Efficacy of beef × dairy breed across production systems
Open Access
- Author:
- Basiel, Bailey
- Graduate Program:
- Animal Science (PHD)
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- February 20, 2024
- Committee Members:
- Adele Turzillo, Program Head/Chair
Chad Dechow, Dissertation Co-Advisor
Tara Felix, Chair & Dissertation Advisor
Adrian Barragan, Outside Unit & Field Member
Kevin Harvatine, Major Field Member - Keywords:
- beef × dairy
sire selection - Abstract:
- The practice of dairy producers mating a portion of the herd to beef semen to add value to surplus calves has been rapidly adopted over the last 5 years. Calves generated from such matings, dubbed ‘beef × dairy’, are replacing a portion of the Holstein steers that historically contributed to about 20% of the fed beef cattle supply in the United States. While international and historic data have examined the impacts of beef × dairy matings on the dairy herd and the beef supply chain, data from cattle with modern, North American genetics are limited. Therefore, the research presented in this dissertation aims to quantify the efficacy of breeding Holstein females to beef-breed sires across dairy and beef production systems. The objective of the first study, presented in Chapter 3, was to determine if carrying a beef-sired calf influenced calving, postpartum health, or subsequent milk production of the dairy cow when compared with carrying a Holstein-sired calf. Records of 75,256 lactations from 39,249 multiparous cows in 10 U.S. dairy herds were extracted from herd management software. Gestation length, calving ease score, stillbirth, clinical health events, culling, and test date milk, fat, and protein yield records were evaluated from lactations initiated by the birth of calves sired by Holstein, Angus, Simmental, Limousin, crossbred beef, Charolais, Wagyu, or ‘other’ beef breeds. Dairy cows carried beef-breed calves between 1 and 8 days longer than Holstein-sired calves (277 ± 0.15 days; P < 0.05). Cows that carried Limousin (282 ± 0.81 days) and Wagyu-sired calves (285 days ± 0.79) had the longest gestation length. Calves sired by crossbred beef bulls had a greater probability of being stillborn (5%; 95% confidence interval lower = 2.9% upper = 9.0%; P = 0.01) than those sired by Holstein bulls (2%; 95% confidence interval lower = 1.5% upper = 2.7%), while calves sired by other beef breeds had similar stillbirth risk to Holstein-sired calves. Dystocia risk, which was defined two ways: 1) as calving ease score ≥ 4 and 2) as calving ease score ≥ 3 because frequency of calving ease score ≥ 4 was less than 1%, did not differ between cows that had beef-breed or Holstein-sired calves. Likewise, the risk of a cow experiencing 1 or more clinical health events within 60 days in milk, and early culling risk (defined as death or culling within 60 days in milk) did not differ between cows that had beef-breed or Holstein-sired calves. Further, calf sire breed did not impact subsequent milk and component yield. The aim of the second study, presented in Chapter 4, was to evaluate the feedlot performance and carcass characteristics of beef × Holstein steers by beef sire breed. Single-born, male calves (n = 262) sired by seven different beef breeds, Angus, Charolais, Limousin, Hereford, Red Angus, Simmental, and Wagyu, and born to Holstein dams were fed over three separate years. Steers were placed on the feedlot at 10 ± 2 months of age. Individual feed intake and bodyweights were monitored on the feedlot until slaughter. Carcass characteristics were evaluated by trained personnel. Wagyu × Holstein steers gain the least (1.39 kg/day; P < 0.05) but did not differ from Limousin-sired steers in average daily gain (ADG). Angus-sired steers had an 8.6% greater ADG than Red Angus-sired steers (P < 0.05). Angus (1.76 kg/day), Charolais (1.73 kg/day), and Simmental-sired steers (1.68 kg/day) also had greater ADG than Limousin-sired steers (1.55 kg/day; P < 0.05). Wagyu × Holstein steers spent 5 to 26 more days on feed (P < 0.05) than Limousin × Holstein, Simmental × Holstein, Angus × Holstein, and Charolais × Holstein steers. Angus and Charolais-sired steers were on feed for 19 and 21 days fewer, respectively, than Limousin-sired steers (P < 0.05). Red Angus-sired steers had greater marbling scores than Simmental and Limousin-sired steers and Angus and Charolais-sired steers had greater marbling scores than Limousin-sired steers (P < 0.05). Angus, Limousin, and Hereford-sired steers produced the most tender longissimus muscle (LM) as evaluated by Warner-Bratzler shear force; LM from Angus-sired steers (3.82 kg) were more tender than LM from Charolais (4.30 kg) and Simmental-sired carcasses (4.51 kg; P < 0.05). Limousin and Hereford-sired steers (3.70 kg, 