Cross bred bulls

[DOC HARRIS]

the guy making the bull gets most of the heterosis, and guying buying/using the bull gets the left overs.

:?: :?: I don't quite understand this comment, but I believe thaat we are more or less on the same side of the discussion. HIGH QUALITY is and always has been the KEY which unlocks success in the BU$INE$$ of Beef Cattle, whatever phase you happen to be engaging in at the time! Understanding the rhetoric is also pretty necessary!

DOC HARRIS

 

[ALACOWMAN]

the problem i see with the comment sounds like someone is getting cheated out of the hybred vigor. why not get the most from a good cross breeding system your self. if theres gonna be benifits from it i want in on the ground floor. the way i see it i work just as hard at it as they do

 

[BRG]

That is right. The first cross gets more hybred vigor than the second. So most of the hybrid vigor goes into the first cross or the making of the bull.

 

[Beef11]

Beef11 - It is obvious from this post that you have given this subject a lot of thought and consideration, and I applaud you for your perspicaciousness (How is THAT for a descriptive word?? , and , unfortunately, I can easily understand how your scenario could be in effect. The answer, in my opinion, to negating the "mongrelizing" possibilities is the same protocol that all breeders should use in ANY breeding program - ELEVATING Genotype and Phenotype traits and characteristics in ALL seedstock whether purebred OR crossbred! I am sure that every breeder who has been in the business for any period of time at all has seen some crossbred bulls and cows that were better representatives of fine breeding stock than a lot of purebreds - and those are the kind of crossbred bulls and cows I would be seeking for a Terminal program, or if I were raising stock for a Terminal seedstock market.

In a lot of the research papers that I have on crossbreeding beef cattle it seems that even the researchers tend to stress the COLOR that results from crossbreeding! That is just plain HOG (if you'll excuse the term) WASH! Optimal EPD's and Phenotype will circumvent "color" if the IMF, uREA, uFAT, Yield Grade and $Profit factors bring the producer money in his pocket for the effort and $$ expended. He is NOT raising "sweet" and "cute" and "adorable" in spite of the fact that they may be all of those things. Longhorn breeders may be the exception to this rule, but for the most part they are not raising "WHAT'S FOR DINNER!"

Crossbreeding is a heck of a lot MORE than just a niche!

I won't argue that crossbreeding is more than a niche, the problem runs in the direction we are headed as far as uniformity. It is very hard to maintain a consistent calf crop with a 4 way cross although some say there isn't much difference between a 3 way oooh but there is. I am a firm believer in crossbreeding but i don't think i would give up my crossbred cows in order to bring in crossbred bulls. Many people see it the same way and therefore crossbred bulls will not accomplish the same widespread approval that their sisters have. I do agree that hide color is a trait that should not be put at the forefront of our selection indexes.