AI or buy a bull?

[WildRoseBeef]

Agreed. And that sort of scenario is even good if you started off with some excellent-quality cows, and want to build the herd by keeping back 20 to 30 percent replacement heifers out of the rest of the heifer crop. This is regardless if you're working on a seedstock herd or a commercial herd. With a commercial herd, I'd be able to first focus on building up a herd of straight-bred cows of a single breed, then once I get a large enough herd then I could start with a 2-way or 3-way cross. Certainly a cross-breeding operation can never have merit to have any use in a line-breeding program, since that is the TRUE value of out-crossing.

 

[kfacres]

Agreed. And that sort of scenario is even good if you started off with some excellent-quality cows, and want to build the herd by keeping back 20 to 30 percent replacement heifers out of the rest of the heifer crop. This is regardless if you're working on a seedstock herd or a commercial herd. With a commercial herd, I'd be able to first focus on building up a herd of straight-bred cows of a single breed, then once I get a large enough herd then I could start with a 2-way or 3-way cross. Certainly a cross-breeding operation can never have merit to have any use in a line-breeding program, since that is the TRUE value of out-crossing.

Not necessarily.

I can see value of linebreeding in an outcross-- cross breeding program...

Here's how:

If you maintain and make your own replacements-- you'll surely want to keep them purebred-- so you need to linebreed- something like 10 or 20% of your cows.

If you don't keep your own replacements- or if you do-- but want a crossbred cow-- then I believe you need to start with two lines of linebred cattle-- and breed them together.

By this I mean- If I were to want a Shorthorn/ Angus cow- and mate them to Char bulls... I would start with something such as Dover Ranch or Rob Sneed on the Shorthorn deal- and mate them to OCC bulls... Two programs which linebreed, and focus on making the same kind of cattle-- just in different breeds. I would then mate them to some kind of extreme Char bull- who's linebred (Sorry, not up to speed on my Char genetics- as I've never owned one- and don't study them real hard).

Even though you directly, are not linebreeding-- you are using highly linebred genetics to reap that benefit-- and you're also using hybrid vigor to reap that benefit... So in directly, you are using both cross breeding and linebreeding to acheive the end goal of profit.

I have a friend in Kansas- who's had a closed Shorthorn herd for many years- runs a basically zero input type deal, and does mate to the elite AI bulls that he thinks will work for him. A couple years ago, he went out and bought a Red Angus bull from one of the world's premeir herds. Since he's been doing the Durham Red thing-- and really likes it. He's convinced that he can maintain a half blood cow- who's linebred- and it's the way to go. I know this year, he's breeding all of his 100 plus cows to two half maternal brother bulls-- who are sired by different Red Angus bulls. So, theoritically, he's linebreeding crossbreds. I honestly, do not see any reason it cannot work. His whole goal is to stack elite cow family's-- but keep them crossed up.

Rob Sneed is doing similar things in MO with his shorthorns, Durham Reds, and Commercial red herds...

IMO- consistancy is never a bad thing-------------->. I'd take consistantely bad--------> over half bad/ half good-- any day of the week...

 

[WildRoseBeef]

Makes sense...provided you have access to such genetics. But I guess that's where the benefits of AI come into play versus owning a herd bull or two (or more.)