Hybrid Vigor

Seen or Unseen

I think it is no secret that our goal here at Apogee Animal Health is to be an asset to your beef business. We love what we do, and it is obvious to us that you also love the beef business. Our work will always consist of pregnancy checking cows, semen checking bulls and treating sick animals, but we get more and more questions about other areas of the beef business. One of these areas is questions about genetics.

After asking about herd goals and hearing “I want to decrease calf death loss, improve my pregnancy rate, etc.”, our mind frequently thinks about all the advantages of crossbreeding and hybrid vigor.

Many advantages of hybrid vigor are unseen. It is difficult to see the 1.2 extra years a crossbred cow is productive unless you have detailed records on when cows are culled. Those 1.2 years = 600# more weaning weight produced by the crossbred cow. “Prime of life” for a beef cow is from 5 to 10 years of age. For every cow in your herd that does not make it to 10 years of age – has a calf every year, right on schedule from 2-10 years – that is a financial loss for you. If a cow is culled before 10 years, she is likely replaced by a heifer. Heifers have more calving issues, wean lighter calves, and rebreed at a rate less than your 5–10-year-old cows. In most herds, heifers are part of the business, but having fewer heifers and more mature cows = improved profit. 

An ag economist looked at hundreds of cow records and saw a direct correlation between the percentage of the herd that was first calf heifers and profit. As the percentage of heifers in the herd went up, profit went down. The number one way to improve herd longevity and decrease the percentage of heifers in the herd is to add hybrid vigor through crossbreeding.

I listened to a webinar some time ago and the audience was able to answer questions on their computer when the speaker posed them. The speaker was discussing the advantages of heterosis and asked if a herd had a certain “line” of a breed and bought a bull of the same breed that was a total outcross, “Would you get heterosis?” Much to his dismay, 52% percent of the respondents answered “yes”. The correct answer is “no”. You must use a different breed to get the advantages of heterosis.

What are some other advantages to hybrid vigor? Calves jump up and nurse more quickly so they intake more colostrum. There is nothing more important than a belly full of colostrum to get a calf started well. More and faster ingestion of colostrum = improved resistance to disease and much needed energy and protein to help the calf generate heat if born in a cold environment. As a veterinarian, one of the number one comments we receive from someone that adds a new breed is “I didn’t realize that my (nearly purebred) calves lacked vigor at birth. I am amazed how quickly my calves out of the new bulls are up and nursing.”

Seeing 40# of extra weaning weight is easily seen if you weigh your calves at weaning. If you don’t, those 40# can be hard to see. Now, if you sell your calves at the same time as in years before, you should see these extra pounds. These 40# are from calves that grow faster and stay healthier.

In a well-managed herd, having a 95% pregnancy rate is seen as about as good as you can do. While I do not disagree, if this 95% pregnancy rate is in a herd that has evolved into a nearly straightbred herd, this number could be 97 or 98%. Two to three extra bred cows in a 100-cow herd = about $1800- 2700 in today’s market. Heterosis will give you that 2-3% bump, especially if you have high fertility breeds in the mix.

A 5% death loss from birth to weaning is a goal for many herds. Studies show that hybrid vigor will improve this number by about 2%. What are 2 extra calves/100 cows worth to you? The great news is that these 2 extra calves come at no extra charge. With 500# calves at $300/cwt, 2 extra calves = $3000. 

Dr. Bob Weaber at Kassas State was the speaker on an NCBA webinar and did the math on the bottom-line advantage of having crossbred cows and crossbred calves. With 575# calves bringing $321/cwt, a crossbred cow returns just over $300/year more than a straightbred cow because of all the positives mentioned above. What would an extra $300/cow/year look like in your operation? In a 100-cow herd, that is $30,000!

A frequent comment I hear is, “But I want all my calves to be black and polled.” Nearly every continental breed now comes in “black and polled” so this should not be a factor. In fact, if you ‘ve used homozygous black bulls for many generations, using a red bull will likely give you 95-100% black calves.

If the genetics of your herd has evolved into a high percentage of a single breed, adding breeds that complement your current genetics will add some $$ numerous sometimes unseen areas. We are glad to listen to your goals and recommend breeds that will fit your beef business.

Advantages of hybrid vigor

·         Calf

o   vigor at birth

o   survival = more calves weaned

o   Improved weaning weight

·         Cow

o   Improved fertility

o   Improved longevity