replacements, and keep only early-bred
heifers as replacements. And, perhaps
most importantly, identify herd sires
with females in their pedigree that
have an outstanding fertility record.”
•
Consider a planned crossbreeding
program to take advantage of heterosis
and breed complementarity in the cow
herd. Heterosis improves longevity and
fertility compared to a single-breed
system. At the same time, producers can
intentionally select and use breeds that have
the potential to reduce costs and better
match cattle to their local environment.
“Resistance to parasites and heat in the
South, for example. Also, recent Meat
Animal Research Center data identifies
breeds that could be used to reduce
overall feed intake,” Lalman explains.
“In one of our recent experiments,
Hereford-sired black baldy cows consumed
about 2 pounds per day less moderate-
quality forage. At the same time, those
crossbred cows maintained better body
condition throughout the winter and
early summer. This equates to about 725
pounds per year less forage required.”
Sire selection
As always, it’s easy to create
added cost inadvertently.
For instance, Lalman says, “We know there is
no need to select for larger cows, and we don’t
need to select for tiny cows. We do not need
large cows to make acceptable cattle that
perform well during the finishing period.”
Fall-calving cows in the OSU research herd weigh
1,100 to 1,200 pounds. The most recent set of
steers from them were on feed for 190 days. They
paid on 1,464 pounds coming off feed, gained
3.6 pounds per day and converted at 5.6 pounds
Your Source for Homo Black
& Homo Polled
Purebred Genetics
Find us at the Ohio Valley Sale and ACH
Holdings Foundations Sale October 6th!
Tom & Chris Daniel • 859-498-0030
859-585-1785, Tom cell
859-585-8388, Chris cell
5171 Camargo-Levee Rd.
Mt. Sterling, Kentucky 40353
Over 30 years of Breed
Improvement
Y our S ource for Q ualitY f ullblood l imouSin
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GROOM IN
LIMOUS
Chester & Charlotte Grooms
5982 St. Rt. 247
WEST UNION, OH 45693-9374
(937) 544-2874 • [email protected]
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