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ARS Home » Plains Area » Miles City, Montana » Livestock and Range Research Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #153726
Title: INTERACTIONS IN POSTWEANING PRODUCTION OF F1 CATTLE FROM HEREFORD, LIMOUSIN, OR PIEDMONTESE SIRES

Author
item Grings, Elaine
item SHORT, R - RETIRED ARS
item Macneil, Michael

Submitted to: Research Update for Fort Keogh Livestock and Range Research Laboratory
Publication Type: Popular Publication
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/1/2002
Publication Date: 1/15/2003
Citation: GRINGS, E.E., SHORT, R.E., MACNEIL, M.D. INTERACTIONS IN POSTWEANING PRODUCTION OF F1 CATTLE FROM HEREFORD, LIMOUSIN, OR PIEDMONTESE SIRES. RESEARCH UPDATE FOR FORT KEOGH LIVESTOCK AND RANGE RESEARCH LABORATORY. p. 74-75. 2003.

Interpretive Summary: Use of cattle breeds that express various degrees of muscle hypertrophy may be a way to increase production of a lean product. This trait can dramatically increase muscle size and decrease carcass fat. Management factors such as days on feed, dietary crude protein concentrations, and castration of male cattle can all impact carcass characteristics. Information was needed on the production and carcass characteristics of cattle with the potential for muscular hypertrophy and their interactions with other management strategies. Crossbred cattle with potential for muscular hypertrophy can be used to produce a large quantity of a lean, tender product. Cattle produced from some sire breeds with this trait may be less efficient at gaining live weight. Interactions among sire breed, gender, and length of finishing period for production traits requires careful evaluation of the growing and finishing strategies used in producing carcasses from various types of cattle. Interactions among sire breed and gender were the most common. Altering the length of finishing period had a greater effect than gender for weight characteristics, such as slaughter weight, hot carcass weight, and dressing percentage, whereas gender had more effect on individual carcass components. The interaction of sire breed with length of finishing period and with gender for several carcass traits, indicates a potential advantage to tailoring postweaning management to animal genotype for the production of meat, even for cattle of similar mature weight.

Technical Abstract: Use of cattle breeds that express various degrees of muscle hypertrophy may be a way to increase production of a lean product. This trait can dramatically increase muscle size and decrease carcass fat. Management factors such as days on feed, dietary crude protein concentrations, and castration of male cattle can all impact carcass characteristics. Information was needed on the production and carcass characteristics of cattle with the potential for muscular hypertrophy and their interactions with other management strategies. Crossbred cattle with potential for muscular hypertrophy can be used to produce a large quantity of a lean, tender product. Cattle produced from some sire breeds with this trait may be less efficient at gaining live weight. Interactions among sire breed, gender, and length of finishing period for production traits requires careful evaluation of the growing and finishing strategies used in producing carcasses from various types of cattle. Interactions among sire breed and gender were the most common. Altering the length of finishing period had a greater effect than gender for weight characteristics, such as slaughter weight, hot carcass weight, and dressing percentage, whereas gender had more effect on individual carcass components. The interaction of sire breed with length of finishing period and with gender for several carcass traits, indicates a potential advantage to tailoring postweaning management to animal genotype for the production of meat, even for cattle of similar mature weight.