What Cattle Breed Brings The Most Money Mississippi

beef calves

Revised by Carole H. Knight, County Extension ANR Agent – Bulloch County
and Ted G. Dyer, Former Extension Animal Scientist – Beef Cattle

Start with the Basics
General Trends

New cattle producers oftentimes enquire, "Which breed should I choose?" This question brings common cold chills to many knowledgeable cattle producers and excitement to simply as many enthusiastic breeders. The diversity of resources and management capabilities of any operation makes this question difficult to answer. This publication provides accurate, unbiased data to guide the controlling process. Afterwards reading this publication, you should empathize why the only right answer is, "It depends!"

The two primal categories of beefiness cattle operations are purebred and commercial. The purebred performance requires more fourth dimension, record keeping and initial input. The commercial operation is mostly a lower-input, lower-risk blazon of venture. When choosing a breed for either a commercial or purebred operation, base of operations your decision on profitability. Table 1 illustrates that while production can exist increased by selection for growth, the increased product from crossbreeding is more than rapid and price-effective.

Unfortunately, one of the more than influential factors on breed selection is glaze color. How many times have you lot heard someone say, "I similar 'em considering they're black"? Coat color, whether information technology is ruddy, black, white, yellow, gray or mixed, has little to do with operation, just it does touch how people perceive cattle. A herd of purebred cattle will by and large be more uniform in glaze color than a herd of crossbred cows. There are breeds that will produce all of the colors mentioned above and more. Every bit a producer, you must exist satisfied with the color and its uniformity or lack of uniformity. Productivity volition suffer, however, if coat color is a primary selection trait. If your brood selection is more dependent on production and return on investment, brand coat option depression on the list of criteria.

Traits used in the concluding selection process should not be affected by the type of operation (commercial or purebred). The one unique aspect of the purebred industry is the high-profile advertising and educational programs, such as field days. The purebred cattle market oftentimes provides a college return per moo-cow unit, but at the expense of higher maintenance costs, higher breeding costs, more direction inputs and greater risks.

Table 1. Comparison of Product and Profitability between Crossbred Cows, Selected and Unselected Purebred Hereford Cows
	Crossbred	Unselected	Selected*
Pregnancy Charge per unit	83%	86%	79%
Avg. Cow Weight	1,234 lbs	953 lbs	ane,168 lbs
Adj. Weaning Wt.	612 lbs	402 lbs	494 lbs
Dogie Crop Weaned per Moo-cow Wintered	87%	84%	73%
Weaning Wt. per Cow Wintered	530 lbs	338 lbs	358 lbs
Return over Feed Cost	$21.67	-$ix.72	-$32.42
Adapted from Ritchie, 1986, MSU Enquiry Report FS-473. * Selection was for increased growth rate.

Beginning with the Basics

The factors that influence returns to a commercial functioning are calf crop percent, weaning weight, market place price and annual moo-cow costs. The following formula outlines how these factors must balance in order to optimize profitability.

Almanac Toll per Cow
Land Feed (grain and mineral) Herd Health		Fertilizer Hay (purchase vs. custom) Depreciation (cow buy)
Must Equal
Weaning Weight Growth Rate Milk Production Environment	X Calf Crop Percentage X Selection Bull Fertility Dystocia Health		Market Price Flavor Demand Mgt. Ability

The factors that influence weaning or market weight and calf crop percentage are most affected by brood selection.

The weaning or market weight of the calves is afflicted past genetics, milk production of the brood cow, availability of pasture and / or creep feed, and environmental conditions such as temperature, etc. Work toward calving 30 to 60 days prior to the best provender season in your expanse. Cow milk production declines after three months; therefore, supplement the nutrient requirements of the growing calf past making high-quality forage available. If your provender system lacks high-quality forages, the selection of a fast-growing, heavy-milking brood would be detrimental to optimum productivity.

Researchers evaluated breed types using varying percentages of European x British and beefiness x dairy crossbred cows. When maintained in like environments, the larger-framed, higher-milking cows had poor reproductive performance. Thus, when genetic potential for milk is high a cow?south re-convenance per centum will be reduced. The growth potential of the calves volition only exist met when adequate milk production is available. When milk supply is abundant and forage quantity and quality are marginal, the consequence is a reduced calf crop percent due to low cyclicity and pregnancy rates; therefore, make sure to match your forage production system to the genetic potential of your breed cow herd.

With this "optimum philosophy" in mind, we tin expect at general trends in milk production, growth and reproduction of several breeds in the United States.

cattle

In the early 1970s, a inquiry project was started at the Meat Animal Inquiry Center (MARC) in Clay Centre, Nebraska. The project was designed to evaluate the "recently" imported breeds from Europe and provides the most complete, comprehensive information available. All breeds were not compared, so some information is non available. Breeds may perform differently in Georgia. The project does provide a valid comparison of the cattle in 1 common environment.

Table 2 outlines how the breeds compare to the Angus x Hereford crossbred (used as a standard). The values in the table are listed in ratios. A ratio of 105 indicates a value of 5 per centum above the standard of 100; a ratio of 95 indicates a value 5 percent beneath the standard. The bodily pct is in parenthesis for the percent of cows pregnant after the first breeding season and per centum calf crop weaned. Calving difficulty was reported in actual percentage.

Since there are more than 70 recognized cattle breeds, it is incommunicable to compare them all at once. The breeds are more often than not grouped into three types: British, European and Zebu-influence. The Zebu-influence breeds were developed in the Gulf Coast region of the United States.

