Buying bulls to build females requires knowledge of breed differences, the benefits of a well-structured crossbreeding program, and the tools that enable producers to select bulls within a breed for the traits that really matter for successful cows. From a trait perspective, emphasis should be placed on mature cow weight, milk (maternal weaning weight), and female fertility. These are clearly Economically Relevant Traits (ERT) that directly impact revenue and cost, or at least in the case a mature cow weight is the best predictor we have of cost related to feed intake of cows.
Understandably, it is often easier to focus on revenue traits (i.e., weaning weight, yearling weight, carcass weight) because these traits directly relate to the size of the check when cattle are sold. However, profitability requires focus on both revenue and cost. Moreover, traits like mature cow weight and, in particularly, stayability take longer to see change in – simply because there is a longer period of time between when a bull selection decision is made and when his daughters reach maturity. For any producer who intends to keep back replacements, female fertility traits should be top of mind.
The North American Limousin Foundation (NALF) is part of an international collaboration of beef breed associations (International Genetic Solutions) that conduct a joint genetic evaluation to produce EPD via a multi-breed genetic evaluation. A key EPD that is part of this multi-breed evaluation is Stayability. Stayability is related to the ability of a female to be successful over multiple parities, meaning that when selecting Limousin or Lim-Flex bulls, producers have a tool that allows them to select bulls whose daughters are more likely to be productive over a longer period of time.
Developing breeding programs take time and require a steadfast dedication to a plan (breeding objective) and a focus on the entire suite of traits and associated EPD that drive profit.
We know breeds differ in their average performance and merit for various traits. How breeds rank and compare change overtime as a result of the breeding decisions made by seedstock producers.
A long-standing resource to help industry quantify these differences among breeds is the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC). In a published study, using data from the USMARC to estimate differences among breeds for mature cow weight and body condition score, Limousin sired females were among the lightest weight cows at maturity, suggesting these females will cost less to maintain on average. The USMARC data also show that Limousin sired females are more conservative in maternal weaning weight (milk), again suggesting a lower maintenance energy requirement. At first glance lower milk might seem to be a negative attribute, however, in limited or variable feed environments females that have the genetic propensity to milk more might struggle to maintain themselves, and as a consequence, fail to re-breed. Given rising cow input costs, having a cowherd that requires less feed to simply maintain itself is economically advantageous.
Regardless of breeding system and breed choice, understanding breed differences is critical. Without knowledge of how breeds rank and compare, using recent data, it becomes near impossible to form profitable breeding programs.
With this in mind, commercial cattle producers should implement structured crossbreeding—the impact of heterosis is simply too large to ignore. The data is clear—crossbred females have an advantage in reproductive longevity and cumulative weaning weight over their lifetime. There also exists the opportunity to leverage breed differences, breed complementarity, to maintain maternal-focused cowherds and terminal calves that are profitable. For producers that do not have the size and scale to implement more complex rotational crossing systems, the use of hybrid bulls (i.e., Lim-Flex) can be very useful to leverage heterosis.
Selecting bulls requires work. It starts with identifying a breeding objective and the areas of focus to continue to improve the profitability of cowherd. From that point producers can objectively compare breeds, using sources like the USMARC data, and then choose bulls within breed based on EPD. If the focus is on producing more profitable females, traits like stayability need to rise to the top and finding breeds and animals within breed that will not produce replacement females that are too costly to maintain in a given production environment is important.
Limousin cattle deliver to your bottom line. With superior genetics, a simple crossbreeding plan and state-of-the-art selection tools, the Limousin breed will serve profit-minded cow/calf producers. In today’s competitive markets, taking advantage of all available opportunities is key. The Limousin breed offers a variety of options from Fullblood to Purebred to the Lim-Flex® hybrid (Limousin x Angus cross) to match your program’s needs and market goals. Crossbreeding for the right blend of muscle, maternal ability and profit is easy with Limousin seedstock.