Cooperative Extension Service
The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
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Selecting a Beef Breed

Original publication prepared by Rick Hardin, Former Extension Animal Scientist
Revisions by Dan T. Brown, Extension Animal Scientist

New cattle producers frequently ask, "Which breed should I choose?" This questions brings cold chills to the spines of many very knowledgeable cattle producers and excitement to the hearts of just as many enthusiastic breeders. The diversity of resources and management capabilities of any operation makes this question difficult to answer. This publication provides accurate, unbiased information for the decision-making process. After reading this publication, you should understand why the only answer is "It depends!"

Two fundamental categories of beef cattle operations are purebred and commercial. The purebred operation requires more time, record-keeping and capital input. The commercial operation is generally a lower input, lower risk type of venture. When choosing a breed for either a commercial or purebred operation, base your decision on its profitability. Table 1 illustrates that while production can be increased by selection for growth, the increased production from crossbreeding is more rapid and cost-effective.

Unfortunately, one of the most influential factors on breed selection is coat color. How many times have you heard someone say, "I like 'em because they're black"? Coat color, whether it is red, black, white, yellow, gray or mixed, has little to do with performance, but it does affect how people perceive them. A herd of purebred cattle will generally be more uniform in coat color than a herd of crossbred cows. You must be satisfied with the color and its uniformity or lack of uniformity. There are breeds that will produce all of the colors mentioned above and more. Productivity will suffer, however, if coat color is a primary selection trait. If your breed selection is more dependent on production and return on investment, make coat selection far down the list of criteria.

Traits used in the final selection process should not be affected by the type of operation (commercial or purebred). The one unique aspect of the purebred industry is the high-profile advertising and educational programs, such as field days. The purebred industry demands a long-term commitment to begin to recoup the initial investment for breeding stock and management. The purebred cattle market often provides a higher return per cow unit but at the expense of higher maintenance costs, higher breeding costs, more management inputs and -- hence -- greater risks.

Start with the Basics

The factors that influence returns to a commercial operation are calf crop percentage, weaning weight, market price and annual cow costs. The following formula outlines how these factors must balance in order to optimize profitability.

These relationships are discussed in detail in Georgia Extension Service bulletin 883, Beef Herd Management in Georgia, available from your county extension office. The factors that influence weaning or market weight and calf crop percentage are most affected by breed selection.

The weaning or market weight of the calves is affected by the genetics of the parents for growth, the milk production of the brood cow, the availability of pasture and/or creep feed, and the environmental conditions such as temperature, etc. Work toward calving 30 to 60 days prior to the best forage season in your area. Milk production of a cow declines after three months; therefore, supplement the nutrient requirements of the growing calf by making a high quality forage available. If your forage system is lacking in high quality forages, the selection of a fast-growing, heavy-milking breed would be detrimental to optimum productivity.

Researchers evaluated breed types using varying percentages of European x British and beef x dairy crossbred cows. When maintained in a similar environment, the larger framed, higher milking cows had poor reproductive performance. Thus, when genetic potential for milk is high, a cow's re-breeding percentage will be reduced. The growth potential of the calves will only be met when adequate milk production is available. When milk supply is abundant and forage quantity and quality are marginal, the result is a reduced calf crop percentage due to low cyclicity and pregnancy rates; therefore, make sure to match your forage production system to the genetic potential of your brood cow herd.

With this "optimum philosophy" in mind, we can look at general trends in milk production, growth and reproduction of several beef breeds in the United States.

In the early 1970s, a research project was started at the Meat Animal Research Center (MARC) in Clay Center, Nebraska. The project was designed to evaluate the "recently" imported breeds from Europe and is the most complete, comprehensive data available. All breeds were not compared, so some information is not available. Breeds may perform differently in Georgia.

The project does, however, provide a valid comparison of the cattle in one common environment. Table 2 outlines how the breeds compare to the Angus x Hereford crossbred (used as a standard). The values in the table are listed in ratios. A ratio of 105 indicates a value 5 percent above the standard of 100; a ratio of 95 indicates a value 5 percent below the standard. The actual percentage is in parenthesis for the percent pregnant after the first breeding season and percent calf crop weaned. Calving difficulty was reported in actual percentage.