Tabular array 2. Comparison of Product Traits of Several Breeds
	Calves			Heifers		Cows
	Percent Calving Difficulty	Growth Rate to Weaning	Growth Rate to Yearling	Age at Puberty	% Preg. after first breeding flavour Ratio (%)	% Dogie crop weaned Ratio (%)	% Calving Difficulty	12 hr. milk production	Weaning wt. per cow exposed
Angus x Hereford	3	100	100	100	100 (87)	100 (84)	13	100	100
Red Poll	4	98	96	106	98 (85)	95 (79)	xiv	123	99
Due south Devon	12	102	103	102	91 (79)	102 (85)	fifteen	107	105
Tarentaise	6	103	103	102	111 (96)	102 (85)	x	130	112
Pinzaguer	6	104	103	106	114 (99)	102 (85)	thirteen	132	108
Gelbvieh	8	107	105	109	107 (93)	104 (87)	11	137	116
Simmental	15	105	106	100	93 (80)	99 (83)	17	137	108
Maine Anjou	xx	105	108	100	109 (94)	103 (86)	eleven	105	112
Limousin	nine	101	102	92	88 (76)	98 (82)	12	91	100
Charolais	18	107	106	92	86 (75)	96 (80)	15	91	101
Chianina	12	106	105	92	99 (86)	103 (86)	eight	100	113
Brahman	x	107	103	80	113 (98)	103 (98)	one	150	116
Adapted from USDA MARC Beefiness Research Progress Reports, No. 1 (1982) and No. two (1985)

The American Brahman is equanimous of iii Zebu breeds, while others such as Brangus, Santa Gertrudis, etc. , are composites of the American Brahman and either British or European breeds. The derivative breeds are unremarkably 3/8 Zebu and 5/8 British or European. Some of the breeds within the three categories may be atypical and may not possess all the advantages or disadvantages.

The MARC project was designed to evaluate as many of the more prominent breeds as possible. In that location was as well an endeavour to compare bulls that were representative of the breed. It is possible to select a bull of one of the breeds that would be an exception to the averages. This bull could perform either amend or worse than the bulls used in the MARC project. The MARC study, however, did provide useful data about relative differences among many of the European and Brahman cattle. In selecting a beefiness brood, utilize the MARC information to select breeds that have college genetic potential for meat and milk. The specific search for a bull would be for one of the breed exceptions in a weak area. For instance, the faster growing cattle are by and large larger at birth and calving difficulty is higher. If your programme needs more growth, select a bull from one of the growth breeds that has a light birth weight and low nativity weight EPD.

When selecting a breed or individuals within a brood, be enlightened too of a phenomenon chosen "genetic-environmental interaction. " The term simply means that cattle adult under certain conditions will perform best nether those same or similar atmospheric condition. Florida researchers did a archetype projection to illustrate this result. Hereford cattle from a similar genetic base of operations were relocated from Montana to Florida and vice versa. I-half of the herds were kept at the original location. Based on the reproductive and growth information, the cattle performed all-time in the "dwelling" location. According to this bear witness, base the selection of a brood on the level of performance in your environment. The breeds that excelled in the MARC comparison may non fit your program exactly.

Cattle generally perform at a higher level in northern climates. Heat and humidity are detrimental to most production traits. In a more recent Florida report, Florida bulls gained almost a pound more per solar day in Montana than their counterparts in Florida. Nevertheless, the Florida bulls out-performed the Montana bulls in Florida and the Montana bulls performed improve than the Florida bulls in Montana. Cattle developed in northern climates with free choice corn silage during the wintertime months will do poorly when brought to the humid South and turned out on stockpiled fescue and trace-mineral salt for the winter. If your program has been designed to provide express wintertime feeding, the calving season should be in the bound and the brood should exist moderate in both growth and milk production. If y'all decide to select a fast-growing, heavy-milking breed, provide the necessary feed requirements to achieve optimum performance.

Breed Types	Advantages	Disadvantages
*British*
Angus Hereford Shorthorn	Low birth weight High fertility Moderate milk production Moderate frame size	Lower growth rate
*European*
Charolais Gelbvieh Maine-Anjou Pinzaguer Simmental South Devon Tarentaise Others	High growth rate Larger frame size Loftier milk product	Increased dystocia Increased maintenance
*Zebu*
American Brahman British Derivatives European Derivatives	Adjustability to suit to adverse environments Moderate to high milk production Maximum heterosis in crossbreeding	Lower growth rate Poor carcass quality

Full general Trends

The following generalities hold true within and across breeds:

Whether your selection is purebred or commercial, or cherry, black, white or spotted, keep product and profitability loftier on your priority list. Select a breed or breeds that your functioning tin can manage and you can feel confident nearly marketing.

Other breeds fit sure specialty markets. If you are leaning toward a specialty breed that is selected for some trait other than beef production, you lot must take the risk of a limited marketplace for the take a chance at the college prices sometimes received for the product. Y'all may make up one's mind to select a brood that is amply available, so replenishing the herd is easier. On the other hand, you may select a breed that is relatively unavailable in your expanse in order to offer a unique alternative for other breeders. For commercial product, it is important to recognize that the premium is paid for uniformity. In this instance, existence dramatically different tin mean more than hard marketing.

Original publication prepared by Rick Hardin, Former Extension Animal Scientist
Previous revisions by Dan T. Dark-brown, Extension Animal Scientist

Status and Revision History
Published on Feb xix, 2003
In Review for Major Revisions on Jan 26, 2009
In Review for Major Revisions on Feb 03, 2009
Published with Major Revisions on October xviii, 2010
Published with Full Review on Oct 01, 2013
Published with Full Review on Aug 09, 2016

Source: https://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=C859&title=Selecting%20a%20Beef%20Breed

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