3.83 kg, respectively) also had more tender LM than Simmental-sired steers (P < 0.05). The objective of the final study, presented in Chapter 5, was to evaluate the use of a commercial multi-breed genomic test to predict terminal production characteristics of beef × Holstein steers. The steers from Chapter 4 were genotyped with a commercial genomic panel, Igenity Beef. Rankings (1 to 10) associated with molecular breeding values of the individual for growth and carcass traits were correlated with the corresponding phenotypes and the phenotypes were linearly regressed on the rankings. The genomic panel was not developed with data from or validated for the breeds Holstein, Charolais, or Wagyu but all steers were included in the dataset. Phenotypes were also correlated with and regressed on the across-breed adjusted expected progeny differences (EPD) of the steer’s sire for respective traits. Igenity genomic ranking of weaning weight and yearling weight (YW) were stronger predictors of feedlot initial body weight (r = 0.27, ρ = 0.28, and r = 0.22, ρ = 0.23, respectively) and final body weight (r = 0.27, ρ = 0.29) than sire EPDs of the same traits (r = -0.01, ρ = -0.14, r = -0.003, ρ = -0.13, and r = 0.01, ρ = -0.08, respectively). Each point of genomic rank of average daily gain (ADG) was associated with 22 fewer days on feed. Igenity ranking of residual feed intake (RFI) was positively correlated with ADG; each point explained 0.02 kg of additional ADG, suggesting that Igenity genomic predictions of RFI in fed beef × Holstein cattle are not truly independent of rate of gain. Ranking of RFI was not associated with gain to feed ratio but rank of YW was correlated with gain to feed (r = -0.12, ρ = -0.14) while sire EPD of YW was not. For the other growth traits discussed, relationships between Igenity ranking and respective phenotypes were detected following removal of phenotypes from beef × Holstein progeny sired by the unvalidated beef breeds, Charolais and Wagyu. Igenity rank of ADG and YW was positively correlated with phenotypic ADG; the strength of the relationship was similar to that of sire EPD of YW and ADG. Igenity ranking of YW was negatively correlated with days on feed (r = -0.31, ρ = -0.21); for each additional point a steer ranked in YW, he spent 4 fewer days on feed. Genomic ranking of ADG served as a stronger proxy predictor of dry matter intake (r = 0.22, ρ = 0.19) than sire EPD of yearling weight (r = 0.15, ρ = 0.11). Genomic ranking of YW was a stronger predictor of carcass dressing percentage (r = 0.27, ρ = 0.29) and ranking of carcass weight was a better predictor of yield grade (r = 0.21, ρ = 0.16) than the sire EPDs of the same traits, which were not correlated with the phenotypes. Conversely, genomic ranking of carcass weight was not correlated with dressing percentage while sire EPD of carcass weight was (r = 0.19, ρ = 0.14) and sire EPD of ribeye area and fat thickness were stronger predictors of yield grade (r = -0.25, ρ = -0.32 and r =0.30, ρ = 0.31, respectively) than genomic rank of the same traits (r = -0.11, ρ = -0.14 and r =0.20, ρ = 0.21, respectively). Both sire EPDs and genomic ranking of carcass weight and fat thickness similarly predicted the corresponding phenotypes while both EPD and ranking of ribeye area were not predictors of ribeye area. Igenity Beef ranking was a predictor of carcass quality traits. The correlations between genomic ranking of marbling and phenotypic marbling score (r = 0.21, ρ = 0.23) and intramuscular fat percentage (r = 0.27, ρ = 0.27) were stronger than those between than sire EPD of marbling and the same traits (r = 0.10, ρ = 0.11 and r = 0.19, ρ = 0.17, respectively). Further, genomic ranking of tenderness was correlated with tenderness phenotypes (r = -0.27, ρ = -0.29). Generally, Igenity Beef ranking was better or equivalent to sire EPDs in predicting feedlot performance and carcass characteristics of beef × Holstein progeny. However, genomic predictions of some growth traits were limited when progeny of Charolais and Wagyu sires, breeds the panel did not support, were evaluated. The data evaluated in this dissertation suggest that carrying a calf sired by the beef breeds included in this study did not negatively affect the dairy cow. Further, regardless of sire breed, beef × Holstein steers produced quality carcasses that met the expectations of the meatpacker. However, beef × Holstein progeny of Wagyu and Limousin sires grew more slowly than those of other sire breeds evaluated. Finally, commercial genomic tests predicted feedlot performance and carcass characteristics of beef × Holstein steers better than, or equivalently to, across-breed sire EPDs alone. Genomic ranking has the potential to aid in valuation of young beef × Holstein progeny.