By Burt Rutherford
What ’ s the big deal with these composite bulls , anyway ? And why should I use them in my cow herd ?
Those are two very valid questions , says Dr . Bob Weaber , a geneticist and head of Kansas State University ’ s Eastern Kansas Research and Extension Centers . For the answers , he says to look at the female side of the equation .
Why ? Because that ’ s where composite bulls help commercial cow-calf producers realize the benefits of heterosis without the headaches of a more complex crossbreeding program . “ Heterosis is just the little extra boost in performance we get above the average of the straightbred parents ’ expected performance ,” he says . “ It ’ s the little icing on the cake , if you will .”
That icing may be more than just a little . “ We get our biggest boost in performance due to heterosis in lowly heritable traits like cow longevity and fertility ,” he says . And given today ’ s cost in developing replacement heifers , cow longevity is more important now than ever before .
Indeed , cow longevity and fertility are two of the most important economic traits in a commercial cow herd . Without question . That ’ s because you can ’ t sell a calf that ’ s never born . And the longer a cow stays in the
herd , the more her calves return economic value to the rancher .
Typical crossbreeding programs , however , can be complicated and difficult to implement , especially if you want to realize genetic improvement by retaining heifers . That ’ s why Weaber thinks incorporating composite genetics like Lim-Flex into a breeding program is a good fit . Lim-Flex composites can have 25 % -75 % Limousin genetics with the remainder being Registered Angus or Registered Red Angus .
“ It ’ s very easy to implement and they ( the bulls ) come with the crossbreeding system already built in ,” he says . “ The commercial producer doesn ’ t have to do anything extra in terms of breeding pastures or identifying replacement heifers by breed of their sire . It ’ s as simple as straight breeding .”
Composite bulls also allow cattlemen to benefit from breed complementarity when the breeds selected 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 .