Crossbred Cows Add More Value to Beef Herds than Just Crossbred Calves

Crossbreeding offers the last free lunch—something for nothing—to beef cowherd owners, said Bob Weaber at the University Missouri Greenley Memorial Research Center.

“Crossbred cattle have heterosis, or hybrid vigor,” said the MU extension specialist in beef genetics. “Crossbreeding also combines the strengths of the parent breeds.” Weaber described two types of heterosis. A familiar advantage comes from raising crossbred calves. The long-term gains in production and profits come from using crossbred cows, he said.

“If you are just producing crossbred calves, you are not taking full advantage of heterosis,” Weaber said. “For the commercial producer, the biggest advantage comes from having crossbred cows.”

The popular black-baldy that once dominated feeder-calf sales are crossbred calves. They result from breeding an Angus bull to Hereford cows, producing a black calf with a white face.

More calf crosses are possible by introducing more breeds, especially the European, or continental, breeds. Continental breeds, such as Charolais, Gelbvieh and Simmental, are further removed genetically from English breeds, such as Angus and Hereford. Combining the two gives additional hybrid vigor.

Weaber said heterosis gives small percentage improvements on many traits. He showed a 4.4 percent improvement on calving rate and a 1.9 percent improvement on calf survival to weaning. Weaning weights improve by 3.9 percent versus herds with purebred cows.

“All small improvements are cumulative,” Weaber said.

Greatest heterosis comes on traits with low heritability, such as reproduction and longevity. “These traits respond very slowly to selection within a breed,” Weaber said. “Rapid improvements in low heritable traits can be made by crossbreeding.

“Crossbreed cows will stay in a herd, on average, 1.5 years longer than straight-bred cows.”
The extended time allows an extra calf during a cow's lifetime, a “free” benefit. Longevity also reduces the number of replacement heifers needed, whether grown or purchased, thereby reducing costs.
Weaber asked producers starting to crossbreed to develop a plan, and stick to it.

“The last time a lot of people tried crossbreeding, in the 1970s, we created a big mess,” Weaber said. “People would buy a bull of one breed, use him for two years, then buy a bull of another breed and use him for a couple of years.

“We've got most of the herds cleaned up from that mess,” Weaber said. A herd of crossbred cows from English breeds, bred to a bull of a continental breed, will provide strong heterosis improvements, he said.
“Despite what you read in the advertisements for the different beef breeds, no one breed will have strengths in all of the areas you need,” Weaber said.

Doing the math on the benefits of crossbreeding, if calves sell for a $1 a pound at weaning, Weaber figured that heterosis could bring a bonus of $100 per cow per year.

“That bonus is the difference between operating in the black or operating in the red for most herds,” he added.

The heterosis bonus is even more important when calves are selling for 70 cents per pound, he added.
For the benefit of producers wearing caps from purebred cattle associations, Weaber started by saying “Crossbreeding is not for everyone.”

“Commercial cow-calf operators ought to consider the value of heterosis from crossbred cows.” ©