the BEEFMASTER Pay Weight

Beefmaster Breeders United

The Beefmaster Pay Weight is a publication produced by Beefmaster Breeders United and dedicated to serving commercial cattlemen.

The Beefmaster Pay Weight Team

Editor: Dr. Joe Mask

Managing Editor: Addison Coburn

Advertising Coordinators: Dr. Lance Bauer, Dr. Joe Mask, Addison Coburn

Graphic Designer: Addison Coburn

Beefmaster Breeders United Staff Members

Dr. Joe Mask: Executive Vice President

Dr. Lance Bauer: Director of Breed Improvement

Collin Osbourn: DNA Coordinator

Jon Garza: Director of International Programs

Donna Henderson: Office Manager

Kylie McIntosh: Membership Coordinator and B. E. E. F. Liaison

Laurel Kelley: Youth Program Coordinator

Brinley Allison: Student Worker

Addison Coburn: Communications Coordinator and Membership Services

For advertisement sales: Contact Addison Coburn 210-732-3132

Contact BBU: P.O. Box 3790, Bryan, TX 77805 - (210) 732-3132 - info@beefmasters.org continued from page 1 managed like purebreds. Once the composite is established and managed like a breed it is very easy to use. Composite breeds can retain large amounts of heterosis depending on the final composition of the breed. In the case of many 2-breed composites that are widely used in the United States 47% of the heterosis is retained, while Beefmasters are a 3-breed composite and retain 63% heterosis. In many cases composite breeds have been developed by crossing Bos indicus and Bos taurus cattle to take advantage of the adaptation to hot and humid climates of the Bos indicus breeds. One of the largest challenges to starting a new composite is that a large cow herd is needed, and very intense management of the crossing needs to be practiced. After the composite is made it is a system that is just like managing straight bred cattle.

Beefmaster Breeders United reserves the right to refuse advertising in any publications. © 2023 Beefmaster Breeders United. All rights reserved. The contents of this magazine may not be reproduced by any means, in whole or part, without prior written consent of Beefmaster Breeders United.

Terminal Crosses

Terminal cross systems utilize one breed of bull and cows of another breed or cross bred cows. All of the resulting calves are sold to be fed out for beef. This is a system that can work for any size producer and is very simple to manage in terms of breeding decisions. The advantages of the terminal system are that the producer has the ability to have maximum heterosis in the calves, and if the producer uses a crossbred female, they can have maximum heterosis in the dams as well, and the producer can take advantage of breed complementarity. The largest disadvantage to a terminal cross system is that the producer must purchase replacement females to go back into production, since all the calves are sold.

Rotational Cross

Rotational cross breeding systems are very methodical systems that require a decent amount of planning and a large herd of cows in order to successfully accomplish. The simplest of the rotational cross is the 2-breed rotation which is a essentially a series of alternating back crosses. In a 2-breed rotation the proportions of the breeds stabilize to 2/3 of one breed and 1/3 of the other breed. For a 2-breed rotation there needs to be at least 2 breeding groups, since one set of females will be 2/3 Breed A and 1/3 Breed B, and the other set of females will be 2/3 Breed B and 1/3 Breed A. In the first set of females a bull of Breed B would be used and in the second set a bull of Breed A would be used. Resulting females would then move into breeding groups and be with bulls that are the opposite breed of their sire. With this system 67% of heterosis is retained both direct and maternal. A 3-breed rotation is also another option that requires at least 3 breeding pastures and even more extensive planning and management but allows for animals to retain 86% heterosis.

Rotaterminal Crosses

Rotaterminal cross breeding systems are a combination of a terminal cross system and a rotational cross system. They are complex and require a large amount of management to use correctly. They do take advantage of the maternal heterosis generated in the rotational cross system and maximize the heterosis in the calves. In this type of system heifers and younger cows are kept in the rotational cross breeding system and mature cows are moved into a terminal system. By using older cows in the terminal part of the system there is less likelihood of the its effect on weight gain in calves as well as the maternal heterosis which plays a big role in cow productivity. The second benefit is breed complementarity which is when the strengths of 2 or more breeds are used in a crossbreeding system. Beefmaster cattle fit very well into many crossbreeding systems since they are a composite breed and already retain some heterosis. Using Beefmasters in a planned crossbreeding system is a great way to increase weaning weights and increase cows experiencing calving difficulty. This system is one that seems to be very ideal on paper and if the right number of cows and breeding groups is available is very ideal, however it is the most complex of the breeding systems that have been mentioned.

Crossbreeding is a great tool that is available to cattle producers and provides great benefits when it is used as a planned system. The first benefit is heterosis and productivity of cows, ultimately leading to more profit for the producer.

Lance Bauer Director of Breed Improvement Beefmaster Breeders United

2023 Beefmaster Event Calendar

March 02, 2023 - BBU Board of Directors meeting-Houston, Texas NRG Center 2nd Floor-Room 201-4:00 PM CST

March 04, 2023 -Scan Day at Champion Genetics, Canton, Tx: Please call: (972) 979-8556 to register

March 18, 2023 -East Texas and Louisiana Carcass Ultrasound Scan Day, Nacogdoches, TX

April 15, 2023 -Arkansas BBA Field Day, Quitman, AR

April 19, 2023-Live Oak BBA Carcass Ultrasound Scan Day @ Landair, Beeville, TX

April 22, 2023-Educational Field Day @ University of Arkansas - Monticello, Monticello, AR

May 06, 2023-Lone Star BBA Carcass Ultrasound Scan Day @ Champion Genetics, Canton, TX

May 10, 2023-BBU Summer Board of Directors and Committee Meetings-Stella Hotel Bryan, Texas

May 13, 2023-Bulldogs & Beefmasters Field Day @ Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS