When crossing Beefmaster with Angus, is there an advantage to using a Beefmaster bull on Angus cows as opposed to using an Angus bull on Beefmaster cows? Genetically the calves are the same, right?
I think there are two ways of looking at it... (duh)
The strong side of beefmaster cows is calving ease and maternal characteristics. And the calving ease is not from the bull but instead from the cows having hips to birth decent size calves. The downside of beefmaster is that they are pretty inconsistent in their appearance. Color, conformation, markings, and even the amount of ear between individuals can vary quite a bit. But overall, I'd expect beefmaster cows to be healthier long term, and take the heat better in southwest Arkansas. A bull of another breed which has dominant traits would bring some consistency to the calf crop and the calves would market better being more consistent.
The strength in Angus cows is their relatively consistent look and how black calves sell. The downside is how they have become more consistent, by being more likely to be related... which brings some amount of heritable issues due to a lack of genetic diversity. I'd expect to replace Angus cows more often. A single beefmaster bull on consistent black Angus cows would minimize genetic variation and the calves would be more consistent overall.
So genetically the calves have more variation with beefmaster cows, and will show it in their appearance. But a good bull will minimize this.
We know that big lots of consistent calves sell for more money than lots with individuals that vary in appearance, or smaller lots sorted for appearance. The issue being that the inconsistency between beefmaster cows would tend to bring more variables into how the calves look.
If it was me, I'd choose the beefmaster cows and a meat factory bull that would add consistent color, rate of gain, and conformation to the calves. The trick, as in any breeding operation, is in choosing a bull that will compliment the cows you own.
