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Beef on Dairy
Beef from dairy herds has traditionally accounted for 16 to 20 percent of the beef supply in the United States[1], and until recently, this supply was from straight-bred dairy cattle. Market changes and improvements in sexed semen technology have contributed to the transition from dairy to beef breed type semen use in dairies. For brevity, the conventional beef breed type will be referred to as "beef" henceforth. Using sexed semen in many dairies has led to strategic breeding for creating replacement heifers from the best females and beef semen in lower-performing dairy females. In 2014, a volatile U.S. milk market resulted in a drop in dairy heifer prices, and in 2016 Holstein bull calves had almost no value[2][3]. The issue was exasperated in 2017 by major U.S. beef packers' rejection of Holstein-fed calves, leading to an estimated $610 million revenue loss to Holstein feeding operations[4]. With limited markets for straight-bred dairy calves, many dairy farms began breeding their females using beef semen to add value to their surplus calves. From 2017 to 2022, there was a 255% increase in domestic beef semen sales and a 30% decrease in dairy semen sales attributed to beef semen sales to dairy herds[5].
Beef x dairy performance
The feedlot and carcass performance of straight-bred dairy cattle has been extensively studied. Dairy cattle have traditionally contributed to the U.S. Prime Quality Grades but have received discounts for less desirable USDA yield grades and dressing percentages attributed to lighter muscling and smaller ribeye areas[2][4]. Feedlot performance for dairy cattle has lagged compared to beef counterparts due to higher energy requirements and lower average daily gain. Although dairy cattle lacked performance compared to beef cattle, their performance was consistent and predictable. Most research for beef x dairy cattle performance has been conducted outside the United States, where the genetics, consumer preferences, and management differ greatly compared to those in the United States. Studies conducted in the U.S. found that beef x dairy cattle were less efficient when compared to beef cattle but demonstrated an advantage for average daily gain compared to straight-bred dairy[3][4]. In comparing carcasses for beef, dairy, and beef x dairy cattle, beef x dairy cattle were intermediate in performance compared to straight-bred beef and dairy but beef x dairy crossbreds were not significantly different for quality grade compared to dairy[4]. It is worth noting that the sample size for this study was limited. Although beef x dairy cattle performance was intermediate compared to straight-bred, their performance was considerably more variable than straight-bred dairy cattle creating a challenge for cattle feeders. The performance for beef x dairy cattle in the U.S. is limited, and studies on early beef x dairy calf development, health concerns, and feedlot performance are needed.
Utilization of beef semen in dairy herds
The management decisions for the implementation of beef semen in dairy herds in the U.S. has been quantified by surveys of dairies located in California and the Midwest (Iowa, Michigan, and Wisconsin)[6][7][8]. The U.S. beef production set premiums for black coat-colored calves, resulting in Angus bulls being reported to contribute to the majority of beef semen used on dairy cows. Of the beef x dairy crosses reported by the Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding in the U.S. from 2016 to 2019, 95% used Angus semen [9]. Limousin bulls were the second most reported beef breed with prominent use in Jersey herds[6][7].
Reproductive performance, lactation number, and milk production were the most commonly reported reason for breeding cows to beef semen. Breeding dairy cows to beef semen has minimal impact on cow performance for milk yield and days on milk. Gestation length has been reported to be longer for beef-sired calves, but greater gestation has not been reported to attribute to calving difficulty.
Surveys conducted in the Midwest reported the selection strategies for the beef bull semen used (figure 1). The top criteria for selecting beef semen were cost, conception rate, and calving ease. Marbling and ribeye expected progeny differences (EPD) were also included as selection criteria, but the percentage of dairies using these criteria was low, indicating selection based on the immediate needs of the dairy and not on the production performance of the calf[6][8]. The lack of focus on off-dairy performance for beef x dairy cattle could lead to a loss of market if packers reject these cattle due to poor performance or quality.
Genetic selection for beef x dairy cattle
The decision of genetic merit for beef semen to generate terminal beef x dairy calves is made by dairy producers, but these decisions are driven by on-dairy performance and needs[6]. Breeding objectives for beef x dairy cattle should focus more on improved feedlot performance, carcass merit, and avoiding discounts of straight-breed dairy cattle, but the vast majority of dairy breeding objectives do not consider the performance of beef x dairy calves post-calving[10]. Several semen companies and breed associations in the U.S. have developed indexes for selecting beef bulls for use in dairies. However, the EPD used to derive the indexes have been developed using genetic parameters from native beef breeds.
In the context of genetic evaluations, including carcass phenotypes from beef x dairy crosses can significantly expand the number of records used by evaluations resulting in increased prediction accuracy. The number of carcass phenotypes included in genetic evaluations is considerably less than other evaluated traits, such as weight traits. Incorporating beef x dairy records requires that the evaluation accounts for dairy breed differences and contemporary grouping for differences in early life experiences of beef x dairy calves compared to straight-bred beef cattle.
Refer to the eBeef fact sheet for more details.
References:
- ↑ National Beef Quality Audit (NBQA). 2016. Navigating Pathways to Success: Executive Summary. National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. Centennial, CO
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Boykin, C. A., L. C. Eastwood, M. K. Harris, D. S. Hale, C. R. Kerth, D. B. Griffin, A. N. Arnold, J. D. Hasty, K. E. Belk, D. R. Woerner, et al. 2017. National Beef Quality Audit–2016: in-plant survey of carcass characteristics related to quality, quantity, and value of fed steers and heifers. J. Anim. Sci. 95:2993–3002. doi:10.2527/jas2017.1543.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Baisel, B. L., and T. L. Felix. 2022. Board Invited Review: crossbreeding beef × dairy cattle for the modern beef production system. Transl. Anim. Sci. doi:10.1093/tas/txac025.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Foraker, B. A., M. A. Ballou, and D. R. Woerner. 2022. Crossbreeding beef sires to dairy cows: cow, feedlot, and carcass performance. Transl. Anim. Sci. doi:10.1093/tas/txac059.
- ↑ National Association of Animal Breeders (NAAB). 2022. Annual reports of semen sales and custom freezing. NAAB. Available from: https://www.naab-css.org/semen-sales.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Halfman, B., and R. Sterry. 2019. Dairy farm use, and criteria for use, of beef genetics on dairy females. https://fyi.extension.wisc.edu/wbic/files/2019/07/dairy-beef-survey-white-paper-Final-4-4-2019.pdf.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Pereira, J. M. V., D. Bruno, M. I. Marcondes, and F. C. Ferreira. 2022. Use of beef semen on dairy farms: a cross-sectional study on attitudes of farmer toward breeding strategies. Front. Anim. Sci. 2:1–10. doi:10.3389/fanim.2021.785253.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Sterry, R., B. Halfman, E. Borchert, and M. Akins. Beef x dairy crossbreeding and calf management practices on Wisconsin dairy farms. https://livestock.extension.wisc.edu/articles/beef-x-dairy-crossbreeding-and-calf-management-practices-on-wisconsin-dairy-farms/
- ↑ McWhorter, T. M., J. L. Hutchison, H. D. Norman, J. B. Cole, G. C. Fok, D. A. L. Lourenco, and P. M. VanRaden. 2020. Investigating conception rate for beef service sires bred to dairy cows and heifers. J. Dairy Sci. 103:10374–10382. doi:10.3168/jds.2020-18399.
- ↑ Berry, D. P. 2021. Invited review: Beef-on-dairy—The generation of crossbred beef × dairy cattle. J. Dairy Sci. 104:3789–3819. doi:10.3168/jds.2020-19519.