Table 2. Comparison of Production Traits of Several Breeds
		Calves		Heifers			Cows
	Percent Calving Difficulty	Growth Rate to			% Preg. after first breeding season Ratio (%)	% Calf crop weaned Ratio (%)	Percent Calving Difficulty	12 hr. milk production	Wn. wt. per cow expose.
		Weaning	Yearling	Age at Puberty
A x H	3	100	100	100	100 (87)	100 (84)	13	100	100
Red Poll	4	98	96	106	98 (85)	95 (79)	14	123	99
South Devon	12	102	103	102	91 (79)	102 (85)	15	107	105
Tarentaise	6	103	103	102	111 (96)	102 (85)	10	130	112
Pinzgauer	6	104	103	106	114 (99)	102 (85)	13	132	108
Gelbvieh	8	107	105	109	107 (93)	104 (87)	11	137	116
Simmental	15	105	106	100	93 (80)	99 (83)	17	137	108
Maine Anjou	20	105	108	100	109 (94)	103 (86)	11	105	112
Limousin	9	101	102	92	88 (76)	98 (82)	12	91	100
Charolais	18	107	106	92	86 (75)	96 (80)	15	91	101
Chianina	12	106	105	92	99 (86)	103 (86)	8	100	113
Brahman	10	107	103	80	113 (98)	103 (86)	1	150	116
Adapted from USDA MARC Beef Research Progress Reports, No. 1 (1982) and No. 2 (1985).

Since there are more than 70 recognized breeds, it is impossible to compare all of the breeds at once. The breeds are generally grouped into three types: British, European and Zebu-influence. The Zebu-influence breeds were developed in the Gulf Coast region of the United States.

The American Brahman is composed of three Zebu breeds, while others such as Brangus, Santa Gertrudis, etc., are composites of the American Brahman and either British or European breeds. The derivative breeds are usually Zebu and British or European. Some of the breeds within the three categories may be atypical and may not possess all of the advantages or disadvantages.

The MARC project was designed to evaluate as many of the more prominent breeds as possible. There was also an attempt to compare bulls that were representative of the breed. It is possible to select a bull of one of the breeds that would be an exception to the averages. This bull could perform either better or worse than the bulls used in the MARC project. The MARC study, however, did provide useful information about relative differences among many of the European and Brahman cattle. In selecting a beef breed, use the MARC information to select breeds that have higher genetic potential for meat or milk. The specific search for a bull would be for one of the breed exceptions in a weak area. For example, the faster growing cattle are generally larger at birth and calving difficulty is higher. If your program needs more growth, select a bull from one of the growth breeds that has a light birth weight and low birth weight EPD.

When selecting a breed or individuals within a breed, be aware also of a phenomenon called "genetic-environmental interaction." The term simply means that cattle developed under certain conditions will perform best under those same or similar conditions. Florida researchers did a classic project to illustrate this effect. Hereford cattle from a similar genetic base were relocated from Montana to Florida and vice versa. One-half of the herds were kept at the original location.

Based on the reproductive and growth information, the cattle performed best in the "home" location. According to this evidence, base the selection of a breed on the level of performance in your environment. The breeds that excelled in the MARC comparison may or may not fit your program exactly.

In northern climates, cattle generally perform at a higher level. Heat and humidity are detrimental to most production traits. In a more recent Florida report, Florida bulls gained almost a pound more per day in Montana than their counterparts in Florida. Nevertheless, the Florida bulls out-performed the Montana bulls in Florida and the Montana bulls performed better in Montana. Cattle developed in northern climates with free choice corn silage during the winter months will do poorly when brought to the humid south and turned out on stockpiled fescue and trace-mineral salt for the winter. If your program has been designed to provide limited winter feeding, the calving season should be in the spring and the breed should be moderate in both growth and milk production. If you decide to select a fast-growing, heavy-milking breed, provide the necessary feed requirements to achieve optimum performance.

General Trends

The following generalities hold true within and across breeds:

• Faster growth rates = larger birth weights.
• Larger birth weights = increased potential for calving difficulty.
• More milk production and large frame size = higher feed requirements for equal reproductive performance.

Whether your choice is purebred or commercial; red, black, white or spotted, keep production and profitability high on your priority list. Select a breed or breeds that your operation can manage and you can feel confident about marketing.

Other breeds fit certain specialty markets. If you are leaning toward a specialty breed that is selected for some trait other than beef production, you must accept the risk of a limited market for the chance at the higher prices sometimes received for the product. You may decide to select a breed that is amply available, so replenishing the herd is easier. On the other hand, you may select a breed that is relatively unavailable in your area in order to offer a unique alternative for other breeders. For commercial production, it is important to recognize that the premium is paid for uniformity. In this case, being dramatically different can mean more difficult marketing.

Circular 859/Revised December, 2002

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