Beef Sire Selection for Dairy Herds

Author
Paul L. Charteris
Institute of Veterinary, Animal & Biomedical Sciences,
Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

Few profit-minded dairy producers would mate their cows to a bull simply because he is a Friesian or a Jersey. Unfortunately, when selecting a beef-breed sire following AB, many of these same dairy farmers give very little consideration (other than breed) to choice of sire.

The current animal evaluation allows dairy cattle to be identified and compared based on profitability per unit of feed intake, moreover this comparison is applicable across breeds. In New Zealand's beef industry, similar tools exist which allow the comparison of animals (albeit only within-breed, but across herds) based on their genetic merit.

Most beef sires available for sale from registered herds contain Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) for some selection criteria of economic importance. A quick glance at a 1997 New Zealand Angus sire catalogue shows bulls with EBVs for birth weight, 200, 400 and 600-day weight in addition to EBVs for carcass traits such as eye muscle area and fat depth.

A large portion of beef-breed sires sold annually are marketed to dairy herds. from a 1996 survey of bull-breeders, 55% of Hereford and 45% of Angus bulls sold annually are destined for dairy herds. Thus dairy producers are very important customers for beef bull-breeders. How can you as dairy producers maximise profit when purchasing a beef sire?

1. Do not purchase a beef sire based on either tradition, pedigree or coat colour. Such criteria may or may not result in a more profitable bull for your dairy herd, however this is a gamble you do not need to take.

2. If you want trouble free calving select a bull based on the following measures (in order of preference):

• Calving Ease EBV.
  A measure of the likely incidence of difficult calvings resulting from mating this bull. A bull with a higher calving ease EBV is more desirable.
• Birth Weight EBV.
  Birth weight is the single best indicator of calving ease, a more negative EBV is desirable.
• Gestation Length EBV.
  A measure of the likely gestation length of the cow to whom the bull is mated. A more negative EBV indicates a shorter interval from mating to calving.

3. When visiting beef bull-breeders you should ask if these EBVs are available and how the bulls on offer compare with the breed average. You should also request a guarantee of bull fertility. Those beef bull-breeders who are genuinely interested in meeting your requirements should be able to satisfy all the above requirements with bulls of a reasonable price.