Crossbreeding beef sires to dairy cows: cow, feedlot, and carcass performance

Genetic and reproductive advancements in the dairy industry, volatile milk markets, and beef packer restrictions on dairy carcasses have increased the popularity of crossbreeding beef sires to dairy cows in the United States. This observational study aimed to understand performance of dairy cows bred to beef sires and feedlot and carcass performance of crossbred beef x dairy cattle. For dairy cow performance, archived records from two dairies representing two successive lactations were evaluated in cows (Dairy A: n = 72/group; Dairy B: n = 456/group) representing 1) All Dairy, where previous sire type of conception was Holstein for both lactations, or 2) Beef on Dairy, where previous sire type of conception was Holstein for the preceding lactation and a beef breed for the subsequent lactation. For feedlot performance, closeout data from pens (n = 26/cattle type) of beef and beef x dairy steers and heifers were evaluated. For carcass performance, individual carcass data were compared between conventional beef (n = 966), beef x dairy (n = 518), and Holstein (n = 935) steers sampled across a variety of processing facilities, harvest lots, and geographical regions. Cow lactation performance was minimally impacted by sire type of previous conception. Cows conceived to beef sires exhibited a 2 to 3 d greater (P < 0.01) gestation length than cows conceived to Holstein sires. Beef x dairy cattle were not largely different in weight gain at the feedlot but exhibited 1-unit lesser (P < 0.01) dressing percentage than beef cattle. Beef x dairy carcasses possessed 18% lesser (P < 0.05) 12th rib fat thickness than beef cattle and 5% greater (P< 0.05) ribeye area than dairy cattle. Additionally, beef cattle produced nearly double (P < 0.05) the percentage of yield grade 4 carcasses produced by beef x dairy and Holstein cattle.

Automated summary

Genetic and reproductive advancements, volatile milk markets, and beef packer restrictions have led to increased popularity of crossbreeding beef sires with dairy cows in the United States. This study aimed to understand the performance of dairy cows bred to beef sires and the feedlot and carcass performance of crossbred beef x dairy cattle. The results showed that the lactation performance of cows was minimally impacted by the sire type of previous conception. Crossbred beef x dairy cattle exhibited similar weight gain at the feedlot but lower dressing percentage than beef cattle. The beef x dairy carcasses had lower fat thickness and larger ribeye area than beef cattle. Additionally, beef cattle produced a higher percentage of yield grade 4 carcasses compared to beef x dairy and Holstein cattle.