HerefordSire":j5iyfe01 said:
Brandonm22":j5iyfe01 said:
Unless the industry as a whole picks up, I don't like the position that an individual Angus breeders finds himself to be in right now.
Is this feeling you have related partially to AM?
Not really. Angus's biggest challenge longterm is it's own success. We know from decades of research that a crossbred cow lives longer, weans a heavier calf, and is a little more fertile than a straightbred cow and the crossbred calf usually gains a little better, is healthier, and is more efficient in the feedlot. IF registered Angus is 51% or more of the seedstock business over time a lot of producers are going to have to choose to walk away from those crossbreeding benefits. Add to that genotypically Angus is a big part of Red Angus, Brangus, Limflex, Balancer, Maintainer, Simangus, and most composites. That growing percentage of Angus DNA in the commercial cow herd puts Angus at a heterosis disadvantage compared to other purebreds. The more the total cowherd declines, for Angus to continue to grow as a breed the higher the Angus percentage of the cow herd and thus the greater potential production benefit from selecting another breed to settle those cows.