed as far as bulls that hit my maternal needs as well as ones that hit the benchmark as far as the feeder calves and the performance I expect from them .”
What ’ s more , he ’ s impressed with the longevity of Lim-Flex females . Because of drought , he has culled deep , but says there are still some females in his herd that are producing at 12-13 years old .
When it ’ s time to cull the old cows , their condition and yield adds value at the sale barn , he says . “ I still want some salvage value and you know what ? Even at 12 , 13 years of age , they sell just as they would if they were five , six , seven years old . They look good .”